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AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON NOVEMBER 6, 2015

Registration No. 333-207560

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

Amendment No. 1

to

Form S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   4932   47-3011449

(State or Other Jurisdiction of

Incorporation or Organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, Texas 77070

(281) 872-3100

(Address, including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

 

 

John F. Bookout, IV

Chief Financial Officer

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, Texas 77070

(281) 872-3100

(Name, Address, including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, including Area Code, of Agent for Service)

 

 

Copies to:

 

G. Michael O’Leary

George Vlahakos

Andrews Kurth LLP

600 Travis, Suite 4200

Houston, Texas 77002

(713) 220-4200

 

Douglas E. McWilliams

Julian J. Seiguer

Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.

1001 Fannin St., Suite 2500

Houston, Texas 77002

(713) 758-2222

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement becomes effective.

If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, 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(c) 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. (Check one):

 

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

 

 

 

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 


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The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to Completion, dated November 6, 2015

PROSPECTUS

 

 

 

LOGO

Noble Midstream Partners LP

Common Units

Representing Limited Partner Interests

 

 

This is the initial public offering of common units representing limited partner interests in Noble Midstream Partners LP. We were recently formed by Noble Energy, Inc., or Noble, and no public market currently exists for our common units. We are offering                 common units in this offering. We expect that the initial public offering price will be between $         and $         per common unit. We have applied to list our common units on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NBLX.” We are an “emerging growth company” as that term is used in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act.

As a result of certain laws and regulations to which we are or may in the future become subject, we may require owners of our common units to certify that they are both U.S. citizens and subject to U.S. federal income taxation on our income. If you are not an eligible holder at the time of any requested certification in the future, your common units may be subject to redemption.

Investing in our common units involves risk. Please read “ Risk Factors ” beginning on page 24.

These risks include the following:

 

 

We derive substantially all of our revenue from Noble. If Noble changes its business strategy, alters its current drilling and development plan on our dedicated acreage, or otherwise significantly reduces the volumes of crude oil, natural gas, saltwater or fresh water with respect to which we perform midstream services, our revenue would decline and our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make distributions to our unitholders would be materially and adversely affected.

 

 

On a pro forma basis, we would not have generated sufficient distributable cash flow to make the payment of the aggregate annualized minimum quarterly distribution on all of our units for the year ended December 31, 2014 or the twelve months ended September 30, 2015.

 

 

We may not generate sufficient distributable cash flow to make the payment of the minimum quarterly distribution to our unitholders.

 

 

Our general partner and its affiliates, including Noble, have conflicts of interest with us and limited fiduciary duties to us and our unitholders, and they may favor their own interests to our detriment and that of our unitholders. Additionally, we have no control over the business decisions and operations of Noble, and Noble is under no obligation to adopt a business strategy that favors us.

 

 

Unitholders have very limited voting rights and, even if they are dissatisfied, they will have limited ability to remove our general partner.

 

 

There is no existing market for our common units, and a trading market that will provide you with adequate liquidity may not develop. The price of our common units may fluctuate significantly, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

 

 

Our tax treatment depends on our status as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. If the Internal Revenue Service were to treat us as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, which would subject us to entity-level taxation, or if we were otherwise subjected to a material amount of entity-level taxation, then our distributable cash flow to our unitholders would be substantially reduced.

 

 

Our unitholders’ share of our income will be taxable to them for federal income tax purposes even if they do not receive any cash distributions from us.

 

     Per Common Unit    Total  

Price to the public

   $                $                

Underwriting discounts and commissions (1)

   $    $     

Proceeds to Noble Midstream Partners LP (before expenses)

   $    $     

 

(1) Excludes an aggregate structuring fee equal to     % of the gross proceeds from this offering payable to Barclays Capital Inc. and Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated. Please read “Underwriting.”

We have granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional             common units from us on the same terms and conditions as set forth above if the underwriters sell more than             common units in this offering.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The underwriters expect to deliver the common units on or about                     , 2015.

 

 

Lead Book-Running Managers

 

Barclays   Baird   J.P. Morgan

Joint Book-Running Managers

 

BofA Merrill Lynch   Citigroup   Deutsche Bank Securities   Wells Fargo Securities

Co-Managers

 

Simmons & Company International   BB&T Capital Markets   BBVA   BNP PARIBAS

 

CIBC   DNB Markets   Fifth Third Securities   Mizuho Securities

 

MUFG   PNC Capital Markets LLC   Scotia Howard Weil   SMBC Nikko

 

SOCIETE GENERALE   TD Securities   Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co.

Prospectus dated                     , 2015


Table of Contents

 

 

LOGO

 

 


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

     1   

Overview

     1   

Our Existing Assets

     3   

Business Strategies

     6   

Competitive Strengths

     7   

Noble Energy, Inc.

     8   

Our Emerging Growth Company Status

     9   

Risk Factors

     9   

The Transactions

     10   

Ownership and Organizational Structure

     11   

Management of Noble Midstream Partners LP

     13   

Principal Executive Offices and Internet Address

     13   

Summary of Conflicts of Interest and Duties

     13   

The Offering

     15   

Summary Historical and Pro Forma Financial Data

     21   

RISK FACTORS

     24   

Risks Related to Our Business

     24   

Risks Inherent in an Investment in Us

     41   

Tax Risks

     52   

USE OF PROCEEDS

     57   

CAPITALIZATION

     58   

DILUTION

     59   

CASH DISTRIBUTION POLICY AND RESTRICTIONS ON DISTRIBUTIONS

     60   

General

     60   

Our Minimum Quarterly Distribution

     62   

Unaudited Pro Forma EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow for the Year Ended December  31, 2014 and Twelve Months Ended September 30, 2015

     64   

Estimated EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow for the Twelve Months Ending December 31, 2016

     67   

Significant Forecast Assumptions

     69   

PROVISIONS OF OUR PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT RELATING TO CASH DISTRIBUTIONS

     74   

Distributions of Available Cash

     74   

Operating Surplus and Capital Surplus

     75   

Capital Expenditures

     77   

Subordinated Units and Subordination Period

     78   

Distributions of Available Cash from Operating Surplus During the Subordination Period

     80   

Distributions of Available Cash from Operating Surplus After the Subordination Period

     80   

Incentive Distribution Rights

     80   

Percentage Allocations of Available Cash from Operating Surplus

     81   

Noble’s Right to Reset Incentive Distribution Levels

     81   

Distributions from Capital Surplus

     84   

Adjustment to the Minimum Quarterly Distribution and Target Distribution Levels

     85   

Distributions of Cash Upon Liquidation

     85   

SELECTED HISTORICAL AND PRO FORMA FINANCIAL DATA

     88   

Non-GAAP Financial Measure

     90   

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

     92   

Overview

     92   

How We Generate Revenue

     92   

How We Evaluate Our Operations

     93   

 

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     Page  

Factors Affecting the Comparability of Our Financial Results

     96   

Other Factors Impacting Our Business

     97   

Results of Operations

     98   

Capital Resources and Liquidity

     101   

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

     104   

Critical Accounting Policies

     104   

Contractual Obligations

     106   

Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures About Market Risk

     106   

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

     107   

General

     107   

Crude Oil Midstream Industry

     107   

Natural Gas Midstream Industry

     108   

Water Services Industry

     109   

Market Fundamentals

     109   

Overview of the DJ Basin

     116   

BUSINESS

     118   

Overview

     118   

Our Existing Assets

     119   

Noble Energy, Inc.

     124   

Our Midstream Operations

     125   

Access to Downstream Markets

     134   

Our Acreage Dedication

     135   

Our Commercial Agreements with Noble

     136   

Right of First Refusal on Assets and Services

     138   

Right of First Offer on Retained Interests

    
139
  

Title to Our Properties

     139   

Seasonality

     140   

Competition

     140   

Regulation of Operations

     140   

Environmental Matters

     144   

Employees

     149   

Insurance

     149   

Legal Proceedings

     149   

MANAGEMENT

     150   

Management of Noble Midstream Partners LP

     150   

Committees of the Board of Directors

     151   

Directors, Director Nominee and Executive Officers of Noble Midstream GP LLC

     152   

Board Leadership Structure

     154   

Board Role in Risk Oversight

     154   

Reimbursement of Expenses

     154   

Compensation of Our Officers and Directors

     154   

Our Long-Term Incentive Plan

     155   

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

     158   

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

     160   

Distributions and Payments to Our General Partner and Its Affiliates

     160   

Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions

     161   

Procedures for Review, Approval and Ratification of Related Person Transactions

     166   

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND DUTIES

     167   

Conflicts of Interest

     167   

Duties of Our General Partner

     174   

DESCRIPTION OF OUR COMMON UNITS

     177   

Our Common Units

     177   

Transfer Agent and Registrar

     177   

 

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     Page  

Transfer of Common Units

     177   

Exchange Listing

     178   

OUR PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

     179   

Organization and Duration

     179   

Purpose

     179   

Capital Contributions

     179   

Voting Rights

     179   

Limited Liability

     181   

Issuance of Additional Partnership Interests

     182   

Amendment of Our Partnership Agreement

     182   

Merger, Consolidation, Conversion, Sale or Other Disposition of Assets

     184   

Termination and Dissolution

     185   

Liquidation and Distribution of Proceeds

     185   

Withdrawal or Removal of Our General Partner

     186   

Transfer of General Partner Interest

     187   

Transfer of Ownership Interests in Our General Partner

     187   

Transfer of Incentive Distribution Rights

     187   

Change of Management Provisions

     187   

Limited Call Right

     187   

Possible Redemption of Ineligible Holders

     188   

Meetings; Voting

     188   

Status as Limited Partner

     189   

Indemnification

     189   

Reimbursement of Expenses

     190   

Books and Reports

     190   

Right to Inspect Our Books and Records

     190   

Registration Rights

     191   

Applicable Law; Exclusive Forum

     191   

UNITS ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

     192   

Rule 144

     192   

Our Partnership Agreement and Registration Rights

     192   

Lock-Up Agreements

     193   

Registration Statement on Form S-8

     193   

MATERIAL FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

     194   

Partnership Status

     195   

Limited Partner Status

     196   

Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership

     197   

Tax Treatment of Operations

     203   

Disposition of Common Units

     203   

Uniformity of Units

     206   

Tax-Exempt Organizations and Other Investors

     206   

Administrative Matters

     207   

INVESTMENT IN NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP BY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

     211   

General Fiduciary Matters

     211   

Prohibited Transaction Matters

     212   

Plan Asset Issues

     212   

UNDERWRITING

     213   

Commissions and Expenses

     214   

Option to Purchase Additional Common Units

     214   

Lock-Up Agreements

     214   

Directed Unit Program

     215   

Offering Price Determination

     215   

 

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     Page  

Indemnification

     215   

Stabilization, Short Positions and Penalty Bids

     216   

Listing on the New York Stock Exchange

     216   

Stamp Taxes

     216   

Other Relationships

     217   

Direct Participation Plan Requirements

     217   

Selling Restrictions

     217   

VALIDITY OF THE COMMON UNITS

     219   

EXPERTS

     219   

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

     220   

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     221   

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

     F-1   

APPENDIX A—FORM OF FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP

     A-1   

APPENDIX B—GLOSSARY OF TERMS

     B-1   

 

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus prepared by us or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized any other person to provide you with information different from that contained in this prospectus and any free writing prospectus. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where an offer or sale is not permitted. The information in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of our common units. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

Through and including                     , 2015 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), federal securities laws may require all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, to deliver a prospectus. This requirement is in addition to a dealer’s obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as an underwriter and with respect to an unsold allotment or subscription.

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Please read “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Statements.”

Industry and Market Data

The data included in this prospectus regarding the midstream crude oil and natural gas industry, including descriptions of trends in the market, are based on a variety of sources, including independent industry publications, government publications and other published independent sources and publicly available information, as well as our good faith estimates, which have been derived from management’s knowledge and experience in our industry. Although we have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the third-party information included in this prospectus, based on management’s knowledge and experience, we believe that the third-party sources are reliable and that the third-party information included in this prospectus or in our estimates is accurate and complete as of the dates presented.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. You should carefully read the entire prospectus, including “Risk Factors” and the historical and unaudited pro forma financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus before making an investment decision. Unless otherwise indicated, the information in this prospectus assumes (i) an initial public offering price of $         per common unit (the mid-point of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus) and (ii) that the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional common units. You should read “Risk Factors” beginning on page 24 for more information about important factors that you should consider before purchasing our common units.

Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus to “Noble Midstream,” the “Partnership,” “we,” “our,” “us,” or like terms, when used in a historical context, refer to Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor, our predecessor for accounting purposes, also referred to as “our Predecessor,” and when used in the present tense or prospectively, refer to Noble Midstream Partners LP and its subsidiaries. References in this prospectus to “our general partner” refer to Noble Midstream GP LLC. References in this prospectus to “Noble” refer collectively to Noble Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NBL) and its subsidiaries, other than us, our subsidiaries and our general partner. We have provided definitions for some of the terms we use to describe our business and industry and other terms used in this prospectus in the “Glossary of Terms” beginning on page B-1 of this prospectus.

Noble Midstream Partners LP

Overview

We are a growth-oriented Delaware master limited partnership recently formed by our sponsor, Noble, to own, operate, develop and acquire a wide range of domestic midstream infrastructure assets. We currently provide crude oil, natural gas, and water-related midstream services for Noble through long-term, fixed-fee contracts. Our operating assets are currently focused in the Denver-Julesburg Basin, or DJ Basin, in Colorado, one of the premier liquid hydrocarbon basins in the United States. Noble intends for us to become its primary vehicle for domestic midstream operations that have not previously been dedicated to other ventures. We believe that our diverse midstream infrastructure assets and our relationship with Noble position us as a leading midstream service provider.

We have entered into multiple fee-based commercial agreements with Noble, each with an initial term of 15 years, utilizing our infrastructure assets to provide an array of services critical to Noble’s upstream operations in the DJ Basin. Our agreements include substantial acreage dedications. See “Business—Our Acreage Dedication.” These long-term, fee-based commercial agreements are intended to mitigate our direct commodity price exposure and enhance the stability of our cash flows. In the future, we intend to seek similar commercial arrangements with unaffiliated third parties.

Noble is one of the largest producers of hydrocarbons in the DJ Basin, where it produced, on average, 101 MBoe/d of crude oil, condensate, natural gas and natural gas liquids, or NGLs, during 2014, with 66% of such volumes being crude oil and NGLs. Noble’s sales volumes in the DJ Basin increased to 116 MBoe/d in the three months ended September 30, 2015, with 67% of such volumes being crude oil and NGLs. For the three months ended March 31, 2015, June 30, 2015 and September 30, 2015, we provided crude oil and natural gas gathering services with respect to an average of approximately 31 MBoe/d, 40 MBoe/d and 47 MBoe/d respectively.

Noble commenced horizontal drilling in the DJ Basin in 2010 in order to increase recoveries of liquid-rich hydrocarbons. This shift to a horizontal drilling program has created an opportunity for more efficient gathering

 

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of crude oil, natural gas, NGLs and water, which is the core of our business. Noble is testing a number of drilling and completion techniques to increase efficiencies and ultimate recovery while enhancing the overall value of its DJ Basin position. Noble accelerated its extended reach lateral well program to approximately 32% of wells drilled in 2014. During the year ended December 31, 2014, Noble spud 303 horizontal wells, of which 96 were extended reach lateral wells, and 310 wells initiated production. Since January 2010, Noble has spud over 1,020 horizontal wells, covering over four million lateral feet.

The table below shows Noble’s DJ Basin drilling activities for the periods presented.

 

     Year Ended
December 31,
 
     2012      2013      2014  

Number of horizontal wells spud

     193         285         303   

Approximate average lateral feet per horizontal well

     4,200         4,400         5,600   

The graph below shows Noble’s DJ Basin horizontal production and drilling activity from January 1, 2010 through September 30, 2015, and demonstrates the impact that the horizontal drilling program has had on Noble’s DJ Basin production. A number of factors impact Noble’s production and drilling activity, including the number of drilling rigs that Noble operates on its acreage. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business.”

 

LOGO

 

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Our Existing Assets

We operate and own interests in crude oil gathering pipelines, crude oil treating facilities, natural gas gathering pipelines and a centralized gathering facility, or CGF. In addition, we provide Noble with water-related services that are critical to Noble’s upstream operations, including the storage and distribution of fresh water for use in drilling and completion operations and collecting, cleaning, recycling and disposing of flowback and produced water, which we refer to collectively as saltwater, through our interests in pipelines and facilities (or under contracts with third parties). The majority of our current facilities are located in two areas of Weld County, Colorado, that we refer to as the Wells Ranch integrated development plan area, or Wells Ranch IDP, and the East Pony integrated development plan area, or East Pony IDP. Each integrated development plan area, or IDP area, consists of a large block of Noble’s contiguous acreage, allowing us to build and operate midstream infrastructure that we believe is more efficient in terms of capital invested per mile of pipe and service provided. Noble develops the IDP areas through a comprehensive design for well pad facilities that support horizontal drilling allowing us to efficiently gather production and provide other related midstream services to these areas with reduced truck traffic, emissions and overall surface footprint.

To effectively manage our growth, capital expenditure requirements and balance sheet, we have divided our initial assets and those that we expect to develop in the future between two categories, which we refer to as our “Core Assets” and “Growth Assets,” based on their current expected cash flows, growth profiles, capital expenditure requirements and the expected timing of their development.

Core Assets

Our Core Assets include the assets that generate substantially all of our current cash flows. We expect these assets to be key contributors to our growth as Noble continues to increase its production in the DJ Basin through the execution of its horizontal drilling plan. Except for our interest in White Cliffs LLC described below, all of our Core Assets are owned by the Colorado River DevCo LP, in which we own an initial 75% controlling interest.

Our Core Assets include gathering systems in the Wells Ranch IDP that collect crude oil, natural gas and saltwater from facilities located at or near the wellhead and provide gathering to the Wells Ranch CGF or other delivery points within the IDP area. At the Wells Ranch CGF, we provide certain integral services, including separation, treatment, cleaning and storage of the incoming liquid stream into pipeline-quality crude oil and saltwater suitable for disposal or recycling operations. At the tailgate of the Wells Ranch CGF, we deliver the hydrocarbons to a third party for additional transportation, gathering and processing and we collect and clean the saltwater and prepare it for treating, recycling and disposal, with a portion of this water returning to our fresh water system after recycling. We expect these systems and others that we may develop in other IDP areas will continue to provide us and Noble many benefits, including increased capital and operating efficiencies. Our Core Assets servicing the Wells Ranch IDP include:

 

   

approximately 25 miles of liquids pipelines that carry both crude oil and saltwater servicing the Wells Ranch IDP, which had, during the nine months ended September 30, 2015:

 

  ¡    

average daily throughput of approximately 15,000 Bbl/d of crude oil; and

 

  ¡    

average daily throughput of approximately 4,000 Bbl/d of saltwater;

 

   

approximately 30 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines servicing the Wells Ranch IDP, which had average daily throughput of approximately 64,100 Mcf/d during the nine months ended September 30, 2015;

 

   

storage capacity for up to 96,000 Bbls of crude oil and 32,000 Bbls of saltwater at the Wells Ranch CGF as of September 30, 2015;

 

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approximately 20 miles of fresh water pipelines servicing the Wells Ranch IDP that delivered an average of approximately 18,000 Bbl/d of fresh water during the nine months ended September 30, 2015; and

 

   

a fresh water storage system servicing the Wells Ranch IDP, which had a storage capacity of approximately 500,000 Bbls of fresh water as of September 30, 2015.

In addition to our assets servicing the Wells Ranch IDP, we operate the following Core Assets:

 

   

approximately 15 miles of crude oil gathering pipelines servicing the East Pony IDP, which came online in March 2015 and which had average daily throughput of approximately 22,000 Bbl/d of crude oil during the three months ended September 30, 2015;

 

   

the Briggsdale and Platteville crude oil treating facilities, which have an annual operating capacity of 2,740,000 Bbls and 1,825,000 Bbls, respectively.

In addition, our Core Assets include ownership of a 3.33% ownership interest in White Cliffs Pipeline, L.L.C., or White Cliffs LLC, which entitles us to distributions based on our pro rata share of monthly net cash flow generated by the operation of the White Cliffs Pipeline. The White Cliffs Pipeline has a current capacity of approximately 150,000 Bbl/d of crude oil and is undergoing an expansion to increase the pipeline’s crude oil capacity to approximately 215,000 Bbl/d. See “Business—Our Existing Assets—Core Assets.”

Growth Assets

Our Growth Assets are held by four development companies in which we own initial controlling interests ranging from 5% to 10%. We believe this tiered ownership structure will allow us to maintain flexibility to adjust to Noble’s development decisions. Our Growth Assets include:

 

   

the San Juan River DevCo LP’s assets, which are located in the East Pony IDP and consist of rights-of-way and surface rights for produced water facilities and fresh water systems consisting of approximately 10 miles of pipelines and a storage capacity of approximately 550,000 Bbls of water as of September 30, 2015 and an average daily throughput of approximately 21,300 Bbl/d during the nine months ended September 30, 2015, and a dedication from Noble for all water services in the East Pony IDP;

 

   

the Green River DevCo LP’s assets, which are located in the Mustang IDP and consist of rights-of-way and surface rights on which we are constructing fresh water systems and on which we plan to construct crude oil, natural gas and additional water infrastructure and a dedication from Noble covering Noble’s acreage in the Mustang IDP pursuant to which we are entitled to provide crude oil and natural gas gathering services and water services.

 

   

crude oil gathering and water services dedications held by the Laramie River DevCo LP;

 

   

crude oil gathering and water services dedications held by the Gunnison River DevCo LP;

 

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The following table provides a summary of our assets, services and dedicated net acreage (as of September 30, 2015) along with our ownership of these assets as of the closing of this offering.

 

    

Area Served

  

NBLX Dedicated Service

  

Approximate

Dedicated Net
Acreage

   NBLX
Ownership
Interest
Core Assets (1)   

Wells Ranch IDP

 

  

•     Crude Oil Gathering

•     Natural Gas Gathering

•     Water Services

 

  

65,000

 

   75%

 

  

East Pony IDP

 

All Noble DJ Basin Acreage

  

•     Crude Oil Gathering

 

•     Crude Oil Treating

  

40,000

 

N/A (2)

  
Growth Assets   

Mustang IDP (3)

 

  

•     Crude Oil Gathering

•     Natural Gas Gathering

•     Water Services

 

  

80,000

 

   10%

 

  

GreeleyCrescent IDP (3)

 

  

•     Crude Oil Gathering

•     Water Services

 

  

65,000

 

   5%

 

  

Bronco IDP (3)

 

  

•     Crude Oil Gathering

•     Water Services

 

  

50,000

 

   5%

 

  

East Pony IDP

 

  

•     Water Services

 

  

40,000

 

   5%

 

 

(1) Our Core Assets also include a 3.33% ownership interest in White Cliffs LLC, which is not held through a development company.
(2) The fee for crude oil treating services is not acreage based. We receive a monthly fee for each Noble-operated well producing in paying quantities in the DJ Basin that is not connected to our crude oil gathering systems during each month, which was 5,000 wells as of September 30, 2015.
(3) We currently have limited midstream infrastructure assets in the Mustang IDP and no midstream infrastructure assets in the Greeley Crescent IDP and Bronco IDP. Our assets in these IDP areas currently consist primarily of dedications to us from Noble for future production in these IDP areas. In the Mustang IDP, we also own certain rights-of-way and surface rights. See “Business—Our Existing Assets.”

 

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Business Strategies

Our principal business objectives are to generate stable cash flows and increase the quarterly cash distributions that we pay to our unitholders over time while ensuring the ongoing stability of our business by providing outstanding service to our upstream customers. We expect to achieve these objectives through the following business strategies:

 

   

Acting as the primary provider of midstream services in Noble’s dedicated areas . Our midstream infrastructure currently serves Noble’s production on its substantial acreage in the DJ Basin, from which Noble produced an average of 116 MBoe/d of crude oil, condensate, natural gas and NGLs during the second quarter of 2015. For the three months ended March 31, 2015, June 30, 2015 and September 30, 2015, we provided crude oil and natural gas gathering services with respect to an average of approximately 31 MBoe/d, 40 MBoe/d and 47 MBoe/d, respectively. Noble has dedicated, until 2030, certain midstream services to us on its substantial acreage position in the DJ Basin. See “Business—Our Acreage Dedication.” We expect Noble’s production volumes to grow from its future horizontal drilling activities, which we anticipate will help us maintain and grow throughput on our crude oil, natural gas and saltwater midstream infrastructure and increase demand for our fresh water services. We are strategically positioned to expand our delivery of midstream services within the areas dedicated to us as Noble executes on its drilling and development plans.

 

   

Pursuing accretive acquisitions from Noble and third parties . After this offering, Noble will be the sole owner of our general partner and will own a     % limited partner interest in us, consisting of              common units and all of our subordinated units and incentive distribution rights and its retained non-controlling interests in our Core Assets and Growth Assets. Noble has granted us a right of first offer, or ROFO, on its retained interests in the development companies that hold our assets. In addition, Noble has granted us a right of first refusal, or ROFR, on certain midstream assets located onshore in the United States (other than in the Marcellus Shale) that it retains, acquires or develops in the future to the extent such assets are not subject to a third party purchase right. We expect Noble to be strongly incentivized to help us grow our business, including by offering us the opportunity to acquire midstream assets it has retained, develops or acquires in the future and elects to sell. In addition, we expect to identify and pursue accretive third-party acquisitions.

 

   

Attracting third-party business . In addition to being an integral provider of midstream services for Noble’s production in the DJ Basin, we intend to market our services to, and pursue strategic relationships with, third-party producers over the long term. We believe that our portfolio of assets and our execution and operational capabilities will position us favorably to compete for third-party production both inside and outside the DJ Basin. In addition, we believe that our assets, which are currently located on Noble’s substantial acreage position in the DJ Basin, are strategically located to take advantage of opportunities to provide midstream services to third parties in the DJ Basin. However, we do not know when or if such relationships with third-party producers will develop.

 

   

Focusing on stable, fixed-fee arrangements to mitigate our direct commodity price exposure and enhance the stability of our cash flows . Our commercial agreements with Noble are structured as long-term, fixed-fee arrangements, and we intend to continue to pursue additional long-term, fixed-fee arrangements with Noble and third parties. We will pursue additional long-term commitments from customers, which may include throughput-based charges, reservation-based charges, or acreage dedications. None of our existing commercial agreements contain minimum volume commitments.

 

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Competitive Strengths

We believe we are well-positioned to successfully execute our business strategies because of the following competitive strengths:

 

   

Strategic relationship with Noble . We have a strategic relationship with Noble, one of the leading producers of crude oil, condensate, natural gas and NGLs in the DJ Basin and North America. As the owner of our general partner, all of our incentive distribution rights, a     % limited partner interest in us and its retained, non-controlling interests in the development companies that hold our assets, we believe Noble will be incentivized to promote and support our business plan and to pursue projects that enhance the overall value of our business. Through our long-term commercial agreements with Noble, we have a well-capitalized, investment grade commercial counterparty initially responsible for all of our revenues. In addition, Noble has granted us substantial dedications on its DJ Basin acreage for the midstream services we currently perform as well as a ROFO on its retained interests in the development companies that hold our assets and a ROFR on certain midstream assets and on the right to provide certain midstream services on acreage located onshore in the United States (other than in the Marcellus Shale) that it retains, acquires or develops in the future. See “Business—Our Acreage Dedication” and “Business—Right of First Refusal on Assets and Services.” We believe that our relationship with Noble will provide us with a stable base of cash flows and significant growth opportunities.

 

   

Strategically located assets . Our initial midstream infrastructure assets are located on and around Noble’s significant, contiguous acreage in the DJ Basin and serve Noble’s current and future production on this acreage. Noble commenced operations in Weld County, Colorado, in 2005 and currently holds one of the largest acreage positions in the DJ Basin. The DJ Basin has been the focus of extensive industry activity over the last several years, and we expect producers to continue to invest substantial capital to develop crude oil and natural gas production in this region, which will in turn require substantial investment in midstream infrastructure. We also expect the use of integrated development plans to help us manage capital expenditures because Noble’s development under these plans is intended to centrally locate production and midstream infrastructure rather than replicate services and infrastructure at each wellhead, which will allow us to efficiently gather Noble’s production from centralized wellhead equipment. In addition, Noble’s strategic, contiguous acreage provides us an opportunity to deliver fresh water in connection with well completion activities and collect, clean, recycle and dispose of saltwater. We believe that our existing footprint, coupled with Noble’s dedications, positions us to capitalize on midstream growth opportunities on and around Noble’s contiguous DJ Basin acreage.

 

   

Long-term, fixed-fee contracts to support cash flows . We service Noble’s liquids-rich production in the DJ Basin pursuant to long-term, fixed-fee contracts. For the twelve months ended September 30, 2015, Noble represented all of our gathering volumes. We have secured dedications from Noble under which we will provide our crude oil, natural gas and water services pursuant to 15-year, fixed-fee contracts. We believe that Noble’s horizontal drilling activity and potential new third-party customers will drive the stable growth of our midstream operations. Our contract structure mitigates our direct exposure to commodity price risk contributing to long-term cash flow stability.

 

   

Financial flexibility and strong capital structure . At the closing of this offering, we expect to have $350 million of availability under our new, undrawn revolving credit facility, which can be increased by an additional $350 million as long as we are in compliance with the covenants contained in our credit agreement and subject to requisite commitments from existing or new lenders. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Capital Resources and Liquidity—Revolving Credit Facility.” We believe that our available borrowing capacity and our expected ability to access debt and equity capital markets provide us with the financial flexibility necessary to execute our business strategy.

 

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Experienced management and operating teams . Our executive management team has an average of over 21 years of experience in designing, acquiring, building, operating, financing and otherwise managing large-scale midstream and other energy assets. In addition, through our omnibus services agreement with Noble, we employ engineering, construction and operations teams that have significant experience in designing, constructing and operating large scale midstream and other energy assets.

Noble Energy, Inc.

Overview

Noble is a global independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company, with total proved reserves of 1.7 billion Boe at year-end 2014 (pro forma for the acquisition of Rosetta Resources Inc.). Noble’s diverse resource base includes positions in four premier unconventional U.S. onshore plays - the DJ Basin, Marcellus Shale, Eagle Ford Shale and Permian Basin - and offshore in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Eastern Mediterranean and West Africa. Noble is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “NBL” and had a market capitalization of approximately $16.5 billion as of December 31, 2014.

Noble is one of the largest producers of liquids in the DJ Basin, where it produced, on average, 101 MBoe/d of crude oil, condensate, natural gas and NGLs during 2014, with 66% of such volumes being crude oil and NGLs. Noble’s sales volumes in the DJ Basin increased to 116 MBoe/d in the three months ended September 30, 2015, with 67% of such volumes being crude oil and NGLs.

Noble continually evaluates strategic additions to its reserves in North America. On July 20, 2015, Noble acquired approximately 50,000 net acres in the Eagle Ford Shale in south Texas and 54,000 net acres in the Permian Basin in west Texas (45,000 net acres in the Delaware Basin and 9,000 net acres in the Midland Basin) in connection with its acquisition of Rosetta Resources Inc. Noble has identified in excess of 1,800 gross horizontal drilling locations for development in this newly acquired acreage.

Our Relationship with Noble

One of our principal strengths is our relationship with Noble. In connection with the completion of this offering, we will (i) issue              common units and             subordinated units to Noble, representing an aggregate     % limited partner interest in us (or an aggregate     % limited partner interest in us if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units), (ii) issue a non-economic general partner interest in us to our general partner and issue all of our incentive distribution rights to Noble and (iii) use the net proceeds from this offering to make a distribution of approximately $             million to Noble. Please read “—The Offering,” “Use of Proceeds,” “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Distributions and Payments to Our General Partner and Its Affiliates.”

Given Noble’s significant ownership interest in us following this offering and its intent to use us as its primary domestic midstream service provider in areas that have not previously been dedicated to other ventures, we believe that Noble will be incentivized to promote and support the successful execution of our business strategies; however, we can provide no assurances that we will benefit from our relationship with Noble. While our relationship with Noble is a significant strength, it is also a source of potential risks and conflicts. Please read “Risk Factors—Risks Inherent in an Investment in Us” and “Conflicts of Interest and Duties.”

 

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Our Emerging Growth Company Status

As a company with less than $1.0 billion in revenue during its last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. As an emerging growth company, we may, for up to five years, take advantage of specified exemptions from reporting and other regulatory requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These exemptions include:

 

   

the presentation of only two years of audited financial statements and only two years of related Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in this prospectus;

 

   

deferral of the auditor attestation requirement on the effectiveness of our system of internal control over financial reporting;

 

   

exemption from the adoption of new or revised financial accounting standards until they would apply to private companies;

 

   

exemption from compliance with any new requirements adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board requiring mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report in which the auditor would be required to provide additional information about the audit and the financial statements of the issuer; and

 

   

reduced disclosure about executive compensation arrangements.

We may take advantage of these provisions until we are no longer an emerging growth company, which will occur on the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of this offering, (ii) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have more than $1.0 billion in annual revenue, (iii) the date on which we issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period and (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer,” as defined in Rule 12b-2 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

We have elected to take advantage of all of the applicable JOBS Act provisions, except that we will elect to opt out of the exemption that allows emerging growth companies to extend the transition period for complying with new or revised financial accounting standards (this election is irrevocable).

Accordingly, the information that we provide you may be different than what you may receive from other public companies in which you hold equity interests.

Risk Factors

An investment in our common units involves risks associated with our business, our partnership structure and the tax characteristics of our common units. Below is a summary of certain key risk factors that you should consider in evaluating an investment in our common units. However, this list is not exhaustive. Please read “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Statements.”

Risks Related to Our Business

 

   

We derive substantially all of our revenue from Noble. If Noble changes its business strategy, alters its current drilling and development plan on our dedicated acreage, or otherwise significantly reduces the volumes of crude oil, natural gas, saltwater or fresh water with respect to which we perform midstream services, our revenue would decline and our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make distributions to our unitholders would be materially and adversely affected.

 

   

On a pro forma basis, we would not have generated sufficient distributable cash flow to make the payment of the aggregate annualized minimum quarterly distribution on all of our units for the year ended December 31, 2014 or the twelve months ended September 30, 2015.

 

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We may not generate sufficient distributable cash flow to make the payment of the minimum quarterly distribution to our unitholders.

 

   

The assumptions underlying the forecast of distributable cash flow that we include in “Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions” are inherently uncertain and subject to significant business, economic, financial, regulatory and competitive risks that could cause our actual distributable cash flow to differ materially from our forecast.

 

   

We cannot predict the rate at which Noble will develop acreage that is dedicated to us or the areas it will decide to develop.

Risks Inherent in an Investment in Us

 

   

Our general partner and its affiliates, including Noble, have conflicts of interest with us and limited fiduciary duties to us and our unitholders, and they may favor their own interests to our detriment and that of our unitholders. Additionally, we have no control over the business decisions and operations of Noble, and Noble is under no obligation to adopt a business strategy that favors us.

 

   

Our partnership agreement requires that we distribute all of our available cash, which could limit our ability to grow and make acquisitions.

 

   

Our partnership agreement replaces our general partner’s fiduciary duties to holders of our common units with contractual standards governing its duties.

 

   

Affiliates of our general partner and Noble may compete with us, and neither our general partner nor its affiliates have any obligation to present business opportunities to us except with respect to dedications contained in our commercial agreements and rights of first refusal and rights of first offer contained in our omnibus agreement.

 

   

There is no existing market for our common units, and a trading market that will provide you with adequate liquidity may not develop. The price of our common units may fluctuate significantly, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

 

   

For as long as we are an “emerging growth company,” we will not be required to comply with certain disclosure requirements that apply to other public companies.

Tax Risks

 

   

Our tax treatment depends on our status as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. If the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, were to treat us as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, which would subject us to entity-level taxation, or if we were otherwise subjected to a material amount of entity-level taxation, then our distributable cash flow to our unitholders would be substantially reduced.

 

   

The tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships or an investment in our units could be subject to potential legislative, judicial or administrative changes and differing interpretations, possibly on a retroactive basis.

 

   

Our unitholders’ share of our income will be taxable to them for federal income tax purposes even if they do not receive any cash distributions from us.

The Transactions

We were formed in December 2014 by Noble. In connection with this offering, Noble will contribute to us the percentages of the development companies that will operate our assets described under “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Contribution Agreement.”

 

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In addition, in connection with this offering, we will:

 

   

issue             common units and             subordinated units to Noble, representing an aggregate     % limited partner interest in us;

 

   

issue all of our incentive distribution rights to Noble;

 

   

issue             common units to the public, representing a     % limited partner interest in us, and we will apply the net proceeds as described under “Use of Proceeds;”

 

   

enter into a new $350 million revolving credit facility;

 

   

have long-term, fixed-fee commercial agreements with Noble;

 

   

enter into an omnibus agreement with Noble and our general partner; and

 

   

enter into an operational services and secondment agreement with Noble.

The number of common units to be issued to Noble includes             common units that will be issued at the expiration of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units, assuming that the underwriters do not exercise the option. Any exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units would reduce the common units shown as held by Noble by the number to be purchased by the underwriters in connection with such exercise. If and to the extent the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional common units, the number of common units purchased by the underwriters pursuant to any exercise will be sold to the public, and any remaining common units not purchased by the underwriters pursuant to any exercise of the option will be issued to Noble at the expiration of the option period for no additional consideration. Any additional common units issued to Noble upon the expiration of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units will be issued pursuant to the exemption from registration provided under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. We will use any net proceeds from the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units to make a cash distribution to Noble.

Ownership and Organizational Structure

After giving effect to the transactions described above, assuming the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units from us is not exercised, our partnership interests will be held as follows:

 

Public common units

         

Noble common units

         

Noble subordinated units

         

Noble incentive distribution rights

     —   % (1)  

General partner interest

     —   % (2)  
  

 

 

 

Total

     100.0
  

 

 

 

 

  (1) Incentive distribution rights represent a variable interest in distributions and thus are not expressed as a fixed percentage. Please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions—Incentive Distribution Rights.” Distributions with respect to the incentive distribution rights will be classified as distributions with respect to equity interests. All of our incentive distribution rights will be issued to Noble.
  (2) Our general partner owns a non-economic general partner interest in us. Please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions—Distributions of Available Cash—General Partner Interest.”

 

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The following simplified diagram depicts our organizational structure after giving effect to the transactions described above.

 

LOGO

 

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Management of Noble Midstream Partners LP

We are managed and operated by the board of directors and executive officers of Noble Midstream GP LLC, our general partner. Noble is the sole owner of our general partner and has the right to appoint the entire board of directors of our general partner, including the independent directors appointed in accordance with the listing standards of the NYSE. Unlike shareholders in a publicly traded corporation, our unitholders will not be entitled to elect our general partner or the board of directors of our general partner. Many of the executive officers and directors of our general partner also currently serve in senior leadership positions at Noble. Please read “Management—Directors and Executive Officers of Noble Midstream GP LLC.”

In order to maintain operational flexibility, our operations will be conducted through, and our operating assets will be owned by, our development companies. We may, in certain circumstances, contract with third parties to provide personnel in support of our operations. However, neither we nor our subsidiaries will have any employees. Our general partner has the sole responsibility for providing the personnel necessary to conduct our operations, whether through directly hiring employees or by obtaining the services of personnel employed by Noble or others. In addition, pursuant to the operational services and employee secondment agreement that will be entered into at the closing of this offering, certain of Noble’s employees will be seconded to our general partner to provide management, maintenance and operational services with respect to our business under the direction and control of our general partner. All of the personnel that will conduct our business immediately following the closing of this offering will be employed or contracted by our general partner and its affiliates, including Noble, but we sometimes refer to these individuals in this prospectus as our employees because they provide services directly to us.

Principal Executive Offices and Internet Address

Our principal executive offices are located at 1001 Noble Energy Way, Houston, Texas, 77070, and our telephone number is (281) 872-3100. Following the completion of this offering, our website will be located at www.NBLMidstream.com . We expect to make our periodic reports and other information filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, available, free of charge, through our website, as soon as reasonably practicable after those reports and other information are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Information on our website or any other website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and does not constitute a part of this prospectus.

Summary of Conflicts of Interest and Duties

Under our partnership agreement, our general partner has a duty to manage us in a manner it believes is not adverse to the interests of our partnership. However, because our general partner is a wholly owned subsidiary of Noble, the officers and directors of our general partner have a duty to manage the business of our general partner in a manner that is in the best interests of Noble. As a result of this relationship, conflicts of interest may arise in the future between us or our unitholders, on the one hand, and our general partner or its affiliates, including Noble, on the other hand. For example, our general partner will be entitled to make determinations that affect the amount of cash distributions we make to the holders of common units, which in turn has an effect on whether Noble, as the initial holder of our incentive distribution rights, receives incentive cash distributions. In addition, our general partner may cause us to borrow funds in order to permit the payment of cash distributions, even if the purpose or effect of the borrowing is to make a distribution on the subordinated units, to make incentive distributions or to accelerate expiration of the subordination period. All of these actions are permitted under our partnership agreement and will not be a breach of any duty (fiduciary or otherwise) of our general partner. Please read “Conflicts of Interest and Duties.”

 

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Delaware law provides that a Delaware limited partnership may, in its partnership agreement, expand, restrict or eliminate the fiduciary duties otherwise owed by the general partner to limited partners and the partnership. As permitted by Delaware law, our partnership agreement contains various provisions replacing the fiduciary duties that would otherwise be owed by our general partner with contractual standards governing the duties of the general partner and contractual methods of resolving conflicts of interest. The effect of these provisions is to restrict the remedies available to unitholders for actions that might otherwise constitute breaches of our general partner’s fiduciary duties. Our partnership agreement also provides that affiliates of our general partner, including Noble and its affiliates, are not restricted from competing with us, and neither our general partner nor its affiliates have any obligation to present business opportunities to us except with respect to dedications contained in our commercial agreements and rights of first refusal contained in our omnibus agreement. By purchasing a common unit, the purchaser agrees to be bound by the terms of our partnership agreement, and, pursuant to the terms of our partnership agreement, each holder of common units consents to various actions and potential conflicts of interest contemplated in our partnership agreement that might otherwise be considered a breach of fiduciary or other duties under Delaware law. Please read “Conflicts of Interest and Duties—Duties of Our General Partner” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”

 

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The Offering

 

Common units offered to the public

             common units (or              common units if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units from us).

 

Units outstanding after this offering

             common units and              subordinated units, each representing an aggregate     % limited partner interest in us.

 

  The number of common units outstanding after this offering includes              common units that are available to be issued to the underwriters pursuant to their option to purchase additional common units from us. The number of common units purchased by the underwriters pursuant to any exercise of the option will be sold to the public. If the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional common units, in whole or in part, any remaining common units not purchased by the underwriters pursuant to the option will be issued to Noble at the expiration of the option period for no additional consideration. Accordingly, any exercise of the underwriters’ option, in whole or in part, will not affect the total number of common units outstanding or the amount of cash needed to pay the minimum quarterly distribution on all units.

 

Use of proceeds

We expect to receive net proceeds of approximately $         million from the sale of              common units offered by this prospectus, based on an assumed initial public offering price of $         per common unit (the mid-point of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus), after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, the structuring fee and estimated offering expenses. Our estimate assumes the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units is not exercised. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to (i) make a distribution of approximately $         million to Noble and (ii) pay approximately $         million of origination fees related to our new revolving credit facility. Please read “Use of Proceeds.”

 

  If the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units, we expect to receive additional net proceeds of approximately $         million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and the structuring fee. We will use any net proceeds from the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units to make a cash distribution to Noble.

 

Cash distributions

We intend to make a minimum quarterly distribution of $         per unit to the extent we have sufficient cash at the end of each quarter after establishment of cash reserves and payment of fees and expenses, including payments to our general partner. We refer to this cash as “available cash.” Our ability to pay the minimum quarterly distribution is subject to various restrictions and other factors described in more detail under the caption “Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions.”

 

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  We do not expect to make distributions for the period that began on                     , 2015 and ends on the day prior to the closing of this offering. We will adjust the amount of our first distribution for the period from the closing of this offering through                     , 2015 based on the number of days in that period.

 

  In general, we will pay any cash distributions we make each quarter in the following manner:

 

   

first , 100% to the holders of common units, until each common unit has received a minimum quarterly distribution of $         plus any arrearages from prior quarters;

 

   

second , 100% to the holders of subordinated units, until each subordinated unit has received a minimum quarterly distribution of $         ; and

 

   

third , 100% to all unitholders, pro rata, until each unit has received a distribution of $        .

 

  If cash distributions to our unitholders exceed $         per unit in any quarter, Noble, as the initial holder of our incentive distribution rights, will receive increasing percentages, up to 50%, of the cash we distribute in excess of that amount. We refer to these distributions as “incentive distributions.” In certain circumstances, Noble has the right to reset the target distribution levels described above to higher levels based on our cash distributions at the time of the exercise of this reset election. Please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions—Incentive Distribution Rights.”

 

  If we do not have sufficient available cash at the end of each quarter, we may, but are under no obligation to, borrow funds to pay the minimum quarterly distribution to our unitholders.

 

  Pro forma distributable cash flow that was generated during the year ended December 31, 2014 and the twelve months ended September 30, 2015, was approximately $30.2 million and $36.1 million, respectively. The amount of distributable cash flow we must generate to pay the minimum quarterly distribution for four quarters on our common units and subordinated units to be outstanding immediately after this offering is approximately $         million (or an average of approximately $         million per quarter). As a result, for each of the year ended December 31, 2014 and the twelve months ended September 30, 2015, on a pro forma basis, we would not have generated sufficient distributable cash flow to pay the aggregate annualized minimum quarterly distribution on all of our common units and subordinated units. Please read “Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions—Unaudited Pro Forma EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow for the Year Ended December 31, 2014 and Twelve Months Ended September 30, 2015.”

 

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  We believe, based on our financial forecast and related assumptions included in “Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions—Estimated EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow for the Twelve Months Ending December 31, 2016,” that we will generate sufficient distributable cash flow to pay the aggregate minimum quarterly distributions of $         million on all of our common units and subordinated units for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016. However, we do not have a legal obligation to pay distributions at our minimum quarterly distribution rate or at any other rate except as provided in our partnership agreement, and there is no guarantee that we will make quarterly cash distributions to our unitholders. Please read “Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions.”

 

Subordinated units

Following the completion of this offering, Noble will own all of our subordinated units. The principal difference between our common units and subordinated units is that for any quarter during the subordination period, the subordinated units will not be entitled to receive any distribution until the common units have received the minimum quarterly distribution for such quarter plus any arrearages in the payment of the minimum quarterly distribution from prior quarters during the subordination period. Subordinated units will not accrue arrearages.

 

Conversion of subordinated units

The subordination period will end on the first business day after the date that we have earned and paid distributions of at least (i) $             (the annualized minimum quarterly distribution) on each of the outstanding common units and subordinated units for each of three consecutive, non-overlapping four quarter periods ending on or after December 31, 2018 or (ii) $         (150% of the annualized minimum quarterly distribution) on each of the outstanding common units and subordinated units and the distributions on the incentive distribution rights for any four-quarter period ending on or after December 31, 2016, in each case provided there are no arrearages in payment of the minimum quarterly distributions on our common units at that time.

 

  When the subordination period ends, each outstanding subordinated unit will convert into one common unit, and common units will no longer be entitled to arrearages. Please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions—Subordinated Units and Subordination Period.”

 

Issuance of additional partnership interests

Our partnership agreement authorizes us to issue an unlimited number of 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 our general partner shall determine in its sole discretion, all without the

 

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approval of any limited partners. Our unitholders will not have preemptive or participation rights to purchase their pro rata share of any additional units issued. Please read “Units Eligible for Future Sale” and “Our Partnership Agreement—Issuance of Additional Partnership Interests.”

 

Limited voting rights

Our general partner will manage and operate us. Unlike the holders of common stock in a corporation, our unitholders will have only limited voting rights on matters affecting our business. Our unitholders will have no right to elect our general partner or its directors on an annual or other continuing basis. Our general partner may not be removed unless such removal is both (i) for cause and (ii) approved by a vote of the holders of at least 66  2 / 3 % of the outstanding units, including any units owned by our general partner and its affiliates, voting together as a single class. Following the completion of this offering, Noble will own     % of our total outstanding units on an aggregate basis (or     % of our total outstanding units on an aggregate basis if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units). As a result, our public unitholders initially will not have the ability to remove our general partner. Please read “Our Partnership Agreement—Voting Rights.”

 

Limited call right

If at any time our general partner and its affiliates own more than 80% of the outstanding common units, our general partner has the right, but not the obligation, to purchase all of the remaining common units at a price equal to the greater of (i) the average of the daily closing price of our common units over the 20 trading days preceding the date that is three business days before notice of exercise of the call right is first mailed and (ii) the highest per-unit price paid by our general partner or any of its affiliates for common units during the 90-day period preceding the date such notice is first mailed. Following the completion of this offering and assuming the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units from us is not exercised, our general partner and its affiliates will own approximately     % of our common units (excluding any common units purchased by the directors, director nominee and executive officers of our general partner and certain other individuals as selected by general partner under our directed unit program). At the end of the subordination period (which could occur as early as the quarter ending December 31, 2016), assuming no additional issuances of common units by us (other than upon the conversion of the subordinated units) and the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units from us is not exercised, our general partner and its affiliates will own             % of our outstanding common units (excluding any common units purchased by the directors, director nominee and executive officers of our general partner, and certain other individuals as selected by our general partner under our directed unit program) and therefore would not be able to exercise the call right at that time. Please read “Our Partnership Agreement—Limited Call Right.”

 

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Possible redemption of ineligible holders

As a result of certain laws and regulations to which we are or may in the future become subject, we may require owners of our common units to certify that they are both U.S. citizens and subject to U.S. federal income taxation on our income. Units held by persons who our general partner determines are not “eligible holders” at the time of any requested certification in the future may be subject to redemption. “Eligible holders” are limited partners whose (or whose owners’) (i) U.S. federal income tax status or lack of proof of U.S. federal income tax status does not have and is not reasonably likely to have, as determined by our general partner, a material adverse effect on the rates that can be charged to customers by us or our subsidiaries with respect to assets that are subject to regulation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or similar regulatory body and (ii) nationality, citizenship or other related status does not create and is not reasonably likely to create, as determined by our general partner, a substantial risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any property in which we have an interest.

 

  The aggregate redemption price for redeemable interests will be an amount equal to the current market price (the date of determination of which will 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. For these purposes, the “current market price” means, as of any date for any class of limited partner interests, 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. The redemption price will be paid in cash or by delivery of a promissory note, as determined by our general partner. The units held by any person the general partner determines is not an eligible holder will not be entitled to voting rights.

 

  Please read “Our Partnership Agreement—Possible Redemption of Ineligible Holders.”

 

Estimated ratio of taxable income to distributions

We estimate that if you own the common units you purchase in this offering through the record date for distributions for the period ending December 31, 2018, you will be allocated, on a cumulative basis, an amount of federal taxable income for that period that will be 20% or less of the cash distributed to you with respect to that period. For example, if you receive an annual distribution of $         per unit, we estimate that your average allocable federal taxable income per year will be no more than approximately $         per unit. Thereafter, the ratio of allocable taxable income to cash distributions to you could substantially increase. Please read “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Ratio of Taxable Income to Distributions.”

 

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Material federal income tax consequences

For a discussion of the material federal income tax consequences that may be relevant to prospective unitholders who are individual citizens or residents of the United States, please read “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

 

Directed unit program

At our request, the underwriters have reserved for sale, at the initial public offering price, up to     % of the common units being offered by this prospectus for sale to the directors, director nominee and executive officers of our general partner and certain other individuals as selected by our general partner. We do not know if these persons will choose to purchase all or any portion of these reserved common units, but any purchases they do make will reduce the number of common units available to the general public. Please read “Underwriting—Directed Unit Program.”

 

Exchange listing

We have applied to list our common units on the NYSE under the symbol “NBLX.”

 

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Summary Historical and Pro Forma Financial Data

The following table presents summary historical financial data of Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor, our predecessor for accounting purposes, or our Predecessor, and summary unaudited pro forma financial data of Noble Midstream Partners LP for the periods and as of the dates indicated. The following summary historical financial data of our Predecessor consists of all of the assets and operations of our Predecessor on a 100% basis. In connection with the completion of this offering, Noble will contribute to us the percentages of the midstream systems described under “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Contribution Agreement.” However, as required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, we will continue to consolidate 100% of the assets and operations of our development companies in our financial statements.

The summary historical financial data of our Predecessor as of and for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 and as of September 30, 2015 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 are derived from the audited and unaudited financial statements of our Predecessor appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. The following table should be read together with, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, the historical audited and unaudited interim and pro forma financial statements and the accompanying notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. The table should also be read together with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

For the years ended December 2014 and 2013, our assets were part of the integrated operations of Noble, and our Predecessor generally recognized only the costs, and not the revenues, associated with certain of the midstream services provided to Noble on an intercompany basis. Accordingly, the midstream revenues in our Predecessor’s historical combined financial statements relate only to amounts received from third parties for those services and amounts received from Noble with respect to transactions for which there were contracts. For this reason, as well as other factors described in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Factors Affecting the Comparability of Our Financial Results,” our future results of operations will not be comparable to our Predecessor’s historical results.

The summary unaudited pro forma financial data presented in the following table for the year ended December 31, 2014 and the nine months ended September 30, 2015 are derived from the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet assumes the offering and the related transactions occurred as of September 30, 2015, and the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2014 and the nine months ended September 30, 2015 assume the offering and the related transactions occurred as of January 1, 2014. These transactions include, and the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements give effect to, the following:

 

   

Noble’s contribution to us of the percentages of the development companies that operate our assets as described under “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Contribution Agreement;”

 

   

our long-term, fixed-fee commercial agreements with Noble;

 

   

our entry into a new $350 million revolving credit facility;

 

   

our entry into an operational services and secondment agreement and omnibus agreement with Noble;

 

   

the consummation of this offering and our issuance of (i)              common units to the public, (ii) a non-economic general partner interest to our general partner and (iii)              common units,              subordinated units and the incentive distribution rights to Noble; and

 

   

the application of the net proceeds of this offering as described in “Use of Proceeds.”

 

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The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements do not give effect to (i) an estimated $5.5 million in incremental general and administrative expenses that we expect to incur annually as a result of being a publicly traded partnership, (ii) variable general and administrative costs we will incur under the operational services and secondment agreement that we will enter into with Noble as of the closing of this offering or (iii) reimbursable costs that will be due to Noble under the omnibus agreement to be entered into with Noble as of the closing of this offering.

 

    Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor
Historical
    Noble Midstream Partners
LP Pro Forma
 
    Year Ended
December 31,
    Nine Months Ended
September 30,
    Year Ended
December 31,
2014
    Nine Months
Ended
September 30,
2015
 
    2014     2013     2015     2014      
                (unaudited)     (unaudited)  
    (in thousands, except per unit data)  

Statement of Operations Data

       

Revenues

       

Midstream Services—Related Party

  $ 2,086      $ 2,169      $ 51,734      $ 1,563      $ 100,632      $ 72,364   

Income from Investments

    3,798        3,024        3,418        2,564        3,798        3,418   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Revenues

    5,884        5,193        55,152        4,127        104,430        75,782   

Costs and Expenses

           

Direct Operating

    8,538        2,760        11,152        6,239        44,113        21,668   

Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization

    11,315        3,092        4,956        7,971        11,315        4,956   

General and Administrative

    6,734        6,124        2,358        5,309        13,584        7,496   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Operating Expense

    26,587        11,976        18,466        19,519        69,012        34,120   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating Income (Loss)

    (20,703     (6,783     36,686        (15,392     35,418        41,662   

Other Expense

           

Interest Expense, Net of Amount Capitalized

    3,566        3,263        2,788        2,962        700        525   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Other Expense

    3,566        3,263        2,788        2,962        700        525   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes

    (24,269     (10,046     33,898        (18,354     34,718        41,137   

Income Tax Provision (Benefit)

    (9,178     (3,746     12,717        (6,941     —          —     
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Income (Loss) including non-controlling interests

  $ (15,091   $ (6,300   $ 21,181      $ (11,413   $ 34,718      $ 41,137   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income attributable to non-controlling interests (1)

    —          —          —          —          9,475        13,423   

Net income attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

    (15,091     (6,300     21,181        (11,413     25,243        27,714   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income per limited partner unit (basic and diluted):

           

Common units

           

Subordinated units

           

Balance Sheet Data (at period end):

           

Total Property, Plant and Equipment, Net

  $ 195,513      $ 127,504      $ 240,851         

Total Assets

    216,512        139,883        288,766         

Net Parent Investment/Partners’ Capital

    213,673        137,179        240,677         

Statement of Cash Flows Data

           

Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities

  $ (12,534   $ (6,935   $ 61,004      $ (10,069    

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities

    (79,904     (95,586     (47,087     (60,910    

Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities

    92,438        102,521        5,673        70,979       

Other Data

           

Capital expenditures (2)

  $ 80,466      $ 96,318      $ 45,684      $ 61,289       

EBITDA (3)

    (9,388     (3,691     41,642        (7,421   $ 46,733      $ 46,618   

EBITDA attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP (3)

            33,598        31,387   

 

(1) Represents 25%, 90%, 95%, 95% and 95% non-controlling interests in the development companies that hold our operating assets that have been retained by Noble as described under “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Contribution Agreement.”

 

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(2) Represents additions to property, plant and equipment within the combined statement of cash flows.
(3) For our definition of the non-GAAP financial measure of EBITDA and a reconciliation of EBITDA to our most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP, please read “Selected Historical and Pro Forma Financial Data—Non-GAAP Financial Measure.”

 

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RISK FACTORS

Limited partner interests are inherently different from the capital stock of a corporation, although many of the business risks to which we are subject are similar to those that would be faced by a corporation engaged in a similar business. You should carefully consider the following risk factors together with all of the other information included in this prospectus, including the matters addressed under “Forward-Looking Statements,” in evaluating an investment in our common units.

If any of the following risks were to occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions could be materially adversely affected. In that case, we may not be able to pay the minimum quarterly distribution on our common units, the trading price of our common units could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business

We derive substantially all of our revenue from Noble. If Noble changes its business strategy, alters its current drilling and development plan on our dedicated acreage, or otherwise significantly reduces the volumes of crude oil, natural gas, saltwater or fresh water with respect to which we perform midstream services, our revenue would decline and our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make distributions to our unitholders would be materially and adversely affected.

All of our commercial agreements are with Noble or its affiliates. Accordingly, because we expect to initially derive substantially all of our revenue from our commercial agreements with Noble, we are subject to the operational and business risks of Noble, the most significant of which include the following:

 

   

a reduction in or slowing of Noble’s drilling and development plan on our dedicated acreage, which would directly and adversely impact demand for our midstream services;

 

   

the volatility of crude oil, natural gas and NGL prices, which could have a negative effect on Noble’s drilling and development plan on our dedicated acreage or Noble’s ability to finance its operations and drilling and completion costs on our dedicated acreage;

 

   

the availability of capital on an economic basis to fund Noble’s exploration and development activities;

 

   

drilling and operating risks, including potential environmental liabilities, associated with Noble’s operations on our dedicated acreage;

 

   

downstream processing and transportation capacity constraints and interruptions, including the failure of Noble to have sufficient contracted processing or transportation capacity; and

 

   

adverse effects of increased or changed governmental and environmental regulation.

In addition, we are indirectly subject to the business risks of Noble generally and other factors, including, among others:

 

   

Noble’s financial condition, credit ratings, leverage, market reputation, liquidity and cash flows;

 

   

Noble’s ability to maintain or replace its reserves;

 

   

adverse effects of governmental and environmental regulation on Noble’s upstream operations; and

 

   

losses from pending or future litigation.

Further, we have no control over Noble’s business decisions and operations, and Noble is under no obligation to adopt a business strategy that is favorable to us. Thus, we are subject to the risk of non-payment or non-performance by Noble, including with respect to our midstream services agreements, which do not contain minimum volume commitments. The number of drilling rigs that Noble is operating in the DJ Basin has

 

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decreased from nine rigs in the fourth quarter of 2014 to three rigs in the third quarter of 2015. A further decrease in the number of drilling rigs that Noble operates on our dedicated acreage could result in lower throughput on our midstream infrastructure. Furthermore, we cannot predict the extent to which Noble’s businesses would be impacted if conditions in the energy industry were to deteriorate nor can we estimate the impact such conditions would have on Noble’s ability to execute its drilling and development plan on our dedicated acreage or to perform under our midstream services agreements. Any material non-payment or non-performance by Noble under our midstream services agreements would have a significant adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and could therefore materially adversely affect our ability to make cash distributions to our unitholders at the minimum quarterly distribution rate or at all. Each of our midstream services agreements has an initial term of 15 years, and there is no guarantee that we will be able to renew or replace these agreements on equal or better terms, or at all, upon their expiration. Our ability to renew or replace our midstream services agreements following their expiration at rates sufficient to maintain our current revenues and cash flows could be adversely affected by activities beyond our control, including the activities of our competitors and Noble.

On a pro forma basis, we would not have generated sufficient distributable cash flow to make the payment of the aggregate annualized minimum quarterly distribution on all of our units for the year ended December 31, 2014 or the twelve months ended September 30, 2015.

We must generate approximately $         million of distributable cash flow to make the payment of the minimum quarterly distribution for four quarters on all of our common units and subordinated units that will be outstanding immediately following this offering. The amount of pro forma distributable cash flow generated during each of the year ended December 31, 2014 and the twelve months ended September 30, 2015 would not have been sufficient to pay the full minimum quarterly distribution on our common units and subordinated units during those periods. Specifically, the amount of pro forma distributable cash flow generated during the year ended December 31, 2014 would have been sufficient to make a distribution of approximately $         per common unit per quarter (approximately $         per common unit on an annualized basis), or approximately     % of the minimum quarterly distribution, and would have been sufficient to make a distribution of approximately $         per subordinated unit per quarter (approximately $         per subordinated unit on an annualized basis), or approximately     % of the minimum quarterly distribution, and the amount of pro forma distributable cash flow generated during the twelve months ended September 30, 2015 would have been sufficient to support a distribution of $         per common unit per quarter ($         per common unit on an annualized basis), or     % of the minimum quarterly distribution, and would have been sufficient to make a distribution of approximately $         per subordinated unit per quarter (approximately $         per subordinated unit on an annualized basis), or approximately     % of the minimum quarterly distribution. For a calculation of our ability to make cash distributions to our unitholders based on our pro forma results for the year ended December 31, 2014 and the twelve months ended September 30, 2015, please read “Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions.” If we are unable to generate sufficient distributable cash flow in future periods, we may not be able to make the payment of the full minimum quarterly distribution or any amount on our common units or subordinated units, in which event the market price of our common units may decline materially.

We may not generate sufficient distributable cash flow to make the payment of the minimum quarterly distribution to our unitholders.

In order to make the payment of the minimum quarterly distribution of $         per unit per quarter, or $         per unit on an annualized basis, we must generate distributable cash flow of approximately $         million per quarter, or approximately $         million per year, based on the number of common units and subordinated units to be outstanding immediately after the completion of this offering. We may not generate sufficient distributable cash flow to make the payment of the minimum quarterly distribution to our unitholders. We may fund a portion of the quarterly distribution that we expect to make to our unitholders in the          quarter of 2016 with borrowings under our revolving credit facility.

 

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The amount of cash we can distribute on our units principally depends upon the amount of cash we generate from our operations, which will fluctuate from quarter to quarter based on, among other things:

 

   

the volumes of natural gas we gather, the volumes of crude oil we gather, the volumes of saltwater we collect, clean and recycle or dispose of and the volumes of fresh water we distribute and store and the number of wells that have access to our crude oil treating facilities;

 

   

market prices of crude oil, natural gas and NGLs and their effect on Noble’s drilling and development plan on our dedicated acreage and the volumes of hydrocarbons that are produced on our dedicated acreage and for which we provide midstream services;

 

   

Noble’s ability to fund its drilling and development plan on our dedicated acreage;

 

   

downstream processing and transportation capacity constraints and interruptions, including the failure of Noble to have sufficient contracted processing or transportation capacity;

 

   

the levels of our operating expenses, maintenance expenses and general and administrative expenses;

 

   

regulatory action affecting: (i) the supply of, or demand for, crude oil, natural gas, NGLs and water, (ii) the rates we can charge for our midstream services, (iii) the terms upon which we are able to contract to provide our midstream services, (iv) our existing gathering and other commercial agreements or (v) our operating costs or our operating flexibility;

 

   

the rates we charge third parties, if any, for our midstream services;

 

   

prevailing economic conditions; and

 

   

adverse weather conditions.

In addition, the actual amount of distributable cash flow that we generate will also depend on other factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:

 

   

the level and timing of our capital expenditures;

 

   

our debt service requirements and other liabilities;

 

   

our ability to borrow under our debt agreements to fund our capital expenditures and operating expenditures and to pay distributions;

 

   

fluctuations in our working capital needs;

 

   

restrictions on distributions contained in any of our debt agreements;

 

   

the cost of acquisitions, if any;

 

   

the fees and expenses of our general partner and its affiliates (including Noble) that we are required to reimburse;

 

   

the amount of cash reserves established by our general partner; and

 

   

other business risks affecting our cash levels.

The assumptions underlying the forecast of distributable cash flow that we include in “Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions” are inherently uncertain and subject to significant business, economic, financial, regulatory and competitive risks that could cause our actual distributable cash flow to differ materially from our forecast.

The forecast of distributable cash flow set forth in “Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions” includes our forecast of our results of operations and distributable cash flow for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016. Our ability to pay the full minimum quarterly distribution in the forecast period is based on a number of assumptions that may not prove to be correct and that are discussed in “Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions.” Our financial forecast has been prepared by management, and we have neither received nor requested an opinion or report on it from our or any other independent auditor.

 

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The demand for our midstream services, and therefore our cash flow, is affected by crude oil and natural gas prices, which fluctuate based on factors that are out of our control.

The level and pace of Noble’s exploration and production activity is, in part, driven by commodity prices for crude oil and natural gas. Because Noble’s demand for our midstream services is tied to its production levels, we are also indirectly exposed to commodity price risk. Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2014, crude oil and natural gas prices significantly declined and continued to decline during the first quarter of 2015. High and low daily average prices for monthly contracts for crude oil and high and low contract expirations prices for natural gas during the year ended December 31, 2014 and the nine months ended September 30, 2015 were as follows:

 

     Average Settlement
Price for Prompt
Month Contracts
 
     High      Low  

Year Ended December 31, 2014

     

NYMEX

     

Crude Oil—WTI (Per Bbl)

   $ 105.15       $ 59.29   

Natural Gas—Henry Hub (Per MMBtu)

     5.56         3.73   

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015

     

NYMEX

     

Crude Oil—WTI (Per Bbl)

   $ 59.83       $ 42.89   

Natural Gas—Henry Hub (Per MMBtu)

     3.19         2.52   

Noble has lowered its rig count in the DJ Basin for 2015 as compared to 2014, partially as a result of the decline in crude oil and natural gas prices. When combined with a reduction of cash flow resulting from lower commodity prices, a reduction in Noble’s available capital and lack of availability of debt or equity financing could result in a significant reduction of Noble’s spending for crude oil and natural gas drilling and development activity, which could result in a lower utilization rate of our midstream systems. If we are not able to obtain new supplies of crude oil and natural gas to replace the declines resulting from reductions in drilling and development activity, the utilization rates of our midstream assets will decline, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows and our ability to make cash distributions.

Because of the natural decline in production from existing wells, our success, in part, depends on our ability to maintain or increase hydrocarbon throughput volumes on our midstream systems, which depends on Noble’s levels of development and completion activity on our dedicated acreage.

The level of crude oil and natural gas volumes handled by our midstream systems depends on the level of production from crude oil and natural gas wells dedicated to our midstream systems, which may be less than expected and which will naturally decline over time. In order to maintain or increase throughput levels on our midstream systems, we must obtain production from wells completed by Noble on acreage dedicated to our midstream systems or third parties in our areas of operation.

We have no control over Noble’s or other producers’ levels of development and completion activity in our areas of operation, the amount of reserves associated with wells connected to our systems or the rate at which production from a well declines. In addition, we have no control over Noble or other producers or their exploration and development decisions, which may be affected by, among other things:

 

   

the availability and cost of capital;

 

   

prevailing and projected crude oil, natural gas and NGL prices;

 

   

demand for crude oil, natural gas and NGLs;

 

   

levels of reserves;

 

   

geologic considerations;

 

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changes in the strategic importance Noble assigns to development in the DJ Basin as opposed to its other operations, which could adversely affect the financial and operational resources Noble is willing to devote to development of our dedicated acreage;

 

   

increased levels of taxation related to the exploration and production of crude oil, natural gas and NGLs in our areas of operation;

 

   

environmental or other governmental regulations, including the availability of drilling permits and the regulation of hydraulic fracturing; and

 

   

the costs of producing crude oil, natural gas and NGLs and the availability and costs of drilling rigs and other equipment.

Due to these and other factors, even if reserves are known to exist in areas served by our midstream assets, producers, including Noble, may choose not to develop those reserves. If producers choose not to develop their reserves, or they choose to slow their development rate, in our areas of operation, utilization of our midstream systems will be below anticipated levels. Our inability to provide increased services resulting from reductions in development activity, coupled with the natural decline in production from our current dedicated acreage, would result in our inability to maintain the then-current levels of utilization of our midstream assets, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions.

If Noble does not maintain its drilling activities on our dedicated acreage, the demand for our fresh water services could be reduced, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows and ability to make distributions to our unitholders.

The fresh water services we provide to Noble assist in Noble’s drilling activities. If Noble does not maintain its drilling activities on our dedicated acreage, its demand for our fresh water services will be reduced regardless of whether we continue to provide our other midstream services on Noble’s production. If the demand for our fresh water services declines for this or any other reason, our results of operations, cash flows and ability to make distributions to our unitholders could be materially adversely affected.

Substantially all of our assets are controlling ownership interests in our development companies. Because our interests in our development companies represent almost all of our cash-generating assets, our cash flow will depend entirely on the performance of our development companies and their ability to distribute cash to us.

We have a holding company structure, and the primary source of our earnings and cash flow consists exclusively of the earnings of and cash distributions from our development companies. Therefore, our ability to make quarterly distributions to our unitholders will be almost entirely dependent upon the performance of our development companies and their ability to distribute funds to us. We are the sole member of the general partner of each of our development companies, and we control and manage our development companies through our ownership of our development companies’ respective general partners.

The limited partnership agreement governing each development company requires that the general partner of such development company cause such development company to distribute all of its available cash each quarter, less the amounts of cash reserves that such general partner determines are necessary or appropriate in its reasonable discretion to provide for the proper conduct of such development company’s business.

The amount of cash each development company generates from its operations will fluctuate from quarter to quarter based on events and circumstances and the actual amount of cash each development company will have available for distribution to its partners, including us, also will depend on certain factors. For a description of the events, circumstances and factors that may affect the cash distributions from our development companies please read “—We may not generate sufficient distributable cash flow to make the payment of the minimum quarterly distribution to our unitholders.”

 

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Our midstream assets are currently exclusively located in the DJ Basin in Colorado, making us vulnerable to risks associated with operating in a single geographic area.

Our midstream assets are currently located exclusively in the DJ Basin in Colorado. As a result of this concentration, we will be disproportionately exposed to the impact of regional supply and demand factors, delays or interruptions of production from wells in this area caused by governmental regulation, market limitations, water shortages or other drought related conditions or interruption of the processing or transportation of crude oil and natural gas. If any of these factors were to impact the DJ Basin more than other producing regions, our business, financial condition, results of operations and ability to make cash distributions could be adversely affected relative to other midstream companies that have a more geographically diversified asset portfolio.

We cannot predict the rate at which Noble will develop acreage that is dedicated to us or the areas it will decide to develop.

Our acreage dedication covers midstream services in a number of areas that are at the early stages of development or in areas that Noble is still determining whether to develop. In addition, Noble owns acreage in areas that are not dedicated to us. We cannot predict which of these areas Noble will determine to develop and at what time. Noble may decide to explore and develop areas in which we have a smaller operating interest in the midstream assets that service that area, or where the acreage is not dedicated to us, rather than areas in which we have a larger operating interest in the midstream assets that service that area. Noble’s decision to develop acreage that is not dedicated to us or that we have a smaller operating interest in may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions.

While we have been granted a right of first refusal to provide midstream services on all acreage that Noble has or acquires onshore in the United States (other than in the Marcellus Shale), portions of this acreage may be subject to preexisting dedications that may require Noble to use third parties for midstream services.

Although Noble has granted us a ROFR to provide the midstream services covered by our commercial agreements as well as natural gas processing and LNG services on all of its currently owned or future acquired acreage onshore in the United States (other than in the Marcellus Shale), portions of this acreage may be subject to preexisting dedications, rights of first refusal, rights of first offer and other preexisting encumbrances that require Noble to use third parties for midstream services, and, as a result, Noble may be precluded from offering us the opportunity to provide these midstream services on this acreage. Because we do not currently know which acreage Noble has or acquires, if any, and what existing dedications, rights of first refusal, rights of first offer or other overriding rights any acreage Noble acquires in the future may have, we are unable to predict the value, if any, of our ROFR to provide midstream services on Noble’s acreage onshore in the United States.

We may not be able to economically accept an offer from Noble for us to provide services or purchase assets with respect to which we have a right of first refusal.

Noble is required to offer us, prior to contracting for such opportunity with a third party, the opportunity to provide the midstream services covered by our commercial agreements, which includes oil gathering, gas gathering, produced water gathering, fresh water services and oil treating, as well as services of a type provided at gas processing plants and LNG facilities on certain acreage located in the United States that Noble currently owns or in the future acquires or develops. In addition, Noble is required to offer us, prior to contracting for such opportunity with a third party, the ownership interest in any assets that are located onshore in the United States currently owned or in the future developed or acquired by Noble for the purpose of providing the services described in the preceding sentence and that are not used to provide services with respect to production from the Marcellus Shale. The acreage and assets subject to this ROFR may be located in areas far from our existing infrastructure or may otherwise be undesirable in the context of our business. In addition, we can make no assurances that the terms at which Noble offers us the opportunity to provide these services or purchase these assets will be acceptable to us. Furthermore, another midstream service provider or third party may be willing to accept an offer from Noble that we are unwilling to accept. Our inability to take advantage of the opportunities with respect to such acreage or assets could adversely affect our growth strategy or our ability to maintain or increase our cash distribution level.

 

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We may be unable to grow by acquiring the non-controlling interests in our development companies owned by Noble or midstream assets retained, acquired or developed by Noble, which could limit our ability to increase our distributable cash flow.

Part of our strategy for growing our business and increasing distributions to our unitholders is dependent upon our ability to make acquisitions that increase our distributable cash flow. Part of the acquisition component of our growth strategy is based upon our expectation of future divestitures by Noble to us of retained, acquired or developed midstream assets and portions of its retained, non-controlling interests in our development companies. We have only a ROFO pursuant to our omnibus agreement that requires Noble to allow us to make an offer with respect to Noble’s retained non-controlling interests in our development companies to the extent Noble elects to sell these interests. In addition, Noble has granted us a ROFR with respect to opportunities to (1) provide services covered by our commercial agreements as well as services of a type provided at gas processing plants and LNG facilities, in each case on certain acreage located in the United State that Noble currently owns or in the future acquires or develops and (2) purchase ownership interests in any assets currently owned by Noble, or in the future developed or acquired by Noble, for the purpose of providing the services described in (1); provided, that, such assets are located onshore in the United States and are not used to provide services with respect to production from the Marcellus Shale. Noble is under no obligation to sell its retained interests in our development companies or offer to sell us additional assets, we are under no obligation to buy any additional interests or assets from Noble and we do not know when or if Noble will decide to sell its retained interests in our development companies or make any offers to sell assets to us. We may never purchase all or any portion of the non-controlling interests in our development companies or any of Noble’s retained, acquired or developed midstream assets onshore in the United States (other than in the Marcellus Shale) for several reasons, including the following:

 

   

Noble may choose not to sell these non-controlling interests or assets;

 

   

we may not accept offers for these assets or make acceptable offers for these equity interests;

 

   

we and Noble may be unable to agree to terms acceptable to both parties;

 

   

we may be unable to obtain financing to purchase these non-controlling interests or assets on acceptable terms or at all; or

 

   

we may be prohibited by the terms of our debt agreements (including our credit facility) or other contracts from purchasing some or all of these non-controlling interests or assets, and Noble may be prohibited by the terms of its debt agreements or other contracts from selling some or all of these non-controlling interests or assets. If we or Noble must seek waivers of such provisions or refinance debt governed by such provisions in order to consummate a sale of these non-controlling interests or assets, we or Noble may be unable to do so in a timely manner or at all.

We do not know when or if Noble will decide to sell all or any portion of its non-controlling interests or will offer us any portion of its assets, and we can provide no assurance that we will be able to successfully consummate any future acquisition of all or any portion of such non-controlling interests in our development companies or assets. Furthermore, if Noble reduces its ownership interest in us, it may be less willing to sell to us its retained non-controlling interests in our development companies or its retained assets. In addition, except for our ROFO and ROFR, there are no restrictions on Noble’s ability to transfer its non-controlling interests in our development companies or its retained assets to a third party or non-controlled affiliate. If we do not acquire all or a significant portion of the non-controlling interests in our development companies held by Noble or midstream assets from Noble, our ability to grow our business and increase our cash distributions to our unitholders may be significantly limited.

We may not be able to attract dedications of third-party volumes, in part because our industry is highly competitive, which could limit our ability to grow and increase our dependence on Noble.

Part of our long-term growth strategy includes diversifying our customer base by identifying opportunities to offer services to third parties in our areas of operation. To date and over the near term, substantially all of our revenues have been and will be earned from Noble relating to its operated wells on our dedicated acreage. Our

 

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ability to increase throughput on our midstream systems and any related revenue from third parties is subject to numerous factors beyond our control, including competition from third parties and the extent to which we have available capacity when requested by third parties. Any lack of available capacity on our systems for third-party volumes will detrimentally affect our ability to compete effectively with third-party systems for crude oil and natural gas from reserves associated with acreage other than our then-current dedicated acreage. In addition, some of our competitors for third-party volumes have greater financial resources and access to larger supplies of crude oil and natural gas than those available to us, which could allow those competitors to price their services more aggressively than we do.

Our efforts to attract third parties as customers may be adversely affected by our relationship with Noble and the fact that a substantial majority of the capacity of our midstream systems will be necessary to service its production on our dedicated acreage and our desire to provide services pursuant to fee-based agreements. As a result, we may not have the capacity to provide services to third parties and/or potential third-party customers may prefer to obtain services pursuant to other forms of contractual arrangements under which we would be required to assume direct commodity exposure. In addition, potential third-party customers who are significant producers of crude oil and natural gas may develop their own midstream systems in lieu of using our systems. All of these competitive pressures could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions to our unitholders.

To maintain and grow our business, we will be required to make substantial capital expenditures. If we are unable to obtain needed capital or financing on satisfactory terms, our ability to make cash distributions may be diminished or our financial leverage could increase.

In order to maintain and grow our business, we will need to make substantial capital expenditures to fund our share of growth capital expenditures associated with our operating interests in our development companies, or to purchase or construct new midstream systems. If we do not make sufficient or effective capital expenditures, we will be unable to maintain and grow our business and, as a result, we may be unable to maintain or raise the level of our future cash distributions over the long term. To fund our capital expenditures, we will be required to use cash from our operations, incur debt or sell additional common units or other equity securities. Using cash from our operations will reduce cash available for distribution to our unitholders. Our ability to obtain bank financing or our ability to access the capital markets for future equity or debt offerings may be limited by our financial condition at the time of any such financing or offering and the covenants in our existing debt agreements, as well as by general economic conditions, contingencies and uncertainties that are beyond our control. Also, due to our relationship with Noble, our ability to access the capital markets, or the pricing or other terms of any capital markets transactions, may be adversely affected by any impairment to the financial condition of Noble or adverse changes in Noble’s credit ratings. Any material limitation on our ability to access capital as a result of such adverse changes to Noble could limit our ability to obtain future financing under favorable terms, or at all, or could result in increased financing costs in the future. Similarly, material adverse changes affecting Noble could negatively impact our unit price, limiting our ability to raise capital through equity issuances or debt financing, or could negatively affect our ability to engage in, expand or pursue our business activities, or could also prevent us from engaging in certain transactions that might otherwise be considered beneficial to us. We will also rely on Noble to make its portion of capital expenditures on our assets, and to the extent that Noble is unable or unwilling to make these capital expenditures, we may not be able to grow at our expected rate or at all.

Even if we are successful in obtaining the necessary funds to support our growth plan, the terms of such financings could limit our ability to pay distributions to our unitholders. In addition, incurring additional debt may significantly increase our interest expense and financial leverage, and issuing additional limited partner interests may result in significant unitholder dilution and would increase the aggregate amount of cash required to maintain the then current distribution rate, which could materially decrease our ability to pay distributions at the then prevailing distribution rate. While we have historically received funding from Noble, none of Noble, our general partner or any of their respective affiliates is committed to providing any direct or indirect financial support to fund our growth.

 

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The amount of cash we have available for distribution to our unitholders depends primarily on our cash flow and not solely on our profitability, which may prevent us from making distributions, even during periods in which we record net income.

The amount of cash we have available for distribution depends primarily upon our cash flow and not solely on our profitability, which will be affected by non-cash items. As a result, we may make cash distributions during periods when we record a net loss for financial accounting purposes, and conversely, we might fail to make cash distributions during periods when we record net income for financial accounting purposes.

Increased competition from other companies that provide midstream services, or from alternative fuel sources, could have a negative impact on the demand for our services, which could adversely affect our financial results.

Our ability to renew or replace existing contracts at rates sufficient to maintain current revenues and cash flows could be adversely affected by the activities of our competitors. Our systems compete for third-party customers primarily with other crude oil and natural gas gathering systems and fresh and saltwater service providers. Some of our competitors have greater financial resources and may now, or in the future, have access to greater supplies of crude oil and natural gas than we do. Some of these competitors may expand or construct gathering systems that would create additional competition for the services we would provide to third-party customers. In addition, potential third-party customers may develop their own gathering systems instead of using ours. Moreover, Noble and its affiliates are not limited in their ability to compete with us outside of our dedicated area. See “Conflicts of Interest and Duties.”

Further, hydrocarbon fuels compete with other forms of energy available to end-users, including electricity and coal. Increased demand for such other forms of energy at the expense of hydrocarbons could lead to a reduction in demand for our services.

All of these competitive pressures could make it more difficult for us to retain our existing customers or attract new customers as we seek to expand our business, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and ability to make quarterly cash distributions to our unitholders. In addition, competition could intensify the negative impact of factors that decrease demand for natural gas in the markets served by our systems, such as adverse economic conditions, weather, higher fuel costs and taxes or other governmental or regulatory actions that directly or indirectly increase the cost or limit the use of natural gas.

Our construction of new midstream assets may not result in revenue increases and may be subject to regulatory, environmental, political, legal and economic risks, which could adversely affect our cash flows, results of operations and financial condition and, as a result, our ability to distribute cash to unitholders.

The construction of additions or modifications to our existing systems involves numerous regulatory, environmental, political and legal uncertainties beyond our control, may require the expenditure of significant amounts of capital, and we may not be able to construct in certain locations due to set back requirements. Financing may not be available on economically acceptable terms or at all. If we undertake these projects, we may not be able to complete them on schedule, at the budgeted cost or at all.

Our revenues may not increase immediately (or at all) upon the expenditure of funds on a particular project. For instance, if we build additional gathering assets, the construction may occur over an extended period of time, and we may not receive any material increases in revenues until the project is completed or at all. Additionally we may construct facilities to capture anticipated future production growth in an area where such growth does not materialize. As a result, new midstream assets may not be able to attract enough throughput to achieve our expected investment return, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions.

 

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The construction of additions to our existing assets may require us to obtain new rights-of-way, leases or other surface use agreements prior to constructing new pipelines or facilities. We may be unable to timely obtain such rights-of-way to connect new crude oil, natural gas and water sources to our existing infrastructure or capitalize on other attractive expansion opportunities. Additionally, it may become more expensive for us to obtain new rights-of-way or to expand or renew existing rights-of-way, leases or other agreements. If the cost of renewing or obtaining new agreements increases, our cash flows could be adversely affected.

We are subject to regulation by multiple governmental agencies, which could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to regulation by multiple federal, state and local governmental agencies. Proposals and proceedings that affect the midstream industry are regularly considered by Congress, as well as by state legislatures and federal and state regulatory commissions, agencies and courts. We cannot predict when or whether any such proposals may become effective or the magnitude of the impact changes in laws and regulations may have on our business. However, additions to the regulatory burden on our industry generally increase our cost of doing business and affect our profitability.

The rates of our regulated assets are subject to review and reporting by federal regulators, which could adversely affect our revenues.

Currently, only the crude oil gathering system servicing the East Pony IDP transports crude oil in interstate commerce. Pipelines that transport crude oil in interstate commerce are, among other things, subject to rate regulation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or the FERC, unless such rate requirements are waived. We applied for and received a waiver of the FERC’s tariff requirements. This temporary waiver is subject to revocation. We are required to inform the FERC of any change in circumstances upon which the waiver was granted. Should the pipeline’s circumstances change, the FERC could find that transportation on the East Pony IDP no longer qualifies for a waiver. In the event that the FERC were to determine that the crude oil gathering system servicing the East Pony IDP no longer qualified for the waiver, we would likely be required to comply with the tariff and reporting requirements, including filing a tariff with the FERC and providing a cost justification for the transportation rates, and providing service to all potential shippers, without undue discrimination. A revocation of the temporary waiver for this pipeline could adversely affect the results of our revenues.

We may also be required to respond to requests for information from government agencies, including compliance audits conducted by the FERC.

Federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to pipeline safety that require the use of new or more stringent safety controls or result in more stringent enforcement of applicable legal requirements could subject us to increased capital costs, operational delays and costs of operation.

The Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011, the Pipeline Safety and Job Creations Act, is the most recent federal legislation to amend the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968, as amended, or NGPSA, and the Hazardous Liquids Pipeline Safety Act of 1979, as amended, or HLPSA, pipeline safety laws, requiring increased safety measures for natural gas and hazardous liquids pipelines. Among other things, the Pipeline Safety and Job Creations Act directs the Secretary of Transportation to promulgate regulations relating to expanded integrity management requirements, automatic or remote-controlled valve use, excess flow valve use, leak detection system installation, material strength testing, and verification of the maximum allowable pressure of certain pipelines. The Pipeline Safety and Job Creations Act also increases the maximum penalty for violation of pipeline safety regulations from $100,000 to $200,000 per violation per day of violation and from $1.0 million to $2.0 million for a related series of violations. The safety enhancement requirements and other provisions of the Pipeline Safety and Job Creations Act as well as any implementation of Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA, rules thereunder could require us to install

 

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new or modified safety controls, pursue additional capital projects, or conduct maintenance programs on an accelerated basis, any or all of which tasks could result in our incurring increased operating costs that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial position.

Our ownership interest in White Cliffs LLC could require us to make capital contributions from time to time, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make distributions to our unitholders.

We currently own a 3.33% non-operating interest in White Cliffs LLC. Because we do not operate or control White Cliffs LLC, we do not have control over decisions to make maintenance and growth capital expenditures on the White Cliffs Pipeline. Furthermore, White Cliffs LLC is subject to many of the same environmental and regulatory risks that our assets are subject to, including regulation by the FERC. To the extent that the operator of White Cliffs LLC decides to make capital expenditures on White Cliffs LLC or White Cliffs LLC becomes subject to regulatory assessments, we could be required to contribute additional capital to White Cliffs LLC, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make distributions to our unitholders.

If third-party pipelines or other facilities interconnected to our midstream systems become partially or fully unavailable, or if the volumes we gather or treat do not meet the quality requirements of such pipelines or facilities, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make distributions to our unitholders could be adversely affected.

Our midstream systems are connected to other pipelines or facilities, the majority of which are owned by third parties. The continuing operation of such third-party pipelines or facilities is not within our control. If any of these pipelines or facilities becomes unable to transport, treat or process natural gas or crude oil, or if the volumes we gather or transport do not meet the quality requirements of such pipelines or facilities, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make distributions to our unitholders could be adversely affected.

Our exposure to commodity price risk may change over time and we cannot guarantee the terms of any agreements for our midstream services with third parties or with Noble.

We currently generate the majority of our revenues pursuant to fee-based agreements under which we are paid based on volumetric fees, rather than the underlying value of the commodity. Consequently, our existing operations and cash flows have little direct exposure to commodity price risk. However, Noble is exposed to commodity price risk, and extended reduction in commodity prices could reduce the production volumes available for our midstream services in the future below expected levels. Although we intend to enter into fee-based gathering agreements with existing or new customers in the future, our efforts to negotiate such terms may not be successful.

Restrictions in our new revolving credit facility could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and ability to make quarterly cash distributions to our unitholders.

We expect to enter into a new revolving credit facility prior to or in connection with the closing of this offering. We expect our new revolving credit facility will limit our ability to, among other things:

 

   

incur or guarantee additional debt;

 

   

redeem or repurchase units or make distributions under certain circumstances;

 

   

make certain investments and acquisitions;

 

   

incur certain liens or permit them to exist;

 

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enter into certain types of transactions with affiliates;

 

   

merge or consolidate with another company; and

 

   

transfer, sell or otherwise dispose of assets.

We expect our new revolving credit facility will also contain covenants requiring us to maintain certain financial ratios.

The provisions of our new revolving credit facility may affect our ability to obtain future financing and to pursue attractive business opportunities and our flexibility in planning for, and reacting to, changes in business conditions. In addition, a failure to comply with the provisions of our new revolving credit facility could result in a default or an event of default that could enable our lenders to declare the outstanding principal of that debt, together with accrued and unpaid interest, to be immediately due and payable. If the payment of our debt is accelerated, our assets may be insufficient to repay such debt in full, and our unitholders could experience a partial or total loss of their investment. Please read “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Capital Resources and Liquidity.”

Increased regulation of hydraulic fracturing could result in reductions or delays in crude oil and natural gas production by our customers, which could reduce the throughput on our gathering and other midstream systems, which could adversely impact our revenues.

We do not conduct hydraulic fracturing operations, but substantially all of Noble’s crude oil and natural gas production on our dedicated acreage is developed from unconventional sources, such as shales, that require hydraulic fracturing as part of the completion process. The majority of our fresh water services business is related to the storage and transportation of water for hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing is a well stimulation process that utilizes large volumes of water and sand combined with fracturing chemical additives that are pumped at high pressure to crack open previously impenetrable rock to release hydrocarbons. Hydraulic fracturing is typically regulated by state oil and gas commissions and similar agencies. Some states, including those in which we operate, have adopted, and other states are considering adopting, regulations that could impose more stringent disclosure or well construction requirements on hydraulic fracturing operations, or otherwise seek to ban some or all of these activities. Recently, however, several federal agencies have asserted jurisdiction over the process. For example, the Bureau of Land Management finalized rules in March 2015 that impose new requirements related to disclosure, well bore integrity, and water management on hydraulic fracturing on federal lands. The U.S. District Court of Wyoming has issued an injunction against implementation of the new rule until lawsuits in opposition to it are settled. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, has moved forward with various regulatory actions, including the issuance of new regulations requiring green completions for hydraulically fractured wells, emission requirements for certain midstream equipment, and an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on its intent to develop regulations under the Toxic Substances and Control Act to require companies to disclose information regarding the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing. In addition, in April 2015, the EPA proposed to prohibit the discharge of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing operations to publicly owned wastewater treatment plants. Certain environmental groups have also suggested that additional laws may be needed to more closely and uniformly regulate the hydraulic fracturing process; and legislation has been proposed by some members of Congress to provide for such regulation. We cannot predict whether any such legislation will be enacted and if so, what its provisions would be. Additional levels of regulation and permits required through the adoption of new laws and regulations at the federal, state or local level could lead to delays, increased operating costs and process prohibitions that could reduce the volumes of crude oil and natural gas that move through our gathering systems and decrease demand for our water services, which in turn could materially adversely impact our revenues.

 

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We, Noble or any third-party customers may incur significant liability under, or costs and expenditures to comply with, environmental and worker health and safety regulations, which are complex and subject to frequent change.

As an owner and operator of gathering systems, we are subject to various stringent federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the discharge of materials into, and protection of, the environment and worker health and safety. Numerous governmental authorities, such as the EPA and analogous state agencies, have the power to enforce compliance with these laws and regulations and the permits issued under them, oftentimes requiring difficult and costly response actions. These laws and regulations may impose numerous obligations that are applicable to our and our customers’ operations, including the acquisition of permits to conduct regulated activities, the incurrence of capital or operating expenditures to limit or prevent releases of materials from our or our customers’ operations, the imposition of specific standards addressing worker protection, and the imposition of substantial liabilities and remedial obligations for pollution or contamination resulting from our and our customers’ operations. Failure to comply with these laws, regulations and permits may result in joint and several or strict liability or the assessment of administrative, civil and criminal penalties, the imposition of remedial obligations or the issuance of injunctions limiting or preventing some or all of our operations. Private parties, including the owners of the properties through which our gathering systems pass, may also have the right to pursue legal actions to enforce compliance, as well as to seek damages for non-compliance, with environmental laws and regulations or for personal injury or property damage. We may not be able to recover all or any of these costs from insurance. In addition, we may experience a delay in obtaining or be unable to obtain required permits, which may cause us to lose potential and current customers, interrupt our operations and limit our growth and revenues, which in turn could affect the amount of cash we have available for distribution. There is no assurance that changes in or additions to public policy regarding the protection of the environment and worker health and safety will not have a significant impact on our operations and the amount of cash we have available for distribution.

Our operations also pose risks of environmental liability due to leakage, migration, releases or spills to surface or subsurface soils, surface water or groundwater. Certain environmental laws impose strict as well as joint and several liability for costs required to remediate and restore sites where hazardous substances, hydrocarbons or solid wastes have been stored or released. We may be required to remediate contaminated properties currently or formerly operated by us regardless of whether such contamination resulted from the conduct of others or from consequences of our own actions that were in compliance with all applicable laws at the time those actions were taken. In addition, claims for damages to persons or property, including natural resources, may result from the environmental, health and safety impacts of our operations. Moreover, public interest in the protection of the environment has increased dramatically in recent years. The trend of more expansive and stringent environmental legislation and regulations applied to the crude oil and natural gas industry could continue, potentially resulting in increased costs of doing business and consequently affecting the amount of cash we have available for distribution. Please read “Business—Regulation of Operations.”

Climate change laws and regulations restricting emissions of greenhouse gases could result in increased operating costs and reduced demand for the crude oil and natural gas that we gather while potential physical effects of climate change could disrupt Noble’s and our other customers’ production and cause us to incur significant costs in preparing for or responding to those effects.

In response to findings that emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases, or GHGs, present an endangerment to public health and the environment, the EPA has adopted regulations under existing provisions of the Clean Air Act, or CAA, that, among other things, establish Prevention of Significant Deterioration, or PSD, construction and Title V operating permit reviews for certain large stationary sources that emit GHGs. Facilities required to obtain PSD permits for their GHG emissions also will be required to meet “best available control technology” standards that will be established by the states or, in some cases, by the EPA on a case-by-case basis. These EPA rulemakings could adversely affect our operations and restrict or delay our ability to obtain air permits for new or modified sources. In addition, the EPA has adopted rules requiring the monitoring and reporting of GHG emissions from specified onshore crude oil and natural gas production sources in the U.S. on an annual basis.

 

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While Congress has from time to time considered legislation to reduce emissions of GHGs, there has not been significant activity in the form of adopted legislation to reduce GHG emissions at the federal level in recent years. In the absence of such federal climate legislation, a number of state and regional efforts have emerged that are aimed at tracking or reducing GHG emissions.

In addition, the EPA and states continue the development of regulations to further address the potential impacts of climate change. For example in February 2015, Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission approved comprehensive changes to rules governing crude oil and natural gas activities in the state, including the nation’s first-ever regulations designed to detect and reduce methane emissions. The EPA is also acting to increase the requirements associated with methane releases from crude oil and natural gas activities. In August 2015, the EPA proposed new regulations that set methane emission standards for new and modified oil and natural gas production and natural gas processing and transmission facilities as part of the Administration’s efforts to reduce methane emissions from the oil and natural gas sector by up to 45% from 2012 levels by 2025. The EPA is expected to finalize this proposal in 2016. The Bureau of Land Management is expected to address methane emissions from crude oil and natural gas sources in 2015 as well.

Although it is not possible at this time to predict how legislation or new regulations that may be adopted to address GHG emissions would impact our business, any such future laws and regulations imposing reporting obligations on, or limiting emissions of GHGs from, our equipment and operations could require us to incur costs to reduce emissions of GHGs associated with our operations. Substantial limitations on GHG emissions could also adversely affect demand for the crude oil and natural gas we gather. Finally, it should be noted that some scientists have concluded that increasing concentrations of GHGs in the Earth’s atmosphere may produce climate changes that have significant physical effects, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, floods and other climatic events; if any such effects were to occur, they could have an adverse effect on Noble’s exploration and production operations. Please read “Business—Regulation of Operations.”

Certain plant or animal species are or could be designated as endangered or threatened, which could have a material impact on our and Noble’s operations.

The federal Endangered Species Act, or ESA, restricts activities that may affect endangered or threatened species or their habitats. Many states have analogous laws designed to protect endangered or threatened species. Such protections, and the designation of previously undesignated species under such laws, may affect our and Noble’s operations by imposing additional costs, approvals and accompanying delays.

A change in the jurisdictional characterization of some of our assets by federal, state or local regulatory agencies or a change in policy by those agencies may result in increased regulation of our assets, which may cause our operating expenses to increase, limit the rates we charge for certain services and decrease the amount of cash we have available for distribution.

Although the FERC has not made a formal determination with respect to the facilities we consider to be natural gas gathering pipelines, we believe that our natural gas gathering pipelines meet the traditional tests that the FERC has used to determine that a pipeline is a gathering pipeline and are therefore not subject to FERC jurisdiction. The distinction between FERC-regulated transmission services and federally unregulated gathering services, however, has been the subject of substantial litigation, and the FERC determines whether facilities are gathering facilities on a case-by-case basis, so the classification and regulation of our gathering facilities is subject to change based on future determinations by the FERC, the courts or Congress. If the FERC were to consider the status of an individual facility and determine that the facility or services provided by it are not exempt from FERC regulation under the NGA and that the facility provides interstate service, the rates for, and terms and conditions of, services provided by such facility would be subject to regulation by the FERC under the NGA or the Natural Gas Policy Act, or NGPA. Such regulation could decrease revenue, increase operating costs, and, depending upon the facility in question, adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows. In addition, if any of our facilities were found to have provided services or otherwise operated in violation of the NGA or NGPA, this could result in the imposition of substantial civil penalties, as well as a requirement to disgorge revenues collected for such services in excess of the maximum rates established by the FERC.

 

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Our natural gas gathering pipelines are exempt from the jurisdiction of the FERC under the NGA, but FERC regulation may indirectly impact gathering services. The FERC’s policies and practices across the range of its crude oil and natural gas regulatory activities, including, for example, its policies on interstate open access transportation, ratemaking, capacity release, and market center promotion may indirectly affect intrastate markets. In recent years, the FERC has pursued pro-competitive policies in its regulation of interstate crude oil and natural gas pipelines. However, we cannot assure you that the FERC will continue to pursue this approach as it considers matters such as pipeline rates and rules and policies that may indirectly affect the natural gas gathering services.

Natural gas gathering may receive greater regulatory scrutiny at the state level; therefore, our natural gas gathering operations could be adversely affected should they become subject to the application of state regulation of rates and services. Our gathering operations could also be subject to safety and operational regulations relating to the design, construction, testing, operation, replacement and maintenance of gathering facilities. We cannot predict what effect, if any, such changes might have on our operations, but we could be required to incur additional capital expenditures and increased costs depending on future legislative and regulatory changes.

In addition, certain of our crude oil gathering pipelines do not provide interstate services and therefore are not subject to regulation by the FERC pursuant to the ICA. The distinction between FERC-regulated interstate pipeline transportation, on the one hand, and intrastate pipeline transportation, on the other hand, also is a fact-based determination. The classification and regulation of these crude oil gathering pipelines are subject to change based on future determinations by the FERC, federal courts, Congress or by regulatory commissions, courts or legislatures in the states in which our crude oil gathering pipelines are located. We cannot provide assurance that the FERC will not in the future, either at the request of other entities or on its own initiative, determine that some or all of our gathering pipeline systems and the services we provide on those systems are within the FERC’s jurisdiction. If it was determined that more or all of our crude oil gathering pipeline systems are subject to the FERC’s jurisdiction under the ICA, and are not otherwise exempt from any applicable regulatory requirements, the imposition of possible cost-of-service rates and common carrier requirements on those systems could adversely affect the results of our operations on those systems.

Our business involves many hazards and operational risks, some of which may not be fully covered by insurance. The occurrence of a significant accident or other event that is not fully insured could curtail our operations and have a material adverse effect on our ability to make cash distributions and, accordingly, the market price for our common units.

Our operations are subject to all of the hazards inherent in the gathering of crude oil, natural gas and saltwater and the delivery and storage of fresh water, including:

 

   

damage to pipelines, centralized gathering facilities, pump stations, related equipment and surrounding properties caused by design, installation, construction materials or operational flaws, natural disasters, acts of terrorism or acts of third parties;

 

   

leaks of crude oil, natural gas or NGLs or losses of crude oil, natural gas or NGLs as a result of the malfunction of, or other disruptions associated with, equipment or facilities;

 

   

fires, ruptures and explosions; and

 

   

other hazards that could also result in personal injury and loss of life, pollution and suspension of operations.

Any of these risks could adversely affect our ability to conduct operations or result in substantial loss to us as a result of claims for:

 

   

injury or loss of life;

 

   

damage to and destruction of property, natural resources and equipment;

 

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pollution and other environmental damage;

 

   

regulatory investigations and penalties;

 

   

suspension of our operations; and

 

   

repair and remediation costs.

We may elect not to obtain insurance for any or all of these risks if we believe that the cost of available insurance is excessive relative to the risks presented. In addition, pollution and environmental risks generally are not fully insurable. The occurrence of an event that is not fully covered by insurance could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions.

We do not own in fee any of the land on which our pipelines and facilities are located, which could result in disruptions to our operations.

We do not own in fee any of the land on which our midstream systems have been constructed. Our only interests in these properties are rights granted under surface use agreements, rights-of-way, surface leases or other easement rights, which may limit or restrict our rights or access to or use of the surface estates. Accommodating these competing rights of the surface owners may adversely affect our operations. In addition, we are subject to the possibility of more onerous terms or increased costs to retain necessary land use if we do not have valid rights-of-way, surface leases or other easement rights or if such usage rights lapse or terminate. We may obtain the rights to construct and operate our pipelines on land owned by third parties and governmental agencies for a specific period of time. Our loss of these rights, through our inability to renew rights-of-way, surface leases or other easement rights or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions.

A shortage of equipment and skilled labor in the DJ Basin could reduce equipment availability and labor productivity and increase labor and equipment costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our gathering and other midstream services require special equipment and laborers who are skilled in multiple disciplines, such as equipment operators, mechanics and engineers, among others. If we experience shortages of necessary equipment or skilled labor in the future, our labor and equipment costs and overall productivity could be materially and adversely affected. If our equipment or labor prices increase or if we experience materially increased health and benefit costs for employees, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

The loss of key personnel could adversely affect our ability to operate.

We depend on the services of a relatively small group of our general partner’s senior management. We do not maintain, nor do we plan to obtain, any insurance against the loss of any of these individuals. The loss of the services of our general partner’s senior management, including Terry R. Gerhart, our Chief Executive Officer, John F. Bookout, IV, our Chief Financial Officer, Dustin A. Hatley, our Chief Accounting Officer, Gerald M. Stevenson, our Treasurer and John C. Nicholson, our Chief Operating Officer could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions.

We do not have any officers or employees and rely on officers of our general partner and employees of Noble.

We are managed and operated by the board of directors and executive officers of our general partner. Our general partner has no employees and relies on the employees of Noble to conduct our business and activities.

 

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Noble conducts businesses and activities of its own in which we have no economic interest. As a result, there could be material competition for the time and effort of the officers and employees who provide services to both our general partner and Noble. If our general partner and the officers and employees of Noble do not devote sufficient attention to the management and operation of our business and activities, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions could be materially adversely affected.

Debt we incur in the future may limit our flexibility to obtain financing and to pursue other business opportunities.

Our future level of debt could have important consequences to us, including the following:

 

   

our ability to obtain additional financing, if necessary, for working capital, capital expenditures (including building additional gathering pipelines needed for required connections and building additional centralized gathering facilities pursuant to our gathering agreements) or other purposes may be impaired or such financing may not be available on favorable terms;

 

   

our funds available for operations, future business opportunities and distributions to unitholders will be reduced by that portion of our cash flow required to make interest payments on our debt;

 

   

we may be more vulnerable to competitive pressures or a downturn in our business or the economy generally; and

 

   

our flexibility in responding to changing business and economic conditions may be limited.

Our ability to service our debt will depend upon, among other things, our future financial and operating performance, which will be affected by prevailing economic conditions and financial, business, regulatory and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. If our operating results are not sufficient to service any future indebtedness, we will be forced to take actions such as reducing distributions, reducing or delaying our business activities, investments or capital expenditures, selling assets or issuing equity. We may not be able to effect any of these actions on satisfactory terms or at all.

Increases in interest rates could adversely affect our business.

We will have exposure to increases in interest rates. After the consummation of this offering on a pro forma basis, we do not expect to have any outstanding indebtedness. However, in connection with the completion of this offering we expect to enter into a new revolving credit facility. Assuming our average debt level of $         million, comprised of funds drawn on our new revolving credit facility, an increase of one percentage point in the interest rates will result in an increase in annual interest expense of $         million. As a result, our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition and, as a result, our ability to make cash distributions to our unitholders, could be materially adversely affected by significant increases in interest rates.

Terrorist attacks or cyber-attacks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Terrorist attacks or cyber-attacks may significantly affect the energy industry, including our operations and those of Noble and our other potential customers, as well as general economic conditions, consumer confidence and spending and market liquidity. Strategic targets, such as energy-related assets, may be at greater risk of future attacks than other targets in the United States. Our insurance may not protect us against such occurrences. Consequently, it is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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Risks Inherent in an Investment in Us

Our general partner and its affiliates, including Noble, have conflicts of interest with us and our partnership agreement eliminates their default fiduciary duties to us and our unitholders and replaces them with contractual standards that may allow our general partner and its affiliates to favor their own interests to our detriment and that of our unitholders. Additionally, we have no control over the business decisions and operations of Noble, and Noble is under no obligation to adopt a business strategy that favors us.

Following the completion of this offering, Noble will directly own an aggregate     % limited partner interest in us (or an aggregate     % limited partner interest in us if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units). In addition, Noble will own and control our general partner. Although our general partner has a duty to manage us in a manner that is not adverse to the interests of our partnership, the directors and officers of our general partner also have a duty to manage our general partner in a manner that is in the best interests of its owner, Noble. Conflicts of interest may arise between Noble and its affiliates, including our general partner, on the one hand, and us and our unitholders, on the other hand. In resolving these conflicts, the general partner may favor its own interests and the interests of its affiliates, including Noble, over the interests of our common unitholders. These conflicts include, among others, the following situations:

 

   

neither our partnership agreement nor any other agreement requires Noble to pursue a business strategy that favors us or utilizes our assets, which could involve decisions by Noble to increase or decrease crude oil or natural gas production on our dedicated acreage, pursue and grow particular markets or undertake acquisition opportunities for itself. Noble’s directors and officers have a fiduciary duty to make these decisions in the best interests of the stockholders of Noble;

 

   

Noble may be constrained by the terms of its debt instruments from taking actions, or refraining from taking actions, that may be in our best interests;

 

   

our partnership agreement replaces the fiduciary duties that would otherwise be owed by our general partner with contractual standards governing its duties and limits our general partner’s liabilities and the remedies available to our unitholders for actions that, without the limitations, might constitute breaches of fiduciary duty under applicable Delaware law;

 

   

except in limited circumstances, our general partner has the power and authority to conduct our business without unitholder approval;

 

   

our general partner will determine the amount and timing of, among other things, cash expenditures, borrowings and repayments of indebtedness, the issuance of additional partnership interests, the creation, increase or reduction in cash reserves in any quarter and asset purchases and sales, each of which can affect the amount of cash that is available for distribution to unitholders;

 

   

our general partner will determine the amount and timing of any capital expenditures and whether a capital expenditure is classified as a maintenance capital expenditure, which reduces operating surplus, or an expansion capital expenditure, which does not reduce operating surplus. This determination can affect the amount of cash that is distributed to our unitholders and to our general partner, the amount of adjusted operating surplus generated in any given period and the ability of the subordinated units to convert into common units;

 

   

our general partner will determine which costs incurred by it are reimbursable by us;

 

   

our general partner may cause us to borrow funds in order to permit the payment of cash distributions, even if the purpose or effect of the borrowing is to make a distribution on the subordinated units, to make incentive distributions or to accelerate expiration of the subordination period;

 

   

our partnership agreement permits us to classify up to $         million as operating surplus, even if it is generated from asset sales, non-working capital borrowings or other sources that would otherwise constitute capital surplus. This cash may be used to fund distributions on our subordinated units or to Noble in respect of the incentive distribution rights;

 

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our partnership agreement does not restrict our general partner from causing us to pay it or its affiliates for any services rendered to us or entering into additional contractual arrangements with any of these entities on our behalf;

 

   

our general partner intends to limit its liability regarding our contractual and other obligations;

 

   

our general partner may exercise its right to call and purchase all of the common units not owned by it and its affiliates if it and its affiliates own more than 80% of the common units;

 

   

our general partner controls the enforcement of obligations owed to us by our general partner and its affiliates, including our gathering agreements with Noble;

 

   

our general partner decides whether to retain separate counsel, accountants or others to perform services for us; and

 

   

Noble, or any transferee holding incentive distribution rights, may elect to cause us to issue common units to it in connection with a resetting of the target distribution levels related to its incentive distribution rights, without the approval of the conflicts committee of the board of directors of our general partner, which we refer to as our conflicts committee, or our common unitholders. This election could result in lower distributions to our common unitholders in certain situations.

Neither our partnership agreement nor our omnibus agreement will prohibit Noble or any other affiliates of our general partner from owning assets or engaging in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. Under the terms of our partnership agreement, the doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any analogous doctrine, will not apply to our general partner or any of its affiliates, including Noble and executive officers and directors of our general partner. Any such person or entity that becomes aware of a potential transaction, agreement, arrangement or other matter that may be an opportunity for us will not have any duty to communicate or offer such opportunity to us. Any such person or entity will not be liable to us or to any limited partner for breach of any fiduciary duty or other duty by reason of the fact that such person or entity pursues or acquires such opportunity for itself, directs such opportunity to another person or entity or does not communicate such opportunity or information to us. Consequently, Noble and other affiliates of our general partner may acquire, construct or dispose of additional midstream assets in the future without any obligation to offer us the opportunity to purchase any of those assets. As a result, competition from Noble and other affiliates of our general partner could materially and adversely impact our results of operations and distributable cash flow. This may create actual and potential conflicts of interest between us and affiliates of our general partner and result in less than favorable treatment of us and our unitholders. Please read “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Omnibus Agreement” and “Conflicts of Interest and Duties.”

Our partnership agreement requires that we distribute all of our available cash, which could limit our ability to grow and make acquisitions.

Our partnership agreement requires that we distribute all of our available cash to our unitholders. As a result, we expect to rely primarily upon external financing sources, including commercial bank borrowings and the issuance of debt and equity securities, to fund our acquisitions and expansion capital expenditures. Therefore, to the extent we are unable to finance our growth externally, our cash distribution policy will significantly impair our ability to grow. In addition, because we will distribute all of our available cash, our growth may not be as fast as that of businesses that reinvest their available cash to expand ongoing operations. To the extent we issue additional partnership interests in connection with any acquisitions or expansion capital expenditures, the payment of distributions on those additional partnership interests may increase the risk that we will be unable to maintain or increase our per unit distribution level. There are no limitations in our partnership agreement on our ability to issue additional partnership interests, including partnership interests ranking senior to our common units as to distributions or in liquidation or that have special voting rights and other rights, and our common unitholders will have no preemptive or other rights (solely as a result of their status as common unitholders) to

 

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purchase any such additional partnership interests. The incurrence of additional commercial bank borrowings or other debt to finance our growth strategy would result in increased interest expense, which, in turn, may reduce the amount of cash that we have available to distribute to our unitholders.

Our general partner will be required to deduct estimated maintenance capital expenditures from our operating surplus, which may result in less cash available for distribution to unitholders from operating surplus than if actual maintenance capital expenditures were deducted.

Maintenance capital expenditures are those capital expenditures made to maintain, over the long term, our operating capacity or operating income. Our partnership agreement requires our general partner to deduct estimated, rather than actual, maintenance capital expenditures from operating surplus in determining cash available for distribution from operating surplus. The amount of estimated maintenance capital expenditures deducted from operating surplus will be subject to review and change by our general partner’s board of directors at least once a year, provided that any change is approved by the conflicts committee of our general partner’s board of directors. Our partnership agreement does not cap the amount of maintenance capital expenditures that our general partner may estimate. In years when our estimated maintenance capital expenditures are higher than actual maintenance capital expenditures, the amount of cash available for distribution to unitholders from operating surplus will be lower than if actual maintenance capital expenditures had been deducted from operating surplus. On the other hand, if our general partner underestimates the appropriate level of estimated maintenance capital expenditures, we will have more cash available for distribution from operating surplus in the short term but will have less cash available for distribution from operating surplus in future periods when we have to increase our estimated maintenance capital expenditures to account for the previous underestimation.

Our partnership agreement replaces our general partner’s fiduciary duties to holders of our common units with contractual standards governing its duties.

Delaware law provides that a Delaware limited partnership may, in its partnership agreement, expand, restrict or eliminate the fiduciary duties otherwise owed by the general partner to limited partners and the partnership, provided that the partnership agreement may not eliminate the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing. This implied covenant is a judicial doctrine utilized by Delaware courts in connection with interpreting ambiguities in partnership agreements and other contracts, and does not form the basis of any separate or independent fiduciary duty in addition to the express contractual duties set forth in our partnership agreement. Under the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing, a court will enforce the reasonable expectations of the partners where the language in the partnership agreement does not provide for a clear course of action.

As permitted by Delaware law, our partnership agreement contains provisions that eliminate the fiduciary standards to which our general partner would otherwise be held by state fiduciary duty law and replaces those duties with several different contractual standards. For example, our partnership agreement permits our general partner to make a number of decisions in its individual capacity, as opposed to in its capacity as our general partner, free of any duties to us and our unitholders. This provision entitles our general partner to consider only the interests and factors that it desires and relieves it of any duty or obligation to give any consideration to any interest of, or factors affecting, us, our affiliates or our limited partners. By purchasing a common unit, a unitholder is treated as having consented to the provisions in our partnership agreement, including the provisions discussed above. Please read “Conflicts of Interest and Duties—Duties of Our General Partner.”

 

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Our partnership agreement restricts the remedies available to holders of our units and for actions taken by our general partner that might otherwise constitute breaches of fiduciary duty.

Our partnership agreement contains provisions that restrict the remedies available to unitholders for actions taken by our general partner that might otherwise constitute breaches of fiduciary duty under state fiduciary duty law. For example, our partnership agreement:

 

   

provides that whenever our general partner makes a determination or takes, or declines to take, any other action in its capacity as our general partner, our general partner is required to make such determination, or take or decline to take such other action, in good faith, meaning that it subjectively believed that the determination or the decision to take or decline to take such action was not adverse to the interests of our partnership, and will not be subject to any other or different standard imposed by our partnership agreement, Delaware law, or any other law, rule or regulation, or at equity;

 

   

provides that our general partner will not have any liability to us or our unitholders for decisions made in its capacity as a general partner so long as it acted in good faith;

 

   

provides that our general partner and its officers and directors will not be liable for monetary damages to us or our limited partners resulting from any act or omission unless there has been a final and non-appealable judgment entered by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that our general partner or its officers and directors, as the case may be, acted in bad faith or engaged in fraud or willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the conduct was criminal; and

 

   

provides that our general partner will not be in breach of its obligations under our partnership agreement or its fiduciary duties to us or our limited partners if a transaction with an affiliate or the resolution of a conflict of interest is approved in accordance with, or otherwise meets the standards set forth in, our partnership agreement.

In connection with a situation involving a transaction with an affiliate or a conflict of interest, our partnership agreement provides that any determination by our general partner must be made in good faith, and that our conflicts committee and the board of directors of our general partner are entitled to a presumption that they acted in good faith. In any proceeding brought by or on behalf of any limited partner or the partnership, the person bringing or prosecuting such proceeding will have the burden of overcoming such presumption. Please read “Conflicts of Interest and Duties.”

Cost reimbursements, which will be determined in our general partner’s sole discretion, and fees due our general partner and its affiliates for services provided will be substantial and will reduce the amount of cash we have available for distribution to you.

Under our partnership agreement, we are required to reimburse our general partner and its affiliates for all costs and expenses that they incur on our behalf for managing and controlling our business and operations. Except to the extent specified under our omnibus agreement and operational services and secondment agreement, our general partner determines the amount of these expenses. Under the terms of the omnibus agreement, we will be required to reimburse Noble for the provision of certain administrative support services to us. Under our operational services and secondment agreement, we will be required to reimburse Noble for the provision of certain maintenance, operating, administrative and construction services in support of our operations. Our general partner and its affiliates also may provide us other services for which we will be charged fees as determined by our general partner. The costs and expenses for which we will reimburse our general partner and its affiliates may include salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to persons who perform services for us or on our behalf and expenses allocated to our general partner by its affiliates. The costs and expenses for which we are required to reimburse our general partner and its affiliates are not subject to any caps or other limits. We estimate that the total amount of such reimbursed expenses will be approximately $         million for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016. Please read “Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions—Estimated EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow for the Twelve Months Ending December 31, 2016.” Payments to our general partner and its affiliates will be substantial and will reduce the amount of cash we have available to distribute to unitholders.

 

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Unitholders have very limited voting rights and, even if they are dissatisfied, they will have limited ability to remove our general partner.

Unlike the holders of common stock in a corporation, unitholders have only limited voting rights on matters affecting our business and, therefore, limited ability to influence management’s decisions regarding our business. For example, unlike holders of stock in a public corporation, unitholders will not have “say-on-pay” advisory voting rights. Unitholders did not elect our general partner or the board of directors of our general partner and will have no right to elect our general partner or the board of directors of our general partner on an annual or other continuing basis. The board of directors of our general partner is chosen by its sole member, which is owned by Noble. Furthermore, if the unitholders are dissatisfied with the performance of our general partner, they will have little ability to remove our general partner. As a result of these limitations, the price at which our common units will trade could be diminished because of the absence or reduction of a takeover premium in the trading price.

Our general partner may not be removed unless such removal is both (i) for cause and (ii) approved by a vote of the holders of at least 66  2 / 3 % of the outstanding units, including any units owned by our general partner and its affiliates, voting together as a single class. “Cause” is narrowly defined under our partnership agreement to mean that a court of competent jurisdiction has entered a final, non-appealable judgment finding our general partner liable to us or any limited partner for actual fraud or willful misconduct in its capacity as our general partner. Cause does not include most cases of charges of poor management of the business. Following the completion of this offering, Noble will own     % of our total outstanding common units and subordinated units on an aggregate basis (or     % of our total outstanding common units and subordinated units on an aggregate basis if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units). As a result, our public unitholders will have limited ability to remove our general partner.

Furthermore, unitholders’ voting rights are further restricted by the partnership agreement provision providing that any units held by a person that owns 20% or more of any class of units then outstanding, other than our general partner, its affiliates, their transferees, and persons who acquired such units with the prior approval of the board of directors of our general partner, cannot vote on any matter.

Our partnership agreement also contains provisions limiting the ability of unitholders to call meetings or to acquire information about our operations, as well as other provisions limiting the unitholders’ ability to influence the manner or direction of management.

Our general partner interest or the control of our general partner may be transferred to a third party without unitholder consent.

Our general partner may transfer its general partner interest in us to a third party in a merger or in a sale of all or substantially all of its assets without the consent of the unitholders. Furthermore, there is no restriction in our partnership agreement on the ability of Noble to transfer its membership interest in our general partner to a third party. The new owner of our general partner would then be in a position to replace the board of directors and officers of our general partner with its own choices.

The incentive distribution rights held by Noble may be transferred to a third party without unitholder consent.

Noble may transfer our incentive distribution rights to a third party at any time without the consent of our unitholders. If Noble transfers our incentive distribution rights to a third party but retains its ownership of our general partner interest, it may not have the same incentive to grow our partnership and increase quarterly distributions to unitholders over time as it would if it had retained ownership of our incentive distribution rights. For example, a transfer of incentive distribution rights by Noble could reduce the likelihood of Noble selling or contributing additional midstream assets to us, as Noble would have less of an economic incentive to grow our business, which in turn would impact our ability to grow our asset base.

 

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We may issue an unlimited number of additional partnership interests without unitholder approval, which would dilute unitholder interests.

At any time, we may issue an unlimited number of general partner interests or limited partner interests of any type without the approval of our unitholders and our unitholders will have no preemptive or other rights (solely as a result of their status as unitholders) to purchase any such general partner interests or limited partner interests. Further, there are no limitations in our partnership agreement on our ability to issue equity securities that rank equal or senior to our common units as to distributions or in liquidation or that have special voting rights and other rights. The issuance by us of additional common units or other equity securities of equal or senior rank will have the following effects:

 

   

our unitholders’ proportionate ownership interest in us will decrease;

 

   

the amount of cash we have available to distribute on each unit may decrease;

 

   

because a lower percentage of total outstanding units will be subordinated units, the risk that a shortfall in the payment of the minimum quarterly distribution will be borne by our common unitholders will increase;

 

   

the ratio of taxable income to distributions may increase;

 

   

the relative voting strength of each previously outstanding unit may be diminished; and

 

   

the market price of our common units may decline.

The issuance by us of additional general partner interests may have the following effects, among others, if such general partner interests are issued to a person who is not an affiliate of Noble:

 

   

management of our business may no longer reside solely with our current general partner; and

 

   

affiliates of the newly admitted general partner may compete with us, and neither that general partner nor such affiliates will have any obligation to present business opportunities to us except with respect to rights of first refusal contained in our omnibus agreement.

Noble may sell units in the public or private markets, and such sales could have an adverse impact on the trading price of the common units.

After the completion of this offering, assuming that the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional common units, Noble will hold              common units and              subordinated units. All of the subordinated units will convert into common units at the end of the subordination period and may convert earlier under certain circumstances. Additionally, we have agreed to provide Noble with certain registration rights under applicable securities laws. Please read “Units Eligible for Future Sale.” The sale of these units in the public or private markets could have an adverse impact on the price of the common units or on any trading market that may develop.

Our general partner’s discretion in establishing cash reserves may reduce the amount of cash we have available to distribute to unitholders.

Our partnership agreement requires our general partner to deduct from operating surplus the cash reserves that it determines are necessary to fund our future operating expenditures. In addition, the partnership agreement permits the general partner to reduce available cash by establishing cash reserves for the proper conduct of our business, to comply with applicable law or agreements to which we are a party, or to provide funds for future distributions to partners. These cash reserves will affect the amount of cash we have available to distribute to unitholders.

 

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Affiliates of our general partner, including Noble, may compete with us, and neither our general partner nor its affiliates have any obligation to present business opportunities to us except with respect to dedications contained in our commercial agreements and rights of first refusal and rights of first offer contained in our omnibus agreement.

None of our partnership agreement, our omnibus agreement, our commercial agreements or any other agreement in effect as of the date of this offering will prohibit Noble or any other affiliates of our general partner from owning assets or engaging in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. Under the terms of our partnership agreement, the doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any analogous doctrine, will not apply to our general partner or any of its affiliates, including Noble and executive officers and directors of our general partner. Any such person or entity that becomes aware of a potential transaction, agreement, arrangement or other matter that may be an opportunity for us will not have any duty to communicate or offer such opportunity to us except with respect to dedications contained in our commercial agreements and rights of first refusal and rights of first offer contained in our omnibus agreement. Any such person or entity will not be liable to us or to any limited partner for breach of any fiduciary duty or other duty by reason of the fact that such person or entity pursues or acquires such opportunity for itself, directs such opportunity to another person or entity or does not communicate such opportunity or information to us. Consequently, Noble and other affiliates of our general partner may acquire, construct or dispose of additional midstream assets in the future without any obligation to offer us the opportunity to purchase any of those assets. As a result, competition from Noble and other affiliates of our general partner could materially and adversely impact our results of operations and distributable cash flow.

Our general partner has a limited call right that may require you to sell your common units at an undesirable time or price.

If at any time our general partner and its affiliates own more than 80% of our then-outstanding common units, our general partner will have the right, but not the obligation, which it may assign to any of its affiliates or to us, to acquire all, but not less than all, of the common units held by unaffiliated persons at a price not less than their then current market price. As a result, you may be required to sell your common units at an undesirable time or price and may not receive any return on your investment. You may also incur a tax liability upon a sale of your units. Following the completion of this offering and assuming the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units from us is not exercised, our general partner and its affiliates will own approximately     % of our common units (excluding any common units purchased by the directors, director nominee and executive officers of our general partner and certain other individuals as selected by our general partner under our directed unit program). At the end of the subordination period (which could occur as early as within the quarter ending December 31, 2016), assuming no additional issuances of common units by us (other than upon the conversion of the subordinated units) and the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units from us is not exercised, our general partner and its affiliates will own approximately     % of our outstanding common units (excluding any common units purchased by the directors, director nominee and executive officers of our general partner and certain other individuals as selected by our general partner under our directed unit program) and therefore would not be able to exercise the call right at that time. Please read “Our Partnership Agreement—Limited Call Right.”

Unitholders may have to repay distributions that were wrongfully distributed to them.

Under certain circumstances, unitholders may have to repay amounts wrongfully distributed to them. Under Section 17-607 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, or the Delaware Act, we may not make a distribution to you if the distribution would cause our liabilities to exceed the fair value of our assets. Delaware law provides that for a period of three years from the date of the impermissible distribution, limited partners who received the distribution and who knew at the time of the distribution that it violated Delaware law will be liable to the limited partnership for the distribution amount. Transferees of common units are liable for the obligations of the transferor to make contributions to the partnership that are known to the transferee at the time of the transfer and for unknown obligations if the liabilities could be determined from our partnership agreement. Liabilities to partners on account of their partnership interest and liabilities that are non-recourse to the partnership are not counted for purposes of determining whether a distribution is permitted.

 

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There is no existing market for our common units, and a trading market that will provide you with adequate liquidity may not develop. The price of our common units may fluctuate significantly, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common units. After this offering, there will be only publicly traded common units, assuming the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units from us is not exercised. In addition, following the completion of this offering, Noble will own              common units and subordinated units, representing an aggregate     % limited partner interest (or              common units and subordinated units, representing an aggregate     % limited partner interest, if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units). We do not know the extent to which investor interest will lead to the development of an active trading market or how liquid that market might be. You may not be able to resell your common units at or above the initial public offering price. Additionally, the lack of liquidity may result in wide bid-ask spreads, contribute to significant fluctuations in the market price of the common units and limit the number of investors who are able to buy the common units.

The initial public offering price for the common units offered hereby will be determined by negotiations between us and the representatives of the underwriters and may not be indicative of the market price of the common units that will prevail in the trading market. The market price of our common units may decline below the initial public offering price.

Noble, or any transferee holding incentive distribution rights, may elect to cause us to issue common units to it in connection with a resetting of the target distribution levels related to its incentive distribution rights, without the approval of our conflicts committee or our common unitholders. This election could result in lower distributions to our common unitholders in certain situations.

Noble, as the initial holder of our incentive distribution rights, has the right, at any time when there are no subordinated units outstanding and it has received distributions on its incentive distribution rights at the highest level to which it is entitled (50%) for each of the prior four consecutive fiscal quarters, to reset the initial target distribution levels at higher levels based on our distributions at the time of the exercise of the reset election. Following a reset election, the minimum quarterly distribution will be adjusted to equal the reset minimum quarterly distribution, and the target distribution levels will be reset to correspondingly higher levels based on percentage increases above the reset minimum quarterly distribution.

If Noble elects to reset the target distribution levels, it will be entitled to receive a number of common units. The number of common units to be issued to Noble will be equal to that number of common units that would have entitled their holder to an average aggregate quarterly cash distribution in the prior two quarters equal to the average of the distributions on the incentive distribution rights in such two quarters. We anticipate that Noble would exercise this reset right in order to facilitate acquisitions or internal growth projects that would not be sufficiently accretive to cash distributions per common unit without such conversion. It is possible, however, that Noble could exercise this reset election at a time when it is experiencing, or expects to experience, declines in the cash distributions it receives related to its incentive distribution rights and may, therefore, desire to be issued common units rather than retain the right to receive distributions based on the initial target distribution levels. This risk could be elevated if our incentive distribution rights have been transferred to a third party. As a result, a reset election may cause our common unitholders to experience a reduction in the amount of cash distributions that they would have otherwise received had we not issued new common units in connection with resetting the target distribution levels. Additionally, Noble has the right to transfer all or any portion of our incentive distribution rights at any time, and such transferee will have the same rights as Noble relative to resetting target distributions if our general partner concurs that the tests for resetting target distributions have been fulfilled. Please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions—Noble’s Right to Reset Incentive Distribution Levels.”

 

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Units held by persons who our general partner determines are not “eligible holders” at the time of any requested certification in the future may be subject to redemption.

As a result of certain laws and regulations to which we are or may in the future become subject, we may require owners of our common units to certify that they are both U.S. citizens and subject to U.S. federal income taxation on our income. Units held by persons who our general partner determines are not “eligible holders” at the time of any requested certification in the future may be subject to redemption. “Eligible holders” are limited partners whose (or whose owners’) (i) U.S. federal income tax status or lack of proof of U.S. federal income tax status does not have and is not reasonably likely to have, as determined by our general partner, a material adverse effect on the rates that can be charged to customers by us or our subsidiaries with respect to assets that are subject to regulation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or similar regulatory body and (ii) nationality, citizenship or other related status does not create and is not reasonably likely to create, as determined by our general partner, a substantial risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any property in which we have an interest. The aggregate redemption price for redeemable interests will be an amount equal to the current market price (the date of determination of which will 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. For these purposes, the “current market price” means, as of any date for any class of limited partner interests, 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. The redemption price will be paid in cash or by delivery of a promissory note, as determined by our general partner. The units held by any person the general partner determines is not an eligible holder will not be entitled to voting rights. Please read “Our Partnership Agreement—Possible Redemption of Ineligible Holders.”

Our partnership agreement will designate the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our unitholders, which would limit our unitholders’ ability to choose the judicial forum for disputes with us or our general partner’s directors, officers or other employees. Our partnership agreement also provides that any unitholder bringing an unsuccessful action will be obligated to reimburse us for any costs we have incurred in connection with such unsuccessful action.

Our partnership agreement will provide that, with certain limited exceptions, 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) shall be the exclusive forum for any claims, suits, actions or proceedings (i) arising out of or relating in any way to our partnership agreement (including any claims, suits or actions to interpret, apply or enforce the provisions of our partnership agreement or the duties, obligations or liabilities among our partners, or obligations or liabilities of our partners to us, or the rights or powers of, or restrictions on, our partners or us), (ii) brought in a derivative manner on our behalf, (iii) asserting a claim of breach of a duty owed by any of our, or our general partner’s, directors, officers, or other employees, or owed by our general partner, to us or our partners, (iv) asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware Act or (v) asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine.

If any person brings any of the aforementioned claims, suits, actions or proceedings (including any claims, suits, actions or proceedings arising out of this offering) and such person does not obtain a judgment on the merits that substantially achieves, in substance and amount, the full remedy sought, then such person shall be obligated to reimburse us and our 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. In addition, our partnership agreement provides that each limited partner irrevocably waives the right to trial by jury in any such claim, suit, action or proceeding. By purchasing a common unit, a limited partner is irrevocably consenting to these limitations and provisions regarding claims, suits, actions or proceedings and submitting to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or such other court) in connection with any such claims, suits, actions or proceedings. These provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against us and our general partner’s directors and officers. Please read “Our Partnership Agreement—Applicable Law; Exclusive Forum.”

 

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The NYSE does not require a publicly traded limited partnership like us to comply with certain of its corporate governance requirements.

We have applied to list our common units on the NYSE. Because we will be a publicly traded limited partnership, the NYSE does not require us to have a majority of independent directors on our general partner’s board of directors or to establish a compensation committee or a nominating and corporate governance committee. Additionally, any future issuance of additional common units or other securities, including to affiliates, will not be subject to the NYSE’s shareholder approval rules that apply to a corporation. Accordingly, unitholders will not have the same protections afforded to certain corporations that are subject to all of the NYSE corporate governance requirements. Please read “Management—Management of Noble Midstream Partners LP.”

If we fail to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, our ability to accurately report our financial results could be adversely affected.

We are not currently required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Section 404 of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act of 2002, and are therefore not required to make a formal assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for that purpose. Upon becoming a publicly traded partnership, we will be required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which will require our management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Though we will be required to disclose material changes made to our internal controls and procedures on a quarterly basis, we will not be required to make our first annual assessment of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until the year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC. To comply with the requirements of being a publicly traded partnership, we may need to implement additional internal controls, reporting systems and procedures and hire additional accounting, finance and legal staff. Furthermore, while we generally must comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2015, we are not required to have our independent registered public accounting firm attest to the effectiveness of our internal controls until our first annual report subsequent to our ceasing to be an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(19) of the Securities Act. Accordingly, we may not be required to have our independent registered public accounting firm attest to the effectiveness of our internal controls until our annual report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019. Once it is required to do so, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed.

If we fail to develop or maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud. As a result, current and potential unitholders could lose confidence in our financial reporting, which would harm our business and the trading price of our units.

Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports, prevent fraud and operate successfully as a public company. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our reputation and operating results would be harmed. We cannot be certain that our efforts to develop and maintain our internal controls will be successful, that we will be able to maintain adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future or that we will be able to comply with our obligations under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Any failure to develop or maintain effective internal controls, or difficulties encountered in implementing or improving our internal controls, could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Ineffective internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which would likely have a negative effect on the trading price of our units.

For as long as we are an “emerging growth company,” we will not be required to comply with certain disclosure requirements that apply to other public companies.

We are classified as an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act. For as long as we are an “emerging growth company,’ which may be up to five full fiscal years, unlike other public companies, we will not be required to, among other things, (1) provide an auditor’s attestation report on management’s assessment of

 

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the effectiveness of our system of internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (2) comply with any new requirements adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board requiring mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report in which the auditor would be required to provide additional information about the audit and the financial statements of the issuer, (3) provide certain disclosure regarding executive compensation required of larger public companies or (4) hold nonbinding advisory votes on executive compensation. We will remain an “emerging growth company” for up to five years, although we will lose that status sooner if we have more than $1.0 billion of revenues in a fiscal year, become a large accelerated filer or issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period.

To the extent that we rely on any of the exemptions available to “emerging growth companies,” you will receive less information about our executive compensation and internal control over financial reporting than issuers that are not “emerging growth companies.” If some investors find our common units to be less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common units and our trading price may be more volatile.

We will incur increased costs as a result of being a publicly-traded partnership.

We have no history operating as a publicly-traded partnership. As a publicly-traded partnership, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur prior to this offering. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules implemented by the SEC and the NYSE, require publicly-traded entities to adopt various corporate governance practices that will further increase our costs. Before we are able to make distributions to our unitholders, we must first pay or reserve cash for our expenses, including the costs of being a publicly-traded partnership. As a result, the amount of cash we have available for distribution to our unitholders will be affected by the costs associated with being a publicly-traded partnership.

Prior to this offering, we have not filed reports with the SEC. Following this offering, we will become subject to the public reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. We expect these rules and regulations to increase certain of our legal and financial compliance costs and to make activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, as a result of becoming a publicly-traded partnership, we are required to have at least three independent directors, create an audit committee and adopt policies regarding internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures, including the preparation of reports on internal controls over financial reporting. In addition, we will incur additional costs associated with our SEC reporting requirements.

We also expect to incur significant expense in order to obtain director and officer liability insurance. Because of the limitations in coverage for directors, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board or as executive officers.

We estimate that we will incur approximately $5.5 million of incremental costs per year associated with being a publicly-traded partnership; however, it is possible that our actual incremental costs of being a publicly-traded partnership will be higher than we currently estimate.

If we are deemed an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, it would adversely affect the price of our common units and could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our initial assets will consist of direct and indirect ownership interests in our development companies as well as ownership interests in other midstream ventures. If a sufficient amount of our assets, such as our ownership interests in other midstream ventures, now owned or in the future acquired, are deemed to be “investment securities” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the Investment Company Act, we would either have to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, obtain exemptive relief from the SEC or modify our organizational structure or our contract rights to fall outside the definition of an investment company. In that event, it is possible that our ownership of these interests, combined

 

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with our assets acquired in the future, could result in our being required to register under the Investment Company Act if we were not successful in obtaining exemptive relief or otherwise modifying our organizational structure or applicable contract rights. Treatment of us as an investment company would prevent our qualification as a partnership for federal income tax purposes in which case we would be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes. As a result, we would pay federal income tax on our taxable income at the corporate tax rate, distributions to you would generally be taxed again as corporate distributions and none of our income, gains, losses or deductions would flow through to you. Because a tax would be imposed upon us as a corporation, our cash available for distribution to you would be substantially reduced. Therefore, treatment of us as an investment company would result in a material reduction in the anticipated cash flow and after-tax return to the unitholders, likely causing a substantial reduction in the value of our common units. Please read “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences—Partnership Status.”

Moreover, registering as an investment company could, among other things, materially limit our ability to engage in transactions with affiliates, including the purchase of additional interests in our midstream systems from Noble, restrict our ability to borrow funds or engage in other transactions involving leverage and require us to add additional directors who are independent of us or our affiliates. The occurrence of some or all of these events would adversely affect the price of our common units and could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Tax Risks

In addition to reading the following risk factors, please read “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences” for a more complete discussion of the expected material federal income tax consequences of owning and disposing of common units.

Our tax treatment depends on our status as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. If the IRS were to treat us as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, which would subject us to entity-level taxation, or if we were otherwise subjected to a material amount of entity-level taxation, then our distributable cash flow to our unitholders would be substantially reduced.

The anticipated after-tax economic benefit of an investment in the common units depends largely on our being treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes.

Despite the fact that we are a limited partnership under Delaware law, we will be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes unless we satisfy a “qualifying income” requirement. Based upon our current operations, we believe we satisfy the qualifying income requirement. Failing to meet the qualifying income requirement or a change in current law could cause us to be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes or otherwise subject us to taxation as an entity.

If we were treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, we would pay federal income tax on our taxable income at the corporate tax rate, which is currently a maximum of 35%, and would likely pay state and local income tax at varying rates. Distributions would generally be taxed again as corporate dividends (to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits), and no income, gains, losses, deductions, or credits would flow through to you. Because a tax would be imposed upon us as a corporation, our distributable cash flow would be substantially reduced.

In addition, recently enacted legislation applicable to partnership tax years beginning after 2017 changes the audit procedures for large partnerships and in certain circumstances would permit the IRS to assess and collect taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) resulting from partnership-level federal income tax audits directly from us in the year in which the audit is completed. If we are required to make payments of taxes, penalties and interest resulting from audit adjustments, our cash available for distribution to our unitholders might be substantially reduced.

 

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Moreover, changes in current state law may subject us to entity-level taxation by individual states. Because of widespread state budget deficits and other reasons, several states are evaluating ways to subject partnerships to entity-level taxation through the imposition of state income, franchise and other forms of taxation. Imposition of any such taxes may substantially reduce the cash available for distribution to you. Therefore, if we were treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes or otherwise subjected to a material amount of entity-level taxation, there would be a material reduction in the anticipated cash flow and after-tax return to our unitholders, likely causing a substantial reduction in the value of our common units.

Our partnership agreement provides that, if a law is enacted or existing law is modified or interpreted in a manner that subjects us to taxation as a corporation or otherwise subjects us to entity-level taxation for federal, state or local income tax purposes, the minimum quarterly distribution amount and the target distribution levels may be adjusted to reflect the impact of that law on us.

The tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships or an investment in our units could be subject to potential legislative, judicial or administrative changes and differing interpretations, possibly on a retroactive basis.

The present federal income tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships, including us, or an investment in our common units may be modified by administrative, legislative or judicial interpretation at any time. For example, from time to time, the President and members of Congress propose and consider substantive changes to the existing federal income tax laws that affect publicly traded partnerships, including elimination of partnership tax treatment for publicly traded partnerships. Any modification to the federal income tax laws and interpretations thereof may or may not be retroactively applied and could make it more difficult or impossible for us to meet the exception to be treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. Please read “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences—Partnership Status.”

On May 5, 2015, the U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS released proposed regulations, or the Proposed Regulations, regarding qualifying income under Section 7704(d)(1)(E) of the Code. The U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS have requested comments from industry participants regarding the standards set forth in the Proposed Regulations. The Proposed Regulations provide an exclusive list of industry-specific activities and certain limited support activities that generate qualifying income, including water-related activities when provided for use in drilling and hydraulic fracturing activities.

Although the Proposed Regulations adopt a narrow interpretation of the water-related activities that generate qualifying income, we believe the income that we treat as qualifying satisfies these requirements and our counsel will rely on the Proposed Regulations to treat income from certain of our water-related activities as qualifying income and to meet the exception for us to be treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes.

However, the Proposed Regulations could be changed before they are finalized and could take a position that is contrary to our interpretation. In the event that we do not satisfy the standards set forth in the final regulations for the water-related services or other income that we treat as qualifying, we anticipate being able to continue to treat income from these activities as qualifying income for ten years under special transition rules provided in the Proposed Regulations.

We are unable to predict whether any of these changes, or other proposals, will ultimately be enacted. Any such changes could negatively impact the value of an investment in our common units. Our partnership agreement provides that if a law is enacted or existing law is modified or interpreted in a manner that subjects us to taxation as a corporation or otherwise subjects us to entity-level taxation for federal income tax purposes, the minimum quarterly distribution and the target distribution levels may be adjusted to reflect the impact of that law on us.

Our unitholders’ share of our income will be taxable to them for federal income tax purposes even if they do not receive any cash distributions from us.

Because a unitholder will be treated as a partner to whom we will allocate taxable income that could be different in amount than the cash we distribute, a unitholder’s allocable share of our taxable income will be

 

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taxable to it, which may require the payment of federal income taxes and, in some cases, state and local income taxes, on its share of our taxable income even if it receives no cash distributions from us. Our unitholders may not receive cash distributions from us equal to their share of our taxable income or even equal to the actual tax liability that results from that income.

If the IRS contests the federal income tax positions we take, the market for our common units may be adversely impacted and the cost of any IRS contest will reduce our distributable cash flow to our unitholders.

The IRS may adopt positions that differ from the conclusions of our counsel expressed in this prospectus or from the positions we take, and the IRS’s positions may ultimately be sustained. It may be necessary to resort to administrative or court proceedings to sustain some or all of our counsel’s conclusions or the positions we take and such positions may not ultimately be sustained. A court may not agree with some or all of our counsel’s conclusions or the positions we take. Any contest with the IRS, and the outcome of any IRS contest, may have a materially adverse impact on the market for our common units and the price at which they trade. Moreover, recently enacted legislation applicable to partnership tax years beginning after 2017 changes the audit procedures for large partnerships and in certain circumstances would permit the IRS to assess and collect taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) resulting from partnership-level federal income tax audits directly from us in the year in which the audit is completed. If we are required to make payments of taxes, penalties and interest resulting from audit adjustments, our cash available for distribution to our unitholders might be substantially reduced. In addition, our costs of any contest with the IRS will be borne indirectly by our unitholders because the costs will reduce our distributable cash flow.

Tax gain or loss on the disposition of our common units could be more or less than expected.

If our unitholders sell common units, they will recognize a gain or loss for federal income tax purposes equal to the difference between the amount realized and their tax basis in those common units. Because distributions in excess of their allocable share of our net taxable income decrease their tax basis in their common units, the amount, if any, of such prior excess distributions with respect to the common units a unitholder sells will, in effect, become taxable income to the unitholder if it sells such common units at a price greater than its tax basis in those common units, even if the price received is less than its original cost. Furthermore, a substantial portion of the amount realized on any sale of your common units, whether or not representing gain, may be taxed as ordinary income due to potential recapture items, including depreciation recapture. In addition, because the amount realized includes a unitholder’s share of our nonrecourse liabilities, a unitholder that sells common units may incur a tax liability in excess of the amount of cash received from the sale. Please read “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences—Disposition of Common Units—Recognition of Gain or Loss.”

Tax-exempt entities and non-U.S. persons face unique tax issues from owning our common units that may result in adverse tax consequences to them.

Investment in common units by tax-exempt entities, such as employee benefit plans and individual retirement accounts (known as IRAs), and non-U.S. persons raises issues unique to them. For example, virtually all of our income allocated to organizations that are exempt from federal income tax, including IRAs and other retirement plans, will be unrelated business taxable income and will be taxable to them. Distributions to non-U.S. persons will be reduced by withholding taxes at the highest applicable effective tax rate, and non-U.S. persons will be required to file federal income tax returns and pay tax on their share of our taxable income. If you are a tax-exempt entity or a non-U.S. person, you should consult a tax advisor before investing in our common units.

 

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We will treat each purchaser of common units as having the same tax benefits without regard to the actual common units purchased. The IRS may challenge this treatment, which could adversely affect the value of the common units.

Because we cannot match transferors and transferees of common units and because of other reasons, we will adopt depreciation and amortization positions that may not conform to all aspects of existing Treasury Regulations. A successful IRS challenge to those positions could adversely affect the amount of tax benefits available to you. Andrews Kurth LLP is unable to opine as to the validity of such filing positions. It also could affect the timing of these tax benefits or the amount of gain from your sale of common units and could have a negative impact on the value of our common units or result in tax return audit adjustments. Please read “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Section 754 Election.”

We will prorate our items of income, gain, loss and deduction for federal income tax purposes between transferors and transferees of our units each month based upon the ownership of our units on the first day of each month, instead of on the basis of the date a particular unit is transferred. The IRS may challenge this treatment, which could change the allocation of items of income, gain, loss and deduction among our unitholders.

We will prorate our items of income, gain, loss and deduction for federal income tax purposes between transferors and transferees of our units each month based upon the ownership of our units on the first day of each month, instead of on the basis of the date a particular unit is transferred. The U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS recently issued final Treasury Regulations pursuant to which a publicly traded partnership may use a similar monthly simplifying convention to allocate tax items among transferor and transferee unitholders although such tax items must be prorated on a daily basis. We are currently evaluating these regulations, which apply to certain publicly traded partnerships, including us, for taxable years beginning on or after August 3, 2015. However, these Treasury Regulations do not specifically authorize the use of the proration method we currently plan to adopt. Accordingly, Andrews Kurth LLP is unable to opine on the validity of our method of allocating income, gain, loss and deduction among transferor and transferee unitholders. If the IRS were to successfully challenge our proration method, we may be required to change the allocation of items of income, gain, loss and deduction among our unitholders. Please read “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences—Disposition of Common Units—Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees.”

A unitholder whose common units are loaned to a “short seller” to effect a short sale of common units may be considered as having disposed of those common units. If so, he would no longer be treated for federal income tax purposes as a partner with respect to those common units during the period of the loan and may recognize gain or loss from the disposition.

Because a unitholder whose common units are loaned to a “short seller” to effect a short sale of common units may be considered as having disposed of the loaned common units, he may no longer be treated for federal income tax purposes as a partner with respect to those common units during the period of the loan to the short seller and the unitholder may recognize gain or loss from such disposition. Moreover, during the period of the loan to the short seller, any of our income, gain, loss or deduction with respect to those common units may not be reportable by the unitholder and any cash distributions received by the unitholder as to those common units could be fully taxable as ordinary income. Andrews Kurth LLP has not rendered an opinion regarding the treatment of a unitholder where common units are loaned to a short seller to effect a short sale of common units; therefore, our unitholders desiring to assure their status as partners and avoid the risk of gain recognition from a loan to a short seller are urged to consult a tax advisor to discuss whether it is advisable to modify any applicable brokerage account agreements to prohibit their brokers from loaning their common units.

 

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We will adopt certain valuation methodologies in determining a unitholder’s allocations of income, gain, loss and deduction. The IRS may challenge these methodologies or the resulting allocations, and such a challenge could adversely affect the value of our common units.

In determining the items of income, gain, loss and deduction allocable to our unitholders, in certain circumstances, including when we issue additional units, we must determine the fair market value of our assets. Although we may from time to time consult with professional appraisers regarding valuation matters, we make many fair market value estimates ourselves using a methodology based on the market value of our common units as a means to determine the fair market value of our assets. The IRS may challenge these valuation methods and the resulting allocations of income, gain, loss and deduction for federal income tax purposes.

A successful IRS challenge to these methods or allocations could adversely affect the amount, character and timing of our taxable income or loss and a unitholder’s distributive share of these items. It also could affect the amount of gain from our unitholders’ sale of common units and could have a negative impact on the value of our common units or result in audit adjustments to our items of income, gain, loss and deduction and a unitholder’s distributive share of these items without the benefit of additional deductions.

The sale or exchange of 50% or more of our capital and profits interests during any twelve-month period will result in the termination of our partnership for federal income tax purposes.

We will be considered to have technically terminated our partnership for federal income tax purposes if there is a sale or exchange of 50% or more of the total interests in our capital and profits within a twelve-month period. For purposes of determining whether the 50% threshold has been met, multiple sales of the same interest will be counted only once. Our technical termination would, among other things, result in the closing of our taxable year for all unitholders, which would result in us filing two tax returns (and our unitholders could receive two Schedules K-1 if the relief discussed below is not available) for one fiscal year and could result in a deferral of depreciation deductions allowable in computing our taxable income. In the case of a unitholder reporting on a taxable year other than a fiscal year ending December 31, the closing of our taxable year may also result in more than twelve months of our taxable income or loss being includable in his taxable income for the year of termination. Our termination currently would not affect our classification as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, but instead we would be treated as a new partnership for federal income tax purposes. If treated as a new partnership, we must make new tax elections, including a new election under Section 754 of the Internal Revenue Code and could be subject to penalties if we are unable to determine that a termination occurred. The IRS has announced a publicly traded partnership technical termination relief program whereby, if a publicly traded partnership that technically terminated requests publicly traded partnership technical termination relief and such relief is granted by the IRS, among other things, the partnership will only have to provide one Schedule K-1 to unitholders for the year notwithstanding two partnership tax years. Please read “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences—Disposition of Common Units—Constructive Termination.”

As a result of investing in our common units, you may become subject to state and local taxes and return filing requirements in jurisdictions where we operate or own or acquire properties.

In addition to federal income taxes, our unitholders will likely be subject to other taxes, including state and local taxes, unincorporated business taxes and estate, inheritance or intangible taxes that are imposed by the various jurisdictions in which we conduct business or control property now or in the future, even if they do not live in any of those jurisdictions. Our unitholders will likely be required to file state and local income tax returns and pay state and local income taxes in some or all of these various jurisdictions. Further, our unitholders may be subject to penalties for failure to comply with those requirements. As we make acquisitions or expand our business, we may control assets or conduct business in additional states that impose a personal income tax. It is your responsibility to file all federal, state and local tax returns. Our counsel has not rendered an opinion on the state or local tax consequences of an investment in our common units. Please consult your tax advisor.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We expect to receive net proceeds of approximately $         million from the sale of             common units offered by this prospectus, based on an assumed initial public offering price of $         per common unit (the mid-point of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus), after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, the structuring fee and estimated offering expenses. Our estimate assumes the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units is not exercised. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to (i) make a distribution of approximately $         million to Noble and (ii) pay approximately $         million of origination fees related to our new revolving credit facility.

If and to the extent the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional common units, the number of common units purchased by the underwriters pursuant to such exercise will be issued to the public and the remainder of the             additional common units, if any, will be issued to Noble at the expiration of the option period. Any such common units issued to Noble will be issued for no additional consideration. If the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units, we expect to receive net proceeds of approximately $         million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, the structuring fee and estimated offering expenses. We will use any net proceeds from the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units to make a cash distribution to Noble.

Depending on market conditions at the time of pricing of this offering and other considerations, we may sell fewer or more common units than the number set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.

 

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth:

 

   

the historical cash and cash equivalents and capitalization of our Predecessor as of September 30, 2015; and

 

   

our pro forma capitalization as of September 30, 2015, giving effect to the pro forma adjustments described in our unaudited pro forma combined financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus, including this offering and the application of the net proceeds from this offering in the manner described under “Use of Proceeds” and the other transactions described under “Prospectus Summary—The Transactions.”

The following table assumes that the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional common units. If and to the extent the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional common units, the number of common units purchased by the underwriters pursuant to such exercise will be issued to the public and the remainder of the             additional common units, if any, will be issued to Noble at the expiration of the option period. Any such common units will be issued for no additional consideration.

This table is derived from, should be read together with and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the historical financial statements and the accompanying notes and the unaudited pro forma combined financial statements and the accompanying notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. You should also read this table in conjunction with “Prospectus Summary—The Transactions,” “Use of Proceeds,” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

     As of September 30,
2015
 
     Historical      Pro Forma  
     (in thousands)  

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 19,590       $     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Long-term debt:

     

Revolving credit facility (1)

   $ —         $ —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total long-term debt (including current maturities)

     —           —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net parent investment / partners’ capital:

     

Net parent investment

     240,677         —     

Held by public:

     

Common units

     

Held by Noble:

     

Common units

     

Subordinated units

     

General partner interest (2)

        —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total equity

     240,677      

Non-controlling interest

     

Total partners’ capital

     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total capitalization

   $ 240,677       $                
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) In connection with the completion of this offering, we expect to enter into a new $350 million revolving credit facility. Please read “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Capital Resources and Liquidity—Revolving Credit Facility.”
(2) Upon completion of this offering, our general partner will own a non-economic general partner interest in us.

 

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DILUTION

Dilution is the amount by which the offering price per common unit in this offering will exceed the pro forma net tangible book value per common unit after the offering. On a pro forma basis as of September 30, 2015, after giving effect to the offering of common units and the related transactions, our net tangible book value was approximately $         million, or $         per common unit. Purchasers of common units in this offering will experience substantial and immediate dilution in pro forma net tangible book value per common unit for financial accounting purposes, as illustrated in the following table.

 

Assumed initial public offering price per common unit (1)

    $                

Pro forma net tangible book value per unit before this offering (2)

  $                  

Less: Distribution to Noble (3)

   

Add: Increase in net tangible book value per unit attributable to purchasers in this offering

   
 

 

 

   

Less: Pro forma net tangible book value per unit after this offering (4)

   
   

 

 

 

Immediate dilution in net tangible book value per common unit to purchasers in this offering (5)(6)

    $     
   

 

 

 

 

(1) Represents the mid-point of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.
(2) Determined by dividing the number of units (             common units and             subordinated units) to be issued to the general partner and its affiliates for their contribution of assets and liabilities to us into the pro forma net tangible book value of the contributed assets and liabilities of $         million.
(3) Determined by dividing the number of units (             common units and              subordinated units) to be issued to Noble for its contribution of assets and liabilities to us. At the closing of this offering, we intend to make a distribution of $         million to Noble.
(4) Determined by dividing the number of units to be outstanding after this offering (             common units and                 subordinated units) and the application of the related net proceeds into our pro forma net tangible book value, after giving effect to the application of the net proceeds from this offering, of $         million.
(5) If the initial public offering price were to increase or decrease by $1.00 per common unit, then dilution in net tangible book value per common unit would equal $         and $        , respectively.
(6) Because the total number of units outstanding following this offering will not be impacted by any exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units and any net proceeds from such exercise will not be retained by us, there will be no change to the dilution in net tangible book value per common unit to purchasers in this offering due to any such exercise of the option.

The following table sets forth the partnership interests that we will issue and the total consideration contributed to us by our general partner and its affiliates in respect of their partnership interests and by the purchasers of common units in this offering upon consummation of the transactions contemplated by this prospectus.

 

     Units Acquired     Total Consideration  
     Number    %     Amount
(in millions)
     %  

Noble and its affiliates (1)(2)(3)

               $                          

Purchasers in this offering

                        
  

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

               $               
  

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) Upon the completion of this offering, Noble will own             common units and              subordinated units.
(2) Assumes the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units is not exercised.
(3) The assets contributed by Noble were recorded at historical cost in accordance with GAAP. Book value of the consideration provided by our general partner and its affiliates, as of September 30, 2015 was $         million. At the closing of this offering, we intend to make a distribution of $         million to Noble.

 

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CASH DISTRIBUTION POLICY AND RESTRICTIONS ON DISTRIBUTIONS

The following discussion of our cash distribution policy should be read in conjunction with the specific assumptions included in this section. In addition, you should read “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” for information regarding statements that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and certain risks inherent in our business.

For additional information regarding our historical and pro forma results of operations, please refer to our historical financial statements and the accompanying notes and the unaudited pro forma condensed financial statements and the accompanying notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.

General

Rationale for Our Cash Distribution Policy

Our partnership agreement requires that we distribute all of our available cash quarterly. This requirement forms the basis of our cash distribution policy and reflects a basic judgment that our unitholders will be better served by distributing our available cash rather than retaining it because, among other reasons, we believe we will generally finance any expansion capital expenditures from external financing sources. Under our current cash distribution policy, we intend to make a minimum quarterly distribution to the holders of our common units and subordinated units of $         per unit, or $         per unit on an annualized basis, to the extent we have sufficient available cash after the establishment of cash reserves (including estimated maintenance capital expenditures) and the payment of costs and expenses, including the payment of expenses to our general partner. However, other than the requirement in our partnership agreement to distribute all of our available cash each quarter, we have no legal obligation to make quarterly cash distributions in this or any other amount, and the board of directors of our general partner has considerable discretion to determine the amount of our available cash each quarter. In addition, the board of directors of our general partner may change our cash distribution policy at any time, subject to the requirement in our partnership agreement to distribute all of our available cash quarterly. Generally, our available cash is the sum of (i) all cash on hand at the end of a quarter after the payment of our expenses and the establishment of cash reserves and (ii) if the board of directors of our general partner so determines, all or any portion of additional cash on hand resulting from working capital borrowings made after the end of the quarter. Because we are not subject to an entity-level federal income tax, we expect to have more cash to distribute than would be the case if we were subject to federal income tax. If we do not generate sufficient available cash from our operations, we may, but are under no obligation to, borrow funds to pay the minimum quarterly distribution to our unitholders.

Limitations on Cash Distributions and Our Ability to Change Our Cash Distribution Policy

Although our partnership agreement requires that we distribute all of our available cash quarterly, there is no guarantee that we will make quarterly cash distributions to our unitholders at our minimum quarterly distribution rate or at any other rate, and we have no legal obligation to do so. Our current cash distribution policy is subject to certain restrictions, as well as the considerable discretion of the board of directors of our general partner in determining the amount of our available cash each quarter. The following factors will affect our ability to make cash distributions, as well as the amount of any cash distributions we make:

 

   

We expect that our cash distribution policy will be subject to restrictions on cash distributions under our new revolving credit facility. We expect that one such restriction would prohibit us from making cash distributions while an event of default has occurred and is continuing under our new revolving credit facility, notwithstanding our cash distribution policy. Please read “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Capital Resources and Liquidity—Revolving Credit Facility.”

 

   

The amount of cash that we distribute and the decision to make any distribution is determined by the board of directors of our general partner, taking into consideration the terms of our partnership

 

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agreement. Specifically, the board of directors of our general partner will have the authority to establish cash reserves to provide for the proper conduct of our business, comply with applicable law or any agreement to which we are a party or by which we are bound or our assets are subject and provide funds for future cash distributions to our unitholders, and the establishment of or increase in those reserves could result in a reduction in cash distributions from levels we currently anticipate pursuant to our stated cash distribution policy. Any decision to establish cash reserves made by the board of directors of our general partner in good faith will be binding on our unitholders.

 

   

While our partnership agreement requires us to distribute all of our available cash, our partnership agreement, including the provisions requiring us to make cash distributions, may be amended. During the subordination period, our partnership agreement may not be amended without the approval of our public common unitholders, except in a limited number of circumstances when our general partner can amend our partnership agreement without any unitholder approval. Please read “Our Partnership Agreement—Amendment of Our Partnership Agreement—No Unitholder Approval.” However, after the subordination period has ended, our partnership agreement may be amended with the consent of our general partner and the approval of a majority of the outstanding common units, including common units owned by our general partner and its affiliates. Following the completion of this offering, Noble will own our general partner,             common units and             subordinated units, representing an aggregate     % limited partner interest (or common units and subordinated units, representing an aggregate     % limited partner interest, if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units).

 

   

Under Section 17-607 of the Delaware Act, we may not make a distribution if the distribution would cause our liabilities to exceed the fair value of our assets.

 

   

We may lack sufficient cash to pay distributions to our unitholders due to cash flow shortfalls attributable to a number of operational, commercial or other factors as well as increases in our operating or general and administrative expenses, principal and interest payments on our debt, tax expenses, working capital requirements and anticipated cash needs. Our available cash is directly impacted by the cash expenses necessary to run our business and will be reduced dollar-for-dollar to the extent such uses of cash increase. Please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions—Distributions of Available Cash.”

 

   

Our ability to make cash distributions to our unitholders depends on the performance of our development companies and their ability to distribute cash to us.

 

   

If and to the extent our available cash materially declines from quarter to quarter, we may elect to change our current cash distribution policy and reduce the amount of our quarterly distributions in order to service or repay our debt or fund expansion capital expenditures.

To the extent that our general partner determines not to distribute the full minimum quarterly distribution on our common units with respect to any quarter during the subordination period, the common units will accrue an arrearage equal to the difference between the minimum quarterly distribution and the amount of the distribution actually paid on the common units with respect to that quarter. The aggregate amount of any such arrearages must be paid on the common units before any distributions of available cash from operating surplus may be made on the subordinated units and before any subordinated units may convert into common units. The subordinated units will not accrue any arrearages. Please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions—Subordinated Units and Subordination Period.”

Our Ability to Grow Is Dependent on Our Ability to Access External Expansion Capital

Our partnership agreement requires us to distribute all of our available cash to our unitholders on a quarterly basis. As a result, we expect that we will rely primarily upon our cash reserves and external financing sources, including borrowings under our new revolving credit facility and the issuance of debt and equity securities, to fund future acquisitions and other expansion capital expenditures. While we have historically received funding

 

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from Noble, we do not have any commitment from Noble, our general partner or any of their respective affiliates to fund our cash flow deficits or provide other direct or indirect financial assistance to us following the closing of this offering. Following the completion of this offering, Noble will directly own a     % limited partner interest in us (or a     % limited partner interest in us if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units). In addition, Noble will wholly own our general partner and all of our incentive distribution rights. Given Noble’s significant ownership interests in us following the closing of this offering, we believe Noble will be incentivized to promote and support the successful execution of our business strategies.

To the extent we are unable to finance growth with external sources of capital, the requirement in our partnership agreement to distribute all of our available cash and our current cash distribution policy may significantly impair our ability to grow. In addition, because we will distribute all of our available cash, our growth may not be as fast as businesses that reinvest all of their available cash to expand ongoing operations. We expect that our new revolving credit facility will restrict our ability to incur additional debt, including through the issuance of debt securities. Please read “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Restrictions in our new revolving credit facility could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and ability to make quarterly cash distributions to our unitholders.” To the extent we issue additional partnership interests, the payment of distributions on those additional partnership interests may increase the risk that we will be unable to maintain or increase our cash distributions per common unit. There are no limitations in our partnership agreement on our ability to issue additional partnership interests, including partnership interests ranking senior to our common units, and our common unitholders will have no preemptive or other rights (solely as a result of their status as unitholders) to purchase any such additional partnership interests. If we incur additional debt (under our new revolving credit facility or otherwise) to finance our growth strategy, we will have increased interest expense, which in turn will reduce the available cash that we have to distribute to our unitholders. Please read “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Debt we incur in the future may limit our flexibility to obtain financing and to pursue other business opportunities.”

Our Minimum Quarterly Distribution

Upon the consummation of this offering, our partnership agreement will provide for a minimum quarterly distribution of $         per unit for each whole quarter, or $         per unit on an annualized basis. Our ability to make cash distributions at the minimum quarterly distribution rate will be subject to the factors described above under “—General—Limitations on Cash Distributions and Our Ability to Change Our Cash Distribution Policy.” Quarterly distributions, if any, will be made within 45 days after the end of each calendar quarter to holders of record on or about the first day of each such month in which such distributions are made. We do not expect to make distributions for the period that began on                     and ends on the day prior to the closing of this offering. We will adjust the amount of our first distribution for the period from the closing of this offering through                     , 2015 based on the number of days in that period.

The table below sets forth the amount of common units and subordinated units that will be outstanding immediately after this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional common units, and the cash available for distribution needed to pay the aggregate minimum quarterly distribution on all of such units for a single fiscal quarter and a four quarter period:

 

          Minimum Quarterly Distributions  
     Number of Units    One Quarter      Annualized  

Common units held by the public (1)

      $                    $                

Common units held by Noble (1)

        

Subordinated units held by Noble

        
  

 

  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

        
  

 

  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units. Please read “Use of Proceeds” for a description of the impact of an exercise of the option on the common unit ownership.

 

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Noble will initially hold all of our incentive distribution rights, which entitle the holder to increasing percentages, up to a maximum of 50%, of the cash we distribute in excess of $     per unit per quarter.

During the subordination period, before we make any quarterly distributions to our subordinated unitholders, our common unitholders are entitled to receive payment of the full minimum quarterly distribution for such quarter plus any arrearages in distributions of the minimum quarterly distribution from prior quarters. Please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions—Subordinated Units and Subordination Period.” We cannot guarantee, however, that we will pay distributions on our common units at our minimum quarterly distribution rate or at any other rate in any quarter.

Although holders of our common units may pursue judicial action to enforce provisions of our partnership agreement, including those related to requirements to make cash distributions as described above, our partnership agreement provides that any determination made by our general partner in its capacity as our general partner must be made in good faith and that any such determination will not be subject to any other standard imposed by the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity. Our partnership agreement provides that, in order for a determination by our general partner to be made in “good faith,” our general partner must subjectively believe that the determination is not adverse to the interests of our partnership. In making such determination, our general partner may take into account the totality of the circumstances or the totality of the relationships between the parties involved, including other relationships or transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to us. Please read “Conflicts of Interest and Duties.”

The provision in our partnership agreement requiring us to distribute all of our available cash quarterly may not be modified without amending our partnership agreement; however, as described above, the actual amount of our cash distributions for any quarter is subject to fluctuations based on the amount of cash we generate from our business, the amount of reserves the board of directors of our general partner establishes in accordance with our partnership agreement and the amount of available cash from working capital borrowings.

Additionally, the board of directors of our general partner may reduce the minimum quarterly distribution and the target distribution levels if legislation is enacted or modified that results in our partnership becoming taxable as a corporation or otherwise subject to taxation as an entity for federal, state or local income tax purposes. In such an event, the minimum quarterly distribution and the target distribution levels may be reduced proportionately by the percentage decrease in our available cash resulting from the estimated tax liability we would incur in the quarter in which such legislation is effective. The minimum quarterly distribution will also be proportionately adjusted in the event of any distribution, combination or subdivision of common units in accordance with the partnership agreement, or in the event of a distribution of available cash from capital surplus. Please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions—Adjustment to the Minimum Quarterly Distribution and Target Distribution Levels.” The minimum quarterly distribution is also subject to adjustment if the holder(s) of the incentive distribution rights (initially only our general partner) elect to reset the target distribution levels related to the incentive distribution rights. In connection with any such reset, the minimum quarterly distribution will be reset to an amount equal to the average cash distribution amount per common unit for the two quarters immediately preceding the reset. Please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions—Noble’s Right to Reset Incentive Distribution Levels.”

In the sections that follow, we present in detail the basis for our belief that we will be able to fully fund our annualized minimum quarterly distribution of $             per unit for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016. In those sections, we present two tables, consisting of:

 

   

“Unaudited Pro Forma EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow for the Year Ended December 31, 2014 and Twelve Months Ended September 30, 2015,” in which we present the amount of EBITDA and distributable cash flow we would have generated on a pro forma basis for the year ended December 31, 2014 and the twelve months ended September 30, 2015, derived from our unaudited pro forma condensed financial statements that are included in this prospectus, as adjusted to give pro forma effect to this offering and the related formation transactions; and

 

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“Estimated EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow for the Twelve Months Ending December 31, 2016,” in which we provide our estimated forecast of our ability to generate sufficient EBITDA and distributable cash flow to pay the minimum quarterly distribution on all common units and subordinated units for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016.

Unless otherwise specifically noted, the amounts set forth in the following sections reflect the pro forma historical and forecasted results attributable to 100% of the assets and operations of our development companies and are not adjusted to reflect Noble’s retained non-controlling interests in our development companies. In connection with the completion of this offering, Noble will contribute to us controlling interests ranging from 5% to 75% in the development companies that own our Core Assets and Growth Assets, and Noble will retain non-controlling interests ranging from 25% to 95% in the development companies that own our Core Assets and Growth Assets. Please read “Prospectus Summary—The Transactions” and “Prospectus Summary—Ownership and Organizational Structure.” Following the completion of this offering, we will consolidate the results of operations of our development companies and then record a non-controlling interest deduction for Noble’s retained interests in our development companies.

Unaudited Pro Forma EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow for the Year Ended December 31, 2014 and Twelve Months Ended September 30, 2015

If we had completed the transactions contemplated in this prospectus on January 1, 2014, pro forma distributable cash flow generated for the year ended December 31, 2014 and the twelve months ended September 30, 2015 would have been approximately $30.2 million and $36.1 million, respectively. These amounts would not have been sufficient to pay the minimum quarterly distribution of $         per unit per quarter ($         per unit on an annualized basis) on all of our common units and subordinated units for each period. We based the pro forma adjustments upon currently available information and specific estimates and assumptions. The pro forma amounts below do not purport to present our results of operations had the transactions contemplated in this prospectus actually been completed as of the dates indicated. In addition, distributable cash flow is primarily a cash accounting concept, while our unaudited pro forma condensed financial statements have been prepared on an accrual basis. As a result, you should view the amount of pro forma distributable cash flow only as a general indication of the amount of distributable cash flow that we might have generated had we been formed on January 1, 2014.

The following table illustrates, on a pro forma basis, for the year ended December 31, 2014 and the twelve months ended September 30, 2015, the amount of cash that would have been available for distribution to our unitholders and our general partner, assuming in each case that this offering and the other transactions contemplated in this prospectus had been consummated on January 1, 2014.

 

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Noble Midstream Partners LP

Unaudited Pro Forma EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow

 

     Year Ended
December 31, 2014
    Twelve Months
Ended September 30,
2015
 
($ in millions, except per unit amounts)             

Revenues

    

Midstream Services Revenue—Related Party

   $ 100.6      $ 99.2   

Income from Investments

     3.8        4.6   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Revenue

     104.4        103.8   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Expenses

    

Direct Operating

     44.1        32.6   

Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization

     11.3        8.3   

General and Administrative (1)

     13.6        10.6   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Expenses

     69.0        51.5   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating Income (Loss)

     35.4        52.3   

Interest Expense (2)

   $ 0.7      $ 0.7   

Income Before Income Taxes

     34.7        51.6   

Income Tax Benefit

     —          —     

Pro Forma Net Income (Loss)

    

Less:

    

Net Income Attributable to Noble-Retained Interests (3)

     9.5        17.6   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Income Attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

     25.2        34.0   

Add:

    

Net Income Attributable to Noble-Retained Interests

     9.5        17.6   

Depreciation

     11.3        8.3   

Interest Expense

     0.7        0.7   

Income Tax Expense

     —          —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Pro Forma EBITDA

     46.7        60.6   

Less:

    

EBITDA Attributable to Noble-Retained Interests (4)

     13.1        20.6   

Pro Forma EBITDA Attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

     33.6        40.0   

Less:

    

Cash Interest Expense (5)

     0.4        0.4   

Maintenance Capital Expenditures (6)

     3.0        3.5   

Expansion Capital Expenditures (7)

     45.7        34.7   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Add:

    

Capital Contributions from Noble to Fund Expansion Capital Expenditures

     45.7        34.7   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Pro Forma Distributable Cash Flow Attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

     30.2        36.1   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Pro Forma Cash Distributions:

    

Distributions to Public Common Unitholders

   $        $     

Distributions to Noble:

    

Common Units Held by Noble

    

Subordinated Units Held by Noble

    
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Distributions to Noble

   $        $     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Aggregate Quarterly Distributions

    
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Excess / (Shortfall) of Distributable Cash Flow Over Aggregate Annualized Minimum Quarterly Distribution

    

Percent of Aggregate Annualized Minimum Quarterly Distribution Payable to Common Unitholders

                  

Percent of Aggregate Annualized Minimum Quarterly Distribution Payable to Subordinated Unitholders

                  

 

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(1) We expect to incur approximately $5.5 million of estimated annual incremental general and administrative expenses as a result of being a publicly traded partnership.
(2) Represents non-cash amortization of origination fees and commitment fees on the undrawn portion of our new revolving credit facility that we expect to have in place at the closing of this offering (assuming no amounts have been drawn on the revolving credit facility).
(3) Represents net income attributable to Noble’s non-controlling interests in our development companies.
(4) Represents EBITDA attributable to Noble’s non-controlling interests in our development companies, calculated as follows:

 

     Year Ended
December 31, 2014
     Twelve Months
ended September 30,
2015
 

Net income attributable to Noble’s non-controlling interest in our operating subsidiaries

   $ 9.5       $ 17.6   

Add:

     

Depreciation expense attributable to Noble’s non-controlling interest in our operating subsidiaries

     3.4         2.7   

Interest expense attributable to Noble’s non-controlling interest in our operating subsidiaries

     0.2         0.3   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

EBITDA attributable to Noble’s non-controlling interest in our operating subsidiaries

   $ 13.1       $ 20.6   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(5) Represents commitment fees on the undrawn portion of our new revolving credit facility that we expect to have in place at the closing of this offering (assuming no amounts have been drawn on the revolving credit facility).
(6) Represents estimated maintenance capital expenditures attributable to our controlling interests in our development companies. Historically, we did not make a distinction between maintenance capital expenditures and expansion capital expenditures; however, for the purposes of the presentation of “Unaudited Pro Forma EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow,” we have estimated that approximately $3.0 million and $3.5 million of our capital expenditures would have constituted maintenance capital expenditures for the pro forma year ended December 31, 2014 and the twelve months ended September 30, 2015, respectively. The estimated maintenance capital expenditures attributable to Noble’s retained interests are listed below:

 

     Year Ended
December 31, 2014
     Twelve Months
Ended September 30,
2015
 

Maintenance Capital Expenditures Attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

   $ 3.0       $ 3.5   

Maintenance Capital Expenditures Attributable to Noble—Retained Interest

     1.3         2.1   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Maintenance Capital Expenditures Attributable to Our Development Companies

   $ 4.3       $ 5.6   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(7) Represents estimated expansion capital expenditures attributable to our controlling interests in our development companies. The estimated expansion capital expenditures attributable to Noble’s retained interest are listed below:

 

     Year Ended
December 31, 2014
     Twelve Months
Ended September 30,
2015
 

Expansion Capital Expenditures Attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

   $ 45.7       $ 34.7   

Expansion Capital Expenditures Attributable to Noble—Retained Interest

     29.2         24.1   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Expansion Capital Expenditures Attributable to Our Development Companies

   $ 74.9       $ 58.8   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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Estimated EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow for the Twelve Months Ending December 31, 2016

We forecast our estimated EBITDA and distributable cash flow for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016 will be approximately $59.5 million and $52.4 million, respectively. In order to pay the aggregate annualized minimum quarterly distribution to all of our unitholders for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016, we must generate EBITDA and distributable cash flow of at least $         million and $         million, respectively.

We have not historically made public projections as to future operations, earnings or other results. However, management has prepared the forecast of estimated EBITDA and distributable cash flow for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016, and related assumptions set forth below, to substantiate our belief that we will have sufficient EBITDA and distributable cash flow to pay the aggregate annualized minimum quarterly distribution to all our unitholders for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016. Please read “—Significant Forecast Assumptions.” Due to the rate of development of our assets and our dependence on Noble’s exploration and production schedule for our revenue, our cash flows may vary from quarter to quarter. However, we believe that we will generate sufficient cash flow from operations to support the minimum quarterly distribution during each of the four quarters in the twelve months ending December 31, 2016. This forecast is a forward-looking statement and should be read together with our historical and unaudited pro forma financial statements and the accompanying notes included elsewhere in this prospectus and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” This forecast was not prepared with a view toward complying with the published guidelines of the SEC or guidelines established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants with respect to prospective financial information, but, in the view of our management, was prepared on a reasonable basis, reflects the best currently available estimates and judgments, and presents, to the best of management’s knowledge and belief, the assumptions on which we base our belief that we can generate sufficient EBITDA and distributable cash flow to pay the minimum quarterly distribution to all unitholders and our general partner for the forecasted period. However, this information is not fact and should not be relied upon as being necessarily indicative of our future results, and readers of this prospectus are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the prospective financial information.

The prospective financial information included in this prospectus has been prepared by, and is the responsibility of, our management. KPMG LLP has neither compiled nor performed any procedures with respect to the accompanying prospective financial information and, accordingly, KPMG LLP does not express an opinion or any other form of assurance with respect thereto. The KPMG LLP report included in this prospectus relates to our historical financial information. It does not extend to the prospective financial information and should not be read to do so.

When considering our financial forecast, you should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements under “Risk Factors.” Any of the risks discussed in this prospectus, to the extent they are realized, could cause our actual results of operations to vary significantly from those that would enable us to generate our estimated EBITDA and distributable cash flow.

 

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We do not undertake any obligation to release publicly the results of any future revisions we may make to the forecast or to update this forecast to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this prospectus. Therefore, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this prospective financial information.

 

    Twelve Months
Ending
December 31,

2016
    Three Months Ending  
($ in millions, except per unit amounts)     March 31,
2016
    June 30,
2016
    September 30,
2016
    December 31,
2016
 

Revenues

         

Midstream Services Revenue—Related Party

  $ 127.3      $ 30.6      $ 31.7      $ 33.0      $ 32.1   

Income from Investments

    7.8        1.8        1.9        2.0        2.1   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Revenue

  $ 135.1      $ 32.4      $ 33.6      $ 35.0      $ 34.1   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Expenses

         

Direct Operating

  $ 49.3      $ 12.5      $ 14.2      $ 11.9      $ 10.8   

General and Administrative (1)

    12.6        3.2        3.2        3.2        3.2   

Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization

    11.0        2.4        2.6        2.9        3.1   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Expenses

  $ 72.9        18.0      $ 20.0      $ 17.9      $ 17.0   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating Income

  $ 62.2      $ 14.3      $ 13.6      $ 17.1      $ 17.1   

Interest Expense (2)

    1.3        0.2        0.3        0.4        0.4   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income Before Income Tax Expense

  $ 60.8      $ 14.1      $ 13.3      $ 16.7      $ 16.7   

Income Tax Expense

    —          —          —          —          —     

Net Income

  $ 60.8      $ 14.1      $ 13.3      $ 16.7      $ 16.7   

Less:

         

Net Income Attributable to Noble-Retained Interests (3)

  $ (10.9   $ (2.7   $ (4.1   $ (2.0   $ (2.0
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Income Attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

  $ 49.9      $ 11.4      $ 9.2      $ 14.7      $ 14.7   

Add:

         

Net Income Attributable to Noble-Retained Interests

  $ 10.9      $ 2.7      $ 4.1      $ 2.0      $ 2.0   

Depreciation

    11.0        2.4        2.6        2.9        3.1   

Interest Expense

    1.3        0.2        0.3        0.4        0.4   

Income Tax Expense

    —          —          —          —          —     
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

EBITDA

  $ 73.1      $ 16.8      $ 16.2      $ 19.9      $ 20.2   

Less:

         

EBITDA Attributable to Noble-Retained Interests (4)

  $ (13.6   $ (3.3   $ (4.8   $ (2.7   $ (2.8
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

EBITDA Attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

  $ 59.5      $ 13.4      $ 11.5      $ 17.2      $ 17.4   

Less:

         

Cash Interest Expense (5)

  $ (1.3   $ (0.2   $ (0.3   $ (0.4   $ (0.4

Estimated Maintenance Capital Expenditures (6)

    (5.7     (1.3     (1.1     (1.7     (1.7

Expansion Capital Expenditures (7)

    (42.2     (5.7     (7.6     (20.1     (8.9
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Add:

         

Borrowings to Fund Expansion Capital Expenditures

    42.2        5.7        7.6        20.1        8.9   

Cash Used to Fund Expansion Capital Expenditures

    —          —          —          —          —     
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Estimated Distributable Cash Flow Attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

  $ 52.4      $ 11.9      $ 10.1      $ 15.2      $ 15.3   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Distributions to Public Common Unitholders

  $        $        $        $        $     

Distributions to Noble:

         

Common Units Held by Noble

         

Subordinated Units Held by Noble

         
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Distributions to Noble

  $                   $                   $                   $                   $                
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Aggregate Quarterly Distributions

         
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Excess (Shortfall) of Distributable Cash Flow Over Aggregate Annualized Minimum Quarterly Distribution (8)

         

 

(1) Our general and administrative expense will consist of direct general and administrative expenses incurred by us (including $5.5 million of incremental expenses we expect to incur as a result of becoming a publicly traded partnership) and payments we make to Noble in exchange for the provision of general and administrative services.
(2) Forecasted interest expense includes (i) interest on amounts outstanding under our new revolving credit facility; (ii) amortization of origination fees and (iii) commitment fees on the unused portion of our new revolving credit facility.
(3) Represents net income attributable to Noble’s non-controlling interests in our development companies.

 

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(4) Represents EBITDA attributable to Noble’s non-controlling interests in our development companies, calculated as follows:

 

Net income attributable to Noble’s non-controlling interests in our development companies

   $ 10.9   

Add:

  

Depreciation expense attributable to Noble’s non-controlling interests in our development companies

     2.7   
  

 

 

 

EBITDA attributable to Noble’s non-controlling interests in our development companies

   $ 13.6   
  

 

 

 

 

(5) Forecasted cash interest expense includes (i) interest on amounts outstanding under our new revolving credit facility and (ii) commitment fees on the unused portion of our new revolving credit facility.
(6) Represents estimated maintenance capital expenditures attributable to our controlling interests in our development companies. The estimated maintenance capital expenditures attributable to Noble’s retained interests are listed below:

 

Maintenance Capital Expenditures Attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

   $ 5.7   

Maintenance Capital Expenditures Attributable to Noble—Retained Interest

     2.4   
  

 

 

 

Total Maintenance Capital Expenditures Attributable to Our Development Companies

   $ 8.1   
  

 

 

 

 

(7) Represents estimated expansion capital expenditures attributable to our controlling interests in our development companies. The estimated expansion capital expenditures attributable to Noble’s retained interest are listed below:

 

Expansion Capital Expenditures Attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

   $ 42.2   

Expansion Capital Expenditures Attributable to Noble—Retained Interest

     73.6   
  

 

 

 

Total Expansion Capital Expenditures Attributable to Our Development Companies and White Cliffs Equity Interest

   $ 115.8   
  

 

 

 

 

(8) We expect to cover the expected shortfall of $             million in the three months ending                     , 2016 with the excess of $             million expected to be earned during the three months ending                     , 2016 and with borrowings under our revolving credit facility. We expect to repay any borrowings made to cover a shortfall in the payment of our minimum quarterly distribution with the expected excess to be earned in future periods. Any additional excess in distributable cash flow is expected to be distributed to the holders of our common and subordinated units, unless any such excess is reserved by our general partner as described under “Provisions of our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions—Distributions of Available Cash—Definition of Available Cash.”

Significant Forecast Assumptions

The forecast has been prepared by and is the responsibility of management. The forecast reflects our judgment as of the date of this prospectus of conditions we expect to exist and the course of action we expect to take during the twelve months ending December 31, 2016. We believe our actual results of operations will approximate those reflected in our forecast, but we can give no assurance that our forecasted results will be achieved. There will likely be differences between our forecast and our actual results, and those differences could be material. If the forecasted results are not achieved, we may not be able to make cash distributions on our common units at the minimum quarterly distribution rate or at all.

General Considerations

Our Predecessor’s historical results of operations include all of the results of operations of Noble Midstream LP Predecessor on a 100% basis, which includes 100% of the results of our each of our development companies, in which we own percentages varying from 5% to 75%. See “Business—Our Existing Assets.” In connection with the completion of this offering, Noble will contribute to us a 75% controlling interest in the development company that owns our Core Assets other than our 3.33% ownership interest in White Cliffs LLC, which we wholly own, and 10%, 5%, 5% and 5% controlling interests in the development companies that own our Growth Assets. Please read “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Factors Affecting the Comparability of Our Financial Results” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Contribution Agreement.” Substantially all of our revenue will be derived from long-term, fixed-fee gathering agreements with Noble.

 

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Results and Volumes

The following table summarizes the pro forma revenues, volumes and EBITDA for our midstream services for the year ended December 31, 2014 and the twelve months ended September 30, 2015, as well as our forecast regarding those same amounts for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016.

 

     Pro Forma  Year
Ended

December 31,
2014
     Pro Forma
Twelve Months
Ended

September 30,
2015
     Forecasted
Twelve Months
Ending
December 31,
2016
 

Crude oil gathering volumes (Bbl/d)

     16,383         26,800         38,712   

Natural gas gathering volumes (MMBtu/d)

     71,137         84,205         124,488   

Fresh water services volumes (Bbl/d)

     43,796         36,397         41,729   

Saltwater services volumes (Bbl/d)

     5,422         4,714         5,130   

Total Revenues ($ in millions)

   $ 104.4       $ 103.8       $ 135.1   

EBITDA ($ in millions)

   $ 46.7       $ 60.6       $ 73.1   

Revenue

We estimate that total revenues for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016 will be approximately $135.1 million compared to approximately $104.4 million for the pro forma year ended December 31, 2014 and approximately $103.8 million for the pro forma twelve months ended September 30, 2015, primarily due to increased throughput on our gathering systems. As a result of well completions, in addition to production from existing wells on our systems, we estimate that our average daily throughput for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016 will be 38.7 Mbbl/d of oil and 124.5 BBtu/d of gas. Our forecasted increase in volumes over the pro forma twelve months ended September 30, 2015 is based on our expectation that Noble will complete the drilling and completion activities on our dedicated acreage consistent with their current development plan. Please read “Business—Our Commercial Agreements with Noble.”

Our revenues are, in part, affected by commodity prices, which drive the level and pace of Noble’s exploration and production activities. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—The demand for our midstream services, and therefore our cash flow, is affected by crude oil and natural gas prices, which fluctuate based on factors that are out of our control.” Noble’s exploration and production activities are driven by a number of variables that make the determination of the impact on our cash flows of different drilling and development plans difficult. However, we estimate that, if commodity prices were to fall to a level where Noble halted drilling and development activities in the DJ Basin as of the beginning of the forecast period, we would be able to make the minimum quarterly distribution on our common units for the forecast period, and would have a shortfall of $             million on our ability to pay the minimum quarterly distribution with respect to our subordinated units.

Operating Expense

We estimate that total operating expense for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016 will be $49.3 million compared to approximately $44.1 million for the pro forma year ended December 31, 2014 and approximately $32.6 million for the pro forma twelve months ended September 30, 2015. Our increase in operating expense is primarily due to our significantly higher operating levels, resulting in higher:

 

   

gathering throughput on our dedicated acreage;

 

   

maintenance and contract service costs;

 

   

regulatory and compliance costs;

 

   

operating costs associated with increased pipeline mileage and additional centralized gathering facilities; and

 

   

ad valorem taxes.

 

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General and Administrative Expenses

Our general and administrative expenses will consist of (i) direct general and administrative expenses incurred by us, (ii) reimbursements to Noble of certain general and administrative expenses under the omnibus agreement and the operational services and secondment agreement and (iii) fixed-fee payments we make to Noble for the provision of general and administrative services under our omnibus agreement.

We expect total general and administrative expenses for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016 will be $12.6 million as compared to $6.7 million for the pro forma year ended December 31, 2014 and approximately $3.8 million for the pro forma twelve months ended September 30, 2015. The forecast period includes the $5.5 million of annual incremental publicly traded partnership expenses we expect to incur. The increase in general and administrative expenses primarily relates to increased personnel and associated administrative expenses due to our projected growth.

Depreciation

We estimate that depreciation for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016 will be $11.0 million as compared to approximately $11.3 million for the pro forma year ended December 31, 2014 and approximately $8.3 million for the pro forma twelve months ending September 30, 2015. Our expected increase is primarily attributable to the effect of depreciation on the new infrastructure constructed and to be constructed during the twelve months ending December 31, 2016.

Capital Expenditures

The midstream energy business is capital intensive, requiring the maintenance of existing gathering systems and other midstream assets and facilities and the acquisition or construction and development of new gathering systems and other midstream assets and facilities. Our partnership agreement will require that we categorize our capital expenditures as either:

 

   

Estimated maintenance capital expenditures , which are cash expenditures (including expenditures for the construction or development of new capital assets or the replacement, improvement or expansion of existing capital assets) made to maintain, over the long term, our operating capacity and/or operating income. Examples of maintenance capital expenditures are expenditures to repair, refurbish and replace pipelines, to maintain equipment reliability, integrity and safety and to comply with environmental laws and regulations. In addition, we designate a portion of our capital expenditures to connect new wells to maintain gathering throughput as maintenance capital to the extent such capital expenditures are necessary to maintain, over the long term, our operating capacity, operating income or revenue; or

 

   

Expansion capital expenditures , which are cash expenditures to construct new midstream infrastructure and those expenditures incurred in order to extend the useful lives of our assets, reduce costs, increase revenues or increase system throughput or capacity from current levels, including well connections that increase existing system throughput. Examples of expansion capital expenditures include the construction, development or acquisition of additional gathering pipelines and centralized gathering facilities, in each case to the extent such capital expenditures are expected to expand our operating capacity, operating income or revenue. In the future, if we make acquisitions that increase system throughput or capacity, the associated capital expenditures may also be considered expansion capital expenditures.

We generally categorize specific capital expenditures as either expansion capital expenditures or maintenance capital expenditures based on the nature of the expenditure. However, a portion of our capital expenditures relate to the connection of our gathering systems to new wells. While these capital expenditures could generally be considered expansion capital expenditures because they will result in increased throughput or cash flows produced by our midstream systems, we categorize a portion of these capital expenditures as

 

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maintenance capital expenditures because they are necessary to offset the natural production declines Noble will experience on all of its wells over time.

In allocating expenditures between maintenance capital expenditures and expansion capital expenditures for new well connections during the twelve months ending December 31, 2016, we first estimate the number of new well connections needed to offset the natural production decline and maintain the average throughput volume on our systems during the forecast period. We then allocate to maintenance capital the estimated new well connection expenditures based on a per well connection cost estimate. We estimate that total capital expenditures attributable to our development companies for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016 will be $123.8 million ($47.8 million net to our ownership interests in our development companies) and $0.1 million attributable to our equity ownership interest in White Cliffs based on the following assumptions.

Because Noble has retained a non-controlling interest in each of the development companies that hold our assets, Noble will be required to fund its allocable portion of our maintenance and expansion capital expenditures. See “Risk Factors—Risks Inherent in an Investment in Us—Our general partner and its affiliates, including Noble, have conflicts of interest with us and limited fiduciary duties to us and our unitholders, and they may favor their own interests to our detriment and that of our unitholders. Additionally, we have no control over the business decisions and operations of Noble, and Noble is under no obligation to adopt a business strategy that favors us.”

We estimate that maintenance capital expenditures will be $8.1 million ($5.7 million net to our ownership interests in our development companies) for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016. We expect to fund our allocated portion of these maintenance capital expenditures with cash generated by our operations. Because our midstream systems are relatively new, having been substantially built within the last three years, we believe that the capital expenditures necessary to repair, refurbish and replace pipelines, to maintain equipment reliability, integrity and safety and to comply with environmental laws and regulations during the twelve months ending December 31, 2016 will be relatively low. The majority of our maintenance capital expenditures included in the forecast period represent that portion of our estimated capital expenditures associated with the connection of new wells to our gathering systems that we believe will be necessary to offset the natural production declines Noble will experience on all of their wells over time. The methodology we use to categorize these capital expenditures is described above.

Expansion Capital Expenditures

We estimate that expansion capital expenditures for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016 will be $115.8 million ($42.1 million net to our ownership interests in our development companies, and $0.1 million attributable to our equity ownership interest in White Cliffs). During the twelve months ending December 31, 2016, we have assumed that we will fund our allocated portion of expansion capital expenditures with borrowings under our new revolving credit facility. In general, our expansion capital expenditures are necessary to increase the size and scope of our midstream infrastructure in order to continue servicing Noble’s drilling and completion schedule and increasing production on our dedicated acreage. A majority of Noble’s planned well completions and production growth on our dedicated acreage during the twelve months ending December 31, 2016 will drive our need for expansion capital expenditures. These expansion capital expenditures are primarily comprised of the following expansion capital projects that we intend to pursue during the twelve months ending December 31, 2016:

 

   

Crude oil gathering: We expect to spend approximately $17.2 million in expansion capital expenditures (net to our ownership interests in our development companies) related to well connections and gathering line additions.

 

   

Natural gas gathering: We expect to spend approximately $19.6 million in expansion capital expenditures (net to our ownership interests in our development companies) related to well connections.

 

   

Saltwater gathering: We expect to spend approximately $3.7 million in expansion capital expenditures (net to our ownership interests in our development companies) related to well connections.

 

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Fresh water delivery: We expect to spend approximately $1.6 million in expansion capital expenditures (net to our ownership interests in our development companies) related to pipeline extensions.

 

   

White Cliffs Equity Interest: We expect to spend approximately $0.1 million in expansion capital expenditures net to our ownership interests in White Cliffs.

Regulatory, Industry and Economic Factors

Our forecast of EBITDA and distributable cash flow for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016 is also based on the following significant assumptions related to regulatory, industry and economic factors:

 

   

Noble will not default under our commercial agreements or reduce, suspend or terminate its obligations, nor will any events occur that would be deemed a force majeure event, under such agreements;

 

   

there will not be any new federal, state or local regulation, or any interpretation or application of existing regulation, of the portions of the midstream energy industry in which we operate that will be materially adverse to our business;

 

   

there will not be any material accidents, weather-related incidents, unscheduled downtime or similar unanticipated events with respect to our assets or Noble’s development plan;

 

   

there will not be a shortage of skilled labor; and

 

   

there will not be any material adverse changes in the midstream energy industry, commodity prices, capital markets or overall economic conditions.

 

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PROVISIONS OF OUR PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT RELATING TO CASH DISTRIBUTIONS

Set forth below is a summary of the significant provisions of our partnership agreement that relate to cash distributions.

Distributions of Available Cash

General

Our partnership agreement requires that, within 45 days after the end of each quarter, beginning with the quarter ending                     , 2015, we distribute all of our available cash to unitholders of record on the applicable record date. We will adjust the amount of our distribution for the period from the closing of this offering through                     , 2015, based on the actual length of the period.

Definition of Available Cash

Available cash generally means, for any quarter, all cash and cash equivalents on hand at the end of that quarter:

 

   

less , the amount of cash reserves established by our general partner to:

 

   

provide for the proper conduct of our business (including reserves for our future capital expenditures, future acquisitions and for anticipated future credit needs);

 

   

comply with applicable law or any loan agreement, security agreement, mortgage, debt instrument or other agreement or obligation to which we or any of our subsidiaries is a party or by which we or such subsidiary is bound or we or such subsidiary’s assets are subject; or

 

   

provide funds for distributions to our unitholders and to our general partner for any one or more of the next four quarters ( provided that our general partner may not establish cash reserves for distributions pursuant to this bullet point if the effect of such reserves will prevent us from distributing the minimum quarterly distribution on all common units and any cumulative arrearages on such common units for the current quarter);

 

   

plus , if our general partner so determines, all or any portion of the cash on hand on the date of determination of available cash for the quarter resulting from working capital borrowings made subsequent to the end of such quarter.

The purpose and effect of the last bullet point above is to allow our general partner, if it so decides, to use cash from working capital borrowings made after the end of the quarter but on or before the date of determination of available cash for that quarter to pay distributions to unitholders. Under our partnership agreement, working capital borrowings are generally borrowings incurred under a credit facility, commercial paper facility or similar financing arrangement that are used solely for working capital purposes or to pay distributions to our partners and with the intent of the borrower to repay such borrowings within twelve months with funds other than from additional working capital borrowings. Please read “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Capital Resources and Liquidity—Revolving Credit Facility.”

Intent to Distribute the Minimum Quarterly Distribution

Under our current cash distribution policy, we intend to make a minimum quarterly distribution to the holders of our common units and subordinated units of $         per unit, or $         per unit on an annualized basis, to the extent we have sufficient available cash after the establishment of cash reserves and the payment of costs and expenses, including reimbursements of expenses to our general partner. However, there is no guarantee that

 

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we will pay the minimum quarterly distribution on our units in any quarter. The amount of distributions paid under our cash distribution policy and the decision to make any distribution will be determined by our general partner, taking into consideration the terms of our partnership agreement.

General Partner Interest

Our general partner owns a non-economic general partner interest in us, which does not entitle it to receive cash distributions. However, our general partner may in the future own common units or other equity securities in us that will entitle it to receive distributions.

Incentive Distribution Rights

Noble currently holds incentive distribution rights that entitle it to receive increasing percentages, up to a maximum of 50%, of the available cash we distribute from operating surplus (as defined below) in excess of $         per unit per quarter. The maximum distribution of 50% does not include any distributions that Noble or its affiliates may receive on common units or subordinated units that it owns.

Operating Surplus and Capital Surplus

General

All cash distributed to unitholders will be characterized as either being paid from “operating surplus” or “capital surplus.” We treat distributions of available cash from operating surplus differently than distributions of available cash from capital surplus.

Operating Surplus

We define operating surplus as:

 

   

$         million (as described below); plus

 

   

all of our cash receipts after the closing of this offering, excluding cash from interim capital transactions (as defined below) and the termination of hedge contracts, provided that cash receipts from the termination of a commodity hedge or interest rate hedge prior to its scheduled settlement or termination date shall be included in operating surplus in equal quarterly installments over the remaining scheduled life of such commodity hedge or interest rate hedge; plus

 

   

working capital borrowings made after the end of a quarter but on or before the date of determination of operating surplus for that quarter; plus

 

   

cash distributions (including incremental distributions on incentive distribution rights) paid in respect of equity issued, other than equity issued in this offering, to finance all or a portion of expansion capital expenditures in respect of the period from the date that we enter into a binding obligation to commence the construction, development, replacement, improvement or expansion of a capital asset and ending on the earlier to occur of the date the capital asset commences commercial service and the date that it is abandoned or disposed of; less

 

   

all of our operating expenditures (as defined below) after the closing of this offering; less

 

   

the amount of cash reserves established by our general partner to provide funds for future operating expenditures; less

 

   

all working capital borrowings not repaid within twelve months after having been incurred, or repaid within such twelve-month period with the proceeds of additional working capital borrowings; less

 

   

any cash loss realized on disposition of an investment capital expenditure (which is a capital expenditure other than a maintenance capital expenditure or an expansion capital expenditure).

 

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As described above, operating surplus does not reflect actual cash on hand that is available for distribution to our unitholders and is not limited to cash generated by operations. For example, it includes a provision that will enable us, if we choose, to distribute as operating surplus up to $         million of cash we receive in the future from non-operating sources such as asset sales, issuances of securities and long-term borrowings that would otherwise be distributed as capital surplus. In addition, the effect of including, as described above, certain cash distributions on equity interests in operating surplus will be to increase operating surplus by the amount of any such cash distributions. As a result, we may also distribute as operating surplus up to the amount of any such cash that we receive from non-operating sources.

The proceeds of working capital borrowings increase operating surplus and repayments of working capital borrowings are generally operating expenditures (as described below) and thus reduce operating surplus when repayments are made. However, if working capital borrowings, which increase operating surplus, are not repaid during the twelve-month period following the borrowing, they will be deemed repaid at the end of such period, thus decreasing operating surplus at such time. When such working capital borrowings are in fact repaid, they will not be treated as a further reduction in operating surplus because operating surplus will have been previously reduced by the deemed repayment.

We define interim capital transactions as (i) borrowings, refinancings or refundings of indebtedness (other than working capital borrowings and items purchased on open account or for a deferred purchase price in the ordinary course of business) and sales of debt securities, (ii) issuances of equity securities, (iii) sales or other dispositions of assets, other than sales or other dispositions of inventory, accounts receivable and other assets in the ordinary course of business and sales or other dispositions of assets as part of normal asset retirements or replacements and (iv) capital contributions received.

We define operating expenditures as all of our cash expenditures, including, but not limited to, taxes, reimbursements of expenses of our general partner and its affiliates, officer, director and employee compensation, debt service payments, payments made in the ordinary course of business under interest rate hedge contracts and commodity hedge contracts ( provided that payments made in connection with the termination of any interest rate hedge contract or commodity hedge contract prior to its scheduled settlement or termination date will be included in operating expenditures in equal quarterly installments over the remaining scheduled life of such interest rate hedge contract or commodity hedge contract and amounts paid in connection with the initial purchase of an interest rate hedge contract or a commodity hedge contract will be amortized over the life of such interest rate hedge contract or commodity hedge contract), estimated maintenance capital expenditures (as discussed in further detail below), and repayment of working capital borrowings; provided , however , that operating expenditures will not include:

 

   

repayments of working capital borrowings where such borrowings have previously been deemed to have been repaid (as described above);

 

   

payments (including prepayments and prepayment penalties) of principal of and premium on indebtedness other than working capital borrowings;

 

   

actual maintenance capital expenditures;

 

   

expansion capital expenditures;

 

   

investment capital expenditures;

 

   

payment of transaction expenses (including taxes) relating to interim capital transactions;

 

   

distributions to our partners;

 

   

repurchases of partnership interests (excluding repurchases we make to satisfy obligations under employee benefit plans); or

 

   

any other expenditures or payments using the proceeds from this offering that are described in “Use of Proceeds.”

 

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Capital Surplus

Capital surplus is defined in our partnership agreement as any distribution of available cash in excess of our cumulative operating surplus. Accordingly, except as described above, capital surplus would generally be generated by:

 

   

borrowings other than working capital borrowings;

 

   

sales of our equity and debt securities;

 

   

sales or other dispositions of assets, other than inventory, accounts receivable and other assets sold in the ordinary course of business or as part of ordinary course retirement or replacement of assets; and

 

   

capital contributions received.

Characterization of Cash Distributions

All available cash distributed by us on any date from any source will be treated as distributed from operating surplus until the sum of all available cash distributed by us since the closing of this offering equals the operating surplus from the closing of this offering through the end of the quarter immediately preceding that distribution. We anticipate that distributions from operating surplus generally will not represent a return of capital. However, operating surplus, as defined in our partnership agreement, includes certain components, including a $         million cash basket, that represent non-operating sources of cash. Consequently, it is possible that all or a portion of specific distributions from operating surplus may represent a return of capital. Any available cash distributed by us in excess of our cumulative operating surplus will be deemed to be capital surplus under our partnership agreement. Our partnership agreement treats a distribution of capital surplus as the repayment of the initial unit price from this initial public offering and as a return of capital. We do not anticipate that we will make any distributions from capital surplus.

Capital Expenditures

For purposes of determining operating surplus, maintenance capital expenditures are those capital expenditures required to maintain our long-term operating capacity and/or operating income, and expansion capital expenditures are those capital expenditures that we expect will expand our operating capacity or operating income over the long term. Examples of maintenance capital expenditures include capital expenditures associated with the replacement of equipment and well connections, or the construction, development or acquisition of other facilities, to replace expected reductions in hydrocarbons available for gathering, treating, transporting or otherwise handled by our facilities (which we refer to as operating capacity). Maintenance capital expenditures will also include interest (and related fees) on debt incurred and distributions on equity issued to finance all or any portion of the construction or development of a replacement asset that is paid in respect of the period that begins when we enter into a binding obligation to commence constructing or developing a replacement asset and ending on the earlier to occur of the date that any such replacement asset commences commercial service or the date that it is abandoned or disposed of. Capital expenditures made solely for investment purposes will not be considered maintenance capital expenditures.

Because our maintenance capital expenditures can be irregular, the amount of our actual maintenance capital expenditures may differ substantially from period to period, which could cause similar fluctuations in the amounts of operating surplus, adjusted operating surplus and cash available for distribution to our unitholders if we subtracted actual maintenance capital expenditures from operating surplus.

Our partnership agreement will require that an estimate of the average quarterly maintenance capital expenditures necessary to maintain our operating capacity or operating income over the long term be subtracted from operating surplus each quarter as opposed to the actual amounts spent. The amount of estimated maintenance capital expenditures deducted from operating surplus for those periods will be subject to review and

 

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change by our general partner at least once a year, provided that any change is approved by our special committee. The estimate will be made at least annually and whenever an event occurs that is likely to result in a material adjustment to the amount of our maintenance capital expenditures, such as a major acquisition or the introduction of new governmental regulations that will impact our business. For purposes of calculating operating surplus, any adjustment to this estimate will be prospective only. For a discussion of the amounts we have allocated toward estimated maintenance capital expenditures, please read “Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions.”

The use of estimated maintenance capital expenditures in calculating operating surplus will have the following effects:

 

   

it will reduce the risk that maintenance capital expenditures in any one quarter will be large enough to render operating surplus less than the initial quarterly distribution to be paid on all the units for the quarter and subsequent quarters;

 

   

it will increase our ability to distribute as operating surplus cash we receive from non-operating sources; and

 

   

it will be more difficult for us to raise our distribution above the minimum quarterly distribution and pay incentive distributions on the incentive distribution rights.

Expansion capital expenditures are cash expenditures to construct new midstream infrastructure and those expenditures incurred in order to extend the useful lives of our assets, reduce costs, increase revenues or increase system throughput or capacity from current levels, including well connections that increase existing system throughput. Examples of expansion capital expenditures include the construction, development or acquisition of additional gathering pipelines and centralized gathering facilities, in each case to the extent such capital expenditures are expected to expand our operating capacity, operating income or revenue. In the future, if we make acquisitions that increase system throughput or capacity, the associated capital expenditures may also be considered expansion capital expenditures.

Capital expenditures that are made in part for maintenance capital purposes and in part for expansion capital purposes will be allocated as maintenance capital expenditures or expansion capital expenditures by our general partner.

Subordinated Units and Subordination Period

General

Our partnership agreement provides that, during the subordination period (which we define below), the common units will have the right to receive distributions of available cash from operating surplus each quarter in an amount equal to $         per unit, which amount is defined in our partnership agreement as the minimum quarterly distribution, plus any arrearages in the payment of the minimum quarterly distribution on the common units from prior quarters, before any distributions of available cash from operating surplus may be made on the subordinated units. Subordinated units are deemed “subordinated” because for a period of time, referred to as the “subordination period,” the subordinated units will not be entitled to receive any distributions until the common units have received the minimum quarterly distribution plus any arrearages in the payment of the minimum quarterly distribution on the common units from prior quarters. Furthermore, no arrearages will accrue or be payable on the subordinated units. The practical effect of the subordinated units is to increase the likelihood that, during the subordination period, there will be available cash to be distributed on the common units.

 

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Subordination Period

Except as described below, the subordination period will begin on the closing date of this offering and will extend until the first business day following the distribution of available cash in respect of any quarter beginning after December 31, 2018, that each of the following tests are met:

 

   

distributions of available cash from operating surplus on each of the outstanding common units and subordinated units equaled or exceeded $         (the annualized minimum quarterly distribution), for each of the three consecutive, non-overlapping four-quarter periods immediately preceding that date;

 

   

the adjusted operating surplus (as defined below) generated during each of the three consecutive, non-overlapping four-quarter periods immediately preceding that date equaled or exceeded the sum of $         (the annualized minimum quarterly distribution) on all of the outstanding common units and subordinated units during those periods on a fully diluted basis; and

 

   

there are no arrearages in payment of the minimum quarterly distribution on the common units.

Early Termination of the Subordination Period

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the subordination period will automatically terminate on the first business day following the distribution of available cash in respect of any quarter, beginning with the quarter ending December 31, 2016, that each of the following tests are met:

 

   

distributions of available cash from operating surplus on each of the outstanding common units and subordinated units equaled or exceeded $         (150% of the annualized minimum quarterly distribution), for the four-quarter period immediately preceding that date;

 

   

the adjusted operating surplus (as defined below) generated during the four-quarter period immediately preceding that date equaled or exceeded the sum of (i) $         (150% of the annualized minimum quarterly distribution) on all of the outstanding common units and subordinated units during that period on a fully diluted basis and (ii) the corresponding distributions on the incentive distribution rights; and

 

   

there are no arrearages in payment of the minimum quarterly distribution on the common units.

Expiration of the Subordination Period

When the subordination period ends, each outstanding subordinated unit will convert into one common unit and will thereafter participate pro rata with the other common units in distributions of available cash.

Adjusted Operating Surplus

Adjusted operating surplus is intended to reflect the cash generated from operations during a particular period and therefore excludes net drawdowns of reserves of cash established in prior periods. Adjusted operating surplus for a period consists of:

 

   

operating surplus generated with respect to that period (excluding any amounts attributable to the item described in the first bullet under the caption “—Operating Surplus and Capital Surplus—Operating Surplus” above); less

 

   

any net increase in working capital borrowings with respect to that period; less

 

   

any net decrease in cash reserves for operating expenditures with respect to that period not relating to an operating expenditure made with respect to that period; plus

 

   

any net decrease in working capital borrowings with respect to that period; plus

 

   

any net decrease made in subsequent periods to cash reserves for operating expenditures initially established with respect to that period to the extent such decrease results in a reduction in adjusted operating surplus in subsequent periods; plus

 

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any net increase in cash reserves for operating expenditures with respect to that period required by any debt instrument for the repayment of principal, interest or premium.

Distributions of Available Cash from Operating Surplus During the Subordination Period

We will make distributions of available cash from operating surplus for any quarter during the subordination period in the following manner:

 

   

first , 100% to the common unitholders, pro rata, until we distribute for each outstanding common unit an amount equal to the minimum quarterly distribution for that quarter;

 

   

second , 100% to the common unitholders, pro rata, until we distribute for each outstanding common unit an amount equal to any arrearages in payment of the minimum quarterly distribution on the common units for any prior quarters during the subordination period;

 

   

third , 100% to the subordinated unitholders, pro rata, until we distribute for each outstanding subordinated unit an amount equal to the minimum quarterly distribution for that quarter; and

 

   

thereafter , in the manner described in “—Incentive Distribution Rights” below.

The preceding discussion is based on the assumptions that we do not issue additional classes of equity securities.

Distributions of Available Cash from Operating Surplus After the Subordination Period

We will make distributions of available cash from operating surplus for any quarter after the subordination period in the following manner:

 

   

first , 100% to all common unitholders, pro rata, until we distribute for each outstanding common unit an amount equal to the minimum quarterly distribution for that quarter; and

 

   

thereafter , in the manner described in “—Incentive Distribution Rights” below.

The preceding discussion is based on the assumptions that we do not issue additional classes of equity securities.

Incentive Distribution Rights

Incentive distribution rights represent the right to receive an increasing percentage (15%, 25% and 50%) of quarterly distributions of available cash from operating surplus after the minimum quarterly distribution and the target distribution levels have been achieved. Noble will initially hold the incentive distribution rights, but may transfer these rights separately from its ownership of the general partner.

If for any quarter:

 

   

we have distributed available cash from operating surplus to the common unitholders and subordinated unitholders in an amount equal to the minimum quarterly distribution; and

 

   

we have distributed available cash from operating surplus on outstanding common units in an amount necessary to eliminate any cumulative arrearages in payment of the minimum quarterly distribution;

then, we will distribute any additional available cash from operating surplus for that quarter among the unitholders and the holders of the incentive distribution rights in the following manner:

 

   

first , 100% to all unitholders, pro rata, until each unitholder receives a total of $         per unit for that quarter (the “first target distribution”);

 

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second , 85% to all unitholders, pro rata, and 15% to the holders of our incentive distribution rights, until each unitholder receives a total of $         per unit for that quarter (the “second target distribution”);

 

   

third , 75% to all unitholders, pro rata, and 25% to the holders of our incentive distribution rights, until each unitholder receives a total of $         per unit for that quarter (the “third target distribution”); and

 

   

thereafter , 50% to all unitholders, pro rata, and 50% to the holders of our incentive distribution rights.

Percentage Allocations of Available Cash from Operating Surplus

The following table illustrates the percentage allocations of available cash from operating surplus between the unitholders and our general partner based on the specified target distribution levels. The amounts set forth under “Marginal Percentage Interest in Distributions” are the percentage interests of Noble, as holder of our incentive distribution rights, and the unitholders in any available cash from operating surplus we distribute up to and including the corresponding amount in the column “Total Quarterly Distribution Per Unit Target Amount.” The percentage interests shown for our unitholders Noble for the minimum quarterly distribution are also applicable to quarterly distribution amounts that are less than the minimum quarterly distribution. The percentage interests set forth below assume that Noble has not transferred its incentive distribution rights and that there are no arrearages on common units.

 

                   Marginal Percentage Interest in
Distributions
 
   Total Quarterly  Distribution
Per Unit Target Amount
     Unitholders     Noble (as Holder of
the Incentive
Distribution
Rights) (1)
 

Minimum Quarterly Distribution

      $                      100     —  

First Target Distribution

   above $                   up to $                     100     —  

Second Target Distribution

   above $                   up to $                     85     15

Third Target Distribution

   above $                   up to $                     75     25

Thereafter

   above $                        50     50

 

(1) Does not account for any common units or subordinated units that Noble owns.

Noble’s Right to Reset Incentive Distribution Levels

Noble, as the initial holder of our incentive distribution rights, has the right under our partnership agreement, subject to certain conditions, to elect to relinquish the right to receive incentive distribution payments based on the initial target distribution levels and to reset, at higher levels, the minimum quarterly distribution amount and target distribution levels upon which the incentive distribution payments to our general partner would be set. If Noble transfers all or a portion of the incentive distribution rights in the future, then the holder or holders of a majority of our incentive distribution rights will be entitled to exercise this right. The following discussion assumes that Noble holds all of the incentive distribution rights at the time that a reset election is made. Noble’s right to reset the minimum quarterly distribution amount and the target distribution levels upon which the incentive distributions payable to Noble are based may be exercised, without approval of our unitholders or the conflicts committee, at any time when there are no subordinated units outstanding, we have made cash distributions to the holders of the incentive distribution rights at the highest level of incentive distributions for each of the four consecutive fiscal quarters immediately preceding such time and the amount of each such distribution did not exceed adjusted operating surplus for such quarter. If Noble and its affiliates are not the holders of a majority of the incentive distribution rights at the time an election is made to reset the minimum quarterly distribution amount and the target distribution levels, then the proposed reset will be subject to the prior written concurrence of the general partner that the conditions described above have been satisfied. The reset minimum quarterly distribution amount and target distribution levels will be higher than the minimum quarterly distribution amount and the target distribution levels prior to the reset such that the holder of the

 

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incentive distribution rights will not receive any incentive distributions under the reset target distribution levels until cash distributions per unit following this event increase as described below. We anticipate that Noble would exercise this reset right in order to facilitate acquisitions or internal growth projects that would otherwise not be sufficiently accretive to cash distributions per common unit, taking into account the existing levels of incentive distribution payments being made.

In connection with the resetting of the minimum quarterly distribution amount and the target distribution levels and the corresponding relinquishment by Noble of incentive distribution payments based on the target distributions prior to the reset, Noble will be entitled to receive a number of newly issued common units based on a predetermined formula described below that takes into account the “cash parity” value of the average cash distributions related to the incentive distribution rights received by Noble for the two quarters immediately preceding the reset event as compared to the average cash distributions per common unit during that two-quarter period.

The number of common units that Noble (or the then-holder of the incentive distribution rights, if other than our general partner) would be entitled to receive from us in connection with a resetting of the minimum quarterly distribution amount and the target distribution levels then in effect would be equal to the quotient determined by dividing (x) the average aggregate amount of cash distributions received by Noble or such holder in respect of its incentive distribution rights during the two consecutive fiscal quarters ended immediately prior to the date of such reset election by (y) the average of the aggregate amount of cash distributed per common unit during each of these two quarters.

Following a reset election, the minimum quarterly distribution amount will be reset to an amount equal to the average cash distribution amount per common unit for the two fiscal quarters immediately preceding the reset election (which amount we refer to as the “reset minimum quarterly distribution”) and the target distribution levels will be reset to be correspondingly higher such that we would distribute all of our available cash from operating surplus for each quarter thereafter as follows:

 

   

first , 100% to all unitholders, pro rata, until each unitholder receives an amount equal to 115% of the reset minimum quarterly distribution for that quarter;

 

   

second , 85% to all unitholders, pro rata, and 15% to the holders of our incentive distribution rights, until each unitholder receives an amount per unit equal to 125% of the reset minimum quarterly distribution for the quarter;

 

   

third , 75% to all unitholders, pro rata, and 25% to the holders of our incentive distribution rights, until each unitholder receives an amount per unit equal to 150% of the reset minimum quarterly distribution for the quarter; and

 

   

thereafter , 50% to all unitholders, pro rata, and 50% to the holders of our incentive distribution rights.

 

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The following table illustrates the percentage allocations of available cash from operating surplus between the unitholders and Noble at various cash distribution levels (1) pursuant to the cash distribution provisions of our partnership agreement in effect at the completion of this offering, as well as (2) following a hypothetical reset of the minimum quarterly distribution and target distribution levels based on the assumption that the average quarterly cash distribution amount per common unit during the two fiscal quarters immediately preceding the reset election was $        .

 

                Common
Unitholders
    Noble
(as holder of
the  Incentive
Distribution
Rights)
    Quarterly  Distribution
Per Unit
Following Hypothetical
Reset
 
    Quarterly
Distribution Per  Unit
Prior to Reset
       

Minimum Quarterly Distribution

      $                       100     —         $                

First Target Distribution

  above $                  up to $                    100     —        above $              up to $               (a) 

Second Target Distribution

  above $                  up to $                    85     15   above $              up to $               (b) 

Third Target Distribution

  above $                  up to $                    75     25   above $
$
             up to
             
  
(c) 

Thereafter

    above $                    50     50     above $              (c) 

 

(a) This amount is 115% of the hypothetical reset minimum quarterly distribution.
(b) This amount is 125% of the hypothetical reset minimum quarterly distribution.
(c) This amount is 150% of the hypothetical reset minimum quarterly distribution.

The following table illustrates the total amount of available cash from operating surplus that would be distributed to the unitholders and Noble including in respect of incentive distribution rights, based on an average of the amounts distributed for the two quarters immediately prior to the reset. The table assumes that immediately prior to the reset there would be             common units outstanding and the average distribution to each common unit would be $         per quarter for the two consecutive, non-overlapping quarters prior to the reset.

 

     Quarterly
Distribution Per
Unit Prior to Reset
     Cash
Distributions

to Common
Unitholders
Prior to Reset
     Cash Distribution to Noble Prior to
Reset
     Total
Distributions
 
           Common
Units
     Incentive
Distribution
Rights
     Total     

Minimum Quarterly Distribution

      $                   $                   $ —         $ —        $                    $               

First Target Distribution

   above $                   up to $                        —           —           

Second Target Distribution

   above $                   up to $                        —              

Third Target Distribution

   above $                   up to $                        —              

Thereafter

      above $                        —              
        

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
         $                   $ —         $                    $                    $               
        

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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The following table illustrates the total amount of available cash from operating surplus that would be distributed to the unitholders and Noble, with respect to the quarter after the reset occurs. The table reflects that, as a result of the reset, there would be             common units outstanding and that the average distribution to each common unit would be $        . The number of common units issued as a result of the reset was calculated by dividing (x) $         as the average of the amounts received by Noble in respect of its incentive distribution rights for the two consecutive, non-overlapping quarters prior to the reset as shown in the table above, by (y) the average of the cash distributions made on each common unit per quarter for the two consecutive, non-overlapping quarters prior to the reset as shown in the table above, or $        .

 

     Quarterly
Distribution Per
Unit After Reset
     Cash
Distributions
to Common
Unitholders
After Reset
     Cash Distribution to Noble After
Reset
     Total
Distributions
 
           Common
Units
     Incentive
Distribution
Rights
     Total     

Minimum Quarterly Distribution

      $                   $                   $ —         $ —         $                    $               

First Target Distribution

   above $                   up to $                        —           —           

Second Target Distribution

   above $                   up to $                        —              

Third Target Distribution

   above $                   up to $                        —              

Thereafter

      above $                        —              
        

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
         $                   $ —         $                    $                   $               
        

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Noble will be entitled to cause the minimum quarterly distribution amount and the target distribution levels to be reset on more than one occasion, provided that it may not make a reset election except at a time when it has received incentive distributions for the immediately preceding four consecutive fiscal quarters based on the highest level of incentive distributions that it is entitled to receive under our partnership agreement.

Distributions from Capital Surplus

How Distributions from Capital Surplus Will Be Made

We will make distributions of available cash from capital surplus, if any, in the following manner:

 

   

first , 100% to all unitholders, pro rata, until we distribute for each common unit that was issued in this offering, an amount of available cash from capital surplus equal to the initial public offering price in this offering;

 

   

second , 100% to all unitholders, pro rata, until we distribute for each common unit, an amount of available cash from capital surplus equal to any unpaid arrearages in payment of the minimum quarterly distribution on the outstanding common units; and

 

   

thereafter , as if they were from operating surplus.

Effect of a Distribution from Capital Surplus

Our partnership agreement treats a distribution of capital surplus as the repayment of the initial unit price from this initial public offering, which is a return of capital. The initial public offering price less any distributions of capital surplus per unit and any distributions of cash in connection with dissolution and liquidation is referred to as the “unrecovered initial unit price.” Each time a distribution of capital surplus is made, the minimum quarterly distribution and the target distribution levels will be reduced in the same proportion as the corresponding reduction in the unrecovered initial unit price. Because distributions of capital surplus will reduce the minimum quarterly distribution after any of these distributions are made, the effects of distributions of capital surplus may make it easier for Noble to receive incentive distributions and for the subordinated units to convert into common units. However, any distribution of capital surplus before the unrecovered initial unit price is reduced to zero cannot be applied to the payment of the minimum quarterly distribution or any arrearages.

 

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Once we distribute capital surplus on a unit issued in this offering in an amount equal to the initial unit price, we will reduce the minimum quarterly distribution and the target distribution levels to zero. Then, after distributing an amount of capital surplus for each common unit equal to any unpaid arrearages of the minimum quarterly distributions on outstanding common units, we will then make all future distributions from operating surplus, with 50% being paid to the unitholders, pro rata, and 50% to the holder of our incentive distribution rights.

Adjustment to the Minimum Quarterly Distribution and Target Distribution Levels

In addition to adjusting the minimum quarterly distribution and target distribution levels to reflect a distribution of capital surplus, if we combine our units into fewer units or subdivide our units into a greater number of units, we will proportionately adjust:

 

   

the minimum quarterly distribution;

 

   

target distribution levels;

 

   

the unrecovered initial unit price; and

 

   

the arrearages per common unit in payment of the minimum quarterly distribution on the common units.

For example, if a two-for-one split of the common units should occur, the minimum quarterly distribution, the target distribution levels and the unrecovered initial unit price would each be reduced to 50% of its initial level and each subordinated unit would be split into two units. We will not make any adjustment by reason of the issuance of additional units for cash or property (including additional common units issued under any compensation or benefit plans).

In addition, if legislation is enacted or if the official interpretation of existing law is modified by a governmental authority, so that we become taxable as a corporation or otherwise subject to taxation as an entity for federal, state or local income tax purposes, our partnership agreement specifies that the minimum quarterly distribution and the target distribution levels for each quarter may be reduced by multiplying each distribution level by a fraction, the numerator of which is available cash for that quarter (reduced by the amount of the estimated tax liability for such quarter payable by reason of such legislation or interpretation) and the denominator of which is the sum of available cash for that quarter (reduced by the amount of the estimated tax liability for such quarter payable by reason of such legislation or interpretation) plus our general partner’s estimate of our aggregate liability for the quarter for such income taxes payable by reason of such legislation or interpretation. To the extent that the actual tax liability differs from the estimated tax liability for any quarter, the difference may be accounted for in subsequent quarters.

Distributions of Cash Upon Liquidation

General

If we dissolve in accordance with our partnership agreement, we will sell or otherwise dispose of our assets in a process called liquidation. We will first apply the proceeds of liquidation to the payment of our creditors. We will distribute any remaining proceeds to the unitholders and our general partner, in accordance with their capital account balances, as adjusted to reflect any gain or loss upon the sale or other disposition of our assets in liquidation.

The allocations of gain and loss upon liquidation are intended, to the extent possible, to entitle the holders of outstanding common units to a preference over the holders of outstanding subordinated units upon our liquidation, to the extent required to permit common unitholders to receive their unrecovered initial unit price plus the minimum quarterly distribution for the quarter during which liquidation occurs plus any unpaid arrearages in payment of the minimum quarterly distribution on the common units. However, there may not be

 

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sufficient gain upon our liquidation to enable the holders of common units to fully recover all of these amounts, even though there may be cash available to distribute to the holders of subordinated units. Any further net gain recognized upon liquidation will be allocated in a manner that takes into account the incentive distribution rights.

Manner of Adjustments for Gain

The manner of the adjustment for gain is set forth in our partnership agreement. If our liquidation occurs before the end of the subordination period, we will allocate any gain to our limited partners in the following manner:

 

   

first , to our general partner to the extent of any negative balance in its capital account;

 

   

second , 100% to the common unitholders, pro rata, until the capital account for each common unit is equal to the sum of:

 

  (1) the unrecovered initial unit price;

 

  (2) the amount of the minimum quarterly distribution for the quarter during which our liquidation occurs; and

 

  (3) any unpaid arrearages in payment of the minimum quarterly distribution;

 

   

third , 100% to the subordinated unitholders, pro rata, until the capital account for each subordinated unit is equal to the sum of:

 

  (1) the unrecovered initial unit price; and

 

  (2) the amount of the minimum quarterly distribution for the quarter during which our liquidation occurs;

 

   

fourth , 100% to all unitholders, pro rata, until we allocate under this paragraph an amount per unit equal to:

 

  (1) the sum of the excess of the first target distribution per unit over the minimum quarterly distribution per unit for each quarter of our existence; less

 

  (2) the cumulative amount per unit of any distributions of available cash from operating surplus in excess of the minimum quarterly distribution per unit that we distributed 100% to the unitholders, pro rata, for each quarter of our existence;

 

   

fifth , 85% to all unitholders, pro rata, and 15% to the holders of our incentive distribution rights, until we allocate under this paragraph an amount per unit equal to:

 

  (1) the sum of the excess of the second target distribution per unit over the first target distribution per unit for each quarter of our existence; less

 

  (2) the cumulative amount per unit of any distributions of available cash from operating surplus in excess of the first target distribution per unit that we distributed 85% to the unitholders, pro rata, and 15% to the holders of our incentive distribution rights for each quarter of our existence;

 

   

sixth , 75% to all unitholders, pro rata, and 25% to the holders of our incentive distribution rights, until we allocate under this paragraph an amount per unit equal to:

 

  (1) the sum of the excess of the third target distribution per unit over the second target distribution per unit for each quarter of our existence; less

 

  (2) the cumulative amount per unit of any distributions of available cash from operating surplus in excess of the second target distribution per unit that we distributed 75% to the unitholders, pro rata, and 25% to the holders of our incentive distribution rights for each quarter of our existence; and

 

   

thereafter , 50% to all unitholders, pro rata, and 50% to the holders of our incentive distribution rights.

 

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The percentages set forth above are based on the assumption that we do not issue additional classes of equity securities.

If the liquidation occurs after the end of the subordination period, the distinction between common units and subordinated units will disappear, so that clause (3) of the second bullet point above and all of the fourth bullet point above will no longer be applicable.

Manner of Adjustments for Losses

If our liquidation occurs before the end of the subordination period, after making allocations of loss to the general partner and the unitholders in a manner intended to offset in reverse order the allocations of gains that have previously been allocated, we will generally allocate any loss to the holders of our incentive distribution rights and unitholders in the following manner:

 

   

first , 100% to the holders of subordinated units in proportion to the positive balances in their capital accounts, until the capital accounts of the subordinated unitholders have been reduced to zero;

 

   

second , 100% to the holders of common units in proportion to the positive balances in their capital accounts, until the capital accounts of the common unitholders have been reduced to zero; and

 

   

thereafter , 100% to the general partner.

The percentages set forth above are based on the assumption that we do not issue additional classes of equity securities.

If the liquidation occurs after the end of the subordination period, the distinction between common units and subordinated units will disappear, so that all of the first bullet point above will no longer be applicable.

Adjustments to Capital Accounts

Our partnership agreement requires that we make adjustments to capital accounts upon the issuance of additional units. In this regard, our partnership agreement specifies that we allocate any unrealized and, for tax purposes, unrecognized gain resulting from the adjustments to the unitholders and the holder of our incentive distribution rights in the same manner as we allocate gain upon liquidation. In the event that we make positive adjustments to the capital accounts upon the issuance of additional units, our partnership agreement requires that we generally allocate any later negative adjustments to the capital accounts resulting from the issuance of additional units or upon our liquidation in a manner that results, to the extent possible, in the partners’ capital account balances equaling the amount that they would have been if no earlier positive adjustments to the capital accounts had been made. In contrast to the allocations of gain, and except as provided above, we generally will allocate any unrealized and unrecognized loss resulting from the adjustments to capital accounts upon the issuance of additional units to the unitholders and the holder of our incentive distribution rights based on their relative percentage ownership of us. In this manner, prior to the end of the subordination period, we generally will allocate any such loss equally with respect to our common units and subordinated units. If we make negative adjustments to the capital accounts as a result of such loss, future positive adjustments resulting from the issuance of additional units will be allocated in a manner designed to reverse the prior negative adjustments, and special allocations will be made upon liquidation in a manner that results, to the extent possible, in our unitholders’ capital account balances equaling the amounts they would have been if no earlier adjustments for loss had been made.

 

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SELECTED HISTORICAL AND PRO FORMA FINANCIAL DATA

The following table presents selected historical financial data of our Predecessor and selected unaudited pro forma financial data for Noble Midstream for the periods and as of the dates indicated. The following selected historical financial data of our Predecessor consists of all of the assets and operations of our Predecessor on a 100% basis. In connection with the completion of this offering, Noble will contribute to us the percentages of the assets described under “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Contribution Agreement.” However, as required by GAAP, we will continue to consolidate 100% of the assets and operations of our development companies in our financial statements.

The selected historical financial data of our Predecessor as of and for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 and as of September 30, 2015 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 are derived from the audited and unaudited financial statements of our Predecessor appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. The following table should be read together with, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, the historical audited and unaudited interim and pro forma financial statements and the accompanying notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. The table should also be read together with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

For the years ended December 2014 and 2013, our assets were part of the integrated operations of Noble, and our Predecessor generally recognized only the costs, and not the revenues, associated with certain of the midstream services provided to Noble on an intercompany basis. Accordingly, the midstream revenues in our Predecessor’s historical combined financial statements relate only to amounts received from third parties for those services and amounts received from Noble with respect to transactions for which there were contracts. For this reason, as well as other factors described in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Factors Affecting the Comparability of Our Financial Results,” our future results of operations will not be comparable to our Predecessor’s historical results.

The selected unaudited pro forma financial data presented in the following table for the year ended December 31, 2014 and as of and for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 are derived from the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet assumes the offering and the related transactions occurred as of September 30, 2015, and the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2014 and the nine months ended September 30, 2015 assume the offering and the related transactions occurred as of January 1, 2014. These transactions include, and the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements give effect to, the following:

 

   

Noble’s contribution to us of the percentages of the development companies that will operate our assets as described under “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Contribution Agreement;”

 

   

our long-term, fixed-fee commercial agreements with Noble;

 

   

our entry into a new $350 million revolving credit facility;

 

   

our entry into an operational services and secondment agreement and omnibus agreement with Noble;

 

   

the consummation of this offering and our issuance of (i)             common units to the public, (ii) a non-economic general partner interest to our general partner and (iii)              common units,             subordinated units and the incentive distribution rights to Noble; and

 

   

the application of the net proceeds of this offering as described in “Use of Proceeds.”

 

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The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements do not give effect to (i) an estimated $5.5 million in incremental general and administrative expenses that we expect to incur annually as a result of being a publicly traded partnership, (ii) variable general and administrative costs we will incur under the operational services and secondment agreement that we will enter into with Noble as of the closing of this offering or (iii) reimbursable costs that will be due to Noble under the omnibus agreement to be entered into with Noble as of the closing of this offering.

 

    Noble Midstream Partners LP
Predecessor Historical
    Noble Midstream Partners
LP Pro Forma
 
    Year Ended
December 31,
    Nine Months
Ended
September 30,
    Year Ended
December 31,
2014
    Nine  Months
Ended
September 30,
2015
 
    2014     2013     2015     2014      
                (unaudited)     (unaudited)  
    (in thousands, except per unit data)  

Statement of Operations Data

       

Revenues

       

Midstream Services—Related Party

  $ 2,086      $ 2,169      $ 51,734      $ 1,563      $ 100,632      $ 72,364   

Income from Investments

    3,798        3,024        3,418        2,564        3,798        3,418   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Revenues

    5,884        5,193        55,152        4,127        104,430        75,782   

Costs and Expenses

           

Direct Operating

    8,538        2,760        11,152        6,239        44,113        21,668   

Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization

    11,315        3,092        4,956        7,971        11,315        4,956   

General and Administrative

    6,734        6,124        2,358        5,309        13,584        7,496   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Operating Expense

    26,587        11,976        18,466        19,519        69,012        34,120   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating Income (Loss)

    (20,703     (6,783     36,686        (15,392     35,418        41,662   

Other Expense

           

Interest Expense, Net of Amount Capitalized

    3,566        3,263        2,788        2,962        700        525   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Other Expense

    3,566        3,263        2,788        2,962        700        525   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes

    (24,269     (10,046     33,898        (18,354     34,718        41,137   

Income Tax Provision (Benefit)

    (9,178     (3,746     12,717        (6,941     —          —     
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Income (Loss) including non-controlling interests

  $ (15,091   $ (6,300   $ 21,181      $ (11,413   $ 34,718      $ 41,137   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income attributable to non-controlling interests (1)

            9,475        13,423   

Net income attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

    (15,091     (6,300     21,181        (11,413     25,243        27,714   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income per limited partner unit (basic and diluted):

           

Common units

           

Subordinated units

           

Balance Sheet Data (at period end):

           

Total Property, Plant and Equipment, Net

  $ 195,513      $ 127,504      $ 240,851         

Total Assets

    216,512        139,883        288,766         

Net Parent Investment/partners’ capital

    213,673        137,179        240,677         

Statement of Cash Flows Data

           

Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities

  $ (12,534   $ (6,935   $ 61,004      $ (10,069    

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities

    (79,904     (95,586     (47,087     (60,910    

Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities

    92,438        102,521        5,673        70,979       

Other Data

           

Capital expenditures (2)

  $ 80,466      $ 96,318      $ 45,684      $ 61,289       

EBITDA (3)

    (9,388     (3,691     41,642        (7,421   $ 46,733      $ 46,618   

EBITDA attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP (3)

            33,598        31,387   

 

(1) Represents 25%, 90%, 95%, 95% and 95% non-controlling interests in the development companies that hold our operating assets that have been retained by Noble as described under “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Contribution Agreement.”
(2) Represents additions to property, plant and equipment within the combined statement of cash flows.
(3) For our definition of the non-GAAP financial measure of EBITDA and a reconciliation of EBITDA to our most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP, please read “—Non-GAAP Financial Measure.”

 

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Non-GAAP Financial Measure

We define EBITDA as net income (loss) before income taxes, net interest expense, depreciation, depletion and amortization. EBITDA is used as a supplemental financial measure by management and by external users of our financial statements, such as investors, industry analysts, lenders and ratings agencies, to assess:

 

   

our operating performance as compared to those of other companies in the midstream energy industry, without regard to financing methods, historical cost basis or capital structure;

 

   

the ability of our assets to generate sufficient cash flow to make distributions to our partners;

 

   

our ability to incur and service debt and fund capital expenditures; and

 

   

the viability of acquisitions and other capital expenditure projects and the returns on investment of various investment opportunities.

We believe that the presentation of EBITDA in this prospectus provides information useful to investors in assessing our financial condition and results of operations. The GAAP measures most directly comparable to EBITDA are net income and net cash provided by operating activities. EBITDA should not be considered an alternative to net income, net cash provided by (used in) operating activities or any other measure of financial performance or liquidity presented in accordance with GAAP. EBITDA excludes some, but not all, items that affect net income or net cash, and these measures may vary from those of other companies. As a result, EBITDA as presented below may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

 

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The following table presents a reconciliation of EBITDA to net income and net cash provided by (used in) operating activities, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, on a historical basis and pro forma basis, as applicable, for each of the periods indicated.

 

    Noble Midstream Partners LP
Predecessor Historical
    Noble Midstream
Partners LP Pro Forma
 
    Year Ended
December 31,
    Nine Months
Ended
September 30,
    Year
Ended
December  31,

2014
    Nine Months
Ended
September 30,
2015
 
    2014     2013     2015     2014      
                (unaudited)     (unaudited)  
    (in thousands, except per unit data)  

Reconciliation of EBITDA to Net Income (Loss) and to Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities:

           

Net income (loss)

  $ (15,091   $ (6,300   $ 21,181      $ (11,413   $ 34,718      $ 41,137   

Income tax (benefit) provision

    (9,178     (3,746     12,717        (6,941     —          —     

Interest expense, net of amount capitalized

    3,566        3,263        2,788        2,962        700        525   

Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    11,315        3,092        4,956        7,971        11,315        4,956   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

EBITDA

  $ (9,388     (3,691     41,642        (7,421     46,733        46,618   

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

    —          —          22,000        —         

Interest expense, net of amount capitalized

    (3,566     (3,263     (2,788     (2,962    

Stock based compensation and other

    420        19        150        314       
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

     

Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities

  $ (12,534   $ (6,935   $ 61,004      $ (10,069    

Reconciliation of EBITDA Attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP to Net Income Attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP:

           

Net income attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

          $ 25,243      $ 27,714   

Income tax (benefit) provision

            —          —     

Interest expense

            432        291   

Depreciation

            7,923        3,382   
         

 

 

   

 

 

 

EBITDA attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

          $ 33,598      $ 31,387   
         

 

 

   

 

 

 

Reconciliation of EBITDA Attributable to Non-controlling Interests to Net Income Attributable to Non-controlling Interests:

           

Net income attributable to non-controlling interests

            $9,475      $ 13,423   

Income tax (benefit) provision

            —          —     

Interest expense

            268        234   

Depreciation

            3,392        1,574   
         

 

 

   

 

 

 

EBITDA attributable to non-controlling interests

          $ 13,135      $ 15,231   
         

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF

FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion of the financial condition and results of operations of the predecessor of Noble Midstream Partners LP, or our Predecessor, in conjunction with the historical combined financial statements and unaudited condensed combined interim financial statements and notes of our Predecessor and the unaudited pro forma condensed financial statements for Noble Midstream Partners LP included elsewhere in this prospectus. Among other things, those historical, unaudited interim and unaudited pro forma financial statements include more detailed information regarding the basis of presentation for the following information. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed below. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below and those discussed in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Statements” included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Overview

We are a growth-oriented Delaware master limited partnership recently formed by our sponsor, Noble Energy, Inc., to own, operate, develop and acquire a wide range of domestic midstream infrastructure assets. We currently provide crude oil, natural gas, and water-related midstream services for Noble through long-term, fixed-fee contracts. Our operating assets are currently focused in the DJ Basin in Colorado, one of the premier liquid hydrocarbon basins in the United States. Noble intends for us to become its primary vehicle for domestic midstream operations that have not previously been dedicated to other ventures. We believe that our diverse midstream infrastructure assets and our relationship with Noble position us as a leading midstream service provider.

How We Generate Revenue

Our results are primarily driven by the volumes of crude oil that we gather, natural gas that we gather, fresh water that we deliver and store and saltwater that we collect, clean and recycle or dispose of, and the fees we charge per unit of throughput for our midstream services.

Our crude oil infrastructure assets consist of gathering pipelines and treating facilities, which collectively prepare crude oil for sale. Our natural gas gathering system that services the production from the Wells Ranch IDP collects wet gas from separator facilities located at or near the wellhead and delivers the wet gas to the Wells Ranch CGF or other delivery points within the IDP areas. At the tailgate of our natural gas gathering facilities or the Wells Ranch CGF, as applicable, we deliver the natural gas for further gathering and processing by third parties. Our saltwater gathering system gathers and processes liquids produced from operations in the DJ Basin and consist of a combination of separation and storage facilities, and permanent pipelines, as well as pumping stations to transport saltwater to disposal or recycling facilities. Our fresh water systems provide services for both recycled and treated saltwater and raw fresh water, for example, that has been withdrawn from a river or ground water. Our crude oil treating facilities treat crude oil that is trucked to the facilities from horizontal and vertical wells throughout Noble’s DJ Basin acreage to meet pipeline specifications.

We have entered into multiple fee-based commercial agreements with Noble, each with an initial term of 15 years, utilizing our infrastructure assets to provide an array of essential services critical to Noble’s upstream operations in the DJ Basin. Our agreements include substantial acreage dedications. See “Business—Our Acreage Dedication.”

Our investment in White Cliffs LLC is accounted for under the cost method of investment as we have virtually no influence over partnership operations and financial policies. On a monthly basis, White Cliffs LLC makes cash distributions to its members, including us. Under the cost method of accounting, we recognize these distributions as earnings to the extent there is net income, and record distributions in excess of our ratable share of earnings as return of investment.

 

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We have indirect exposure to commodity price risk in that persistent low commodity prices may cause Noble or other potential customers to delay drilling or shut in production, which would reduce the volumes available for gathering and processing by our infrastructure assets. If Noble delays drilling or temporarily shuts in production due to persistently low commodity prices or for any other reason, we are not assured a certain amount of revenue as our commercial agreements with Noble do not contain minimum volume commitments. Please read “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Because of the natural decline in production from existing wells, our success, in part, depends on our ability to maintain or increase hydrocarbon throughput volumes on our midstream systems, which depends on Noble’s levels of development and completion activity on our dedicated acreage.”

Under each of our commercial agreements, the fees we charge Noble are automatically increased each calendar year by 2.5%. In addition, each year we will propose a redetermination of the fees charged under our various systems on an annual basis, taking into account, among other things, expected capital expenditures necessary to provide our services under the applicable development plan. However, if we and Noble are unable to agree on a fee redetermination (other than the automatic annual adjustment), the prior fee will remain in effect, which in effect allows Noble to unilaterally exercise control over the decision of whether to change the fee.

How We Evaluate Our Operations

Our management intends to use a variety of financial and operating metrics to analyze our performance. These metrics are significant factors in assessing our operating results and profitability and include: (i) throughput volumes; (ii) EBITDA; (iii) distributable cash flow; (iv) capital expenditures and (v) operating expenses.

Throughput Volumes

The amount of revenue we generate primarily depends on the volumes of crude oil, natural gas and water for which we provide midstream services and the number of wells for which our crude oil treating facilities are available. These volumes are affected primarily by changes in the supply of and demand for crude oil, natural gas and NGLs in the markets served directly or indirectly by our assets, such as the recent decline in commodity prices beginning in the fourth quarter of 2014. Noble’s willingness to engage in new drilling is determined by a number of factors, the most important of which are the prevailing and projected prices of crude oil, natural gas, the cost to drill and operate a well, expected well performance, the availability and cost of capital and environmental and government regulations. We generally expect the level of drilling to positively correlate with long-term trends in commodity prices. Similarly, production levels nationally and regionally generally tend to positively correlate with drilling activity.

In order to meet our contractual obligations under our commercial agreements with Noble in respect of new wells drilled on our dedicated acreage, we will be required to incur capital expenditures to extend our infrastructure assets and facilities to the new wells drilled. We estimate that total expansion capital expenditures for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016 will be $115.8 million ($42.1 million net to our ownership interests in our development companies and $0.1 million attributable to our ownership interest in White Cliffs, which we expect to fund with borrowings under our new revolving credit facility). Noble will be responsible for its proportionate share of the total capital expenditures associated with the ongoing build-out of the midstream systems owned by our development companies. See “Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions—Significant Forecast Assumptions—Capital Expenditures.”

Noble has dedicated acreage to us based on the services we provide. As of January 1, 2015, Noble has dedicated to us the right to provide certain midstream services, for a period of 15 years, subject to existing dedications or rights of first refusal, on approximately 300,000 net acres in the Wells Ranch IDP, East Pony IDP, Mustang IDP, Greeley Crescent IDP and Bronco IDP. Our commercial agreements with Noble provide that, in addition to our existing dedicated acreage, any future acreage that is acquired by Noble in these IDP areas, and that is not subject to a pre-existing third-party commitment, will be included in the dedication to us for

 

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midstream services, including gathering and treating. Based on Noble’s dedication to us and previously granted dedications, we anticipate providing crude oil and water-related midstream services on any wells that Noble elects to drill in the Wells Ranch IDP, East Pony IDP, Mustang IDP, Greeley Crescent IDP and Bronco IDP, as well as certain natural gas gathering services on any wells drilled in the Wells Ranch IDP and Mustang IDP. The number of wells Noble may drill, and timing with respect to these wells, will depend on numerous factors (some of which are beyond their control and all of which are beyond our control), including commodity prices, weather, government regulation, geologic interpretation and the economic environment.

Because the production rate of a well declines over time, we must continually obtain new supplies of crude oil, natural gas and saltwater to maintain or increase the throughput volumes on our midstream systems. Because fresh water services are largely dependent on well completion, our ability to provide fresh water services is contingent on Noble drilling and completing new wells. Our ability to maintain or increase existing throughput volumes and obtain new supplies of crude oil, natural gas and saltwater are impacted by:

 

   

successful drilling activity by Noble on our dedicated acreage and our ability to fund the capital costs required to connect our infrastructure assets to new wells;

 

   

our ability to utilize the remaining uncommitted capacity on, or add additional capacity to, our infrastructure assets;

 

   

the level of work-overs and re-completions of wells on existing pad sites to which our infrastructure assets are connected;

 

   

our ability to increase throughput volumes on our infrastructure assets by making outlet connections to existing or new third-party pipelines or other facilities, primarily driven by the anticipated supply of and demand for crude oil, natural gas and water;

 

   

our ability to identify and execute organic expansion projects to capture incremental volumes from Noble and third parties;

 

   

our ability to compete for volumes from successful new wells in the areas in which we operate outside of our dedicated acreage; and

 

   

our ability to gather natural gas, gather and treat crude oil and provide water services with respect to hydrocarbons produced on acreage that has been released from commitments with our competitors.

We actively monitor producer activity in the areas served by our infrastructure assets to pursue new supply opportunities.

EBITDA

We define EBITDA as net income (loss) before income taxes, net interest expense, depreciation and amortization. EBITDA is used as a supplemental financial measure by management and by external users of our financial statements, such as investors, industry analysts, lenders and ratings agencies, to assess:

 

   

our operating performance as compared to those of other companies in the midstream energy industry, without regard to financing methods, historical cost basis or capital structure;

 

   

the ability of our assets to generate sufficient cash flow to make distributions to our partners;

 

   

our ability to incur and service debt and fund capital expenditures; and

 

   

the viability of acquisitions and other capital expenditure projects and the returns on investment of various investment opportunities.

We believe that the presentation of EBITDA in this prospectus provides information useful to investors in assessing our financial condition and results of operations. The GAAP measures most directly comparable to EBITDA are net income and net cash provided by operating activities. EBITDA should not be considered an alternative to net income, net cash provided by (used in) operating activities or any other measure of financial

 

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performance or liquidity presented in accordance with GAAP. EBITDA excludes some, but not all, items that affect net income or net cash, and these measures may vary from those of other companies. As a result, our EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

For a discussion of the non-GAAP financial measure of EBITDA and a reconciliation of EBITDA to its most comparable measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP, please read “Selected Historical and Pro Forma Financial Data—Non-GAAP Financial Measure.”

Distributable Cash Flow

Although we have not quantified distributable cash flow on a historical basis, after the completion of this offering, we intend to use distributable cash flow, which we define as EBITDA less net cash interest paid and estimated maintenance capital expenditures, to analyze our performance. Distributable cash flow will not reflect changes in working capital balances.

We believe that the presentation of distributable cash flow in this prospectus provides information useful to investors in assessing our financial condition and results of operations. The GAAP measures most directly comparable to distributable cash flow are net income and net cash provided by operating activities. Distributable cash flow should not be considered an alternative to net income, net cash provided by operating activities or any other measure of financial performance or liquidity presented in accordance with GAAP. Distributable cash flow excludes some, but not all, items that affect net income or net cash provided by operating activities, and these measures may vary from those of other companies. As a result, our distributable cash flow may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

Operating Expense; General and Administrative Expense

Operating Expense

We seek to maximize the profitability of our operations in part by minimizing, to the extent appropriate, expenses directly tied to operating our assets. Direct labor costs, ad valorem taxes, repair and non-capitalized maintenance costs, integrity management costs, utilities and contract services comprise the most significant portion of our operations and maintenance expense. Many of these expenses remain relatively stable across broad ranges of throughput volumes, but a portion of these expenses can fluctuate from period to period depending on the mix of activities performed during that period and the timing of these expenses. We will seek to manage our operating expenditures on our midstream systems by scheduling maintenance over time to avoid significant variability in our maintenance expenditures and minimize their impact on our cash flow.

General and Administrative Expense

Our Predecessor’s general and administrative expense included an allocation of charges for the management and operation of our assets by Noble for general and administrative services, such as information technology, treasury, accounting, human resources and legal services and other financial and administrative services. Following the completion of this offering, Noble will charge us a combination of direct and allocated charges for general and administrative services.

We anticipate incurring approximately $5.5 million of incremental general and administrative expenses attributable to being a publicly traded partnership, which includes expenses associated with annual, quarterly and current reporting with the SEC; tax return and Schedule K-1 preparation and distribution; Sarbanes-Oxley compliance; listing on the NYSE; independent auditor fees; legal fees; investor relations expenses; transfer agent and registrar fees; incremental salary and benefits costs of seconded employees; outside director fees; and insurance expenses. These incremental general and administrative expenses and the variable component of the general and administrative costs that we anticipate incurring under the operational services and secondment agreement and the omnibus agreement, are not reflected in our historical or our pro forma financial statements. Our future general and administrative expense will also include compensation expense associated with the Noble Midstream Partners LP 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan.

 

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Factors Affecting the Comparability of Our Financial Results

Our future results of operations may not be comparable to our Predecessor’s historical results of operations for the reasons described below:

Ownership of Our Assets

Our Predecessor’s historical results of operations include all of the results of operations of Noble’s midstream business in the DJ Basin on a 100% basis, which includes distributions in respect of our membership interest in White Cliffs LLC, 100% of the results of our Core Assets and Growth Assets, as well as 100% of the results of certain ancillary midstream assets that Noble will retain after the completion of this offering. In connection with the completion of this offering, Noble will contribute to us a 75% controlling interest in the Colorado River DevCo LP, which owns our Core Assets, except for our 3.33% ownership interest in White Cliffs LLC, and operating interests ranging from 5% to 10% in our Growth Assets. Consequently, our results of operations after the completion of this offering will reflect less than 100% of the results of our Core Assets and Growth Assets.

Revenues

There are differences between the sources of our Predecessor’s revenues prior to January 1, 2015 and the sources of our Predecessor’s revenues beginning January 1, 2015. The revenues in our Predecessor’s historical combined financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2013 and December 31, 2014 relate to the crude oil treating facilities and distributions received from White Cliffs LLC. Our remaining infrastructure assets were part of the integrated operations of Noble for which documented intercompany arrangements did not exist. Effective January 1, 2015, we generate revenues under fee-based arrangements with Noble. Following the closing of this offering, we will earn revenues under our long-term commercial agreements with Noble and will receive separate fixed fees for the midstream services that we provide.

Depreciation Expense

As of January 1, 2015 depreciation related to our assets placed in service is calculated using the straight-line method. Historically, Noble has operated midstream assets in support of its U.S. onshore upstream business as a cost center within the United States reportable segment. Due to the change in the intended use of these assets, Noble changed the method of depreciation from units-of-production to the straight-line method for future accounting periods. Depreciation will be calculated on a straight-line basis from the first quarter of 2015, the period of change, and in prospective periods, with no cumulative adjustment for prior periods.

General and Administrative Expenses

Our Predecessor’s general and administrative expenses included an allocation for the management and operation of our assets by Noble for general corporate services, such as treasury, accounting, human resources and legal services. These expenses were charged or allocated to our Predecessor based on the nature of the expenses and our Predecessor’s direct usage when identifiable or capital expenditures. Following the closing of this offering, we will reimburse Noble under our operational services and secondment agreement for the costs of operational employees and their management that have been seconded to us, our general partner or our subsidiaries in support of our operations. In addition, Noble will charge us a flat annual fee under our omnibus agreement for certain general and administrative services, such as treasury, accounting and in-house legal services, that Noble will continue to provide to us and we will reimburse Noble for direct out-of-pocket, third-party costs incurred by Noble in providing general and administrative services for our exclusive benefit. We expect to directly incur certain general and administrative expenses. For more information about the fees we will pay to Noble under our operational services and secondment and omnibus agreements and the services covered by those fees, please read “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions.” The general and administrative costs and expenses that we will incur directly or that are covered by the amounts that we will pay to Noble include an expected $5.5 million of incremental annual general and administrative expenses as a result of being a separate publicly traded partnership that are not reflected in our Predecessor’s historical combined financial statements.

 

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Financing

There are differences in the way we will finance our operations as compared to the way our Predecessor historically financed operations. Historically, our Predecessor’s operations were financed as part of Noble’s integrated operations and, other than interest under our Predecessor’s affiliate loan facilities with Noble, Noble allocated interest expense to our Predecessor for financing its operations.

Our partnership agreement requires that we distribute all of our available cash to our unitholders. As a result, we expect to rely primarily upon external financing sources, including commercial bank borrowings and the issuance of debt and equity securities, to fund our acquisitions and expansion capital expenditures. Following the completion of this offering, we intend to have no debt and an available borrowing capacity of $350 million under a new revolving credit facility, which can be increased by an additional $350 million at our option in certain circumstances. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Capital Resources and Liquidity—Revolving Credit Facility.”

Income Taxes

Our Predecessor was part of the integrated operations of Noble. As such, our Predecessor was part of Noble’s consolidated corporate tax return in all state and federal tax jurisdictions in which Noble and our Predecessor had operations. Following the completion of this offering, we expect to be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, therefore, generally will not be liable for entity-level federal income taxes. Income taxes have been calculated on a separate return basis as if the Predecessor were a stand-alone entity. Unlike the Partnership, however, the Predecessor is included in the Noble U.S. consolidated federal income tax return and U.S. state income tax returns on a combined basis with Noble, as required.

Other Factors Impacting Our Business

We expect our business to continue to be affected by the following key factors. Our expectations are based on assumptions made by us and information currently available to us. To the extent our underlying assumptions about, or interpretations of, available information prove to be incorrect, our actual results may vary materially from our expected results.

Supply and Demand for Crude Oil and Natural Gas

We currently generate all of our revenues under fee-based agreements with Noble. We expect these contracts to promote cash flow stability and minimize our direct exposure to commodity price fluctuations, since we generally do not own any of the crude oil, natural gas, or water that we handle and do not engage in the trading of crude oil or natural gas. However, commodity price fluctuations indirectly influence our activities and results of operations over the long term, since they can affect production rates and investments by Noble and third parties in the development of new crude oil and natural gas reserves. As a result of the decline in commodity prices beginning in the fourth quarter of 2014, Noble announced that it plans to reduce its rig count as part of its 2015 capital program. However, mechanisms under our commercial agreements minimize our exposure to this planned reduction. In particular, the fee recalculation mechanisms under the agreements allow fees to be adjusted annually to provide cash flow stability if both parties agree to the adjustment. Generally, drilling and production activity will increase as crude oil and natural gas prices increase. The throughput volumes at our assets depend primarily on the volumes of crude oil and natural gas produced by Noble in the DJ Basin and, with respect to fresh water, the number of wells drilled and completed, which, in turn, is ultimately dependent on Noble’s margins. Noble’s margins depend on many factors, including the price of crude oil and natural gas and operational costs. These prices are volatile and influenced by numerous factors beyond our or Noble’s control, including the domestic and global supply of and demand for crude oil and natural gas. The commodities trading markets, as well as other supply and demand factors, may also influence the selling prices of crude oil and natural gas. Furthermore, our ability to execute our growth strategy in the DJ Basin will depend on crude oil and natural gas production in that area, which is also affected by the supply of and demand for crude oil and natural gas.

 

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Regulatory Compliance

The regulation of crude oil and natural gas gathering and transportation and water services activities by federal and state regulatory agencies has a significant impact on our business. See “Business—Regulation of Operations.” Our operations are also impacted by new regulations, which have increased the time that it takes to obtain required permits.

Additionally, increased regulation of crude oil and natural gas producers in our areas of operation, including regulation associated with hydraulic fracturing, could reduce regional supply of crude oil, natural gas and water and therefore throughput on our infrastructure assets. For more information see “Business—Regulation of Operations.”

Results of Operations

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 Compared to the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014

 

     Nine Months Ended
September 30,
    Increase /
(Decrease)
from Prior
Year
 
     2015      2014    
($ in thousands)                    

Revenues

       

Midstream Services—Related Party

   $ 51,734       $ 1,563        3,210

Income from Investments

     3,418         2,564        33
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Revenues

     55,152         4,127        1,236
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Costs and Expenses

       

Direct Operating

     11,152         6,239        79

Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization

     4,956         7,971        (38 )% 

General and Administrative

     2,358         5,309        (56 )% 
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Operating Expenses

     18,466         19,519        (5 )% 
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating Income (Loss)

     36,686         (15,392  

Other Expense

       

Interest, Net of Amount Capitalized

     2,788         2,962        (6 )% 
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Other Expense

     2,788         2,962        (6 )% 
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes

     33,898         (18,354  

Income Tax Expense (Benefit)

     12,717         (6,941  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

Net Income (Loss)

   $ 21,181       $ (11,413  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

Revenue . Revenue from midstream operations was approximately $51.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 as compared to $1.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2014. Effective January 1, 2015, we entered into multiple commercial agreements with Noble, for which we receive a volumetric fee for the midstream services we provide. Revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 were solely from our crude oil treating facilities. Our remaining midstream infrastructure was part of the integrated operations of Noble and documented intercompany arrangements did not exist prior to January 1, 2015.

Income from Investments . Our investment in White Cliffs LLC is accounted for under the cost method of investment as we have virtually no influence over partnership operations and financial policies. The increase in income from investments is primarily due to an increase in the distributions from White Cliffs LLC for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 as compared with the nine months ended September 30, 2014.

 

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Direct Operating Expense . Operating expense is comprised of direct labor costs, ad valorem and property taxes, repair and non-capitalized maintenance costs, integrity management costs, utilities and contract services. These expenses generally remain relatively stable across broad ranges of throughput volumes but can fluctuate from period to period depending on the mix of activities performed during that period and the timing of these expenses. Total direct operating expense was approximately $11.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 compared to $6.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2014. The $4.9 million increase in operating expense was primarily related to natural gas gathering, crude oil gathering and crude oil treating due to increased usage of our infrastructure and facilities.

General and Administrative Expense . General and administrative expense is primarily comprised of allocated monthly charges for the management and operation of our assets and certain expenses by Noble including general corporate services, such as information technology, treasury, accounting, human resources, legal services and other financial and administrative services. These expenses were charged or allocated to us based on the nature of the expenses and our Predecessor’s direct usage when identifiable or capital expenditures. Total general and administrative expense was $2.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 compared to $5.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2014. The decrease was primarily due to our entry into a fixed overhead services agreement with Noble. Prior to this agreement, our general and administrative expenses were primarily driven by an allocation from Noble’s integrated and consolidated operations.

Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization . Depreciation, depletion and amortization expense decreased $3.0 million to $5.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 compared to $8.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2014, primarily as a result of a change in depreciation method. Beginning in January 2015, Noble elected to begin operating the midstream business as if it were a stand-alone business. Historically, Noble has operated the midstream assets in support of the U.S. onshore upstream business as a cost center within the United States reportable segment. Due to the change in the intended use of these assets, Noble changed the method of depreciation from units-of-production to the straight-line method for future accounting periods. Depreciation will be calculated on a straight-line basis from the first quarter of 2015, the period of change, and in future periods. Following this adjustment, our assets will have useful lives ranging from 24 to 30 years. For assets that were converted from the unit-of-production method, their respective asset lives will be 30 years from the date originally placed into service.

 

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Year Ended December 31, 2014 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2013

 

     Year Ended December 31,     Increase
(Decrease)
from Prior
Year
 
           2014                 2013          
($ in thousands)                   

Revenues

      

Midstream Services—Related Party

   $ 2,086      $ 2,169        (4 )% 

Income from Investments

   $ 3,798      $ 3,024        26
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Revenues

     5,884        5,193        13
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Costs and Expenses

      

Direct Operating

     8,538        2,760        209

Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization

     11,315        3,092        266

General and Administrative

     6,734        6,124        10
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Operating Expenses

     26,587        11,976        122
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating Loss

     (20,703     (6,783  

Other Expense

      

Interest, Net of Amount Capitalized

     3,566        3,263        9
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Other Expense

     3,566        3,263        9
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss Before Income Taxes

     (24,269     (10,046  

Income Tax Benefit

     (9,178     (3,746  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

Net Loss and Comprehensive Loss

   $ (15,091   $ (6,300  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

Revenue . Revenue from midstream operations was approximately $2.1 million in 2014 compared to approximately $2.2 million in 2013. Revenues in 2014 and 2013 were solely from our crude oil treating facilities. Our remaining midstream infrastructure was part of the integrated operations of Noble and documented intercompany arrangements did not exist.

Income from Investments . Our investment in White Cliffs LLC is accounted for under the cost method of investment as we have virtually no influence over partnership operations and financial policies. The increase in income from investments is primarily due to an increase in the distributions from White Cliffs LLC in 2014 as compared to 2013.

Direct Operating Expense . Operating expense is comprised of direct labor costs, ad valorem and property taxes, repair and non-capitalized maintenance costs, integrity management costs, utilities and contract services. These expenses generally remain relatively stable across broad ranges of throughput volumes but can fluctuate from period to period depending on the mix of activities performed during that period and the timing of these expenses. Total direct operating expense was approximately $8.5 million in 2014 compared to $2.8 million in 2013. The $5.7 million increase in operating expense was primarily related to a full year of operation at the Wells Ranch CGF, expanded operations at our second crude oil treating facility and increased utilization of the Wells Ranch gathering system.

General and Administrative Expense . General and administrative expense is primarily comprised of allocated monthly charges for the management and operation of our assets and certain expenses by Noble including general corporate services, such as information technology, treasury, accounting, human resources, legal services and other financial and administrative services. These expenses were charged or allocated to us based on the nature of the expenses and our Predecessor’s direct usage when identifiable or capital expenditures. Total general and administrative expense was $6.7 million in 2014 compared to $6.1 million in 2013. The increase was primarily due to increase in personnel and activity to support the significant expansion of infrastructure assets and midstream services provided to Noble.

 

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Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization . Depreciation, depletion and amortization expense increased by $8.2 million to $11.3 million in 2014 compared to $3.1 million in 2013. The increase was primarily related to a full year of activity at the Wells Ranch CGF and our second crude oil treating facility, both of which were placed into service in the second half of 2013. Additionally, depreciation expense increased in 2014 compared to 2013 due to expansion of our fresh water systems in both the Wells Ranch IDP and the East Pony IDP.

Capital Resources and Liquidity

Liquidity and Financing Arrangements

Historically, our sources of liquidity were based on cash flow from operations and funding from Noble. During the year ended December 31, 2014, we participated in Noble’s centralized cash management system. As a result, our Predecessor’s historical financial statements do not include cash or cash equivalents since cash receipts from all our Predecessor’s operations were deposited into Noble’s bank accounts and all cash disbursements were made from these accounts. In connection with this offering, we will establish our own cash management system that will be administered by Noble on our general partner’s behalf under our omnibus agreement.

We do not have any commitment from Noble or our general partner or any of their respective affiliates to fund our cash flow deficits or provide other direct or indirect financial assistance to us following the closing of this offering. We expect our ongoing sources of liquidity following this offering to include cash generated from operations, borrowings under our new revolving credit facility and, if necessary, the issuance of additional equity or debt securities. We believe that cash generated from these sources will be sufficient to meet our short-term working capital requirements and long-term capital expenditure requirements and to make quarterly cash distributions.

Our partnership agreement requires that we distribute all of our available cash to our unitholders. As a result, we expect to rely primarily upon external financing sources, including commercial bank borrowings and the issuance of debt and equity securities, to fund our acquisitions and expansion capital expenditures.

We intend to pay a minimum quarterly distribution of $         per unit per quarter, which equates to an aggregate distribution of approximately $         million per quarter, or approximately $         million per year, based on the number of common units and subordinated units to be outstanding immediately after completion of this offering. We do not have a legal or contractual obligation to pay distributions quarterly or on any other basis at our minimum quarterly distribution rate or at any other rate. Please read “Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions.”

Revolving Credit Facility

In connection with the completion of this offering, we intend to enter into a new $350 million revolving credit facility, with a five year maturity. The new revolving credit facility will include a letter of credit sublimit of up to $100 million for issuances of letters of credit. We expect the borrowing capacity on our revolving credit facility may be increased by an additional $350 million subject to certain conditions including compliance with the covenants contained in our credit agreement and requisite commitments from existing or new lenders. Our new revolving credit facility will be available to fund working capital and to finance acquisitions and other capital expenditures.

The borrower under the new revolving credit facility will be Noble Midstream Services, LLC and all obligations of the borrower under the new revolving credit facility will be guaranteed by the Partnership and all wholly-owned material subsidiaries of the Partnership. The guarantees may be released in the future upon the occurrence of certain events including the Partnership or the borrower receiving an investment grade debt rating or the Partnership maintaining a four-quarter consolidated EBITDA in excess of $250 million for four consecutive quarters.

 

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Borrowings under our revolving credit facility will bear interest at a rate equal to an applicable margin plus, at our option, either (a) in the case of base rate borrowings, a rate equal to the highest of (1) the prime rate, (2) the federal funds rate plus 0.5% and (3) the LIBOR for an interest period of one month plus 1.00% or (b) in the case of LIBOR borrowings, the offered rate per annum for deposits of dollars for the applicable interest period. LIBOR and the applicable margin will be defined in the credit agreement that evidences our new revolving credit facility. We expect the unused portion of the revolving credit facility will be subject to a commitment fee.

We expect that the closing of the new revolving credit facility will be subject to customary closing conditions, include the closing of this offering. The new revolving credit facility will also contain customary affirmative and negative covenants and events of default relating to the borrower, the Partnership and their respective subsidiaries. We expect these to include, among other things, limitations on the incurrence of indebtedness and liens, the making of investments, the sale of assets, transactions with affiliates, merging or consolidating with another company and the making of restricted payments. We expect that the new revolving credit facility will contain specific provisions limiting the borrower and the Partnership from engaging in certain business activities and events of default relating to certain changes in control, including Noble ceasing to own and control 51% of the voting interests of our general partner. We expect that dividends and distributions from the borrower and the Partnership will be permitted so long as (1) no event of default exists on the date of the declaration of such divided or distribution or would result from such declaration; (2) the Partnership is in pro-forma compliance with its consolidated leverage ratio under the new credit facility on the date of such declaration; and (3) such dividend or distribution is made within 60 days of such declaration.

In addition, we expect that the new revolving credit facility will require the Partnership to comply with certain financial covenants including (1) a consolidated leverage ratio as of the end of each fiscal quarter of less than or equal to 5.00 to 1.00, except following certain acquisitions the consolidated leverage ratio shall be less than or equal to 5.50 to 1.00 and (2) a consolidated interest coverage ratio of not less than 3.00 to 1.00 as of the end of each fiscal quarter.

Cash Flows

Net cash provided by operating activities, investing activities and financing activities for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 were as follows:

 

     Year Ended
December 31,
    Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
     2014     2013     2015     2014  
($ in thousands)                         

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:

   $ (12,534   $ (6,935   $ 61,004      $ (10,069

Net cash used in investing activities

   $ (79,904   $ (95,586   $ (47,087   $ (60,910

Net cash provided by financing activities:

   $ 92,438      $ 102,521      $ 5,673      $ 70,979   

For the year ended December 31, 2014 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2013:

Net cash used in operating activities increased $5.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to year ended December 31, 2013. The increase was primarily due to the $8.8 million increase in net loss and a $5.4 million increase in deferred tax benefits. This increase was offset, in part, by a $8.2 million increase in depreciation.

Cash used in investing activities decreased due to reduced capital expenditures related to the expansion of our midstream systems. Capital expenditures decreased in 2014 as compared to 2013 due to the completion of the Wells Ranch CGF in the second half of 2013. Our continued investment in midstream infrastructure is in support of Noble’ growing production on our dedicated acreage in the DJ Basin.

Cash provided by financing activities decreased due to a reduction of capital expansion investment by Noble.

 

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For the nine months ended September 30, 2015 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2014:

Net cash provided by operating activities increased by $71.1 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2015 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2014. The increase was primarily due to an increase in net income due to our entry into commercial agreements in January of 2015. This increase was offset, in part, by an increase in accounts receivable.

Cash used in investing activities decreased $13.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2014. Capital spending was higher in 2013 primarily due to oil gathering infrastructure in the East Pony area and the expansion of the Wells Ranch CGF.

Cash provided by financing activities decreased due to a reduction of capital expansion investment by Noble.

Capital Expenditures

The midstream energy business is capital intensive, requiring the maintenance of existing gathering systems and other midstream assets and facilities and the acquisition or construction and development of new gathering systems and other midstream assets and facilities. Our partnership agreement will require that we categorize our capital expenditures as either:

 

   

Maintenance capital expenditures , which are cash expenditures (including expenditures for the construction or development of new capital assets or the replacement, improvement or expansion of existing capital assets) made to maintain, over the long term, our operating capacity and/or operating income. Examples of maintenance capital expenditures are expenditures to repair, refurbish and replace pipelines, to maintain equipment reliability, integrity and safety and to comply with environmental laws and regulations. In addition, we designate a portion of our capital expenditures to connect new wells to maintain gathering throughput as maintenance capital expenditures to the extent such capital expenditures are necessary to maintain, over the long term, our operating capacity, operating income or revenue; or

 

   

Expansion capital expenditures , which are cash expenditures to acquire additional interests in our midstream assets and construct new midstream infrastructure and those expenditures incurred to extend the useful lives of our assets, reduce costs, increase revenues or increase system throughput or capacity from current levels, including well connections that increase existing system throughput. Examples of expansion capital expenditures include the acquisition of additional interests in our midstream assets and the construction, development or acquisition of additional gathering pipelines central gathering facilities, in each case to the extent such capital expenditures are expected to expand our operating capacity, operating income or revenue. In the future, if we make acquisitions that increase system throughput or capacity, the associated capital expenditures may also be considered expansion capital expenditures.

For the year ended December 31, 2014, the total capital expenditures of our Predecessor were $79.2 million on a 100% basis, of which $65.0 million was related to gathering assets and $14.2 million was related to freshwater delivery assets. The gathering asset expenditures were primarily associated with the construction of the Wells Ranch CGF, Wells Ranch gathering system and East Pony crude oil gathering system. Historically, we did not make a distinction between maintenance and expansion capital expenditures. We have estimated, however, that approximately $4.3 million of these capital expenditures were maintenance capital expenditures.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2015, the total capital expenditures of our Predecessor were $46.0 million on a 100% basis, of which $33.4 million was related to gathering assets, and $12.6 million was related to freshwater delivery systems. The gathering asset expenditures were primarily associated with the construction of the East Pony crude oil gathering system and expansion of the Wells Ranch CGF. Historically, we did not make a distinction between maintenance and expansion capital expenditures. We have estimated, however, that approximately $4.3 million of these capital expenditures were maintenance capital expenditures.

 

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We estimate that total capital expenditures attributable to our development companies for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016 will be $123.8 million ($47.8 million net to our ownership interests in our development companies) and $0.1 million attributable to our equity ownership interest in White Cliffs. We estimate that expansion capital expenditures for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016 will be $115.8 million ($42.1 million net to our ownership interests in our development companies and $0.1 million attributable to our equity ownership interest in White Cliffs), primarily relating to gathering pipeline expansions, including new well pad connections, and expansion or construction of additional centralized gathering facilities. We estimate that maintenance capital expenditures will be $8.1 million ($5.7 million net to our ownership interests in our development companies) for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016. Please read “Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions—Significant Forecast Assumptions—Capital Expenditures.”

We anticipate that we will continue to make significant expansion capital expenditures in the future. Consequently, our ability to develop and maintain sources of funds to meet our capital requirements is critical to our ability to meet our growth objectives. We expect that our future expansion capital expenditures will be funded by borrowings under our new revolving credit facility and the issuance of debt and equity securities.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

None.

Critical Accounting Policies

Critical accounting policies are those that are important to our financial condition and require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, and the amount of assets and liabilities as of the date of the combined financial statements. The revenue and expenses for a period could differ significantly due to changes in these judgments or assumptions. We have evaluated the accounting policies used in the preparation of the accompanying combined financial statements of our Predecessor and related notes thereto and believe those policies are reasonable and appropriate.

We apply those accounting policies that we believe best reflect the underlying business and economic events, consistent with GAAP. Our more critical accounting policies include those related to property and equipment and asset retirement obligations. Inherent in such policies are certain key assumptions and estimates. We periodically update the estimates used in the preparation of the financial statements based on our latest assessment of the current and projected business and general economic environment. Our significant accounting policies are summarized in Note 2 to the audited combined financial statements of our Predecessor appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. We believe the following to be our most critical accounting policies applied in the preparation of our Predecessor’s financial statements.

We are an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, or JOBS Act. The JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company may delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have elected not to take advantage of this exemption and, therefore, plan to adopt new or revised accounting standards at the time those standards apply to public companies.

Investments

We account for our investment in partnerships using either the cost method or the equity method. We use the equity method of accounting for investments when we have the ability to exercise significant influence. We define significant influence as the ability to participate as a member of a board of directors or management and/or participate in policy-making processes.

We use the cost method of accounting for investments when we have virtually no ability to influence financial and operating policies.

 

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Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment is recorded at cost upon acquisition. Expenditures which extend the useful lives of existing property, plant and equipment are capitalized.

When properties are retired or otherwise disposed, the related cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the respective accounts and any profit or loss on disposition is recognized as gain or loss. There were no retirements or disposals during the periods presented.

During the carve-out period, certain assets were accounted for under the successful efforts method of accounting within Noble’s integrated operations. Under this method, costs to acquire mineral interests in crude oil and natural gas properties, drill and equip exploratory wells that find proved reserves, and drill and equip development wells are capitalized. Capitalized costs of producing crude oil and natural gas properties, along with support equipment and facilities, are amortized to expense by the unit-of-production method based on proved crude oil, natural gas and NGL reserves on a field-by-field basis, as estimated by Noble’s qualified petroleum engineers. Noble’s policy is to use quarter-end reserves and add back current period production to compute quarterly depreciation, depletion and amortization expense. Costs of certain gathering facilities serving a number of properties are depreciated using the straight-line method over the useful lives of the assets ranging from three to thirty years. Upon sale or retirement of depreciable or depletable property, the cost and related accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization is eliminated from the accounts and the resulting gain or loss is recognized. Repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred.

Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization

Depreciation, depletion and amortization expense totaled $11.3 million for the year ended December 2014, and $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2013. Depreciation, depletion and amortization expense totaled $5.0 million and $8.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The determination of estimated useful lives is a significant element in arriving at the results of operations. If the useful lives of the assets were found to be shorter than originally estimated, depreciation, depletion and amortization charges would be accelerated. Additional information concerning long-lived assets and related depreciation, depletion and amortization appears in Note 4 of the combined audited financial statements of our Predecessor appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

Asset Retirement Obligations

Our asset retirement obligations (ARO) consist of estimated costs of dismantlement, removal, site reclamation and similar activities associated with our infrastructure assets. We recognize the fair value of a liability for an ARO in the period in which it is incurred, when we have an existing legal obligation associated with the retirement of our infrastructure assets and the obligation can reasonably be estimated. The associated asset retirement cost is capitalized as part of the carrying cost of the infrastructure asset. The recognition of an ARO requires that management make numerous estimates, assumptions and judgments regarding such factors as: the existence of a legal obligation for an ARO; estimated probabilities, amounts and timing of settlements; the credit-adjusted risk-free rate to be used; and inflation rates. In periods subsequent to initial measurement of the ARO, we recognize period-to-period changes in the liability resulting from the passage of time and revisions to either the timing or the amount of the original estimate of undiscounted cash flows. Revisions also result in increases or decreases in the carrying cost of the asset. Increases in the ARO liability due to passage of time impact net income as accretion expense. The related capitalized cost, including revisions thereto, is charged to expense through depreciation, depletion and amortization. Asset retirement obligations totaled $2.8 million and $2.7 million at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

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Contractual Obligations

The following table details the future projected payments associated with our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2014.

 

     Payments Due by Year  
     2015      2016-2017      2018-2019      2020 and
Thereafter
     Total  
($ in thousands)                                   

Asset Retirement Obligations

   $   —         $   —         $   —         $ 2,839       $ 2,839   

Surface Lease Obligations (1)

   $ 52       $ 104       $ 104       $ 613       $ 873   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 52       $ 104       $ 104       $ 3,452       $ 3,712   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

  (1) Surface lease obligations represent annual payments to landowners under three surface leases.

Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Commodity Price Risk

We currently generate most of our revenues pursuant to fee-based commercial agreements under which we are paid based on the volumes of crude oil, natural gas and water that we gather and handle, rather than the underlying value of the commodity. Consequently, our existing operations and cash flows have little direct exposure to commodity price risk. Although we intend to enter into similar fee-based gathering agreements with new customers in the future, our efforts to negotiate such terms may not be successful.

We may acquire or develop additional midstream assets in a manner that increases our exposure to commodity price risk. Future exposure to the volatility of crude oil, natural gas and NGL prices could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions to our unitholders.

Interest Rate Risk

In connection with the completion of this offering we expect to enter into a new revolving credit facility. Assuming our average debt level of $21.3 million, comprised of funds drawn on our new revolving credit facility, an increase of one percentage point in the interest rates will result in an increase in annual interest expense of $0.2 million. As a result, our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition and, as a result, our ability to make cash distributions to our unitholders, could be materially adversely affected by significant increases in interest rates.

Seasonality

Demand for crude oil and natural gas generally decreases during the spring and fall months and increases during the summer and winter months. However, seasonal anomalies such as mild winters or mild summers sometimes lessen this fluctuation. In addition, certain crude oil and natural gas users utilize natural gas storage facilities and purchase some of their anticipated winter requirements during the summer. This can also lessen seasonal demand fluctuations. These seasonal anomalies can increase demand for crude oil and natural gas during the summer and winter months and decrease demand for crude oil and natural gas during the spring and fall months. With respect to our completed midstream systems, we do not expect seasonal conditions to have a material impact on our throughput volumes. Severe or prolonged winters may, however, impact our ability to complete additional well connections or construction projects, which may impact the rate of our growth. In addition, severe winter weather may also impact or slow the ability of Noble to execute its drilling and development plan.

 

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INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

General

We provide crude oil, natural gas, and water-related midstream services for Noble. The market we serve, which begins at the source of production and extends through the gathering, processing and treating of hydrocarbons delivering them to takeaway pipelines, is a major component of what is commonly referred to as the “midstream” market.

Crude Oil Midstream Industry

General

The crude oil midstream industry provides the link between the exploration and production of crude oil from the wellhead and the delivery of crude oil to storage facilities, crude oil pipelines and refineries. Companies generate revenues at various links within the midstream value chain by gathering, treating, transporting, storing or marketing crude oil. Our crude oil midstream operations currently focus on the gathering, treating and storage of crude oil. The following diagram illustrates the various components of the midstream value chain:

 

 

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Midstream Services

The services we provide are generally classified into the categories described below.

Gathering . Crude oil gathering assets provide the link between crude oil production gathered at the well site or nearby collection points and crude oil terminals, storage facilities, long-haul crude oil pipelines and refineries. Crude oil gathering assets generally consist of a network of small-diameter pipelines that are connected directly to the well site or central receipt points delivering into large-diameter trunk lines. Pipeline transportation is generally the lowest cost option for transporting crude oil. Competition in the crude oil gathering industry is typically regional and based on proximity to crude oil producers, as well as access to viable delivery points. Overall demand for gathering services in a particular area is generally driven by crude oil producer activity in the area. To the extent there are not enough volumes to justify construction of or connection to a pipeline system, trucking crude oil from a well site to nearby collection points can also be a competitor to crude oil gathering pipeline systems, but is typically not the lowest cost option for transporting crude oil from a producer’s perspective.

 

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Treating . Crude oil treating assets process crude oil to remove basic sediment and water contained in crude oil after production. Crude oil delivery points, including crude oil terminals, storage facilities, long-haul crude oil pipelines and refineries, often have specific requirements for the amount of sediment and water that can be contained in any crude oil delivered to them. If crude oil does not meet their requirements after being gathered, crude oil treating facilities reduce the sediment and water content to acceptable levels. Crude oil is delivered to treating facilities by truck, where the basic sediment and water content of the crude oil is analyzed to determine if a truckload requires treatment prior to delivery into downstream delivery points.

Natural Gas Midstream Industry

General

The natural gas midstream industry provides the link between the exploration and production of natural gas from the wellhead and the delivery of natural gas and its by-products to industrial, commercial and residential end-users. Companies generate revenues at various links within the midstream value chain by gathering, compressing, processing, treating, fractionating, transporting, storing or marketing natural gas and NGLs. Our natural gas midstream operations currently focus on the gathering of natural gas. The following diagram illustrates the various components of the midstream value chain:

 

 

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Midstream Services

The services we provide are generally classified into the categories described below.

Gathering . At the initial stages of the midstream value chain, a network of typically small diameter pipelines known as gathering systems directly connect to wellheads, pad sites or other receipt points in the production area. These gathering systems transport natural gas from the wellhead and other receipt points either to compressor stations, treating and processing plants (if the natural gas is wet) or directly to intrastate or interstate pipelines (if the natural gas is dry).

Gathering systems are typically designed to be highly flexible to provide different levels of service (such as higher or lower pressure) and scalable to allow for additional production and well connections without significant incremental capital expenditures. Gathering systems are operated at pressures that both meet the contractual service requirements and maximize the total throughput from all connected wells. Competition in the natural gas

 

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gathering industry is typically regional and based on proximity to natural gas producers, as well as access to viable treating and processing plants or intrastate and interstate pipelines. Overall demand for gathering services in a particular area is generally driven by natural gas producer activity in the area.

Water Services Industry

Fresh Water Distribution and Storage . Fresh water, when used in the hydraulic fracturing process, is integral to the completion of wells for production. Hydraulic fracturing is a well stimulation process that utilizes large volumes of fresh water and sand (or another proppant) combined with fracturing chemical additives that are pumped at high pressure to crack open previously impenetrable rock and release hydrocarbons. Fresh water refers to water that has been recycled and treated and also to water that has been withdrawn from a river or ground water. Although some larger producers have (or have begun construction of) fresh water systems, many other producers still rely on third-party providers for distribution services. Providers range from independent, dedicated trucking providers to consolidated service companies that provide a full range of oilfield services, including fresh water distribution.

Saltwater Gathering and Transportation . Saltwater accounts for the largest waste stream volume associated with crude oil and natural gas production. Producers often seek to outsource saltwater handling and disposal to third parties in order to preserve capital and engineering time for drilling. Flowback from the hydraulic fracturing process creates additional water volumes that must be disposed of by producers. In the DJ Basin, wells with longer lateral lengths, increased hydraulic fracturing stages and downspacing of well locations have contributed to increased flowback volumes. In addition to disposing of saltwater, our saltwater gathering and transportation assets are capable of recycling saltwater and returning it to our fresh water system for future use.

Market Fundamentals

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, or the EIA, both total energy supply and demand are projected to grow in coming decades. Population is one key determinant of energy consumption through its influence on demand for travel, housing, consumer goods and services. The EIA anticipates the total U.S. population will increase by 20% from 2013 to 2040. The EIA forecasts U.S. energy consumption to increase 9% over the same period. A review of other supply and demand elements follows.

Crude Oil Consumption

Crude oil is a significant component of energy consumption in the United States. According to the EIA, liquid petroleum consumption accounted for approximately 37% of all energy used in the United States in 2013. Global petroleum liquids consumption is expected to grow 33% from 91 million barrels a day in 2013 to 121 million barrels per day by 2040. The following charts illustrate expected growth in petroleum and other liquids consumption.

 

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Global Petroleum Liquids Consumption: 2013-2040

 

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Source: EIA, Annual Energy Outlook 2015 (April 2015).

Forecasts published by the EIA anticipate continued growth in the long-term global demand for crude oil. These forecasts are supported by various factors, including: (i) continued global population growth, which has a significant influence on long-term growth in crude oil demand; (ii) GDP growth for both OECD and non-OECD countries; (iii) increased transportation activity, offset by increased vehicle fuel economy; (iv) increased industrial activity; and (v) the emergence of low-cost tight crude oil shale developments.

Crude Oil Production

Onshore Unconventional Production

Unconventional basins in the United States and Canada are rapidly changing the crude oil market dynamics in North America. The growth in crude oil production across North America is being driven by new technologies, such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, which are unlocking vast quantities of crude oil and natural gas reserves. According to the EIA, North American onshore production grew at an annual rate of approximately 20% from 2010 to 2013 and is expected to grow at an annual rate of approximately 5% from 2013 to 2020. From 2010 to 2013, tight oil production grew at an annual rate of approximately 57% and is expected to grow at an annual rate of approximately 9% from 2013 to 2020.

 

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The chart below depicts the estimated increase in North American onshore crude oil production through 2020.

U.S. Lower 48 Onshore Crude Production: 2010-2020

 

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Source: EIA, Annual Energy Outlook 2015 (April 2015).

* Compound Annual Growth Rate

Crude Oil Prices

Average annual U.S. crude oil prices have decreased significantly over the past year as a result of the availability of abundant domestic resources and the application of improved production technologies. Over the past two years, growth in U.S. crude oil production, along with the late-2014 drop in global crude oil prices, has altered the economics of the crude oil market. Nonetheless, the EIA projects that the average WTI crude oil spot price will increase through 2040, as growing demand leads to the development of more costly resources.

WTI Spot Crude Oil Price ($ per Bbl)

 

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Source: EIA, Annual Energy Outlook 2015 (April 2015).

 

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The EIA’s projection of crude oil prices depends on many factors, including macroeconomic growth rates, changes in worldwide demand for petroleum products, crude oil production, and supplies of other liquid fuels. After 2018, growth in demand from non-OECD countries pushes the WTI price to $136/bbl in 2040 (in 2013 dollars). The increase in crude oil prices supports growth in domestic crude oil production.

Natural Gas Consumption

Natural gas is a significant component of energy consumption in the United States. According to the EIA, natural gas consumption accounted for approximately 28% of all energy used in the United States in 2013. Natural gas consumption is expected to grow 13% from 26.9 quadrillion BTU in 2013 to 30.5 quadrillion BTU by 2040. The following charts illustrate expected energy consumption by fuel source in 2040 as compared to 2013.

Forecasts published by the EIA anticipate continued growth in the long-term domestic demand for natural gas. These forecasts are supported by various factors, including (i) expectations of continued growth in the U.S. gross domestic product, which has a significant influence on long-term growth in natural gas demand; (ii) an increased likelihood that regulatory and legislative initiatives regarding domestic carbon policy will drive greater demand for cleaner burning fuels such as natural gas; (iii) increased acceptance of the view that natural gas is a clean and abundant domestic fuel source that can lead to greater energy independence of the United States by reducing its dependence on imported petroleum; (iv) the emergence of low-cost natural gas shale developments; and (v) continued growth in electricity generation from intermittent renewable energy sources, primarily wind and solar energy, for which natural-gas fired generation is a logical back-up power supply source.

The majority of fuel switching is occurring in electric power generation where coal-fired plants are being replaced with cleaner burning fuel sources. However, as a result of more rapid increases in generation from natural gas and renewable fuels, coal’s share of the total U.S. generation mix is projected to fall from 39% to 34% from 2013 to 2040. Over the same period, the share of U.S. generation from natural gas is projected to increase from 27% in 2013 to 31% in 2040.

U.S. Electricity Generation by Fuel Source: 2000-2040

 

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Source: EIA, Annual Energy Outlook 2015 (April 2015).

In addition to increasing domestic consumption, domestic natural gas consumers will also compete for supply with foreign natural gas consumers. According to the EIA, the United States is expected to become an overall net exporter of natural gas in 2017. This shift from being a net importer of natural gas to a net exporter of

 

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natural gas is driven by the increased use of LNG in markets outside of North America, strong domestic production, and relatively low U.S. natural gas prices in comparison with other global markets. The following chart illustrates the trend of overall domestic natural gas net imports shifting to net exports by 2017.

U.S. Net Imports of Natural Gas: 2005-2040

 

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Source: EIA, Annual Energy Outlook 2015 (April 2015).

Natural Gas Production

In response to increased domestic energy consumption, total domestic energy production is projected to grow significantly over the next 25 years. The EIA estimates that total U.S. energy production will increase by 29%, from 82.7 to 106.6 quadrillion Btu, and natural gas production will increase by 45%, from 25.1 to 36.4 quadrillion Btu, between 2013 and 2040. The chart below shows the total production for fuel sources through 2040.

Energy Production by Domestic Fuel Source: 2013-2040

 

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Source: EIA, Annual Energy Outlook 2015 (April 2015).

 

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Domestic natural gas consumption today is satisfied primarily by production from conventional and unconventional onshore and offshore production in the lower 48 states, and is supplemented by production from historically declining pipeline imports from Canada, imports of LNG from foreign sources and some Alaska production. In order to maintain current levels of U.S. natural gas supply and to meet the projected increase in demand, new sources of domestic natural gas must continue to be developed to offset natural depletion associated with existing production.

Over the past several years, a fundamental shift in production has emerged with the contribution of natural gas from shale increasing from 8.1% of total U.S. natural gas gross withdrawals in 2007 to 39.6% in 2013. According to the EIA, during the four-year period from 2009 through 2013, domestic natural gas marketed production increased by 4.4% per annum, largely due to continued development of shale resources. The emergence of shale plays has resulted primarily from advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies, which have allowed producers to extract significant volumes of natural gas from these plays at cost-advantaged per unit economics versus most conventional plays.

As the depletion of conventional onshore and offshore resources continues, natural gas from unconventional resource plays is forecasted to fill the void and continue to gain market share from higher-cost sources of natural gas. As shown in the graphic below, natural gas production from the major shale formations is forecast to provide the majority of the growth in domestically produced natural gas supply, increasing to approximately 55% in 2040 as compared with 46% in 2013. The increase in natural gas production from 2013 to 2040 results primarily from continued exploration and development of shale gas resources. Shale gas is the largest contributor to production growth, while production from tight sands, coalbed methane deposits and offshore waters remains relatively stable.

U.S. Natural Gas Production by Source: 2013-2040

 

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Source: EIA, Annual Energy Outlook 2015 (April 2015).

The abundance of natural gas shale production as well as the divergence between U.S. domestic and international prices for natural gas has caused a renewed interest in exporting domestic natural gas through LNG export terminals. While these projects take many years to develop, some domestic producers and foreign consumers view them as attractive opportunities to improve their respective economics and provide for an alternative source of demand for natural gas.

 

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Natural Gas Prices

Average annual U.S. natural gas prices have remained relatively low over the past several years as a result of the availability of abundant domestic resources and the application of improved production technologies. Nonetheless, the EIA projects that growth in demand for natural gas, largely from the electric power and industrial sectors, exports to Mexico and demand for liquefied natural gas exports, will result in upward pressure on prices through 2040.

Henry Hub Spot Natural Gas Price ($ per million BTU)

 

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Source: EIA, Annual Energy Outlook 2015 (April 2015).

The EIA’s projection of natural gas prices depends on many factors, including macroeconomic growth rates and expected rates of resource recovery from natural gas wells. Higher rates of economic growth are expected to lead to increased consumption of natural gas, primarily in response to their effects on housing starts, commercial floor space and industrial output. Furthermore, the rate of resource recovery from crude oil and natural gas wells is expected to have a direct impact on the cost per unit of production and, in turn, prices.

The development of shale gas resources are expected to spur growth in natural gas production, with producers seeing higher prices as a result of growing demand, especially from both the industrial and electricity generation sectors. Growing LNG exports also support higher natural gas prices in the projection period. U.S. pipeline exports of natural gas—most flowing south to Mexico—have grown substantially since 2010 and are projected to continue increasing through 2040. According to the EIA, the United States will become a net exporter of natural gas in 2017, driven by LNG exports, increased pipeline exports to Mexico and reduced imports from Canada.

 

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Overview of the DJ Basin

General

Since the implementation of horizontal drilling technology, the DJ Basin has become recognized as a premier U.S. liquids resource play. As Noble’s largest onshore field by proved reserves, average daily production and wells drilled, the DJ Basin was a key driver of Noble’s increase in production and cash flows through 2014.

The DJ Basin is a structural basin located in eastern Colorado, southeastern Wyoming, western Kansas, and the Nebraska Panhandle and covers an area of more than 42,000 square miles. The basin has a long history of crude oil and natural gas exploration and production, predominantly from an area described as the Wattenberg field. According to the EIA, the Wattenberg Field is the fourth largest producing crude oil field and ninth largest producing natural gas field in the United States by 2013 estimated production. While historically a natural gas-focused field, the Wattenberg is also known for its high liquids content, evidenced by the significant growth in crude oil production from the Niobrara and Codell shale formations. The Niobrara Shale formation is situated in portions of Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Kansas as shown below.

DJ Basin

 

 

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Source: EIA.

 

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The DJ Basin has experienced a significant ramp in activity since 2012. As depicted below, monthly crude oil and natural gas production in Weld County, Colorado, increased 157% from January 2012 to March 2015.

Historical Weld County Monthly Crude Oil & Natural Gas Production: January 2012—March 2015

 

 

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Source: Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission.

History

The history of crude oil and natural gas production in the DJ Basin dates back to the first discovery that occurred in 1865 at the Florence Field. The first commercial discovery was made in 1901 at the Boulder Field with production coming from the Codell sandstone. Later, in 1919, the Beecher Island Field began producing natural gas from the Niobrara Chalk. Other large DJ Basin discoveries include the Wellington Field, discovered in 1923, and the Greasewood Field, discovered in 1930. In 1970, the Wattenberg Field was discovered with production coming from the Muddy/J Sandstone.

Geology

The Niobrara formation is uniformly present across the entire DJ Basin with an average depth of approximately 7,200 feet in the core Wattenberg Field. The formation consists of chalky benches created from skeletal debris of planktonic organisms deposited in a shallow marine environment. The Niobrara A, B and C benches serve as a source rock that generates crude oil and natural gas. Including the Codell formation, which is located just below the Niobrara benches, the crude oil and natural gas saturated interval ranges from 300 to 350 feet thick. The Niobrara’s shale and chalk intervals are characterized by high density porosity of 10% to 14% and low permeability. The formation has a high storage capacity for hydrocarbons and requires multiple wells per section to adequately drain the recoverable crude oil and natural gas, leading operators to test tighter well spacing. The Codell formation is considered to be a part of the same petroleum system as the Niobrara and has an average depth of approximately 7,300 feet.

 

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BUSINESS

Overview

We are a growth-oriented Delaware master limited partnership recently formed by our sponsor, Noble, to own, operate, develop and acquire a wide range of domestic midstream infrastructure assets. We currently provide crude oil, natural gas, and water-related midstream services for Noble through long-term, fixed-fee contracts. Our operating assets are currently focused in the DJ Basin in Colorado, one of the premier liquid hydrocarbon basins in the United States. Noble intends for us to become its primary vehicle for domestic midstream operations that have not previously been dedicated to other ventures. We believe that our diverse midstream infrastructure assets and our relationship with Noble position us as a leading midstream service provider.

We have entered into multiple fee-based commercial agreements with Noble, each with an initial term of 15 years, utilizing our infrastructure assets to provide an array of services critical to Noble’s upstream operations. Our agreements include substantial acreage dedications. See “—Our Acreage Dedication.” These long-term, fee-based commercial agreements are intended to mitigate our direct commodity price exposure and enhance the stability of our cash flows. In the future, we intend to seek similar commercial arrangements with unaffiliated third parties.

Noble is one of the largest producers of hydrocarbons in the DJ Basin, where it produced, on average, 101 MBoe/d of crude oil, condensate, natural gas and NGLs during 2014, with 66% of such volumes being crude oil and NGLs. Noble’s sales volumes in the DJ Basin increased to 116 MBoe/d in the three months ended September 30, 2015, with 67% of such volumes being crude oil and NGLs. For the three months ended March 31, 2015, June 30, 2015 and September 30, 2015, we provided crude oil and natural gas gathering services with respect to an average of approximately 31 MBoe/d, 40 MBoe/d and 47 MBoe/d, respectively.

Noble commenced horizontal drilling in the DJ Basin in 2010 in order to increase recoveries of liquid-rich hydrocarbons. This shift to a horizontal drilling program has created an opportunity for more efficient gathering of crude oil, natural gas, NGLs and water, which is the core of our business. Noble is testing a number of drilling and completion techniques to increase efficiencies and ultimate recovery while enhancing the overall value of its DJ Basin position. Noble accelerated its extended reach lateral well program to approximately 32% of wells drilled in 2014. During the year ended December 31, 2014, Noble spud 303 horizontal wells, of which 96 were extended reach lateral wells, and 310 wells initiated production. Since January 2010, Noble has spud over 1,020 horizontal wells, covering over four million lateral feet.

The table below shows Noble’s DJ Basin drilling activities for the periods presented.

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
     2012      2013      2014  

Number of horizontal wells spud

     193         285         303   

Approximate average lateral feet per horizontal well

     4,200         4,400         5,600   

 

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The graph below shows Noble’s DJ Basin horizontal production and drilling activity from January 1, 2010 through September 30, 2015, and demonstrates the impact that the horizontal drilling program has had on Noble’s DJ Basin production. A number of factors impact Noble’s production and drilling activity, including the number of drilling rigs that Noble operates on its acreage. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business.”

 

 

LOGO

Our Existing Assets

We operate and own interests in crude oil gathering pipelines, crude oil treating facilities, natural gas gathering pipelines and a CGF. In addition, we provide Noble with water-related services that are critical to Noble’s upstream operations, including the storage and distribution of fresh water for use in drilling and completion operations and collecting, cleaning, recycling and disposing of saltwater, through our interests in pipelines and facilities (or under contracts with third parties). The majority of our current facilities are located in two areas of Weld County, Colorado, that we refer to as the Wells Ranch IDP and the East Pony IDP. Each IDP area consists of a large block of Noble’s contiguous acreage, allowing us to build and operate midstream infrastructure that we believe is more efficient in terms of capital invested per mile of pipe and service provided. Noble develops the IDP areas through a comprehensive design for well pad facilities that support horizontal drilling allowing us to efficiently gather production and provide other related midstream services to these areas with reduced truck traffic, emissions and overall surface footprint.

To effectively manage our growth, capital expenditure requirements and balance sheet, we have divided our initial assets and those that we expect to develop in the future between two categories, which we refer to as our “Core Assets” and “Growth Assets,” based on their current expected cash flows, growth profiles, capital expenditure requirements and the expected timing of their development.

Core Assets

Our Core Assets include the assets that generate substantially all of our current cash flows. We expect these assets to be key contributors to our growth as Noble continues to increase its production in the DJ Basin through the execution of its horizontal drilling plan. Except for our interest in White Cliffs LLC described below, all of our Core Assets are owned by the Colorado River DevCo LP, in which we own an initial 75% controlling interest.

 

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Our Core Assets include gathering systems in the Wells Ranch IDP that collect crude oil, natural gas and saltwater from facilities located at or near the wellhead and provide gathering to the Wells Ranch CGF or other delivery points within the IDP area. At the Wells Ranch CGF, we provide certain integral services, including separation, treatment, cleaning and storage of the incoming liquid stream into pipeline-quality crude oil and saltwater suitable for disposal or recycling operations. At the tailgate of the Wells Ranch CGF, we deliver the hydrocarbons to a third party for additional transportation, gathering and processing and we collect and clean the saltwater and prepare it for treating, recycling and disposal, with a portion of this water returning to our fresh water system after recycling. We expect these systems and others that we may develop in other IDP areas in the future will continue to provide us and Noble many benefits, including increased capital and operating efficiencies. Our Core Assets servicing the Wells Ranch IDP include:

 

   

approximately 25 miles of liquids pipelines that carry both crude oil and saltwater servicing the Wells Ranch IDP, which had, during the nine months ended September 30, 2015:

 

  o average daily throughput of approximately 15,000 Bbl/d of crude oil; and

 

  o average daily throughput of approximately 4,000 Bbl/d of saltwater;

 

   

approximately 30 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines servicing the Wells Ranch IDP, which had average daily throughput of approximately 64,100 Mcf/d during the nine months ended September 30, 2015;

 

   

storage capacity for up to 96,000 Bbls of crude oil and 32,000 Bbls of saltwater at the Wells Ranch CGF as of September 30, 2015;

 

   

approximately 20 miles of fresh water pipelines servicing the Wells Ranch IDP that delivered an average of approximately 18,000 Bbl/d of fresh water during the nine months ended September 30, 2015; and

 

   

a fresh water storage system servicing the Wells Ranch IDP, which had a storage capacity of approximately 500,000 Bbls of fresh water as of September 30, 2015.

In addition to our assets servicing the Wells Ranch IDP, we operate the following Core Assets:

 

   

approximately 15 miles of crude oil gathering pipelines servicing the East Pony IDP, which came online in March 2015 and which had average daily throughput of approximately 22,000 Bbl/d of crude oil during the three months ended September 30, 2015;

 

   

the Briggsdale and Platteville crude oil treating facilities, which have an annual operating capacity of 2,740,000 Bbls and 1,825,000 Bbls, respectively.

In addition, our Core Assets include ownership of a 3.33% ownership interest in White Cliffs LLC. White Cliffs LLC owns the White Cliffs Pipeline, a crude oil transportation pipeline system consisting of two 527-mile parallel pipelines that transport crude oil from Platteville, Colorado, in the DJ Basin to Cushing, Oklahoma. Our ownership interest entitles us to distributions based on our pro rata share of monthly net cash flow generated by the operation of the White Cliffs Pipeline, which is managed and operated by Rose Rock Midstream, L.P. and its affiliates. The White Cliffs Pipeline has a current capacity of approximately 150,000 Bbl/d of crude oil and is undergoing an expansion to increase the pipeline’s crude oil capacity to approximately 215,000 Bbl/d in late 2015.

Growth Assets

Our Growth Assets are held by four development companies in which we own initial controlling interests ranging from 5% to 10%. We believe this tiered ownership structure will allow us to maintain flexibility to adjust to Noble’s development decisions. Our Growth Assets include:

 

   

the San Juan River DevCo LP’s assets, which are located in the East Pony IDP and consist of rights-of-way and surface rights for produced water facilities and fresh water systems consisting of approximately 10 miles of pipelines and a storage capacity of approximately 550,000 Bbls of water as of September 30, 2015 and an average daily throughput of approximately 21,300 Bbl/d during the nine months ended September 30, 2015, and a dedication from Noble for all water services in the East Pony IDP;

 

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the Green River DevCo LP’s assets, which are located in the Mustang IDP and consist of rights-of-way and surface rights on which we are constructing fresh water systems and on which we plan to construct crude oil, natural gas and additional water infrastructure and a dedication from Noble covering Noble’s acreage in the Mustang IDP pursuant to which we are entitled to provide crude oil and natural gas gathering services and water services.

 

   

crude oil gathering and water services dedications held by the Laramie River DevCo LP;

 

   

crude oil gathering and water services dedications held by the Gunnison River DevCo LP;

The following table provides a summary of our assets, services and dedicated net acreage (as of September 30, 2015) along with our ownership of these assets as of the closing of this offering.

 

    

Area Served

  

NBLX Dedicated Service

  

Approximate

Dedicated Net
Acreage

   NBLX
Ownership
Interest
Core Assets (1)   

Wells Ranch IDP

 

  

•     Crude Oil Gathering

•     Natural Gas Gathering

•     Water Services

 

  

65,000

 

   75%

 

  

East Pony IDP

 

All Noble DJ Basin Acreage

  

•     Crude Oil Gathering

 

•     Crude Oil Treating

  

40,000

 

N/A (2)

  
Growth Assets   

Mustang IDP (3)

 

  

•     Crude Oil Gathering

•     Natural Gas Gathering

•     Water Services

 

  

80,000

 

   10%

 

  

Greeley Crescent IDP (3)

 

  

•     Crude Oil Gathering

•     Water Services

 

  

65,000

 

   5%

 

  

Bronco IDP (3)

 

  

•     Crude Oil Gathering

•     Water Services

 

  

50,000

 

   5%

 

  

East Pony IDP

 

  

•     Water Services

 

  

40,000

 

   5%

 

 

(1) Our Core Assets also include a 3.33% ownership interest in White Cliffs LLC, which is not held through a development company.
(2) The fee for crude oil treating services is not acreage based. We receive a monthly fee for each Noble-operated well producing in paying quantities in the DJ Basin that is not connected to our crude oil gathering systems during each month, which was 5,000 wells as of September 30, 2015.
(3) We currently have limited midstream infrastructure assets in the Mustang IDP and no midstream infrastructure assets in the Greeley Crescent IDP and Bronco IDP. Our assets in these IDP areas currently consist primarily of dedications to us from Noble for future production in these IDP areas. In the Mustang IDP, we also own certain rights-of-way and surface rights. See “—Our Existing Assets.”

 

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Business Strategies

Our principal business objectives are to generate stable cash flows and increase the quarterly cash distributions that we pay to our unitholders over time while ensuring the ongoing stability of our business by providing outstanding service to our upstream customers. We expect to achieve these objectives through the following business strategies:

 

   

Acting as the primary provider of midstream services in Noble’s dedicated areas . Our midstream infrastructure currently serves Noble’s production on its substantial acreage in the DJ Basin, from which Noble produced an average of 116 MBoe/d of crude oil, condensate, natural gas and NGLs during the second quarter of 2015. For the three months ended March 31, 2015, June 30, 2015 and September 30, 2015, we provided crude oil and natural gas gathering services with respect to an average of approximately 31 MBoe/d, 40 MBoe/d and 47 MBoe/d, respectively. Noble has dedicated, until 2030, certain midstream services to us on its substantial acreage position in the DJ Basin. See “—Our Acreage Dedication.” We expect Noble’s production volumes to grow from its future horizontal drilling activities, which we anticipate will help us maintain and grow throughput on our crude oil, natural gas and saltwater midstream infrastructure and increase demand for our fresh water services. We are strategically positioned to expand our delivery of midstream services within the areas dedicated to us as Noble executes on its drilling and development plans.

 

   

Pursuing accretive acquisitions from Noble and third parties . After this offering, Noble will be the sole owner of our general partner and will own a     % limited partner interest in us, consisting of          common units and all of our subordinated units and incentive distribution rights and its retained non-controlling interests in our Core Assets and Growth Assets. Noble has granted us a ROFO on its retained interests in the development companies that hold our assets. In addition, Noble has granted us a ROFR on certain midstream assets located onshore in the United States (other than in the Marcellus Shale) that it retains, acquires or develops in the future to the extent such assets are not subject to a third party purchase right. We expect Noble to be strongly incentivized to help us grow our business, including by offering us the opportunity to acquire midstream assets it has retained, develops or acquires in the future and elects to sell. In addition, we expect to identify and pursue accretive third-party acquisitions.

 

   

Attracting third-party business . In addition to being an integral provider of midstream services for Noble’s production in the DJ Basin, we intend to market our services to, and pursue strategic relationships with, third-party producers over the long term. We believe that our portfolio of assets and our execution and operational capabilities will position us favorably to compete for third-party production both inside and outside the DJ Basin. In addition, we believe that our assets, which are currently located on Noble’s substantial acreage position in the DJ Basin, are strategically located to take advantage of opportunities to provide midstream services to third parties in the DJ Basin. However, we do not know when or if such relationships with third-party producers will develop.

 

   

Focusing on stable, fixed-fee arrangements to mitigate our direct commodity price exposure and enhance the stability of our cash flows . Our commercial agreements with Noble are structured as long-term, fixed-fee arrangements, and we intend to continue to pursue additional long-term, fixed-fee arrangements with Noble and third parties. We will pursue additional long-term commitments from customers, which may include throughput-based charges, reservation-based charges, or acreage dedications. None of our existing commercial agreements contain minimum volume commitments.

Competitive Strengths

We believe we are well-positioned to successfully execute our business strategies because of the following competitive strengths:

 

   

Strategic relationship with Noble . We have a strategic relationship with Noble, one of the leading producers of crude oil, condensate, natural gas and NGLs in the DJ Basin and North America. As the owner of our general partner, all of our incentive distribution rights, a     % limited partner interest in us

 

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and its retained, non-controlling interests in the development companies that hold our assets, we believe Noble will be incentivized to promote and support our business plan and to pursue projects that enhance the overall value of our business. Through our long-term commercial agreements with Noble, we have a well-capitalized, investment grade commercial counterparty initially responsible for all of our revenues. In addition, Noble has granted us substantial dedications on its DJ Basin acreage for the midstream services we currently perform as well as a ROFO on its retained interests in the development companies that hold our assets and a ROFR on certain midstream assets and on the right to provide certain midstream services on acreage located onshore in the United States (other than in the Marcellus Shale) that it retains, acquires or develops in the future. See “Business—Our Acreage Dedication” and “Business—Right of First Refusal on Assets and Services.” We believe that our relationship with Noble will provide us with a stable base of cash flows and significant growth opportunities.

 

   

Strategically located assets . Our initial midstream infrastructure assets are located on and around Noble’s significant, contiguous acreage in the DJ Basin and serve Noble’s current and future production on this acreage. Noble commenced operations in Weld County, Colorado, in 2005 and currently holds one of the largest acreage positions in the DJ Basin. The DJ Basin has been the focus of extensive industry activity over the last several years, and we expect producers to continue to invest substantial capital to develop crude oil and natural gas production in this region, which will in turn require substantial investment in midstream infrastructure. We also expect the use of integrated development plans to help us manage capital expenditures because Noble’s development under these plans is intended to centrally locate production and midstream infrastructure rather than replicate services and infrastructure at each wellhead, which will allow us to efficiently gather Noble’s production from centralized wellhead equipment. In addition, Noble’s strategic, contiguous acreage provides us an opportunity to deliver fresh water in connection with well completion activities and collect, clean, recycle and dispose of saltwater. We believe that our existing footprint, coupled with Noble’s dedications, positions us to capitalize on midstream growth opportunities on and around Noble’s contiguous DJ Basin acreage.

 

   

Long-term, fixed-fee contracts to support cash flows . We service Noble’s liquids-rich production in the DJ Basin pursuant to long-term, fixed-fee contracts. For the twelve months ended September 30, 2015, Noble represented all of our gathering volumes. We have secured dedications from Noble under which we will provide our crude oil, natural gas and water services pursuant to 15-year, fixed-fee contracts. We believe that Noble’s horizontal drilling activity and potential new third-party customers will drive the stable growth of our midstream operations. Our contract structure mitigates our direct exposure to commodity price risk contributing to long-term cash flow stability.

 

   

Financial flexibility and strong capital structure . At the closing of this offering, we expect to have $350 million of availability under our new, undrawn revolving credit facility, which can be increased by an additional $350 million as long as we are in compliance with the covenants contained in our credit agreement and subject to requisite commitments from existing and new lenders. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Capital Resources and Liquidity—Revolving Credit Facility.” We believe that our available borrowing capacity and our expected ability to access debt and equity capital markets provide us with the financial flexibility necessary to execute our business strategy.

 

   

Experienced management and operating teams . Our executive management team has an average of over 21 years of experience in designing, acquiring, building, operating, financing and otherwise managing large-scale midstream and other energy assets. In addition, through our omnibus services agreement with Noble, we employ engineering, construction and operations teams that have significant experience in designing, constructing and operating large scale midstream and other energy assets.

 

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Noble Energy, Inc.

Overview

Noble is a global independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company, with total proved reserves of 1.7 billion Boe at year-end 2014 (pro forma for the acquisition of Rosetta Resources Inc.). Noble’s diverse resource base includes positions in four premier unconventional U.S. onshore plays—the DJ Basin, Marcellus Shale, Eagle Ford Shale and Permian Basin—and offshore in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Eastern Mediterranean and West Africa. Noble is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “NBL” and had a market capitalization of approximately $16.5 billion as of December 31, 2014.

Noble is one of the largest producers of liquids in the DJ Basin, where it produced, on average, 101 MBoe/d of crude oil, condensate, natural gas and NGLs during 2014, with 66% of such volumes being crude oil and NGLs. Noble’s sales volumes in the DJ Basin increased to 116 MBoe/d in the three months ended September 30, 2015, with 67% of such volumes being crude oil and NGLs.

Noble continually evaluates strategic additions to its reserves in North America. On July 20, 2015, Noble acquired approximately 50,000 net acres in the Eagle Ford Shale in south Texas and 54,000 net acres in the Permian Basin in west Texas (45,000 net acres in the Delaware Basin and 9,000 net acres in the Midland Basin) in connection with its acquisition of Rosetta Resources Inc. Noble has identified in excess of 1,800 gross horizontal drilling locations for development in this newly acquired acreage.

Our Relationship with Noble

One of our principal strengths is our relationship with Noble. In connection with the completion of this offering, we will (i) issue             common units and             subordinated units to Noble, representing an aggregate     % limited partner interest in us (or an aggregate     % limited partner interest in us if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units), (ii) issue a non-economic general partner interest in us to our general partner and issue all of our incentive distribution rights to Noble and (iii) use the net proceeds from this offering to make a distribution of approximately $         million to Noble. Please read “Prospectus Summary—The Offering,” “Use of Proceeds,” “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Distributions and Payments to Our General Partner and Its Affiliates.”

Given Noble’s significant ownership interest in us following this offering and its intent to use us as its primary domestic midstream service provider in areas that have not previously been dedicated to other ventures, we believe that Noble will be incentivized to promote and support the successful execution of our business strategies; however, we can provide no assurances that we will benefit from our relationship with Noble. While our relationship with Noble is a significant strength, it is also a source of potential risks and conflicts. Please read “Risk Factors—Risks Inherent in an Investment in Us” and “Conflicts of Interest and Duties.”

 

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Our Midstream Operations

Areas of Operation

 

 

LOGO

Substantially all of our operating assets are located in Weld County in northern Colorado. The majority of our assets are strategically located to service Noble’s production from the Wells Ranch IDP and East Pony IDP. In addition, Noble has dedicated future production from the Mustang IDP, Greeley Crescent IDP and Bronco IDP to us for the provision of certain midstream services. In the aggregate, these IDP areas cover approximately 300,000 net acres. As of September 30, 2015, approximately $260 million has been invested in the infrastructure that we operate.

Wells Ranch . The Wells Ranch IDP describes an area in Weld County, Colorado, that includes approximately 65,000 net acres operated by Noble. Noble has dedicated this acreage to us for crude oil services, certain natural gas gathering services and water services. Our assets that service the Wells Ranch IDP include crude oil, natural gas, fresh water and saltwater infrastructure. The gathering systems servicing this area are connected to the Wells Ranch CGF, which is located in the northern portion of the Wells Ranch IDP. Our fresh water distribution systems collect fresh water from multiple sources, store the water, and deliver water on demand to hydraulic fracturing operations.

 

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East Pony . The East Pony IDP describes an area in Weld County, Colorado, that includes approximately 40,000 net acres operated by Noble. Noble has dedicated this acreage to us for crude oil gathering and water services. Our assets that service the East Pony IDP include crude oil gathering systems and a fresh water system.

Mustang . The Mustang IDP describes an area in Weld County, Colorado, that includes approximately 80,000 net acres operated by Noble. We will hold surface rights and rights-of-way in this area that will permit crude oil gathering, certain natural gas gathering services and water services. We anticipate commencing construction of crude oil gathering pipelines, fresh water systems, natural gas gathering pipelines, saltwater gathering lines, and other water infrastructure in this area if and when Noble begins production in this area.

Greeley Crescent . The Greeley Crescent IDP describes an area in Weld County, Colorado, that includes approximately 65,000 net acres operated by Noble. Noble has dedicated this acreage to us for crude oil gathering and water services.

Bronco . The Bronco IDP describes an area in Weld County, Colorado, that includes approximately 50,000 net acres operated by Noble. Noble has dedicated this acreage to us for crude oil gathering and water services.

Additional DJ Basin Services . The two crude oil treating facilities, further described below, are located in or near IDP areas. As these facilities treat crude oil that is trucked to them, these facilities serve vertical and horizontal wells throughout the DJ Basin.

 

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Midstream Infrastructure Assets

Crude Oil Gathering and Treating

 

LOGO

 

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Our crude oil gathering systems include approximately 40 miles of pipeline, 25 miles of which service the Wells Ranch IDP. Our crude oil gathering assets also include 96,000 Bbls of storage capacity at the Wells Ranch CGF. The 25-mile pipeline in the Wells Ranch IDP is a shared crude oil and saltwater gathering pipeline.

The Wells Ranch CGF separates the incoming liquid stream into pipeline-quality crude oil and saltwater suitable for disposal or recycling operations. The liquids entering the Wells Ranch CGF from the liquid gathering pipelines are a mixture of crude oil, saltwater and a small quantity of natural gas. The liquids are separated in the Wells Ranch CGF. Crude oil is sent to the crude oil storage tanks and saltwater are further cleaned and sent to the saltwater storage tanks. The Wells Ranch CGF has the capacity to store up to 96,000 Bbls of crude oil. At the Wells Ranch CGF, we are able to recover gas vapors from the crude oil and deliver this natural gas to Noble for delivery to downstream third parties.

 

LOGO

 

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To service the East Pony IDP, we gather crude oil meeting pipeline specifications and deliver it through approximately 15 miles of pipeline directly into the northern extension of the Wattenberg Oil Trunkline and the Northeast Colorado Lateral of the Pony Express Pipeline. Crude oil gathering of production from the East Pony IDP is subject to FERC jurisdiction. See “—Regulation of Operations.” We began gathering crude oil in our system in March 2015.

 

LOGO

The table below sets forth our crude oil gathering operations as of and for the dates indicated.

 

     Year Ended
December 31, 2014
    Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2015
    As of
September 30, 2015
 
         Horizontal Wells  
     Throughput
Capacity
(Bbl/d)
    Average
Daily
Throughput
(Bbl/d)
    Throughput
Capacity
(Bbl/d)
    Average
Daily
Throughput
(Bbl/d)
    Number of
Wells
     Approx.
Average
Lateral Feet
per Well
 

Wells Ranch IDP

     45,000        16,400        45,000        15,000        289         5,100   

East Pony IDP

     —   (1)       —   (1)       85,000 (1)       22,000 (1)       150         4,600   

 

(1) Reflects average daily throughput for the three months ended September 30, 2015. The crude oil gathering infrastructure servicing the East Pony IDP was placed into service on March 12, 2015.

 

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We also operate two crude oil treating facilities, the Platteville and the Briggsdale facilities. These facilities service each of the IDP areas and additional wells that fall outside of these areas. The permits under which we operate the Platteville and Briggsdale facilities permit approximately 1,825,000 Bbls and 2,740,000 Bbls, respectively, of crude oil to be treated during any given year. Crude oil is delivered to the facilities by truck. If treatment is required, the crude oil is directed to, and received by, the treating facility to process the crude oil to meet pipeline specification. For access to and the services provided at the crude oil treating facilities, Noble pays monthly fees based on the number of producing vertical wells and producing horizontal wells located in the DJ Basin that are not connected to our gathering system, whether such wells fall within or outside of an IDP area.

The table below sets forth our crude oil treating operations as of September 30, 2015.

 

     Annual
Operating
Capacity (Bbls)
     Number of Wells Subject to
Fee (1)
      Vertical    Horizontal

Platteville

     1,825,000       4,500    500

Briggsdale

     2,740,000         

 

(1) We receive a monthly fee for each Noble-operated well producing in paying quantities in the DJ Basin that is not connected to our crude oil gathering system.

 

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Natural Gas Gathering

 

LOGO

As of September 30, 2015, our natural gas infrastructure assets consisted of the Wells Ranch CGF and an approximately 30-mile natural gas pipeline system servicing production from the Wells Ranch IDP. The natural gas gathering system that services the production from the Wells Ranch IDP collects wet gas from separator facilities located at or near the wellhead and delivers the wet gas to the Wells Ranch CGF or other delivery points within the Wells Ranch IDP. At the tailgate of our natural gas gathering facilities or the Wells Ranch CGF, as applicable, we deliver the natural gas for further gathering and processing by third parties. In April 2015, we completed an expansion of the natural gas gathering system that increased capacity from 75,000 Mcf/d to 150,000 Mcf/d.

 

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The table below sets forth our natural gas gathering operations as of and for the dates indicated.

 

     Year Ended
December 31, 2014
     Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2015
     As of
September 30, 2015
 
           Horizontal Wells  
     Throughput
Capacity
(Mcf/d)
     Average
Daily
Throughput
(Mcf/d)
     Throughput
Capacity
(Mcf/d)
     Average
Daily
Throughput
(Mcf/d)
     Number of
Wells
     Approx.
Average
Lateral Feet
per Well
 

Wells Ranch IDP

     75,000         55,100         150,000         64,100         289         5,100   

Our Wells Ranch CGF provides condensate separation and flash gas recovery. Condensate recovered from the natural gas that is gathered to the Wells Ranch CGF is stored on location and gas that is flashed from the crude oil is recovered, compressed and redelivered to downstream third parties with the gathered natural gas volumes.

Water Gathering and Distribution Systems

 

LOGO

 

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We provide Noble with water-related services that are integral to Noble’s upstream operations through our interests in pipelines and facilities (or under contracts with third parties) that store and distribute fresh water and collect, clean and recycle or dispose of saltwater. The majority of our midstream water assets are currently located in the Wells Ranch IDP and are linked to the Wells Ranch CGF. The fresh water we deliver in the Wells Ranch IDP is a critical component to Noble’s ability to hydraulically fracture wells. At the tailgate of the Wells Ranch CGF, the saltwater that we collect and separate is prepared for cleaning, treating, recycling and disposal, with a portion of this water returning to our fresh water system after recycling.

We and Noble are committed to the treatment and recycling of saltwater in an effort to minimize the use of fresh water resources and mitigate the potential for adverse impact caused by drought. Furthermore, we and Noble recognize the importance and value of community and environmental stewardship gained by reducing the demand of fresh water supplies that may also serve neighboring communities, the riparian corridor or agricultural interests. Our commitment to recycling is evident by the integration of dedicated infrastructure on or adjacent to the Wells Ranch CGF, such as multiple storage tanks, pumps, and a bi-directional pipeline system that transports saltwater from the Wells Ranch CGF for treatment and then receives the treated water for recycling and use for subsequent exploration and production operations. We provide Noble with recycled, treated water in amounts and at sufficient quality to blend with fresh water sources on-site for use in hydraulic fracturing operations to reduce the net draft on freshwater sources.

Saltwater

Our current saltwater gathering system in the Wells Ranch IDP gathers and processes liquids produced from operations and consists of a combination of separation and storage facilities, and permanent pipelines, as well as pumping stations to transport saltwater to disposal or recycling facilities. We operate an approximately 25-mile gathering pipeline system (which is a shared crude oil and saltwater gathering pipeline) servicing the Wells Ranch IDP. Crude oil and saltwater are separated and measured at facilities at or near the wellhead and recombined and delivered into our gathering system. At the Wells Ranch CGF, the incoming crude oil and saltwater liquid stream is separated, stored, and treated before the crude oil is delivered to a third-party pipeline. The saltwater that we collect and clean is treated for recycling or disposal at Noble’s election. The Wells Ranch CGF has the capacity to store up to 32,000 Bbls of saltwater while awaiting delivery to a recycling facility or disposal facility. We enter into and manage contracts with third party providers of any saltwater services that we do not perform ourselves.

The table below sets forth our saltwater operations servicing the Wells Ranch IDP as of and for the dates indicated.

 

     Year Ended
December 31, 2014
     Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2015
     As of
September 30, 2015
 
           Horizontal Wells  
     Throughput
Capacity
(Bbl/d)
     Average
Daily
Throughput
(Bbl/d)
     Throughput
Capacity
(Bbl/d)
     Average
Daily
Throughput
(Bbl/d)
     Number of
Wells
     Approx.
Average
Lateral Feet
per Well
 

Wells Ranch IDP

     15,000         5,400         15,000         4,000         289         5,100   

Fresh Water Systems

Our fresh water systems provide services for both recycled and treated saltwater and raw fresh water that has been withdrawn from a river or ground water, for example. Our fresh water services include distribution and storage services that are integral to Noble’s well drilling and completion operations in the DJ Basin.

Our fresh water systems contain an approximately 30-mile fresh water distribution system made up of permanent buried pipelines, 10 miles of which service the East Pony IDP and 20 miles of which service the

 

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Wells Ranch IDP. In addition, our fresh water systems include fresh water storage facilities, temporary pipelines and pumping stations to transport fresh water throughout the pipeline networks. These systems are designed to deliver water on demand to hydraulic fracturing operations and reduce the costs of transporting water long distances by reducing or eliminating most trucking costs. The fresh water systems provide storage capacity that segregates raw fresh water from saltwater that has been recycled and treated.

Through our fresh water systems, we provide services to Noble, which continues to hold title to the water. When Noble needs water for well development and completion operations, Noble either transports the water to temporary storage facilities near the applicable well(s) or we deliver the water in our delivery system as described above. We do not own the water nor own or operate fresh water sources, but instead our services are focused on the storage and distribution of the fresh water and recycled water delivered to us by Noble.

The table below sets forth our fresh water services in the Wells Ranch IDP, East Pony IDP and Mustang IDP as of and for the dates indicated.

 

     Year Ended
December 31, 2014
     Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2015
 
     Distribution
Capacity
(Bpm)
    Average
Daily
Throughput
(Bbl/d)
    Storage
Capacity
(Bbls)
     Distribution
Capacity
(Bpm)
    Average
Daily
Throughput
(Bbl/d)
     Storage
Capacity
(Bbls)
 

Wells Ranch IDP

     160        29,200        500,000         160        18,000         500,000   

East Pony IDP

     160        14,600        550,000         160        21,300         550,000   

Mustang IDP

     —   (1)       —   (1)      230,000         —   (1)       —   (1)        230,000   

 

(1) Consists of a fresh water system from Noble owned water wells to a storage pond. Water is currently distributed from the pond by truck.

Access to Downstream Markets

Crude Oil . After we gather or treat crude oil, the crude oil is redelivered to Noble and subsequent downstream crude oil pipelines and markets. Depending upon our specific system, after we gather or treat crude oil, Noble can further transport crude oil to one or more of the following: White Cliffs Pipeline to Cushing, Oklahoma; the Pony Express Pipeline to Cushing, Oklahoma; or to rail terminal(s) which can access the Gulf Coast, East Coast or West Coast markets.

Natural Gas . With respect to natural gas produced from the Wells Ranch IDP, the gathering that we provide concludes at a handful of points of delivery to a third party, with the primary delivery point located at the tailgate of the Wells Ranch CGF. We deliver the gathered natural gas to Noble at the interconnection points of our system with third party systems. Noble continues the transportation of this natural gas downstream by immediately delivering the natural gas that we gathered to a third party for either further gathering or for processing, followed by additional third-party transportation. First sales of the natural gas may occur at the terminus of our system or at the terminus of the third party pipelines. Residue gas downstream of the third-party processing plants that our assets interconnect with may access the Front Range, Cheyenne Hub, and Mid-Continent markets via the Colorado Interstate Gas High Plains and A/B pipelines or the Xcel Energy pipeline, depending on the specific processing plant the residue is allocated to.

NGLs . NGLs originating from natural gas that we gather from the Wells Ranch IDP that is processed by a downstream third-party processor can be delivered to the Bushton/Conway, Kansas NGL markets through the Overland Pass Pipeline or the DCP Wattenberg Pipeline or the Mt. Belvieu, Texas NGL market through the Front Range and Texas Express Pipelines, depending upon the location of the allocated NGL’s by the third party processor.

 

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Our Acreage Dedication

We believe that Noble’s extensive acreage position in Weld County, Colorado, in excess of 400,000 net acres as of September 30, 2015, provides a strong platform to support our current operations and future growth. Noble has achieved substantial production growth in Weld County, Colorado, over the last five years. From 2010 through September 30, 2015, Noble spud over 1,020 horizontal wells in Weld County, Colorado, while operating over 7,000 vertical wells.

Noble has dedicated acreage to us based on the services we provide. As of January 1, 2015, Noble has dedicated to us the right to provide certain services, for a period of 15 years, on available net acreage in the Wells Ranch IDP, East Pony IDP, Mustang IDP, Greeley Crescent IDP and Bronco IDP areas. Our commercial agreements with Noble provide that, in addition to our existing dedicated acreage, any future acreage that is acquired by Noble in these IDP areas, and that is not subject to a pre-existing third-party commitment, will be included in the dedication to us for midstream services, including gathering, processing and treating. Based on Noble’s dedication to us and previously granted dedications, we anticipate providing crude oil and water-related midstream services on any wells that Noble elects to drill in the Wells Ranch IDP, East Pony IDP, Mustang IDP, Greeley Crescent IDP and Bronco IDP, as well as certain natural gas gathering services on any wells drilled in the Wells Ranch IDP and Mustang IDP. The number of wells Noble may drill, and timing with respect to these wells, will depend on numerous factors (some of which are beyond their control and all of which are beyond our control), including commodity prices, weather, government regulation, geologic interpretation and the economic environment.

Dedications for Crude Oil and Water Services

Our dedicated acreage of approximately 300,000 net acres in Weld County, Colorado, gives us access to a highly contiguous, liquids-rich block of acreage for crude oil and water services. Substantially all of this dedicated acreage is held by production. The dedicated acreage could be reduced, however, under certain circumstances. See “—Releases from Dedication.” To the extent that Noble is operator on this acreage, production owned or controlled by Noble will be dedicated to us for all crude oil and water-related midstream services.

Stacked Dedications for Natural Gas Services

Prior to our formation, Noble and its predecessors-in-interest dedicated certain natural gas gathering and processing services with respect to production from the Wells Ranch IDP and the Mustang IDP to third parties. These third parties have the right to gather natural gas beginning at the Wells Ranch CGF or at other receipt points that have been established between Noble and such third parties. Even while honoring these prior dedications to such third parties, Noble has dedicated certain natural gas gathering services to us with respect to production from the Wells Ranch IDP and Mustang IDP. We deliver the natural gas that has passed through our systems back to Noble at the interconnection points with such third-party pipelines and Noble delivers the natural gas to such third parties.

As a result, Noble has dedicated production from approximately 65,000 net acres in the Wells Ranch IDP and approximately 80,000 net acres in the Mustang IDP to us for these natural gas gathering services. All natural gas gathering and processing services with respect to the production from these IDP areas that occurs downstream of the Wells Ranch CGF or other agreed points of interconnection with such third parties will continue to be dedicated to the applicable third parties until such prior dedication is terminated or otherwise waived.

Releases from Dedication

If we have an uncured default of any of our material obligations under any of our commercial agreements for more than 12 consecutive months, if we fail to timely complete the construction of the facilities necessary

 

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to provide the requested midstream services that we are required by the commercial agreements to provide to Noble, or if certain events of force majeure persist for 12 consecutive months, the affected acreage will be permanently released from the dedication to us and Noble will be free to engage a third party to provide the midstream services that we failed to provide in a timely fashion. Any permanent releases of Noble’s acreage from the dedication could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions.

Our commercial agreements provide that in certain situations the acreage dedicated by Noble can be temporarily or permanently released from our dedication. For more information see “—Our Commercial Agreements with Noble.”

Our Commercial Agreements with Noble

General

Our assets are physically connected to, and integral to the operation of, Noble’s crude oil and natural gas production and fresh and saltwater requirements in the DJ Basin. We have entered into multiple long-term, fee-based commercial agreements, with annual price escalation clauses and annual rate redeterminations, subject to the agreement of both us and Noble, to provide Noble with crude oil, natural gas and saltwater gathering services, crude oil treating and fresh water delivery and storage services. Our commercial agreements with Noble are currently the source of substantially all of the revenues we generate from our midstream operations.

Each of our commercial agreements with Noble is dated effective January 1, 2015 and has a 15-year initial term. Upon the expiration of the initial 15-year term, each agreement will automatically renew for subsequent one-year periods unless terminated by either us or Noble no later than 90 days prior to the end of the initial term or any subsequent one-year term thereafter. Our commercial agreements provide that the average dedication will run with the land and be binding on a transferee of any of our dedicated acreage.

Development Plans

Under each of our commercial agreements, Noble is obligated to provide us with a detailed development plan with respect to the expected production activities on our dedicated acreage. The development plans are intended to help us coordinate with Noble in order to maximize efficient development of the acreage covered by these agreements. To that end, updated development reports are delivered quarterly and cover the 36-month period following the month in which the development report is delivered. In addition, each report must also include Noble’s general long-term drilling and production expectations on the dedicated acreage for the three years following the date of the report. Based on the development reports delivered to us, we must provide Noble with a midstream system plan, which will describe how we plan to develop the system to meet the anticipated production of Noble.

How We Generate Revenue

As described below, we receive fees under our commercial agreements based on the type and scope of the midstream services we provide and based on the midstream system we use to provide our services.

 

   

Crude Oil Gathering . Under the applicable crude oil gathering agreement, we receive a volumetric fee per Bbl for the crude oil gathering services we provide.

 

   

Crude Oil Treating Agreement . Under the crude oil treating agreement, we receive a monthly fee for each well producing in paying quantities that is not connected to our crude oil gathering systems during such month.

 

   

Natural Gas Gathering Agreement . Under the natural gas gathering agreement, we receive a volumetric fee per MMBtu for the natural gas gathering services we provide.

 

 

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Saltwater Services Agreement . Under the saltwater services agreement, we receive a fee for collecting, cleaning, recycling or otherwise disposing of water produced from operating crude oil and natural gas wells in the dedication area. The fee is comprised of a volumetric component and, with respect to certain services, a pass through component.

 

   

Fresh Water Services Agreement . Under the fresh water services agreement, we receive a fee for delivering fresh water. The fee is comprised of a volumetric component and a pass through component. The cost of storing the fresh water is embedded in the delivery fee.

Under each of our commercial agreements, the fees we charge Noble are automatically increased each calendar year by 2.5%. In addition, each year we will propose a redetermination of the fees charged under our various systems on an annual basis, taking into account, among other things, expected capital expenditures necessary to provide our services under the applicable development plan. However, if we and Noble are unable to agree on a fee redetermination (other than the automatic annual adjustment), the prior fee will remain in effect, which in effect allows Noble to unilaterally exercise control over the decision of whether to change the fee.

Expansion Commitments

Under each of our commercial agreements, the development companies that own our assets must design and construct midstream systems to timely support the upstream development of the acreage we service. These systems are required to be brought on line in time to meet Noble’s anticipated well completion schedule. If we are delayed in completing the facilities necessary to meet Noble’s needs, the affected acreage or drilling unit may be permanently released from our dedication. However, delays resulting from force majeure or Noble’s alteration of its development plan would not result in releases of acreage. In these instances, and others, Noble may enter into short-term agreements with third parties to obtain the necessary services.

Interruption and Temporary Release

In addition to the permanent release of dedicated acreage described under “Our Acreage Dedication—Releases from Dedication,” our commercial agreements provide for a temporary release of dedicated acreage in certain situations, which include the pendency of an uncured default of any of our material obligations that has been uncured for more than 60 days, an interruption or curtailment in our receipt of Noble’s natural gas, crude oil or produced water or an interruption or curtailment in our provision of midstream services. In the event of a temporary release, Noble can temporarily release from the applicable dedication the affected volumes for a period lasting until the first day of the month following notice from Noble that the default, interruption or curtailment has ended. However, if Noble has contracted with a third party to provide replacement services during the default, interruption, or curtailment, the release may continue for up to six months after such default, interruption, or curtailment has ended. Any temporary releases of acreage from our dedication could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to make cash distributions.

Noble’s and our obligations under each of the commercial agreements may also be suspended or reduced upon the occurrence of a force majeure event. As defined in each of our commercial agreements, force majeure events include any event that (1) is not within the reasonable control of the party claiming suspension and (2) by the exercise of due diligence the party claiming suspension is unable to avoid or overcome in a reasonable manner. A force majeure event includes, but is not restricted to:

 

   

acts of God;

 

   

wars (declared or undeclared), insurrections, hostilities or riots;

 

   

floods, droughts, fires, storms, storm warnings, landslides, lightning, earthquakes or washouts;

 

   

industrial disturbances, acts of a public enemy, acts of terror, sabotage, blockades or epidemics;

 

   

arrests and restraints of rulers and peoples;

 

   

civil disturbances;

 

 

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explosions, breakage or accidents to machinery or pipelines;

 

   

hydrate obstruction or blockages of any kind in pipelines;

 

   

freezing of wells or delivery facilities, partial or entire failure of wells, and other events beyond the reasonable control of Noble that affect the timing of production or production levels;

 

   

mining accidents, subsidence, cave-ins and fires;

 

   

certain action or restraint by court order or public or governmental authority;

 

   

delays or failures by a governmental authority to grant permits, licenses or other similar consents applicable to a specific midstream asset, so long as we have used our commercially reasonable efforts to make any required filings with such governmental authority relating to such permits, licenses or other similar consents; and

 

   

delays or failures by us to obtain easements and rights of way, surface leases and other real property interests related to our midstream assets from third parties, so long as we have used our commercially reasonable efforts to obtain such easements and rights of way, surface leases and other real property interests.

Acreage Dedication

Each of our commercial agreements contains substantial acreage dedications for the services covered by the agreements. See “—Our Acreage Dedication.”

Right of First Refusal on Assets and Services

We have obtained from Noble a ROFR to provide midstream services covered by our commercial agreements with it as well as natural gas processing and LNG services on acreage that Noble owns or acquires onshore in the United States (other than in the Marcellus Shale). Our ROFR is subject to all preexisting dedications, rights of first refusal, rights of first offer and other preexisting encumbrances. Pursuant to our ROFR, Noble is required to offer us, prior to contracting for such opportunity with a third party, the opportunity to provide these midstream services onshore in the United States (other than in the Marcellus Shale) to the extent that Noble is not otherwise obligated to offer these services to third parties so long as the midstream services are of the type contemplated in our commercial agreements or relate to natural gas processing or LNG services. We believe that this ROFR will provide us an opportunity to develop organic growth. We are under no obligation to extend our midstream services to the acreage covered by the ROFR, and Noble is only required to offer the services in these areas to us to the extent that Noble elects to seek a third party service provider. Please read “Risk Factors—Risks Related to our Business—While we have been granted a right of first refusal to provide midstream services on all acreage that Noble has or acquires onshore in the United States (other than in the Marcellus Shale), portions of this acreage may be subject to preexisting dedications, rights of first refusal, rights of first offer and other preexisting encumbrances that may require Noble to use third parties for midstream services.”, “Risk Factors—Risks Related to our Business—We may not be able to economically accept an offer from Noble for us to provide services or purchase assets with respect to which we have a right of first refusal.” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Omnibus Agreement.”

Because our ROFR is contingent on factors outside of our control, we are unable to estimate the midstream services, if any, that Noble will offer to us to provide in the future pursuant to these arrangements. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—We may not be able to economically accept an offer from Noble for us to provide services or purchase assets with respect to which we have a right of first refusal.”

In addition, Noble has provided us a ROFR covering all domestic midstream assets providing the services covered by our commercial agreements as well as natural gas processing and LNG services that Noble has retained or that it develops or acquires onshore in the United States (other than in the Marcellus Shale) so long as such midstream assets are not subject to preexisting rights of first refusal, rights of first offer or other encumbrances in favor of third parties.

 

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Noble is under no obligation to offer to sell us any assets pursuant to the ROFR (unless and until it otherwise intends to sell or otherwise dispose of such assets). We are under no obligation to buy any assets from Noble, and we do not know when or if Noble will make any offers to sell assets to us. Please read “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Omnibus Agreement.” While we believe our ROFR is a significant positive attribute, it may also be a source of conflicts of interest. After the completion of this offering, Noble will own our general partner, and there will be substantial overlap between the officers and directors of our general partner and the officers and directors of Noble. Please read “Risk Factors—Risks Inherent in an Investment in Us” and “Conflicts of Interest and Duties.”

Right of First Offer on Retained Interests

Noble has granted us a ROFO with respect to its retained interests in the development companies through which we conduct our midstream services. Pursuant to our ROFO, before Noble can offer any of its retained interests in our development companies to any third party, Noble must allow us to make an offer to purchase these interests. We believe that the ROFO on Noble’s retained interests in our development companies will provide us an opportunity to develop organic growth with potentially lower development capital costs. We are under no obligation to purchase any of Noble’s retained interests in our development companies, and Noble is only under an obligation to permit us to make an offer on these interests to the extent that Noble elects to sell these midstream assets to a third party. Please read “Risk Factors—Risks Related to our Business—We may be unable to grow by acquiring the non-controlling interests in our development companies owned by Noble or midstream assets retained, acquired or developed by Noble, which could limit our ability to increase distributable cash flow.” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Omnibus Agreement.”

Title to Our Properties

Our real estate interests in land were acquired pursuant to easements, rights-of-way, permits, surface use agreements, joint use agreements, licenses and other grants or agreements from landowners, lessors, easement holders, governmental authorities, or other parties controlling the surface or subsurface estates of such land, or, collectively, Real Estate Agreements, that were issued to or entered into by Noble, one of its affiliates or one of their predecessors-in-interest and transferred to us. In the future we will acquire additional Real Estate Agreements in our own name or by transfer from Noble. We have acquired Real Estate Agreements and related interests without any material challenge known to us relating to the title to the land upon which the assets are located, and we believe that we have satisfactory rights and interests to conduct our operations on such lands. We have no knowledge of any challenge to the underlying title of any material real estate interests held by us or to our title to any material real property agreements, and we believe that we have satisfactory title to all of our material real estate interests.

We hold various rights and interests to receive, deliver and handle water in connection with Noble’s production operations, or, collectively, Water Interests, that also were obtained by Noble or its predecessor in interest and transferred to us. Pursuant to these Water Interests, Noble retains title to the water. In the future, we will also acquire additional Water Interests in our own name or by transfer from Noble as necessary to conduct such operations. We are not aware of any challenges to any Water Interests or to the use of any water or water rights related to Water Interests.

Under our omnibus agreement, Noble will indemnify us for any failure to have certain real estate interests, Real Estate Agreements or Water Interests necessary to own and operate our assets in substantially the same manner that they were owned and operated prior to the closing of this offering. Noble’s indemnification obligation will be limited to losses for which we notify Noble prior to the third anniversary of the closing of this offering and will be subject to a $500,000 million aggregate deductible before we are entitled to indemnification. Some of our Real Estate Agreements and Water Interests may continue to be held by Noble or its affiliates until

 

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we have made the appropriate filings in the jurisdictions in which such assets are located and have obtained any consents, approvals and notices that are not obtained or provided prior to transfer. We will make these filings and notices and seek to obtain these consents upon completion of this offering.

Seasonality

Demand for crude oil and natural gas generally decreases during the spring and fall months and increases during the summer and winter months. However, seasonal anomalies such as mild winters or mild summers sometimes lessen this fluctuation. In addition, certain crude oil and natural gas users utilize natural gas storage facilities and purchase some of their anticipated winter requirements during the summer. This can also lessen seasonal demand fluctuations. These seasonal anomalies can increase demand for crude oil and natural gas during the summer and winter months and decrease demand for crude oil and natural gas during the spring and fall months. In respect of our completed midstream systems, we do not expect seasonal conditions to have a material impact on our throughput volumes. Severe or prolonged winters may, however, impact our ability to complete additional well connections or construction projects, which may impact the rate of our growth. In addition, severe weather may also impact or slow the ability of Noble to execute its drilling and development plan and increase operating expenses associated with repairs or anti-freezing operations.

Competition

As a result of our relationship with Noble and the long-term dedications to our midstream assets, we do not compete with other midstream companies to provide Noble with midstream services to its existing upstream assets in Weld County, Colorado, and we will not compete for Noble’s business as it continues to develop upstream production in Weld County, Colorado.

As we seek to expand our crude oil and water-related midstream services beyond Weld County, Colorado, and to expand our natural gas midstream services to additional areas within and beyond Weld County, Colorado, we will face a high level of competition, including major integrated crude oil and natural gas companies, interstate and intrastate pipelines, and companies that gather, compress, treat, process, transport, store or market natural gas. As we seek to expand to provide midstream services to third party producers, we will also face a high level of competition. Competition is often the greatest in geographic areas experiencing robust drilling by producers and during periods of high commodity prices for crude oil, natural gas or NGLs.

Regulation of Operations

The midstream services we provide are subject to regulations that may affect certain aspects of our business and the market for our services.

Safety and Maintenance Regulation

We are subject to regulation by the United States Department of Transportation, or DOT, under HLPSA, and comparable state statutes with respect to design, installation, testing, construction, operation, replacement and management of pipeline facilities. HLPSA covers petroleum and petroleum products, including NGLs and condensate, and requires any entity that owns or operates pipeline facilities to comply with such regulations, to permit access to and copying of records and to file certain reports and provide information as required by the United States Secretary of Transportation. These regulations include potential fines and penalties for violations. We believe that we are in compliance in all material respects with these HLPSA regulations.

We are also subject to the NGPSA, and the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002. The NGPSA regulates safety requirements in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of natural gas pipeline

 

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facilities while the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act establishes mandatory inspections for all United States crude oil and natural gas transportation pipelines and some gathering pipelines in high-consequence areas within ten years. DOT, through the PHMSA, has developed regulations implementing the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act that requires pipeline operators to implement integrity management programs, including more frequent inspections and other safety protections in areas where the consequences of potential pipeline accidents pose the greatest risk to people and their property.

The Pipeline Safety and Job Creations Act, enacted in 2012, amended the HLPSA and NGPSA and increased safety regulation. This legislation doubles the maximum administrative fines for safety violations from $100,000 to $200,000 for a single violation and from $1.0 million to $2.0 million for a related series of violations, and provides that these maximum penalty caps do not apply to civil enforcement actions, establishes additional safety requirements for newly constructed pipelines, and requires studies of certain safety issues that could result in the adoption of new regulatory requirements for existing pipelines, including the expansion of integrity management, use of automatic and remote-controlled shut-off valves, leak detection systems, sufficiency of existing regulation of gathering pipelines, use of excess flow valves, verification of maximum allowable operating pressure, incident notification, and other pipeline-safety related requirements. PHMSA has undertaken rulemaking to address many areas of this legislation. Extending the integrity management requirements to our gathering pipelines would impose additional obligations on us and could add material cost to our operations. In addition, any material penalties or fines issued to us under these or other statues, rules, regulations or orders could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operation and cash flows.

States are largely preempted by federal law from regulating pipeline safety but may assume responsibility for enforcing intrastate pipeline regulations at least as stringent as the federal standards. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission is the agency vested with intrastate natural gas pipeline regulatory and enforcement authority in Colorado. The Commission’s regulations adopt by reference the minimum federal safety standards for the transportation of natural gas. We do not anticipate any significant problems in complying with applicable federal and state laws and regulations in Colorado. Our natural gas transmission and regulated gathering pipelines have ongoing inspection and compliance programs designed to keep the facilities in compliance with pipeline safety and pollution control requirements.

In addition, we are subject to the requirements of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act, or OSHA, and comparable state statutes, whose purpose is to protect the health and safety of workers, both generally and within the pipeline industry. Moreover, the OSHA hazard communication standard, the EPA community right-to-know regulations under Title III of the federal Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act and comparable state statutes require that information be maintained concerning hazardous materials used or produced in our operations and that this information be provided to employees, state and local government authorities and citizens. We and the entities in which we own an interest are also subject to OSHA Process Safety Management regulations, which are designed to prevent or minimize the consequences of catastrophic releases of toxic, reactive, flammable or explosive chemicals. These regulations apply to any process which involves a chemical at or above specified thresholds, or any process which involves flammable liquid or gas, pressurized tanks, caverns and wells in excess of 10,000 pounds at various locations. Flammable liquids stored in atmospheric tanks below their normal boiling point without the benefit of chilling or refrigeration are exempt from these standards. Also, the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies such as the EPA continue to develop regulations concerning the security of industrial facilities, including crude oil and natural gas facilities. We are subject to a number of requirements and must prepare Federal Response Plans to comply. We must also prepare Risk Management Plans under the regulations promulgated by the EPA to implement the requirements under the Clean Air Act to prevent the accidental release of extremely hazardous substances. We have an internal program of inspection designed to monitor and enforce compliance with safeguard and security requirements. We believe that we are in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations relating to safety and security.

 

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FERC and State Regulation of Natural Gas and Crude Oil Pipelines

The FERC’s regulation of crude oil and natural gas pipeline transportation services and natural gas sales in interstate commerce affects certain aspects of our business and the market for our products and services.

Natural Gas Gathering Pipeline Regulation

Section 1(b) of the Natural Gas Act of 1938, or NGA, exempts natural gas gathering facilities from the jurisdiction of the FERC under the NGA. We believe that our natural gas gathering facilities meet the traditional tests the FERC has used to establish a pipeline’s status as a gathering pipeline and therefore our natural gas gathering facilities should not be subject to FERC jurisdiction. However, the distinction between FERC-regulated transmission services and federally unregulated gathering services has been the subject of substantial litigation and varying interpretations and the FERC determines whether facilities are gathering facilities on a case by case basis, so the classification and regulation of our gathering facilities may be subject to change based on future determinations by the FERC, the courts, or Congress. If the FERC were to determine that all or some of our gathering facilities or the services provided by us are not exempt from FERC regulation, the rates for, and terms and conditions of, services provided by such facilities would be subject to regulation by the FERC, which could in turn decrease revenue, increase operating costs, and, depending upon the facility in question, adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005, or EPAct 2005, amended the NGA to add an anti-market manipulation provision. Pursuant to the FERC’s rules promulgated under EPAct 2005, it is unlawful for any entity, directly or indirectly, in connection with the purchase or sale of natural gas subject to the jurisdiction of the FERC, or the purchase or sale of transportation services subject to FERC jurisdiction: (1) to use or employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud; (2) to make any untrue statement of material fact or omit a material fact; or (3) to engage in any act or practice that operates as a fraud or deceit upon any person. EPAct 2005 provided the FERC with substantial enforcement authority, including the power to assess civil penalties of up to $1,000,000 per day per violation, to order disgorgement of profits and to recommend criminal penalties. Failure to comply with the NGA, EPAct 2005 and the other federal laws and regulations governing our business can result in the imposition of administrative, civil and criminal remedies.

Colorado regulation of gathering facilities includes various safety, environmental and ratable take requirements. Our purchasing, gathering and intrastate transportation operations are subject to Colorado’s ratable take statute, which provides that each person purchasing or taking for transportation crude oil or natural gas from any owner or producer shall purchase or take ratably, without discrimination in favor of any owner or producer over any other owner or producer in the same common source of supply offering to sell his crude oil or natural gas produced therefrom to such person. This statute has the effect of restricting our right as an owner of gathering facilities to decide with whom we contract to transport natural gas. The ratable take statute is in the enabling legislation of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, or the COGCC.

The COGCC regulations require operators of natural gas gathering lines to file several forms and provide financial assurance, and they also impose certain requirements on gathering system waste. Moreover, the COGCC probably retains authority to regulate the installation, reclamation, operation, maintenance, and repair of gathering systems should the agency choose to do so. Should the COGCC exercise this authority, the consequences for the partnership will depend upon the extent to which the authority is exercised. We cannot predict what effect, if any, the exercise of such authority might have on our operations

Our natural gas gathering facilities are not subject to rate regulation or open access requirements by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. However, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission requires us to register as pipeline operators, pay assessment and registration fees, undergo inspections and report annually on the miles of pipeline we operate.

 

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Many of the producing states have adopted some form of complaint-based regulation that generally allows natural gas producers and shippers to file complaints with state regulators in an effort to resolve grievances relating to natural gas gathering access and rate discrimination. Although Colorado does not have complaint-based regulation, additional rules and legislation pertaining to these matters are considered or adopted from time to time. We cannot predict what effect, if any, such changes might have on our operations, but we could be required to incur additional capital expenditures and increased costs depending on future legislative and regulatory changes.

Crude Oil Pipeline Regulation

Pipelines that transport crude oil in interstate commerce are subject to regulation by the FERC pursuant to the Interstate Commerce Act, or ICA, the Energy Policy Act of 1992, and related rules and orders. The ICA requires, among other things, that tariff rates for common carrier crude oil pipelines be “just and reasonable” and not unduly discriminatory and that such rates and terms and conditions of service be filed with the FERC. The ICA permits interested persons to challenge proposed new or changed rates. The FERC is authorized to suspend the effectiveness of such rates for up to seven months, though rates are typically not suspended for the maximum allowable period. If the FERC finds that the new or changed rate is unlawful, it may require the carrier to pay refunds for the period that the rate was in effect. The FERC also may investigate, upon complaint or on its own motion, rates that are already in effect and may order a carrier to change its rates prospectively. Upon an appropriate showing, a shipper may obtain reparations for damages sustained for a period of up to 2 years prior to the filing of a complaint. The rates charged for crude oil pipeline services are generally based on a FERC-approved indexing methodology, which allows a pipeline to charge rates up to a prescribed ceiling that changes annually based on the year-to-year change in the PPI. A rate increase within the indexed rate ceiling is presumed to be just and reasonable unless a protesting party can demonstrate that the rate increase is substantially in excess of the pipeline’s operating costs. During the five-year period commencing July 1, 2011 and ending June 30, 2016, pipelines have been permitted by the FERC to adjust these indexed rate ceilings annually by the PPI plus 2.65%. On June 30, 2015, the FERC issued its Notice of Inquiry requesting comments on its five year review of the index level in which the FERC proposes an index level between PPI plus 2.0% and PPI plus 2.4% for the five-year period commencing July 1, 2016. As an alternative to this indexing methodology, pipelines may also choose to support changes in their rates based on a cost-of-service methodology, by obtaining advance approval to charge “market-based rates,” or by charging “settlement rates” agreed to by all affected shippers.

Currently, only the crude oil gathering system servicing the East Pony IDP transports crude oil in interstate commerce. We have been granted a temporary waiver of the tariff and reporting requirements for this crude oil gathering system. Therefore, currently the FERC’s regulation of our crude oil gathering system servicing the East Pony IDP is limited to requiring us to maintain our books and records consistent with the FERC’s recordkeeping requirements.

In addition to the crude oil gathering system servicing the East Pony IDP, we own interests in other crude oil gathering pipelines that do not provide interstate services and are not subject to regulation by the FERC. However, the distinction between FERC-regulated interstate pipeline transportation, on the one hand, and intrastate pipeline transportation, on the other hand, is a fact-based determination. The classification and regulation of these crude oil gathering pipelines are subject to change based on future determinations by the FERC, federal courts, Congress or by regulatory commissions, courts or legislatures in the states in which the our crude oil gathering pipelines are located. We cannot provide assurance that the FERC will not in the future, either at the request of other entities or on its own initiative, determine that some or all of our gathering pipeline systems and the services we provide on those systems are within the FERC’s jurisdiction. If it was determined that some or all of our gathering pipeline systems are subject to the FERC’s jurisdiction under the ICA, and are not otherwise exempt from any applicable regulatory requirements, the imposition of possible cost-of-service rates and common carrier requirements on those systems could adversely affect the results of our operations on those systems.

 

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Other Crude Oil and Natural Gas Regulation

The State of Colorado is engaged in a number of initiatives that may impact our operations directly or indirectly. To the extent that the State of Colorado adopts new regulations that impact Noble, as our only current customer, the impact of these regulations on Noble production activity may result in decreased demand from Noble for the services we provide.

For example, in 2014, by executive order, Colorado Governor Hickenlooper created the Task Force on State and Local Regulation of Oil and Gas Operations, or the Task Force, for the purpose of recommending policies and legislation aimed at making recommendations for minimizing land use and other conflicts concerning the location of new crude oil and natural gas facilities. The 21-member Task Force, which included a Noble representative, concluded its activities on February 27, 2015. The Task Force sent nine recommendations to Governor Hickenlooper for his review. Three of the proposals require further legislative action, while the other 6 proposals require rulemaking or other regulatory action. The proposals support (i) a senate bill that would postpone expiration of recently adopted regulations regarding air emissions; (ii) tasking the COGCC with crafting new rules related to siting of “large-scale” pads and facilities; (iii) requiring the industry to provide advance information about development plans to local governments; (iv) improving the COGCC’s local government liaison and designee programs; (v) adding 11 full-time staffers to the COGCC to improve inspections and field operations; (vi) bolstering the inspection staff and equipment for monitoring crude oil and natural gas facility air emissions and setting up a hotline for citizen health complaints at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment; (vii) creating a statewide crude oil and natural gas information clearinghouse; (viii) studying ways to ameliorate the impact of crude oil and natural gas truck traffic and (ix) creating a compliance-assistance program at the COGCC to help operators comply with the state’s changing rules and ensure consistent enforcement of rules by state inspectors. We may face increased costs of compliance as a result of actions taken in response to these proposals.

Furthermore, in February 2013, the COGCC approved new setback rules for crude oil and natural gas wells and production facilities located in close proximity to occupied buildings. Previously, the COGCC allowed setback distances of 150 feet in rural areas and 350 feet in high density urban areas. These have been increased to a uniform 500-foot statewide setback from occupied buildings and 1,000 feet from high occupancy building units. The new setback rules also require operators to utilize increased mitigation measures to limit potential drilling impacts to surface owners and the owners of occupied building units. In addition, the new rules require advance notice to surface owners, the owners of occupied buildings and local governments prior to the filing of an Application for Permit to Drill or Oil and Gas Location Assessment as well as expanded outreach and communication efforts by an operator.

Environmental Matters

General

Our gathering pipelines, crude oil treating facilities and saltwater facilities are subject to certain federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the emission or discharge of materials into the environment or otherwise relating to the protection of the environment.

As an owner or operator of these facilities, we comply with these laws and regulations at the federal, state and local levels. These laws and regulations can restrict or impact our business activities in many ways, such as:

 

   

requiring the acquisition of permits to conduct regulated activities;

 

   

restricting the way we can handle or dispose of our materials or wastes;

 

   

limiting or prohibiting construction and operational activities in sensitive areas such as wetlands, coastal regions or areas inhabited by endangered species;

 

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requiring remedial action to mitigate pollution conditions caused by our operations or attributable to former operations;

 

   

enjoining, or compelling changes to, the operations of facilities deemed not to be in compliance with permits issued pursuant to such environmental laws and regulations;

 

   

requiring noise, lighting, visual impact, odor or dust mitigation, setbacks, landscaping, fencing and other measures; and

 

   

limiting or restricting water use.

Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may trigger a variety of administrative, civil and criminal enforcement measures, including the assessment of monetary penalties, the imposition of remedial requirements and the issuance of orders enjoining current and future operations. Certain environmental statutes impose strict joint and several liability for costs required to clean up and restore sites where hazardous substances have been disposed or otherwise released. Moreover, it is not uncommon for neighboring landowners and other third parties to file claims for property damage or possibly personal injury allegedly caused by the release of substances or other waste products into the environment.

The trend in environmental regulation is to place more restrictions and limitations on activities that may affect the environment. Thus, there can be no assurance as to the amount or timing of future expenditures for environmental compliance or remediation, and actual future expenditures may be different from the amounts we currently anticipate. When possible, we attempt to anticipate future regulatory requirements that might be imposed and plan accordingly to manage the costs of such compliance.

Our producers are subject to various environmental laws and regulations, including the ones described below, and could similarly face substantial fines and penalties or other costs resulting from noncompliance with such laws and regulations. Any costs incurred to comply with or fines and penalties imposed related to alleged violations of environmental law that have the potential to impact or curtail production from the producers utilizing our midstream assets could subsequently reduce throughput on our systems and in turn adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Climate Change and Air Quality Standards

Our operations are subject to the federal Clean Air Act, or CAA, and comparable state and local requirements. The CAA contains provisions that may result in the gradual imposition of certain pollution control requirements with respect to air emissions from our operations. The EPA and states continue the development of regulations to implement these requirements. We may be required to incur certain capital expenditures for air pollution control equipment in connection with maintaining or obtaining preconstruction and operating permits and approvals addressing other air emission-related issues. For example, in February 2015, Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission approved comprehensive changes to rules governing crude oil and natural gas activities in the state, including the nation’s first-ever regulations designed to detect and reduce methane emissions. The EPA is also acting to increase the requirements associated with methane releases from crude oil and natural gas activities. In August 2015, the EPA proposed new regulations that set methane emission standards for new and modified oil and natural gas production and natural gas processing and transmission facilities as part of the Administration’s efforts to reduce methane emissions from the oil and natural gas sector by up to 45% from 2012 levels by 2025. The EPA is expected to finalize this proposal in 2016. The BLM is expected to address methane emissions from crude oil and natural gas sources in 2015 as well.

Also, in October 2015, the EPA issued final regulations that lower the National Ambient Air Quality Standard, or NAAQS, for ozone from 75 parts per billion, or ppb, for both the 8-hour primary and secondary standards, to 70 ppb. The EPA intends to designate attainment and nonattainment areas by October 1, 2017, and states with moderate or higher nonattainment areas must submit state implementation plans by October 1, 2021. Under the 75 ppb ozone NAAQS, Colorado anticipated that its current marginal ozone nonattainment status

 

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would be replaced with a moderate nonattainment designation for ozone in 2016. As a result, Colorado set in motion a process to develop a revised state implementation plan to reduce ozone levels with an expectation that the Air Quality Control Commission would consider adoption of a revised state implementation plan in late 2016. While the revision to the ozone NAAQS is not directly applicable to our operations, its adoption may require Colorado to further reconsider its current state implementation plan development and enact additional regulations beyond those currently contemplated to further control emissions of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides from certain sources, which could apply to our operations and result in increased compliance costs. In addition, the EPA is developing rules to define what are called “source terms” to resolve how sources of emissions from the crude oil and natural gas sector should be aggregated under CAA permit programs. Compliance with these or other new legal requirements could, among other things, require installation of new emission controls on some of our equipment, result in longer permitting timelines, and significantly increase our capital expenditures and operating costs, which could adversely impact our business.

In addition, the EPA, has declared that GHGs “endanger” public health and welfare. Stationary sources required to obtain permits under certain Clean Air Act programs for non-GHG pollutants, particularly the Prevention of Significant Deterioration program and Title V programs, will also be required to review GHG emissions. The EPA has also published various rules relating to the mandatory reporting of GHG emissions, including mandatory reporting requirements of GHGs from petroleum and natural gas systems. The permitting and reporting program taken as a whole increases the costs and complexity of operating crude oil and natural gas operations in compliance with these legal requirements, with resulting potential to adversely affect our cost of doing business, demand for the crude oil and natural gas we transport and may require us to incur certain capital expenditures in the future for air pollution control equipment in connection with obtaining and maintaining operating permits and approvals for air emissions.

On June 2, 2015, the U.S. District Court of Colorado entered as a final judgment a Consent Decree between the United States, the State of Colorado and Noble to improve air emission control systems at a number of its condensate storage tanks, and certain of these storage tank systems were transferred to the Partnership and remain subject to such Consent Decree. The Consent Decree requires, in accordance with a set schedule (i) the performance of injunctive relief that will—among other things—evaluate, monitor, verify, and report on the adequate design, operation, and maintenance of certain aspects of tank systems to handle potential peak instantaneous vapor flow rates and (ii) the completion of certain environmental mitigation actions and supplemental environmental projects that may impact certain tank systems and payment of civil penalties.

Hazardous Substances and Waste

Our operations are subject to environmental laws and regulations relating to the management and release of hazardous substances or solid wastes, including petroleum hydrocarbons. These laws generally regulate the generation, storage, treatment, transportation and disposal of solid and hazardous waste, and may impose strict, joint and several liability for the investigation and remediation of areas at a facility where hazardous substances may have been released or disposed. For instance, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, as amended, or CERCLA, also known as the Superfund law, and comparable state laws impose liability, without regard to fault or the legality of the original conduct, on certain classes of persons that contributed to the release of a hazardous substance into the environment. These persons include current and prior owners or operators of the site where the release occurred and companies that disposed or arranged for the disposal of the hazardous substances found at the site. Under CERCLA, these persons may be subject to joint and several strict liability for the costs of cleaning up the hazardous substances that have been released into the environment, for damages to natural resources and for the costs of certain health studies. CERCLA also authorizes the EPA and, in some instances, third parties to act in response to threats to the public health or the environment and to seek to recover from the responsible classes of persons the costs they incur. Despite the “petroleum exclusion” of CERCLA Section 101(14) that currently encompasses natural gas, we may nonetheless handle hazardous substances within the meaning of CERCLA, or similar state statutes, in the course of our ordinary operations and, as a result, may be jointly and severally liable under CERCLA for all or part of the costs required to clean up sites at which these hazardous substances have been released into the environment.

 

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We also generate solid wastes, including hazardous wastes that are subject to the requirements of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended, or RCRA, and comparable state statutes. While RCRA regulates both solid and hazardous wastes, it imposes strict requirements on the generation, storage, treatment, transportation and disposal of hazardous wastes. Certain petroleum production wastes are excluded from RCRA’s hazardous waste regulations. However, it is possible that these wastes, which could include wastes currently generated during our operations, will in the future be designated as hazardous wastes and therefore be subject to more rigorous and costly disposal requirements. Any such changes in the laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our maintenance capital expenditures and operating expenses.

We currently own or lease properties where petroleum hydrocarbons are being or have been handled for many years. Although we have utilized operating and disposal practices that were standard in the industry at the time, petroleum hydrocarbons or other wastes may have been disposed of or released on or under the properties owned or leased by us or on or under the other locations where these petroleum hydrocarbons and wastes have been taken for treatment or disposal. In addition, certain of these properties have been operated by third parties whose treatment and disposal or release of petroleum hydrocarbons or other wastes was not under our control. These properties and wastes disposed thereon may be subject to CERCLA, RCRA and analogous state laws. Under these laws, we could be required to remove or remediate previously disposed wastes (including wastes disposed of or released by prior owners or operators), to clean up contaminated property (including contaminated groundwater) or to perform remedial operations to prevent future contamination. We are not currently aware of any facts, events or conditions relating to the application of such requirements that could reasonably have a material impact on our operations or financial condition.

Water

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, as amended, also referred to as the Clean Water Act, or CWA, and analogous state laws impose restrictions and strict controls regarding the discharge of pollutants into navigable waters. Pursuant to the CWA and analogous state laws, permits must be obtained to discharge pollutants into state and federal waters. Provisions of the CWA require authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, or the Corps, prior to the placement of dredge or fill material into jurisdictional waters. On June 29, 2015, the EPA and the Corps published the final rule defining the scope of the EPA’s and Corps’ jurisdiction, known as the “Clean Water Rule.” In August 2015, a federal district judge in North Dakota enjoined implementation of the rule in 13 states, including Colorado. Federal district judges in West Virginia and Georgia have denied similar motions for injunctions for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, while district judges in several other jurisdictions have stayed their cases until the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation rules on whether to consolidate all of the district court cases in the D.C. District Court. It remains to be seen whether the cases brought against the rule in various federal district courts will be consolidated in a single court, and, if so, how the injunction of the rule’s implementation in Colorado will be affected. To the extent the rule expands the scope of the CWA’s jurisdiction, we could face increased costs and delays with respect to obtaining permits for dredge and fill activities in wetland areas.

The CWA also requires implementation of spill prevention, control and countermeasure plans, also referred to as “SPCC plans,” in connection with on-site storage of threshold quantities of crude oil. In some instances we may also be required to develop a Facility Response Plan that demonstrates our facility’s preparedness to respond to a worst case crude oil discharge. The CWA imposes substantial potential civil and criminal penalties for non-compliance. The EPA has promulgated regulations that require us to have permits in order to discharge certain stormwater. The EPA recently issued a revised general stormwater permit for industrial activities that, among other things, enhances provisions related to threatened endangered species eligibility procedures. The EPA has entered into agreements with certain states in which we operate whereby the permits are issued and administered by the respective states. These permits may require us to monitor and sample the stormwater discharges. State laws for the control of water pollution also provide varying civil and criminal penalties and liabilities. In 2015, Colorado adopted new rules for crude oil and natural gas developments within floodplains and sampling of groundwater for hydrocarbons and other indicators before and after drilling crude oil and natural gas wells. The

 

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rule has been challenged in court on the grounds that it unlawfully expands the reach of CWA programs. We believe that compliance with existing permits and compliance with foreseeable new permit requirements will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990, as amended, or OPA, addresses prevention, containment and cleanup, and liability associated with crude oil pollution. OPA applies to vessels, offshore platforms, and onshore facilities, including terminals, pipelines, and transfer facilities. OPA subjects owners of such facilities to strict liability for containment and removal costs, natural resource damages, and certain other consequences of crude oil spills into jurisdictional waters. Any unpermitted release of petroleum or other pollutants from our operations could result in government penalties and civil liability.

Hydraulic Fracturing

Hydraulic fracturing is a process that creates a fracture extending from a well bore into a low-permeability rock formation to enable crude oil or natural gas to move more easily to a production well. Hydraulic fractures typically are created through the injection of water, sand and chemicals into the rock formation. We do not perform hydraulic fracturing, but our fresh water storage and delivery business is largely focused on providing water that Noble needs to perform hydraulic fracturing.

Hydraulic fracturing currently is regulated primarily at the state level. Recently, however, several federal agencies have asserted jurisdiction over this process. For example, the Bureau of Land Management finalized rules in March 2015 that impose new requirements related to disclosure, well bore integrity, and water management on hydraulic fracturing on federal lands. The U.S. District Court of Wyoming has issued an injunction against implementation of the new rule until lawsuits in opposition to it are settled. In addition, the EPA issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking under the Toxics Substance Control Act in 2014 requesting comments relating to information that may be required to be reported or disclosed for hydraulic fracturing chemical substances and mixtures. The actions and assessment being undertaken by local, state and federal authorities could result in further legislative and regulatory initiatives. Moreover, the governments of certain states, including Colorado, have adopted or are considering adopting laws and regulations that impose or could impose, among other requirements, stringent permitting or air emission control requirements, disclosure, wastewater disposal, baseline sampling, well construction, plugging and abandonment and well location requirements on hydraulic fracturing operations or otherwise seek to ban underground injection of fracturing wastewater or fracturing activities altogether. At the local level, some municipalities and local governments have adopted or are considering bans on hydraulic fracturing, including towns in Colorado. Finally, lawsuits have been filed by third parties in several states, among them Colorado, alleging contamination of drinking water by hydraulic fracturing. In the event additional legal restrictions are adopted in areas where our producers conduct operations, our producers may incur substantial costs to comply with these requirements, experience delays, and perhaps even be precluded from drilling wells, which in turn could reduce demand for our services and adversely impact our business and results of operations.

Endangered Species

The Endangered Species Act, or ESA, and analogous state laws restrict activities that may affect listed endangered or threatened species or their habitats. If endangered species are located in areas where we operate, our operations or any work performed related to them could be prohibited or delayed or expensive mitigation may be required. While some of our operations may be located in areas that are designated as habitats for endangered or threatened species, we believe that we are in compliance with the ESA. In addition, as a result of a settlement approved by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on September 9, 2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is required to review and consider the listing of numerous species as endangered under the ESA by no later than the completion of the agency’s 2017 fiscal year. Additional listings under the ESA and similar state laws could result in the imposition of restrictions on our operations and consequently have an adverse effect on our business.

 

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National Environmental Policy Act

Our operations on federal lands are subject to the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. Under NEPA, federal agencies, including the Department of Interior must evaluate major agency actions having the potential to significantly impact the environment. This review can entail a detailed evaluation including an Environmental Impact Statement. This process can result in significant delays and may result in additional limitations and costs associated with projects on federal lands.

Employees

The officers of our general partner will manage our operations and activities. All of the employees required to conduct and support our operations will be employed by Noble and be subject to the operational services and secondment agreement that we will enter into with Noble. As of December 31, 2014, Noble employed approximately      people who will provide direct support to our operations pursuant to the operational services and secondment agreement. Noble considers its relations with its employees to be satisfactory. Please read “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Operational Services and Secondment Agreement.”

Insurance

Our business is subject to all of the inherent and unplanned operating risks normally associated with the gathering and treating of water, crude oil and natural gas and the distribution and storage of water. Such risks include weather, fire, explosion, pipeline disruptions and mishandling of fluids any of which could result in damage to, or destruction of, gathering and storage facilities and other property, environmental pollution, injury to persons or loss of life. As protection against financial loss resulting from many, but not all of these operating hazards, pursuant to the terms of the omnibus agreement, we will reimburse Noble for maintaining insurance coverage, including certain physical damage, business interruption, employer’s liability, third party liability and worker’s compensation insurance. Our general partner believes this insurance is appropriate and consistent with industry practice. We cannot, however, assure you that this insurance will be adequate to protect us from all material expenses related to potential future claims for personal and property damage or that these levels of insurance will be available in the future at economical prices. Our insurance coverage may be provided by an affiliate of Noble or may be shared with Noble. To the extent Noble experiences covered losses under the insurance policies, the limit of our coverage for potential losses may be decreased.

Legal Proceedings

Our operations are subject to a variety of risks and disputes normally incident to our business. As a result, we may, at any given time, be a defendant in various legal proceedings and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business. However, we are not currently subject to any material litigation.

 

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MANAGEMENT

Management of Noble Midstream Partners LP

We are managed by the directors and executive officers of our general partner, Noble Midstream GP LLC. Our general partner is not elected by our unitholders and will not be subject to re-election by our unitholders in the future. Noble owns all of the membership interests in our general partner and has the right to appoint the entire board of directors of our general partner, including our independent directors. Our unitholders are not entitled to elect the directors of our general partner’s board of directors or to directly or indirectly participate in our management or operations. Our general partner will be liable, as general partner, for all of our debts (to the extent not paid from our assets), except for indebtedness or other obligations that are made specifically nonrecourse to it. Whenever possible, we intend to incur indebtedness that is nonrecourse to our general partner.

At the completion of this offering, we expect that our general partner will have five directors, including one director nominee who will become a member of our board of directors prior to or in connection with the listing of our common units on the NYSE. In accordance with the NYSE’s phase-in rules, we will have at least three independent directors within one year following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. We expect that our board will determine that Hallie A. Vanderhider, our director nominee who will become a member of our board of directors prior to or in connection with the listing of our common units on the NYSE, is independent under the independence standards of the NYSE.

In evaluating director candidates, Noble will assess whether a candidate possesses the integrity, judgment, knowledge, experience, skill and expertise that are likely to enhance the ability of our board of directors to manage and direct our affairs and business, including, when applicable, to enhance the ability of committees of the board of directors of our general partner to fulfill their duties.

Neither we nor our subsidiaries have any employees. Our general partner has the sole responsibility for providing the employees and other personnel necessary to conduct our operations. In addition, pursuant to the operational services and secondment agreement that will be entered into at the closing of this offering, certain of Noble’s employees will be seconded to our general partner to provide management, maintenance and operational services with respect to our business under the direction and control of our general partner. All of the employees that conduct our business will be employed or contracted by our general partner and its affiliates, including Noble, but we sometimes refer to these individuals in this prospectus as our employees.

As a publicly traded partnership, we qualify for, and are relying on, certain exemptions from the NYSE’s corporate governance requirements, including:

 

   

the requirement that a majority of the board of directors of our general partner consist of independent directors;

 

   

the requirement that the board of directors of our general partner have a nominating/corporate governance committee that is composed entirely of independent directors; and

 

   

the requirement that the board of directors of our general partner have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors.

As a result of these exemptions, we do not expect that our general partner’s board of directors will be comprised of a majority of independent directors. Our board of directors does not currently intend to establish a nominating/corporate governance committee or a compensation committee. Accordingly, unitholders will not have the same protections afforded to equityholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the NYSE.

We are, however, required to have an audit committee of at least three members, and all of its members are required to meet the independence and experience standards established by the NYSE and the Exchange Act,

 

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subject to certain transitional relief during the one-year period following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. In accordance with the NYSE’s corporate governance standards, we must have at least one independent member on our audit committee who satisfies the independence and experience requirements by the date our common units are listed on the NYSE, at least a majority of independent members within 90 days of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and a fully independent audit committee within one year of such effective date.

Committees of the Board of Directors

The board of directors of our general partner will have an audit committee, and may have such other committees (including a conflicts committee) as the board of directors shall determine from time to time.

Audit Committee

We are required to have an audit committee of at least three members, and all of its members are required to meet the independence and experience standards established by the NYSE and the Exchange Act, subject to certain transitional relief during the one-year period following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The audit committee of the board of directors of our general partner will assist the board of directors in its oversight of the integrity of our financial statements and our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and partnership policies and controls. The audit committee will have the sole authority to (1) retain and terminate our independent registered public accounting firm, (2) approve all auditing services and related fees and the terms thereof performed by our independent registered public accounting firm and (3) pre-approve any non-audit services and tax services to be rendered by our independent registered public accounting firm. The audit committee will also be responsible for confirming the independence and objectivity of our independent registered public accounting firm. Our independent registered public accounting firm will be given unrestricted access to the audit committee and our management, as necessary. We expect that Hallie A. Vanderhider will serve as the initial member of the audit committee. We expect that Hallie A. Vanderhider will satisfy the definition of audit committee financial expert for purposes of the SEC’s rules. Noble will appoint a second member to the audit committee within 90 days of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and appoint a third member to the audit committee within one year following such effective date.

Conflicts Committee

The board of directors of our general partner has the ability to establish a conflicts committee under our partnership agreement. If established, at least two members of the board of directors of our general partner will serve on the conflicts committee to review specific matters that may involve conflicts of interest in accordance with the terms of our partnership agreement. The board of directors of our general partner will determine whether to refer a matter to the conflicts committee on a case-by-case basis. The members of our conflicts committee may not be officers or employees of our general partner or directors, officers or employees of its affiliates (including Noble), and must meet the independence and experience standards established by the NYSE and the Exchange Act to serve on an audit committee of a board of directors. In addition, the members of our conflicts committee may not own any interest in our general partner or any interest in us or our subsidiaries other than common units or awards under our long-term incentive plan. If our general partner seeks approval from the conflicts committee, then it will be presumed that, in making its decision, the conflicts committee acted in good faith, and in any proceeding brought by or on behalf of any limited partner or the partnership challenging such determination, the person bringing or prosecuting such proceeding will have the burden of overcoming such presumption. Please read “Conflicts of Interest and Duties.”

 

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Directors, Director Nominee and Executive Officers of Noble Midstream GP LLC

Directors are appointed by Noble, the owner of our general partner, and hold office until their successors have been appointed or qualified or until their earlier death, resignation, removal or disqualification. Executive officers are appointed by, and serve at the discretion of, the board of directors. The following table presents information for the directors, director nominee and executive officers of Noble Midstream GP LLC as of September 23, 2015. Our director nominee will become a member of the board of directors of our general partner prior to or in connection with the listing of our common units on the NYSE.

 

Name

   Age     

Position with Our General Partner

Terry R. Gerhart

     55       Chief Executive Officer and Director

Kenneth M. Fisher

     53       Chairman of the Board of Directors

Charles J. Rimer

     57       Director

Gary W. Willingham

     51       Director

Hallie A. Vanderhider

     58       Director Nominee

John F. Bookout, IV

     29       Chief Financial Officer

Dustin A. Hatley

     48       Chief Accounting Officer

Gerald M. Stevenson

     61      

Treasurer

John C. Nicholson

     31       Chief Operating Officer

Terry R. Gerhart was appointed Chief Executive Officer and as a Director of our general partner in October 2015. Mr. Gerhart has over 31 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Mr. Gerhart currently serves as Vice President, Global Operations Services for Noble, which he was appointed in September 2015. At Noble, Mr. Gerhart previously served as Vice President Africa from April 2013 to September 2015, Vice President Eastern Mediterranean Operations from August 2011 to April 2013, and Vice President International Non-Operated Assets and Global Gas Monetization from December 2009 to August 2011. He began his career with Atlantic Richfield as a petroleum engineer holding various engineering, operations and management positions of increasing importance. He was part of the team that started the US independent Vastar Resources, worked later as an executive for BP, and then with a technology based exploration start-up company before joining Noble. During his career, he has helped design, construct, operate, and manage upstream oil and gas gathering and treatment facilities, natural gas processing plants, and offshore production facilities throughout the world. We believe that Mr. Gerhart’s substantial prior experience with Noble and other companies engaged in energy-related businesses will provide the board of directors with valuable insight.

Kenneth M. Fisher was appointed as Chairman of the board of directors of our general partner in October 2015. Mr. Fisher serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Noble, which he was elected to in April 2014, previously serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from November 2009. Before joining Noble, Mr. Fisher served in a number of senior leadership roles at Shell from 2002 to 2009, including as Executive Vice President of Finance for Upstream Americas, Director of Strategy & Business Development for Royal Dutch Shell plc in The Hague, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Portfolio for Global Downstream in London and CFO of Shell Oil Products US responsible for US downstream finance operations including Shell Pipeline Company. Prior to joining Shell in 2002, Mr. Fisher held senior finance positions within business units of General Electric Company. Mr. Fisher currently serves as a director of CONE Midstream Partners LP. We believe Mr. Fisher’s energy industry and financial experience provides the board of directors of our general partner with valuable experience in our financial and accounting matters.

Charles J. Rimer was appointed to the board of directors of our general partner in October 2015. Mr. Rimer currently serves as Senior Vice President of Noble, which he was appointed to in April 2013, and is currently responsible for Noble’s U.S. onshore operations. He previously served as Vice President of Operations Services for Noble from 2012 and managed Noble’s international West Africa, non-operated and new ventures division from 2002. His prior roles encompassed the construction, startup, and operations of Noble’s midstream treating and measurement facilities in West Africa. He also was responsible for Noble’s worldwide Major Projects

 

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Division prior to his current assignment. Prior to joining Noble, he held various positions at ARCO, Vastar and Aspect Resources. We believe Mr. Rimer’s extensive knowledge of the energy industry and our DJ Basin operations will provide the board of directors of our general partner with valuable experience.

Gary W. Willingham was appointed to the board of directors of our general partner in October 2015. Mr. Willingham currently serves as Executive Vice President of Operations for Noble, which he was appointed to in October 2014, and is currently responsible for Noble’s global development, production and facilities operations, drilling, major projects and supply chain activities. Mr. Willingham previously served as Senior Vice President of Noble’s U.S. onshore operations, which included responsibility for the DJ Basin midstream assets, beginning in April 2013, and prior to that as Vice President of Strategic Planning, Environmental Analysis and Reserves beginning in 2008. Prior to joining the Company, he held various engineering and commercial positions at ARCO, Vastar Resources and BP America. We believe Mr. Willingham’s familiarity with Noble’s operations and experience in the energy industry provide the board of directors of our general partner with valuable experience.

Hallie A. Vanderhider currently serves as the Managing Partner of Catalyst Partners, LLC, which position she has held since May of 2013. Previously, she served as a member of the board of directors and as the President and Chief Operating Officer at Black Stone Minerals Company, L.P. (“Black Stone”), from October 1, 2007 through May 31 of 2013. She joined Black Stone in 2003 and served as its Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer until being appointed as the President and Chief Operating Officer in 2007. Ms. Vanderhider served as Chief Financial Officer of EnCap Investments L.P. and served in a variety of positions at Damson Oil Corp., including as Chief Accounting Officer. In addition, she served on the following boards of directors: Mississippi Resources LLC, from August of 2014 to present; PetroLogistics GP LLC, from April 2013 to July 2014; Bright Horizons LLC from October of 2013 to present and Grey Rock Energy Management LLC from August of 2013 to present. We believe that Ms. Vanderhider’s previous experience with master limited partnerships and the natural resource industry, as well as her knowledge of financial statements, provide her the necessary skills to be a member of the board of directors of our general partner.

John F. Bookout, IV was appointed Chief Financial Officer in October 2015. Mr. Bookout joined Noble in July 2014 and has most recently been responsible for financial management, planning, business development, and mergers and acquisitions related to Noble’s US onshore midstream activities, including the structuring of CONE Midstream Partners, L.P. and the structuring of this initial public offering. Mr. Bookout also served as an advisor to Noble in the Corporate Finance and Treasury group beginning in July 2014. From September 2009 until joining Noble, Mr. Bookout was an Associate at Global Infrastructure Partners.

Dustin A. Hatley was appointed Chief Accounting Officer in October 2015. Mr. Hatley was appointed as Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer of Noble on February 1, 2012. He previously served as Noble’s Corporate Controller from February 2011 and served in other progressive positions of responsibility after joining Noble in March 2005. Prior to joining Noble, Mr. Hatley served as the Chief Accountant and Financial Reporting Manager for ENI Petroleum Co., Inc. in Houston, Texas. Before joining ENI Petroleum, he spent approximately fourteen years in the energy industry while working in Ernst & Young’s audit practice or working directly for energy industry service companies.

Gerald M. Stevenson was appointed Treasurer in October 2015. Mr. Stevenson joined Noble as the Vice President, Treasurer in August 2005. He is responsible for corporate treasury operations, including bank relationships, finance activities, insurance, credit, and commodity risk management functions. Mr. Stevenson has over thirty years of financial experience having served in various financial leadership positions within the consumer packaging and food processing industry and over the last twenty years within the energy sector at El Paso Corporation, and its predecessor, Coastal Corporation.

 

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John C. Nicholson was appointed Chief Operating Officer in October 2015. Mr. Nicholson has eight years of experience in the oil and gas industry and with Noble, having joined Noble in June 2007. During this time, Mr. Nicholson has held various positions, including most recently serving as an Investor Relations Advisor for Noble from July 2014 until his appointment to Chief Operating Officer and from January 2012 to July 2014 served as a Project Manager for a deepwater development offshore West Africa.

Board Leadership Structure

Although the chief executive officer of our general partner currently does not also serve as the chairman of the board, the board of directors of our general partner has no policy with respect to the separation of the offices of chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer. Instead, that relationship will be defined and governed by the amended and restated limited liability company agreement of our general partner to be entered into in connection with the closing of this offering, which will permit the same person to hold both offices. Directors of the board of directors of our general partner are designated or elected by Noble. Accordingly, unlike holders of common stock in a corporation, our unitholders will have only limited voting rights on matters affecting our business or governance, subject in all cases to any specific unitholder rights contained in our partnership agreement.

Board Role in Risk Oversight

Our corporate governance guidelines will provide that the board of directors of our general partner is responsible for reviewing the process for assessing the major risks facing us and the options for their mitigation. This responsibility will be largely satisfied by our audit committee, which is responsible for reviewing and discussing with management and our independent registered public accounting firm our major risk exposures and the policies management has implemented to monitor such exposures, including our financial risk exposures and risk management policies.

Reimbursement of Expenses

Our partnership agreement requires us to reimburse our general partner for (i) direct and indirect expenses it incurs or payments it makes on our behalf (including salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to any person, including affiliates of our general partner, to perform services for us or our subsidiaries or for our general partner in the discharge of its duties to us and our subsidiaries) and (ii) all other expenses reasonably allocable to us or our subsidiaries or otherwise incurred by our general partner in connection with operating our business (including expenses allocated to our general partner by its affiliates). Our general partner is entitled to determine the expenses that are allocable to us and our subsidiaries. The costs and expenses for which we will reimburse our general partner and its affiliates may include salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to persons who perform services for us or on our behalf and expenses allocated to our general partner by its affiliates. We estimate that the total amount of such reimbursed expenses will be approximately $         million for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016. Please read “Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions—Estimated EBITDA and Distributable Cash Flow for the Twelve Months Ending December 31, 2016.” The costs and expenses for which we are required to reimburse our general partner and its affiliates are not subject to any caps or other limits. Please read “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Distributions and Payments to Our General Partner and Its Affiliates.”

Compensation of Our Officers and Directors

Executive Compensation

We and our general partner were formed in December 2014. Accordingly, our general partner has not accrued any obligations with respect to management incentive or retirement benefits for its directors or executive officers for the 2014 fiscal year or prior periods. Because our general partner’s executive officers are employed by Noble, compensation of the executive officers will be set and paid by Noble. Our general partner has not

 

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entered into any employment agreements with any of its executive officers. We expect that compensation for our general partner’s executive officers in 2015 will continue to be determined and structured under Noble’s compensation programs. Under our operational services and secondment agreement with Noble, we will reimburse Noble for the portion of our executive officers’ compensation that is attributable to the management of our business. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Operational Services and Secondment Agreement” and “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—We do not have any officers or employees and rely on officers of our general partner and employees of Noble.” Following the consummation of this offering, we expect that:

 

   

John F. Bookout, IV, our Chief Financial Officer and John C. Nicholson, our Chief Operating Officer, will devote substantially all of their time managing our business and affairs;

 

   

Terry R. Gerhart, Dustin A. Hatley and Gerald M. Stevenson, our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer, respectively, are each also an officer of Noble and will devote the majority of their time to their positions at Noble. As needed, each will also spend time directly managing our business and affairs.

Our general partner’s executive officers, as well as the employees of Noble who provide services to us, may participate in employee benefit plans and arrangements sponsored by Noble, including plans that may be established in the future, and certain of such officers and employees of Noble who provide services to us currently hold grants under Noble’s equity incentive plans and will retain these grants after the completion of this offering.

Compensation of Our Directors

The officers or employees of our general partner or Noble who also serve as directors of our general partner will not receive additional compensation for their service as a director of our general partner. In connection with this offering, directors of our general partner who are not officers or employees of our general partner or Noble, or “non-employee directors,” will receive cash and equity-based compensation for their services as directors. The non-employee director compensation program will consist of the following:

 

   

an annual retainer of $60,000;

 

   

an additional annual retainer of $20,000 for service for each of the chair of the audit committee and the conflicts committee; and

 

   

an annual equity-based award granted under the LTIP, having a value as of the grant date of approximately $120,000.

Non-employee directors will also receive reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses they incur in connection with attending meetings of the board of directors or its committees. Each director will be indemnified for his or her actions associated with being a director to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law.

Our Long-Term Incentive Plan

Our general partner intends to adopt the Noble Midstream Partners LP 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan, or our LTIP, under which our general partner may issue long-term equity based awards to directors, officers and employees of our general partner or its affiliates, or to any consultants, affiliates of our general partner or other individuals who perform services for us. These awards will be intended to compensate the recipients thereof based on the performance of our common units and their continued service during the vesting period, as well as to align their long-term interests with those of our unitholders. We will be responsible for the cost of awards granted under our LTIP and all determinations with respect to awards to be made under our LTIP will be made by the board of directors of our general partner or any committee thereof that may be established for such purpose or by any delegate of the board of directors or such committee, subject to applicable law, which we refer to as the plan administrator. We currently expect that the board of directors of our general partner or a committee thereof will be designated as the plan administrator. The following description reflects the terms that are currently expected to be included in the LTIP.

 

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General

The LTIP will provide for the grant, from time to time at the discretion of the board of directors of our general partner or any delegate thereof, subject to applicable law, of unit awards, restricted units, phantom units, unit options, unit appreciation rights, distribution equivalent rights, profits interest units and other unit-based awards. The purpose of awards under the LTIP is to provide additional incentive compensation to individuals providing services to us, and to align the economic interests of such individuals with the interests of our unitholders. The LTIP will limit the number of units that may be delivered pursuant to vested awards to              common units, subject to proportionate adjustment in the event of unit splits and similar events. Common units subject to awards that are cancelled, forfeited, withheld to satisfy exercise prices or tax withholding obligations or otherwise terminated without delivery of the common units will be available for delivery pursuant to other awards.

Restricted Units and Phantom Units

A restricted unit is a common unit that is subject to forfeiture. Upon vesting, the forfeiture restrictions lapse and the recipient holds a common unit that is not subject to forfeiture. A phantom unit is a notional unit that entitles the grantee to receive a common unit upon the vesting of the phantom unit or on a deferred basis upon specified future dates or events or, in the discretion of the plan administrator, cash equal to the fair market value of a common unit. The plan administrator of the LTIP may make grants of restricted units and phantom units under the LTIP that contain such terms, consistent with the LTIP, as the plan administrator may determine are appropriate, including the period over which restricted units or phantom units will vest. The plan administrator of the LTIP may, in its discretion, base vesting on the grantee’s completion of a period of service or upon the achievement of specified financial objectives or other criteria or upon a change of control (as defined in the LTIP) or as otherwise described in an award agreement.

Distributions made by us with respect to awards of restricted units may be subject to the same vesting requirements as the restricted units.

Distribution Equivalent Rights

The plan administrator of the LTIP, in its discretion, may also grant distribution equivalent rights, either as standalone awards or in tandem with other awards. Distribution equivalent rights are rights to receive an amount in cash, restricted units or phantom units equal to all or a portion of the cash distributions made on units during the period an award remains outstanding.

Unit Options and Unit Appreciation Rights

The LTIP may also permit the grant of options covering common units. Unit options represent the right to purchase a number of common units at a specified exercise price. Unit appreciation rights represent the right to receive the appreciation in the value of a number of common units over a specified exercise price, either in cash or in common units. Unit options and unit appreciation rights may be granted to such eligible individuals and with such terms as the plan administrator of the LTIP may determine, consistent with the LTIP; however, a unit option or unit appreciation right must have an exercise price equal to at least the fair market value of a common unit on the date of grant.

Unit Awards

Awards covering common units may be granted under the LTIP with such terms and conditions, including restrictions on transferability, as the plan administrator of the LTIP may establish.

Profits Interest Units

Awards granted to grantees who are partners, or granted to grantees in anticipation of the grantee becoming a partner or granted as otherwise determined by the plan administrator, may consist of profits interest units. The plan administrator will determine the applicable vesting dates, conditions to vesting and restrictions on transferability and any other restrictions for profits interest awards.

 

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Other Unit-Based Awards

The LTIP may also permit the grant of “other unit-based awards,” which are awards that, in whole or in part, are valued or based on or related to the value of a common unit. The vesting of another unit-based award may be based on a participant’s continued service, the achievement of performance criteria or other measures. On vesting or on a deferred basis upon specified future dates or events, another unit-based award may be paid in cash or in units (including restricted units) or any combination thereof as the plan administrator of the LTIP may determine.

Source of Common Units

Common units to be delivered with respect to awards may be newly-issued units, common units acquired by us or our general partner in the open market, common units already owned by our general partner or us, common units acquired by our general partner directly from us or any other person or any combination of the foregoing.

Anti-Dilution Adjustments and Change in Control

If an “equity restructuring” event occurs that could result in an additional compensation expense under applicable accounting standards if adjustments to awards under the LTIP with respect to such event were discretionary, the plan administrator of the LTIP will equitably adjust the number and type of units covered by each outstanding award and the terms and conditions of such award to equitably reflect the restructuring event, and the plan administrator will adjust the number and type of units with respect to which future awards may be granted under the LTIP. With respect to other similar events, including, for example, a combination or exchange of units, a merger or consolidation or an extraordinary distribution of our assets to unitholders, that would not result in an accounting charge if adjustment to awards were discretionary, the plan administrator of the LTIP shall have discretion to adjust awards in the manner it deems appropriate and to make equitable adjustments, if any, with respect to the number of units available under the LTIP and the kind of units or other securities available for grant under the LTIP. Furthermore, upon any such event, including a change in control of us or our general partner, or a change in any law or regulation affecting the LTIP or outstanding awards or any relevant change in accounting principles, the plan administrator of the LTIP will generally have discretion to (i) accelerate the time of exercisability or vesting or payment of an award, (ii) require awards to be surrendered in exchange for a cash payment or substitute other rights or property for the award, (iii) provide for the award to assumed by a successor or one of its affiliates, with appropriate adjustments thereto, (iv) cancel unvested awards without payment or (v) make other adjustments to awards as the plan administrator deems appropriate to reflect the applicable transaction or event.

Termination of Service

The consequences of the termination of a grantee’s membership on the board of directors of our general partner or other service arrangement will generally be determined by the plan administrator in the terms of the relevant award agreement.

Amendment or Termination of Long-Term Incentive Plan

The plan administrator of the LTIP, at its discretion, may terminate the LTIP at any time with respect to the common units for which a grant has not previously been made. The plan administrator of the LTIP also has the right to alter or amend the LTIP or any part of it from time to time or to amend any outstanding award made under the LTIP, provided that no change in any outstanding award may be made that would materially impair the vested rights of the participant without the consent of the affected participant or result in taxation to the participant under Section 409A of the Code.

 

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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table sets forth the beneficial ownership of common units and subordinated units of Noble Midstream Partners LP that will be issued upon the completion of this offering and the related transactions and held by:

 

   

each unitholder known by us to beneficially hold 5% or more of our outstanding units;

 

   

each director or director nominee of our general partner;

 

   

each named executive officer of our general partner; and

 

   

all of the directors, director nominee and named executive officers of our general partner as a group.

In addition, in connection with the completion of this offering, we will issue a non-economic general partner interest to our general partner and all of the incentive distribution rights to Noble.

Beneficial ownership is determined under the rules of the SEC and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to securities. Unless indicated below, to our knowledge, the persons and entities named in the following table have sole voting and sole investment power with respect to all units beneficially owned by them, subject to community property laws where applicable.

The following table assumes that the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units is not exercised. The percentage of units beneficially owned is based on a total              common units and              subordinated units outstanding immediately following this offering. The following table does not include any common units that the directors, director nominee and named executive officers of our general partner may purchase in this offering through the directed unit program described under “Underwriting.”

 

Name of Beneficial Owner(1)

   Common
Units To Be
Beneficially
Owned
   Percentage
of Common
Units To Be
Beneficially
Owned
    Subordinated
Units To Be
Beneficially
Owned
     Percentage
of
Subordinated
Units To Be
Beneficially
Owned
    Percentage
of Total
Common
Units and
Subordinated
Units To Be
Beneficially
Owned
 

Noble Energy, Inc.

                    100         

Directors/Named Executive Officers

            

Terry R. Gerhart

          —           —       

Kenneth M. Fisher

          —           —       

Charles J. Rimer

          —           —       

Gary W. Willingham

          —           —       

John F. Bookout, IV

          —           —       

Dustin A. Hatley

          —           —       

Gerald M. Stevenson

          —           —       

John C. Nicholson

          —           —       

Director Nominee

            

Hallie A. Vanderhider

          —           —       

All Directors, Director Nominee and Executive Officers as a group

            

(9 persons)

          —           —       

 

* Less than 1%.
(1) Unless otherwise indicated, the address for all beneficial owners in this table is c/o Noble Midstream GP LLC, 1001 Noble Energy Way, Houston, Texas 77070.

 

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The following table sets forth, as of                     , 2015, the number of shares of Noble common stock beneficially owned by each of the directors, director nominee and named executive officers of our general partner and all of the directors, director nominee and named executive officers of our general partner as a group. The percentage of total shares is based on              shares outstanding as of                     , 2015. Amounts shown below include options that are currently exercisable or that may become exercisable within 60 days of                     , 2015 and the shares underlying restricted stock awards that will be settled within 60 days of                     , 2015. Unless otherwise indicated, the named person has the sole voting and dispositive powers with respect to the shares of Noble common stock set forth opposite such person’s name.

 

Name of Beneficial Owner

   Total
Common
Stock
Beneficially
Owned
   Percent of
Total
Outstanding

Directors/Named Executive Officers

     

Terry R. Gerhart

     

Kenneth M. Fisher

     

Charles J. Rimer

     

Gary W. Willingham

     

John F. Bookout, IV

     

Dustin A. Hatley

     

Gerald M. Stevenson

     

John C. Nicholson

     

Director Nominee

     

Hallie A. Vanderhider

     

All Directors, Director Nominee and Executive Officers as a group

     

(9 persons)

     

 

* Less than 1%.

 

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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Following the completion of this offering, Noble will own             common units and             subordinated units, representing an aggregate     % limited partner interest (or             common units and             subordinated units, representing an aggregate     % limited partner interest, if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units). In addition, our general partner will own a non-economic general partner interest in us and Noble will own all of our incentive distribution rights.

Distributions and Payments to Our General Partner and Its Affiliates

The following table summarizes the distributions and payments to be made by us to our general partner and its affiliates in connection with the formation, ongoing operation and liquidation of us. These distributions and payments were determined by and among affiliated entities and, consequently, are not the result of arm’s-length negotiations.

Formation/Offering Stage

 

The consideration received by our general partner and its affiliates, including Noble, prior to or in connection with this offering for the contribution of the controlling interests in our development companies to us

              common units (or             common units if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units);

 

   

            subordinated units;

 

   

a distribution of approximately $         million from the net proceeds of this offering (or $         million if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units);

 

   

the incentive distribution rights; and

 

   

a non-economic general partner interest.

Post-IPO Operational Stage

 

Distributions of available cash to Noble

We will generally make cash distributions to our unitholders pro rata, including Noble, as holder of an aggregate of             common units and             subordinated units. In addition, if distributions exceed the minimum quarterly distribution and target distribution levels, the incentive distribution rights held by Noble will entitle it to increasing percentages of the distributions, up to 50% of the distributions above the highest target distribution level.

 

  Assuming we generate sufficient distributable cash flow to make the payment of the full minimum quarterly distribution on all of our outstanding units for four quarters, Noble would receive an aggregate annual distribution of approximately $         million on its common units and subordinated units (or $         million if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units).

 

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Payments to our general partner and its affiliates

Under our partnership agreement, we are required to reimburse our general partner and its affiliates for all costs and expenses that they incur on our behalf for managing and controlling our business and operations.

 

  Under our operational services and secondment agreement, we will reimburse Noble for the secondment to our general partner of certain employees who provide operational functions and all personnel in the operational chain of management. The costs and expenses for which we will be required to reimburse Noble and its affiliates will not be subject to any caps or other limits. Please read “—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Operational Services and Secondment Agreement” below and “Management—Compensation of Our Officers and Directors.”

 

  Under our omnibus agreement, we pay to Noble a fixed fee for the cost of the general and administrative expenses that we anticipate to receive, which fee is subject to annual redeterminations. In addition, to the extent Noble incurs direct, third-party out-of-pocket general and administrative costs for our exclusive benefit, we will reimburse Noble for such amounts, and we are responsible for directly incurring certain other general and administrative expenses, such as our tax advisors who specialize in master limited partnerships, lawyers and accounting firms. These services will be consistent in nature and quality to the services of such type previously provided by Noble in connection with our assets. Please read “—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Omnibus Agreement”

 

Withdrawal or removal of our general partner

If our general partner withdraws or is removed, its non-economic general partner interest will either be sold to the new general partner for cash or converted into common units, in each case for an amount equal to the fair market value of those interests. Please read “Our Partnership Agreement—Withdrawal or Removal of Our General Partner.”

Liquidation Stage

 

Liquidation

Upon our liquidation, the partners, including our general partner, will be entitled to receive liquidating distributions according to their respective capital account balances.

Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions

We and other parties will enter into the various agreements that will affect the transactions contemplated by this offering, including the vesting of assets in, and the assumption of liabilities by, us and our subsidiaries, and the application of the proceeds from this offering. While not the result of arm’s-length negotiations, we believe the terms of all of our initial agreements with Noble and its affiliates will be, and specifically intend the rates to be, generally no less favorable to either party than those that could have been negotiated with unaffiliated parties with respect to similar services. All of the transaction expenses incurred in connection with these transactions, including the expenses associated with transferring assets into our subsidiaries, will be paid for with the proceeds from this offering.

 

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Omnibus Agreement

At the closing of this offering, we will enter into an omnibus agreement with Noble and our general partner that will address the following matters:

 

   

our payment of an annual general and administrative fee, initially in the amount of $6.85 million (prorated for the first year of service), for the provision of certain services by Noble and its affiliates;

 

   

our ROFR to acquire any other midstream assets providing the services covered by our commercial agreement as well as natural gas processing and LNG services that Noble retains, acquires or develops in North America (other than in the Marcellus Shale) not otherwise subject to a third party purchase right;

 

   

our ROFR to provide midstream services covered by our commercial agreements as well as natural gas processing and LNG services on acreage that Noble owns or acquires in North America (other than in the Marcellus Shale), subject to preexisting dedications, rights of first refusal, rights of first offer and other preexisting encumbrances;

 

   

our ROFO to acquire Noble’s retained interests in each of our development companies; and

 

   

an indemnity by Noble for certain environmental and other liabilities, and our obligation to indemnify Noble for events and conditions associated with the operations of our assets that occur after the closing of this offering and for environmental liabilities related to our assets to the extent Noble is not required to indemnify us.

If Noble ceases to control our general partner, either party may terminate the omnibus agreement, provided that the indemnification obligations will remain in full force and effect in accordance with their terms. The ROFR and ROFO contained in our omnibus agreement will terminate on the earlier of 15 years from the closing of this offering and the date that Noble no longer controls our general partner.

Payment of general and administrative support fee and reimbursement of expenses . We will pay Noble a flat fee, initially in the amount of $6.85 million per year (payable in equal monthly installments and prorated for the first year of service), for the provision of certain general and administrative services for our benefit, including: executive services; financial and administrative services (including treasury and accounting); information technology; in-house legal services; corporate health, safety and environmental services; facility services; human resources services; procurement services; corporate engineering services, including asset integrity and regulatory services; logistical services; asset oversight; business development services; investor relations; tax matters; and public company reporting services.

Once per year, Noble will submit a good faith estimate of the general and administrative services fee based on the services that Noble anticipates providing to us during the following year. The board of directors of our general partner will have the opportunity to review the proposed general and administrative fee for the upcoming year and submit disputes to Noble. If Noble and the board of directors of our general partner are unable to agree on the amount of the general and administrative fee for any year, Noble and the Partnership will submit their calculations of the fee to an independent auditing firm for review. The determination of the independent auditing firm will be final and binding on Noble and the Partnership with respect to all items included in the general and administrative fee.

Under the omnibus agreement, we will also reimburse Noble for all direct, third-party out-of-pocket costs incurred by Noble in providing these services for our exclusive benefit. This reimbursement will be in addition to our reimbursement of our general partner and its affiliates for certain costs and expenses incurred on our behalf for managing and controlling our business and operations as required by our partnership agreement.

Right of first refusal . Under the omnibus agreement, until the earlier of 15 years from the closing of this offering and the date that Noble no longer controls our general partner, if Noble decides to sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or part of any midstream assets providing the services covered by our commercial agreement as well as natural gas processing and LNG services that Noble retains, acquires or develops in North America (other than in

 

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the Marcellus Shale) that are not otherwise subject to a third party purchase right, Noble will offer us the opportunity to acquire such assets. In addition, Noble has granted us a ROFR with respect to all midstream services covered by our commercial agreements with Noble as well as natural gas processing and LNG services on acreage that Noble owns or acquires onshore in the United States (other than in the Marcellus Shale), subject to preexisting dedications, rights of first refusal, rights of first offer and other preexisting encumbrances.

The consummation and timing of any acquisition by us of the assets covered by our ROFR on assets or any provision of services on acreage subject to our ROFR for services will depend upon, among other things, Noble’s decision to sell any of the assets covered by the ROFR or decision to obtain midstream services applicable to acreage from third parties and our ability to reach an agreement with Noble on price and other terms. Accordingly, we can provide no assurance whether, when or on what terms we will be able to successfully consummate any future acquisitions or expansions of our service area pursuant to our ROFR. Please read “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—We may be unable to grow by acquiring the non-controlling interests in our development companies owned by Noble or midstream assets retained, acquired or developed by Noble, which could limit our ability to increase our distributable cash flow.”, “Risk Factors—Risks Related to our Business—While we have been granted a right of first refusal to provide midstream services on all acreage that Noble has or acquires onshore in the United States (other than in the Marcellus Shale), portions of this acreage may be subject to preexisting dedications, rights of first refusal, rights of first offer and other preexisting encumbrances that may require Noble to use third parties for midstream services.”, “Risk Factors—Risks Related to our Business—We may not be able to economically accept an offer from Noble for us to provide services with respect to which we have a right of first refusal.” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Commercial Agreements.”

Right of first offer . Under the omnibus agreement, until the earlier of 15 years from the closing of this offering and the date that Noble no longer controls our general partner, if Noble decides to sell any of its retained interests in each of our development companies, Noble must first allow us to make an offer to purchase these interests.

The consummation and timing of any acquisition by us of the interests covered by our ROFO will depend upon, among other things, Noble’s decision to sell any of the interests covered by the ROFO and our ability to reach an agreement with Noble on price and other terms. Accordingly, we can provide no assurance whether, when or on what terms we will be able to successfully consummate any future acquisitions pursuant to our ROFO. Please read “Risk Factors—Risks Related to our Business—We may be unable to grow by acquiring the non-controlling interests in our development companies owned by Noble or midstream assets retained, acquired or developed by Noble, which could limit our ability to increase distributable cash flow.”

Indemnification . Under the omnibus agreement, Noble will indemnify us for all known and certain unknown environmental liabilities that are associated with the ownership or operation of our assets and due to occurrences before the closing of this offering. Indemnification for any unknown environmental liabilities will be limited to liabilities due to occurrences before the closing of this offering and identified prior to the third anniversary of the closing of this offering, and will be subject to a deductible of $500,000 per claim before we are entitled to indemnification. For purposes of calculating the deductible, a “claim” will include all liabilities that arise from a discrete act or event. There is no limit on the amount for which Noble will indemnify us under the omnibus agreement once we meet the deductible, if applicable. Noble will also indemnify us for failure to obtain certain consents, licenses and permits necessary to conduct our business, including the cost of curing any such condition, in each case that are identified prior to the third anniversary of the closing of this offering, and will be subject to an aggregate deductible of $500,000 before we are entitled to indemnification.

Noble will also indemnify us for liabilities relating to:

 

   

the consummation of the transactions contemplated by our contribution agreements or the assets contributed to us, other than environmental liabilities, that arise out of the ownership or operation of the assets prior to the closing of this offering;

 

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events and conditions associated with any assets retained by Noble;

 

   

litigation matters attributable to the ownership or operation of the contributed assets prior to the closing of this offering, which will be subject to an aggregate deductible of $500,000 before we are entitled to indemnification (other than currently pending legal actions, which are not subject to a deductible);

 

   

the failure to have any consent, license, permit or approval necessary for us to own or operate the contributed assets in substantially the same manner as owned or operated by Noble prior to this offering; and

 

   

all tax liabilities attributable to the assets contributed to us arising prior to the closing of this offering or otherwise related to Noble’s contribution of those assets to us in connection with this offering.

We have agreed to indemnify Noble for events and conditions associated with the ownership or operation of our assets that occur after the closing of this offering and for environmental liabilities related to our assets to the extent Noble is not required to indemnify us as described above. There is no limit on the amount for which we will indemnify Noble under the omnibus agreement.

Operational Services and Secondment Agreement

We and our general partner will also enter into an operational services and secondment agreement with Noble setting forth the operational services arrangements described below. Our parent will second certain operational and management employees and contractors of Noble to our general partner, the Partnership and the Partnership’s subsidiaries (collectively the “Partnership Parties”) to provide management, maintenance and operational functions with respect to our assets. During their period of secondment, the seconded personnel will be under the direct management and supervision of the Partnership Parties.

The Partnership Parties will reimburse Noble for the cost of the seconded employees and contractors, including their wages and benefits. If a seconded employee or contractor does not devote 100% of his or her time to providing services to the Partnership Parties, then we will reimburse Noble for only a prorated portion of such employee’s overall wages and benefits, and the costs associated with contractors based on the percentage of the employee’s or contractor’s time spent working for the Partnership Parties. The Partnership Parties will reimburse Noble on a monthly basis or at other intervals that Noble and the general partner may agree from time to time.

The operational services and secondment agreement will have an initial term of 15 years and will automatically extend for successive renewal terms of one year each, unless terminated by either party upon at least 30 days’ prior written notice before the end of the initial term or any renewal term. In addition, the Partnership Parties may terminate the agreement or reduce the level of services under the agreement at any time upon 30 days’ prior written notice.

Commercial Agreements

At the closing of this offering, we will have long-term agreements with Noble for the provision of midstream services. For more information about our operational agreements with Noble, please read “Business—Our Commercial Agreements with Noble—How We Generate Revenue.”

Contribution Agreement

At the closing of this offering, we will enter into a contribution, conveyance and assumption agreement, which we refer to as our contribution agreement, with Noble, our general partner and certain other affiliates of Noble under which Noble or its subsidiaries will contribute to our development companies the assets comprising our Core Assets and Growth Assets and contribute to us varying controlling interests in the development companies that owns our Core Assets and Growth Assets. More specifically, we will obtain controlling interests in the development companies that own our Core Assets and Growth Assets as follows:

 

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Noble Midstream Services, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, or Operating, owns 100% of the membership interests in each of Colorado River DevCo GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, or Colorado River DevCo GP, Green River DevCo GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, or Green River DevCo GP, Gunnison River DevCo GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, or Gunnison River DevCo GP, Laramie River DevCo GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, or Laramie River DevCo GP and San Juan River DevCo GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, or San Juan River DevCo GP and, together with Colorado River DevCo GP, Green River DevCo GP, Gunnison River DevCo GP and Laramie River DevCo GP, the DevCo General Partners. Colorado River DevCo GP is the sole general partner of Colorado River DevCo LP, a Delaware limited partnership, or Colorado River DevCo LP, and owns a 75% general partner interest in Colorado River DevCo LP. Green River DevCo GP is the sole general partner of Green River DevCo LP, a Delaware limited partnership, or Green River DevCo LP, and owns a 10% general partner interest in Green River DevCo LP. Gunnison River DevCo GP is the sole general partner of Gunnison River DevCo LP, a Delaware limited partnership, or Gunnison River DevCo LP, and owns a 5% general partner interest in Gunnison River DevCo LP. Laramie River DevCo GP is the sole general partner of Laramie River DevCo LP, a Delaware limited partnership, or Laramie River DevCo LP, and owns a 5% general partner interest in Laramie River DevCo LP. San Juan River DevCo V GP is the sole general partner of San Juan River DevCo LP, a Delaware limited partnership, or San Juan River DevCo LP and, together with Colorado River DevCo LP, Green River DevCo LP, Gunnison River DevCo LP and Laramie River DevCo LP, the DevCo Limited Partnerships, and owns a 5% general partner interest in San Juan River DevCo LP. Noble owns a 25% limited partner interest in Colorado River DevCo LP, a 90% limited partner interest in Green River DevCo LP, a 95% limited partner interest in Gunnison River DevCo LP, a 95% limited partner interest in Laramie River DevCo LP and a 95% limited partner interest in San Juan River DevCo LP.

Pursuant to the partnership agreement of each DevCo Limited Partnership, the general partner interest held by the applicable DevCo General Partner (and, ultimately, us through our direct control of Operating and indirect control of the applicable DevCo General Partner upon the completion of this offering) entitles such DevCo General Partner to voting control over, and the exclusive right to manage, the day-to-day operations, business and affairs of the applicable DevCo Limited Partnership. Although the limited partner interest in each DevCo Limited Partnership provides the holder (currently, Noble) economic rights to profits, losses, gains, deductions and credits in proportion to such holder’s percentage interest in the applicable DevCo Limited Partnership, the limited partner interests in each DevCo Limited Partnership do not entitle the holder to any rights with respect to controlling and managing the day-to-day operations, business and affairs of the applicable DevCo Limited Partnership or the ability to remove the general partner.

Prior to the contribution to us of the interests described above, Noble or one of its subsidiaries will contribute 100% of the assets shown on the table under “Business—Our Existing Assets—Growth Assets” to the applicable DevCo Limited Partnerships shown in that table. Furthermore, in connection with the closing of this offering, Noble will contribute to us 100% of the membership interests in Operating pursuant to the contribution agreement. As a result, after the closing of this offering, we will (a) directly own 100% of the membership interests in Operating, (b) indirectly own (through our ownership interest in Operating) 100% of the membership interests in each of the DevCo General Partners, (c) indirectly own (through our indirect ownership interest in Colorado River DevCo GP) a 75% general partner interest in Colorado River DevCo LP, (d) indirectly own (through our indirect ownership interest in Green River DevCo GP) a 10% general partner interest in Green River DevCo LP, (e) indirectly own (through our indirect ownership interest in Gunnison River DevCo GP) a 5% general partner interest in Gunnison River DevCo LP, (f) indirectly own (through our indirect ownership interest in Laramie River DevCo GP) a 5% general partner interest in Laramie River DevCo LP and (g) indirectly own (through our indirect ownership interest in San Juan DevCo GP) a 5% general partner interest in San Juan DevCo LP. Furthermore, through our direct control of Operating and indirect control of the DevCo General Partners, we will control and manage the day to day operations, business and affairs of the DevCo Limited Partnerships. Please read “Business—Our Existing Assets” and “Prospectus Summary—Ownership and Organizational Structure.”

 

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Procedures for Review, Approval and Ratification of Related Person Transactions

The board of directors of our general partner will adopt a code of business conduct and ethics in connection with the completion of this offering that will provide that the board of directors of our general partner or its authorized committee will review on at least a quarterly basis all transactions with related persons that are required to be disclosed under SEC rules and, when appropriate, initially authorize or ratify all such transactions. If the board of directors of our general partner or its authorized committee considers ratification of a transaction with a related person and determines not to so ratify, then the code of business conduct and ethics will provide that our management will make all reasonable efforts to cancel or annul the transaction.

The code of business conduct and ethics will provide that, in determining whether or not to recommend the initial approval or ratification of a transaction with a related person, the board of directors of our general partner or its authorized committee should consider all of the relevant facts and circumstances available, including (if applicable) but not limited to: (i) whether there is an appropriate business justification for the transaction; (ii) the benefits that accrue to us as a result of the transaction; (iii) the terms available to unrelated third parties entering into similar transactions; (iv) the impact of the transaction on a director’s independence (in the event the related person is a director, an immediate family member of a director or an entity in which a director or an immediate family member of a director is a partner, shareholder, member or executive officer); (v) the availability of other sources for comparable products or services; (vi) whether it is a single transaction or a series of ongoing, related transactions; and (vii) whether entering into the transaction would be consistent with the code of business conduct and ethics.

The code of business conduct and ethics described above will be adopted in connection with the completion of this offering and, therefore, the transactions described above were not reviewed under such policy.

 

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CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND DUTIES

Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of interest exist and may arise in the future as a result of the relationships between our general partner and its affiliates, including Noble, on the one hand, and us and our unaffiliated limited partners, on the other hand. The directors and executive officers of our general partner have duties to manage our general partner in a manner that is in the best interests of its owners. At the same time, our general partner has a duty to manage us in a manner that is not adverse to the interests of our partnership.

Whenever a conflict of interest arises between our general partner or its affiliates, on the one hand, and us or any other partner, on the other hand, our general partner will resolve that conflict. Our general partner may seek the approval of such resolution from the conflicts committee of the board of directors of our general partner, or special approval, or from our unitholders, or unitholder approval, but our general partner is not required to do so. There is no requirement under our partnership agreement that our general partner seek special approval or unitholder approval for the resolution of any conflict of interest, and, under our partnership agreement, our general partner may decide to seek such approval or resolve a conflict of interest in any other way permitted by our partnership agreement, as described below, in its sole discretion. The board of directors of our general partner will decide whether to refer a matter to the conflicts committee or to our unitholders on a case-by-case basis. In determining whether to refer a matter to the conflicts committee or to our unitholders for approval, the board of directors of our general partner will consider a variety of factors, including the nature of the conflict, the size of the transaction and dollar amount involved, the identity of the parties involved and any other factors the board of directors deems relevant in determining whether it will seek special approval or unitholder approval. Whenever our general partner makes a determination to seek special approval, to seek unitholder approval or to adopt a resolution or course of action that has not received special approval or unitholder approval, then our general partner will be entitled, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to make such determination free of any duty or obligation whatsoever to our partnership or any limited partner, and our general partner will not, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be required to act in good faith or pursuant to any other standard or duty imposed by our partnership agreement or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity, and our general partner in making such determination will be permitted to do so in its sole and absolute discretion. For a more detailed discussion of the duties applicable to our general partner, please read “—Duties of Our General Partner.”

Whenever a potential conflict of interest exists or arises, any resolution or course of action by our general partner or its affiliates in respect of such conflict of interest will be permitted and deemed approved by all partners, and will not constitute a breach of our partnership agreement 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:

 

   

approved by special approval, which our partnership agreement defines as approval by a majority of the members of the conflicts committee, acting in good faith; or

 

   

approved by a vote of a majority of the outstanding common units, excluding any common units owned by our general partner or any of its affiliates.

If our general partner seeks special approval from the conflicts committee, then it will be presumed that, in making its decision, the conflicts committee acted in good faith, and in any proceeding brought by or on behalf of any limited partner or the partnership challenging such determination, the person bringing or prosecuting such proceeding will have the burden of overcoming such presumption. If our general partner does not seek special approval or unitholder approval, then our general partner, the board of directors of our general partner or any committee of the board of directors of our general partner (including the conflicts committee), as applicable, will make such determination or take or decline to take any action in good faith, and none of our general partner, the board of directors of our general partner or any committee of the board of directors of our general partner (including the conflicts committee), as applicable, will be subject to any fiduciary duty or other duty or obligation, or any other, different or higher standard under our partnership agreement or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity. Under our partnership agreement, it will be presumed that, in

 

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making its decision, our general partner, the board of directors of our general partner or any committee of the board of directors of our general partner (including the conflicts committee), as applicable, acted in good faith, and in any proceeding brought by or on behalf of any limited partner or the partnership challenging such determination, the person bringing or prosecuting such proceeding will have the burden of overcoming such presumption. Unless the resolution of a conflict is specifically provided for in our partnership agreement, our general partner or the conflicts committee of our general partner’s board of directors may consider any factors it determines in good faith to consider when resolving a conflict. A determination or the taking or declining to take an action will be deemed to be in “good faith” for purposes of our partnership agreement unless the person or persons making such determination or taking or declining to take such action subjectively believed that such determination, other action or failure to act was adverse to the interests of the partnership. In taking such action, such person may take into account the totality of the circumstances or the totality of the relationships between the parties involved, including other relationships or transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to us. If that person has the required subjective belief, then the decision or action will be conclusively deemed to be in good faith for all purposes under our partnership agreement.

It is possible, but we believe it is unlikely, that our general partner would approve a matter that the conflicts committee has previously declined to approve or declined to recommend that the full board of directors approve. If the conflicts committee does not approve or does not recommend that the full board of directors approve a matter that has been presented to it, then, unless the board of directors of our general partner has delegated exclusive authority to the conflicts committee, the board of directors of our general partner may subsequently approve the matter. In such a case, although the matter will not have received “special approval” under our partnership agreement, the board of directors of our general partner could still determine to resolve the conflict of interest solely under the good faith standard. In making any such determination, the board of directors of our general partner may take into account the totality of the relationships between the parties involved, including other transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to us. Please read “Management—Committees of the Board of Directors—Conflicts Committee” for information about the conflicts committee of our general partner’s board of directors.

Conflicts of interest could arise in the situations described below, among others.

Affiliates of our general partner, including Noble, may compete with us, and neither our general partner nor its affiliates have any obligation to present business opportunities to us except with respect to dedications contained in our commercial agreements and rights of first refusal and rights of first offer contained in our omnibus agreement.

Our partnership agreement provides that our general partner will be restricted from engaging in any business activities other than acting as our general partner (or as general partner or managing member of another entity of which we are a partner or member) or those activities incidental to its ownership of interests in us. However, affiliates of our general partner, including Noble, are not prohibited from engaging in other businesses or activities, including those that might compete with us.

Neither our partnership agreement nor our omnibus agreement will prohibit Noble or any other affiliates of our general partner from owning assets or engaging in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. Under the terms of our partnership agreement, the doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any analogous doctrine, will not apply to our general partner or any of its affiliates, including Noble and executive officers and directors of our general partner. Any such person or entity that becomes aware of a potential transaction, agreement, arrangement or other matter that may be an opportunity for us will not have any duty to communicate or offer such opportunity to us except with respect to dedications contained in our commercial agreements and rights of first refusal and rights of first offer contained in our omnibus agreement. Any such person or entity will not be liable to us or to any limited partner for breach of any fiduciary duty or other duty by reason of the fact that such person or entity pursues or acquires such opportunity for itself, directs such opportunity to another person or entity or does not communicate such opportunity or information to us. Consequently, Noble and other affiliates of our general partner may acquire, construct or dispose of additional midstream assets in the future without any

 

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obligation under our partnership agreement to offer us the opportunity to purchase any of those assets. As a result, competition from Noble and other affiliates of our general partner could materially and adversely impact our results of operations and distributable cash flow.

Our general partner is allowed to take into account the interests of parties other than us, such as Noble, in resolving conflicts of interest.

Our partnership agreement contains provisions that reduce and modify the standards to which our general partner would otherwise be held by state fiduciary duty law. For example, our partnership agreement permits our general partner to make a number of decisions in its individual capacity, as opposed to in its capacity as our general partner, free of any duty or obligation to us and our unitholders. This entitles our general partner to consider only the interests and factors that it desires and relieves it of any duty or obligation to give any consideration to any interest of, or factors affecting, us or any limited partner. Examples of decisions that our general partner may make in its individual capacity include: (i) how to allocate business opportunities among us and affiliates of our general partner; (ii) whether to exercise its limited call right; (iii) how to exercise its voting rights with respect to any units it owns; (iv) whether to exercise its registration rights; (v) whether to sell or otherwise dispose of units or other partnership interests that it owns; (vi) whether to elect to reset target distribution levels; (vii) whether to consent to any merger, consolidation or conversion of the partnership or amendment to our partnership agreement; and (viii) whether to refer or not to refer any potential conflict of interest to the conflicts committee for special approval or to seek or not to seek unitholder approval.

Our partnership agreement replaces the fiduciary duties that would otherwise be owed by our general partner with contractual standards governing its duties and limits our general partner’s liabilities and the remedies available to our unitholders for actions that, without the limitations, might constitute breaches of fiduciary duty under applicable Delaware law.

In addition to the provisions described above, our partnership agreement contains provisions that restrict the remedies available to our limited partners for actions that might constitute breaches of fiduciary duty under applicable Delaware law. For example, our partnership agreement:

 

   

permits our general partner to make a number of decisions in its individual capacity, as opposed to in its capacity as our general partner. When acting in its individual capacity, our general partner is entitled to consider only the interests and factors that it desires, and it has no duty or obligation to give any consideration to any interest of, or factors affecting, us or any limited partner;

 

   

provides that the general partner will have no liability to us or our limited partners for decisions made in its capacity as a general partner so long as such decisions are made in good faith reliance on the provisions of our partnership agreement;

 

   

generally provides that in a situation involving a transaction with an affiliate or other conflict of interest, any determination by our general partner must be made in good faith. If an affiliate transaction or the resolution of another conflict of interest does not receive special approval or unitholder approval, then our general partner will make such determination or take or decline to take any action in good faith, and neither our general partner nor the board of directors of our general partner will be subject to any fiduciary duty or other duty or obligation, or any other, different or higher standard under our partnership agreement or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity. Under our partnership agreement, it will be presumed that in making its decision, our general partner (including the board of directors of our general partner) acted in good faith, and in any proceeding brought by or on behalf of any limited partner or us challenging such decision, the person bringing or prosecuting such proceeding will have the burden of overcoming such presumption; and

 

   

provides that our general partner and its officers and directors will not be liable for monetary damages to us or our limited partners resulting from any act or omission unless there has been a final and non-appealable judgment entered by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that our general partner or

 

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its officers or directors, as the cases may be, acted in bad faith or engaged in actual fraud or willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the conduct was unlawful.

By purchasing a common unit, a common unitholder will be deemed to have agreed to become bound by the provisions in our partnership agreement, including the provisions discussed above.

Except in limited circumstances, our general partner has the power and authority to conduct our business without unitholder approval.

Under our partnership agreement, our general partner has full power and authority to do all things, other than those items that require unitholder approval, on such terms as it determines to be necessary or appropriate to conduct our business, including, but not limited to, the following:

 

   

the making of any expenditures, the lending or borrowing of money, the assumption or guarantee of or other contracting for, indebtedness and other liabilities, the issuance of evidences of indebtedness, including indebtedness that is convertible into our securities, and the incurring of any other obligations;

 

   

the purchase, sale or other acquisition or disposition of our securities, or the issuance of additional options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to our securities;

 

   

the acquisition, disposition, mortgage, pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation or exchange of any or all of our assets (though subject to any prior approval required under our partnership agreement);

 

   

the negotiation, execution and performance of any contracts, conveyances or other instruments;

 

   

the distribution of our cash;

 

   

the selection and dismissal of employees (including officers) and agents, outside attorneys, accountants, consultants and contractors and the determination of their compensation and other terms of employment or hiring;

 

   

the maintenance of insurance for our benefit and the benefit of our partners;

 

   

the formation of, or acquisition of an interest in, the contribution of property to, and the making of loans to, any limited or general partnership, joint venture, corporation, limited liability company or other entity;

 

   

the control of any matters affecting our rights and obligations, including the bringing and defending of actions at law or in equity, otherwise engaging in the conduct of litigation, arbitration or mediation and the incurring of legal expense, the settlement of claims and litigation;

 

   

the indemnification of any person against liabilities and contingencies to the extent permitted by law;

 

   

the making of tax, regulatory and other filings, or the rendering of periodic or other reports to governmental or other agencies having jurisdiction over our business or assets; and

 

   

the entering into of agreements with any of its affiliates to render services to us or to itself in the discharge of its duties as our general partner.

Our partnership agreement provides that our general partner must act in good faith when making decisions on our behalf in its capacity as our general partner, and our partnership agreement further provides that in order for a determination to be made in good faith, our general partner must subjectively believe that the determination is not adverse to the interests of our partnership. In making such determination, our general partner may take into account the totality of the circumstances or the totality of the relationships between the parties involved, including other relationships or transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to us. When our general partner is acting in its individual capacity, as opposed to in its capacity as our general partner, it may act free of any duty or obligation to us or our limited partners. Please read “Our Partnership Agreement—Voting Rights” for information regarding matters that require unitholder approval.

 

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Actions taken by our general partner may affect the amount of cash available for distribution to unitholders or accelerate the right to convert subordinated units.

The amount of cash that is available for distribution to unitholders is affected by decisions of our general partner regarding matters such as the amount and timing of:

 

   

cash expenditures;

 

   

borrowings and repayments of indebtedness;

 

   

the issuance of additional partnership interests;

 

   

the creation, increase or reduction in cash reserves in any quarter; and

 

   

asset purchases and sales.

Our general partner determines the amount and timing of any capital expenditures and whether a capital expenditure is classified as a maintenance capital expenditure, which reduces operating surplus, or an expansion capital expenditure, which does not reduce operating surplus. This determination can affect the amount of cash that is distributed to our unitholders, the amount of adjusted operating surplus generated in any given period and the ability of the subordinated units to convert into common units. All of these actions may affect the amount of cash distributed to our unitholders and our general partner and may facilitate the conversion of subordinated units into common units. Please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions.”

In addition, borrowings by us and our affiliates do not constitute a breach of any duty owed by our general partner to our unitholders, including borrowings that have the purpose or effect of:

 

   

enabling our Noble or its affiliates to receive distributions on any subordinated units or the incentive distribution rights held by them; or

 

   

accelerating the expiration of the subordination period.

For example, in the event we have not generated sufficient cash from our operations to pay the minimum quarterly distribution on our common units and our subordinated units, our partnership agreement permits us to borrow working capital funds, which would enable us to make this distribution on all outstanding units. Please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions—Subordinated Units and Subordination Period.”

Our partnership agreement provides that we and our subsidiaries may borrow funds from our general partner and its affiliates. Our general partner and its affiliates may not borrow funds from us or our development companies.

We will reimburse our general partner and its affiliates for expenses.

We will reimburse our general partner and its affiliates, including Noble, for costs incurred in managing and operating us. Our partnership agreement provides that our general partner will determine the expenses that are allocable to us in good faith, and it will charge on a fully allocated cost basis for services provided to us. Our omnibus agreement and operational services and secondment agreement will also address our payment of annual amounts to, and our reimbursement of, our general partner and its affiliates for these costs and services. Please read “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”

Contracts between us, on the one hand, and our general partner and its affiliates, on the other hand, will not be the result of arm’s-length negotiations.

Our partnership agreement allows our general partner to determine, in good faith, any amounts to pay itself or its affiliates for any services rendered to us. Our general partner may also enter into additional contractual arrangements with any of its affiliates on our behalf. Our general partner will determine, in good faith, the terms of any arrangements or transactions entered into after the completion of this offering. While neither our

 

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partnership agreement nor any of the other agreements, contracts and arrangements between us and our general partner and its affiliates are or will be the result of arm’s-length negotiations, we believe the terms of all of our initial agreements with our general partner and its affiliates will be, and specifically intend the fees to be, generally no less favorable to either party than those that could have been negotiated with unaffiliated parties with respect to similar services. Similarly, agreements, contracts or arrangements between us and our general partner and its affiliates, including those providing for the release by us of the ROFRs on assets or acreage or the dedications granted by Noble, that are entered into following the completion of this offering will not be required to be negotiated on an arm’s-length basis, although, in some circumstances, our general partner may determine that the conflicts committee may make a determination on our behalf with respect to such arrangements.

As we have historically derived, and expect to initially derive, substantially all of our revenue from our commercial agreements with Noble, any event, whether in our dedicated acreage or elsewhere, that materially and adversely affects Noble’s business strategies with respect to drilling on and development of our dedicated acreage or their financial condition, results of operations or cash flows may adversely affect our ability to sustain or increase cash distributions to our unitholders. Further, we have no control over Noble’s business decisions and operations, and Noble is under no obligation to adopt a business strategy that is favorable to us. Thus, we are subject to the risk of non-payment or non-performance by Noble, including with respect to our commercial agreements. We cannot predict the extent to which Noble’s businesses would be impacted if conditions in the energy industry were to deteriorate nor can we estimate the impact such conditions would have on Noble’s decisions with respect to drilling and development on our dedicated acreage or performance under our commercial agreements. In addition, our general partner and its affiliates, including Noble, may have specific conflicts of interest with respect to the rights of Noble under our commercial agreements. For example, if we fail to timely complete the construction of the facilities necessary to provide midstream services to Noble’s production on our dedicated acreage, Noble has the right to permanently release the affected acreage from our dedication. Noble is under no obligation to restrict its ability to exercise this (and other) rights under our commercial agreements that may not yield a favorable result for us, and we are subject to the risk that they will exercise these rights for any number of reasons. Please read “Business—Our Commercial Agreements with Noble.”

Our general partner and its affiliates will have no obligation to permit us to use any facilities or assets of our general partner and its affiliates, except as may be provided in contracts entered into specifically for such use. There is no obligation of our general partner and its affiliates to enter into any contracts of this kind.

Our general partner intends to limit its liability regarding our contractual and other obligations.

Our general partner intends to limit its liability under contractual arrangements and other obligations so that counterparties to such agreements have recourse only against our assets and not against our general partner or its assets or any affiliate of our general partner or its assets. Our partnership agreement provides that any action taken by our general partner to limit its liability is not a breach of our general partner’s fiduciary duties, even if we could have obtained terms that are more favorable without the limitation on liability.

Common units are subject to our general partner’s limited call right.

Our general partner may exercise its right to call and purchase common units, as provided in our partnership agreement, or may assign this right to one of its affiliates or to us. Our general partner may use its own discretion, free of any duty or liability to us or our unitholders, in determining whether to exercise this right. As a result, a common unitholder may have to sell its common units at an undesirable time or at a price that is less than the market price on the date of purchase. Please read “Our Partnership Agreement—Limited Call Right.”

Common unitholders will have no right to enforce obligations of our general partner and its affiliates under agreements with us.

Any agreements between us, on the one hand, and our general partner and its affiliates, on the other hand, will not grant to the unitholders, separate and apart from us, the right to enforce the obligations of our general partner and its affiliates in our favor.

 

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Our general partner decides whether to retain separate counsel, accountants or others to perform services for us.

The attorneys, independent accountants and others who perform services for us have been retained by our general partner. Attorneys, independent accountants and others who perform services for us are selected by our general partner or our conflicts committee and may perform services for our general partner and its affiliates. We may retain separate counsel for ourselves or the holders of common units in the event of a conflict of interest between our general partner and its affiliates, on the one hand, and us or the holders of common units, on the other hand, depending on the nature of the conflict. We do not intend to do so in most cases.

Noble may elect to cause us to issue common units to it in connection with a resetting of the target distribution levels related to its incentive distribution rights without the approval of our conflicts committee or our unitholders. This election may result in lower distributions to our common unitholders in certain situations.

Noble, as the initial holder of our incentive distribution rights, has the right, at any time when there are no subordinated units outstanding and it has received incentive distributions at the highest level to which it is entitled (50%) for each of the prior four consecutive calendar quarters, to reset the initial target distribution levels at higher levels based on our cash distribution level at the time of the exercise of the reset election. Furthermore, Noble has the right to transfer all or any portion of the incentive distribution rights at any time, and such transferee shall have the same rights as our Noble relative to resetting target distributions if our general partner concurs that the tests for resetting target distributions have been fulfilled. Following a reset election by Noble, the minimum quarterly distribution will be reset to an amount equal to the average cash distribution per unit for the two calendar quarters immediately preceding the reset election (such amount is referred to as the “reset minimum quarterly distribution”), and the target distribution levels will be reset to correspondingly higher levels based on percentage increases above the reset minimum quarterly distribution.

We anticipate that Noble would exercise this reset right in order to facilitate acquisitions or internal growth projects that would not be sufficiently accretive to cash distributions per common unit without such conversion; however, it is possible that Noble could exercise this reset election at a time when we are experiencing declines in our aggregate cash distributions or at a time when Noble expects that we will experience declines in our aggregate cash distributions in the foreseeable future. In such situations, Noble may be experiencing, or may expect to experience, declines in the cash distributions it receives related to its incentive distribution rights and may therefore desire to be issued common units, which are entitled to specified priorities with respect to our distributions and which therefore may be more advantageous for Noble to own in lieu of the right to receive incentive distribution payments based on target distribution levels that are less certain to be achieved in the then current business environment. As a result, a reset election may cause our common unitholders to experience dilution in the amount of cash distributions that they would have otherwise received had we not issued common units to Noble in connection with resetting the target distribution levels related to Noble’s incentive distribution rights. Please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions—Incentive Distribution Rights.”

 

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Duties of Our General Partner

Delaware law provides that a Delaware limited partnership may, in its partnership agreement, expand, restrict or eliminate the fiduciary duties otherwise owed by the general partner to limited partners and the partnership, provided that the partnership agreement may not eliminate the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing. This implied covenant is a judicial doctrine utilized by Delaware courts in connection with interpreting ambiguities in partnership agreements and other contracts, and does not form the basis of any separate or independent fiduciary duty in addition to the express contractual duties set forth in our partnership agreement. Under the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing, a court will enforce the reasonable expectations of the partners where the language in the partnership agreement does not provide for a clear course of action.

As permitted by the Delaware Act, our partnership agreement contains various provisions replacing the fiduciary duties that might otherwise be owed by our general partner with contractual standards governing the duties of our general partner and contractual methods of resolving conflicts of interest. We have adopted these provisions to allow our general partner or its affiliates to engage in transactions with us that would otherwise be prohibited by state-law fiduciary standards and to take into account the interests of other parties in addition to our interests when resolving conflicts of interest. We believe this is appropriate and necessary because the board of directors of our general partner has duties to manage our general partner in a manner that is in the best interests of its owners in addition to not being adverse to the interests of our partnership. Without these provisions, our general partner’s ability to make decisions involving conflicts of interest would be restricted. These provisions enable our general partner to take into consideration the interests of all parties involved in the proposed action. These provisions also strengthen the ability of our general partner to attract and retain experienced and capable directors. These provisions disadvantage the common unitholders because they restrict the rights and remedies that would otherwise be available to such unitholders for actions that, without those limitations, might constitute breaches of fiduciary duty, as described below, and permit our general partner to take into account the interests of third parties in addition to our interests when resolving conflicts of interest. The following is a summary of the fiduciary duties imposed on general partners of a limited partnership by the Delaware Act in the absence of partnership agreement provisions to the contrary, the contractual duties of our general partner contained in our partnership agreement that replace the fiduciary duties that would otherwise be imposed by Delaware laws on our general partner and the rights and remedies of our unitholders with respect to these contractual duties:

 

State law fiduciary duty standards

Fiduciary duties are generally considered to include an obligation to act in good faith and with due care and loyalty. The duty of care, in the absence of a provision in a partnership agreement providing otherwise, would generally require a general partner to act for the partnership in the same manner as a prudent person would act on his own behalf. The duty of loyalty, in the absence of a provision in a partnership agreement providing otherwise, would generally prohibit a general partner of a Delaware limited partnership from taking any action or engaging in any transaction where a conflict of interest is present unless such transactions were entirely fair to the partnership.

 

Partnership agreement modified standards

Our partnership agreement contains provisions that waive or consent to conduct by our general partner and its affiliates that might otherwise raise issues as to compliance with fiduciary duties or applicable law. For example, our partnership agreement provides that when our general partner is acting in its capacity as our general partner, as opposed to in its individual capacity, it must act in good faith, meaning that it subjectively believed that the decision was not adverse to the interests of our partnership, and our general partner will not be subject to any other standard under our partnership

 

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agreement or applicable law, other than the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Our general partner’s decision or action will be conclusively deemed to be in good faith for all purposes under our partnership agreement unless our general partner subjectively believed that such decision or action was adverse to the interests of the partnership. In taking such action, our general partner may take into account the totality of the circumstances or the totality of the relationships between the parties involved, including other relationships or transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to us. In addition, when our general partner is acting in its individual capacity, as opposed to in its capacity as our general partner, it may act free of any duty or obligation to us or our limited partners. These standards reduce the obligations to which our general partner would otherwise be held. If our general partner seeks special approval from the conflicts committee, then it will be presumed that, in making its decision, the conflicts committee acted in good faith, and in any proceeding brought by or on behalf of any limited partner or the partnership challenging such determination, the person bringing or prosecuting such proceeding will have the burden of overcoming such presumption. If our general partner does not seek special approval from our conflicts committee or unitholder approval, then our general partner will make such determination or take or decline to take any action in good faith, and neither our general partner nor the board of directors of our general partner will be subject to any fiduciary duty or other duty or obligation, or any other, different or higher standard under our partnership agreement or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity. Under our partnership agreement, it will be presumed that, in making its decision, our general partner (including the board of directors of our general partner) acted in good faith, and in any proceeding brought by or on behalf of any limited partner or us challenging such approval, the person bringing or prosecuting such proceeding will have the burden of overcoming such presumption. These standards reduce the obligations to which our general partner would otherwise be held.

 

  In addition to the other more specific provisions limiting the obligations of our general partner, our partnership agreement further provides that our general partner and its officers and directors will not be liable for monetary damages to us or our limited partners for errors of judgment or for any acts or omissions unless there has been a final and non-appealable judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that our general partner or its officers and directors acted in bad faith or engaged in actual fraud or willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the conduct was unlawful.

 

Rights and remedies of unitholders

The Delaware Act generally provides that a limited partner may institute legal action on behalf of the partnership to recover damages from a third party where a general partner has refused to institute the action or where an effort to cause a general partner to do so is not likely to succeed. These actions include actions against a general partner for breach of its fiduciary duties, if any, or of the partnership agreement.

 

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By purchasing our common units, each common unitholder automatically agrees to be bound by the provisions in our partnership agreement, including the provisions discussed above. This is in accordance with the policy of the Delaware Act favoring the principle of freedom of contract and the enforceability of partnership agreements. The failure of a limited partner to sign a partnership agreement does not render the partnership agreement unenforceable against that person.

Under our partnership agreement, we must indemnify our general partner and its officers, directors and managers, to the fullest extent permitted by law, against liabilities, costs and expenses incurred by our general partner or these other persons. We must provide this indemnification unless there has been a final and non-appealable judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that these persons acted in bad faith or engaged in actual fraud or willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the conduct was unlawful. We also must provide this indemnification for criminal proceedings when our general partner or these other persons acted with no knowledge that their conduct was unlawful. Thus, our general partner could be indemnified for its negligent acts if it met the requirements set forth above. To the extent that these provisions purport to include indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is contrary to public policy and therefore unenforceable. Please read “Our Partnership Agreement—Indemnification.”

 

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DESCRIPTION OF OUR COMMON UNITS

Our Common Units

Our common units represent limited partner interests in us. The holders of common units, along with the holders of subordinated units, are entitled to participate in partnership distributions and to exercise the rights and privileges provided to limited partners under our partnership agreement. Please read “Cash Distribution Policy and Restrictions on Distributions” and “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions.” For a description of the rights and privileges of limited partners under our partnership agreement, including voting rights, please read “Our Partnership Agreement.”

Transfer Agent and Registrar

Duties

Wells Fargo Shareowner Services will serve as the transfer agent and registrar for our common units. We will pay all fees charged by the transfer agent for transfers of common units, except for the following that must be paid by our unitholders:

 

   

surety bond premiums to replace lost or stolen certificates, or to cover taxes and other governmental charges in connection therewith;

 

   

special charges for services requested by a holder of a common unit; and

 

   

other similar fees or charges.

Unless our general partner determines otherwise in respect of some or all of any classes of our partnership interests, our partnership interests will be evidenced by book-entry notation on our partnership register and not by physical certificates.

There will be no charge to our unitholders for disbursements of our cash distributions. We will indemnify the transfer agent, its agents and each of their respective stockholders, directors, officers and employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence or intentional misconduct of the indemnified person or entity.

Resignation or Removal

The transfer agent may resign, by notice to us, or be removed by us. The resignation or removal of the transfer agent will become effective upon our appointment of a successor transfer agent and registrar and its acceptance of the appointment. If a successor has not been appointed or has not accepted its appointment within 30 days after notice of the resignation or removal, our general partner may act as the transfer agent and registrar until a successor is appointed.

Transfer of Common Units

By transfer of common units in accordance with our partnership agreement, each transferee of common units shall be admitted as a limited partner with respect to the common units transferred when such transfer and admission are reflected in our books and records. Each transferee:

 

   

represents that the transferee has the capacity, power and authority to become bound by our partnership agreement;

 

   

automatically agrees to be bound by the terms and conditions of, and is deemed to have executed, our partnership agreement; and

 

   

gives the consents and approvals contained in our partnership agreement, such as the approval of all transactions and agreements entered into in connection with our formation and this offering.

 

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A transferee will become a substituted limited partner of our partnership for the transferred common units automatically upon the recording of the transfer on our books and records. Our general partner will cause any transfers to be recorded on our books and records from time to time as necessary to accurately reflect the transfers but no less frequently than quarterly.

We may, at our discretion, treat the nominee holder of a common unit as the absolute owner. In that case, the beneficial holder’s rights are limited solely to those that it has against the nominee holder as a result of any agreement between the beneficial owner and the nominee holder.

Common units are securities and are transferable according to the laws governing the transfer of securities. In addition to other rights acquired upon transfer, the transferor gives the transferee the right to become a substituted limited partner in our partnership for the transferred common units.

Until a common unit has been transferred on our books, we and the transfer agent may treat the record holder of the common unit as the absolute owner for all purposes, except as otherwise required by law or securities exchange regulations.

Exchange Listing

We have applied to list our common units on the NYSE under the symbol “NBLX.”

 

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OUR PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

The following is a summary of the material provisions of our partnership agreement. The form of our partnership agreement is included in this prospectus as Appendix A. We will provide prospective investors with a copy of our partnership agreement upon request at no charge.

We summarize the following provisions of our partnership agreement elsewhere in this prospectus:

 

   

with regard to distributions of available cash, please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions”;

 

   

with regard to the duties of our general partner, please read “Conflicts of Interest and Duties”;

 

   

with regard to the authority of our general partner to manage our business and activities, please read “Management”;

 

   

with regard to the transfer of common units, please read “Description of Our Common Units—Transfer of Common Units”; and

 

   

with regard to allocations of taxable income and taxable loss, please read “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

Organization and Duration

Our partnership was organized on December 23, 2014 and will have a perpetual existence unless terminated pursuant to the terms of our partnership agreement.

Purpose

Under our partnership agreement, the purpose and nature of the business to be conducted by us shall be to engage directly or indirectly in any business activity that is approved by our general partner, in its sole discretion, and that lawfully may be conducted by a limited partnership organized pursuant to the Delaware Act; provided, however , that our general partner shall not cause us to engage, directly or indirectly, in any business activity that our general partner determines would be reasonably likely to cause us to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Although our general partner has the ability to cause us and our subsidiaries to engage in activities other than those related to the midstream energy business, our general partner currently has no plans to do so and may decline to do so free of any duty or obligation whatsoever to us or the limited partners, including any duty to act in the best interests of us or our limited partners, other than the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing. In general, our general partner is authorized to perform all acts it determines to be necessary or appropriate to carry out our purposes and to conduct our business.

Capital Contributions

Unitholders are not obligated to make additional capital contributions, except as described below under “—Limited Liability.”

Voting Rights

The following is a summary of the unitholder vote required for the matters specified below. Matters that require the approval of a “unit majority” require:

 

   

during the subordination period, the approval of a majority of the outstanding common units, excluding those common units held by our general partner and its affiliates, and a majority of the outstanding subordinated units, voting as separate classes; and

 

   

after the subordination period, the approval of a majority of the outstanding common units.

 

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Following the completion of this offering, Noble will have the ability to ensure passage of, as well as the ability to ensure the defeat of, any amendment that requires a unit majority by virtue of their ownership of an aggregate common units and             subordinated units, representing an aggregate     % limited partner interest (or             common units and             subordinated units, representing an aggregate     % limited partner interest, if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units).

In voting their common units and subordinated units, our general partner and its affiliates will have no duty or obligation whatsoever to us or the limited partners, including any duty to act in the best interests of us or the limited partners, other than the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

 

Issuance of additional partnership interests

No approval rights.

 

Amendment of our partnership agreement

Certain amendments may be made by the general partner without the approval of the unitholders. Other amendments generally require the approval of a unit majority. Please read “—Amendment of Our Partnership Agreement.”

 

Merger of our partnership or the sale of all or substantially all of our assets

Unit majority. Please read “—Merger, Consolidation, Conversion, Sale or Other Disposition of Assets.”

 

Dissolution of our partnership

Unit majority. Please read “—Termination and Dissolution.”

 

Continuation of our business upon dissolution

Unit majority. Please read “—Termination and Dissolution.”

 

Withdrawal of the general partner

Under most circumstances, the approval of unitholders holding at least a majority of the outstanding common units, excluding common units held by our general partner and its affiliates, is required for the withdrawal of the general partner prior to             , in a manner which would cause a dissolution of our partnership. Please read “—Withdrawal or Removal of Our General Partner.”

 

Removal of the general partner

Not less than 66  2 / 3 % of the outstanding units, voting as a single class, including units held by our general partner and its affiliates, for cause. Please read “—Withdrawal or Removal of Our General Partner.”

 

Transfer of the general partner interest

Our general partner may transfer all, but not less than all, of its general partner interest in us without a vote of our unitholders to an affiliate or another person in connection with its merger or consolidation with or into, or sale of all or substantially all of its assets to, such person. The approval of a majority of the outstanding common units, excluding common units held by our general partner and its affiliates, is required in other circumstances for a transfer of the general partner interest to a third party prior to             . Please read “—Transfer of General Partner Interest.”

 

Transfer of incentive distribution rights

Noble may transfer any or all of its incentive distribution rights to an affiliate or another person without a vote of our unitholders. Please read “—Transfer of Incentive Distribution Rights.”

 

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Reset of incentive distribution levels

No approval right.

 

Transfer of ownership interests in our general partner

No approval right. Please read “—Transfer of Ownership Interests in Our General Partner.”

Limited Liability

Assuming that a limited partner does not participate in the control of our business within the meaning of the Delaware Act and that it otherwise acts in conformity with the provisions of our partnership agreement, its liability under the Delaware Act will be limited, subject to possible exceptions, to the amount of capital it is obligated to contribute to us for its common units plus its share of any undistributed profits and assets. If it were determined, however, that the right, or exercise of the right of, by the limited partners as a group to:

 

   

remove or replace our general partner for cause;

 

   

approve some amendments to our partnership agreement; or

 

   

take other action under our partnership agreement;

constituted “participation in the control” of our business for the purposes of the Delaware Act, then the limited partners could be held personally liable for our obligations under the laws of Delaware, to the same extent as our general partner. This liability would extend to persons who transact business with us who reasonably believe that a limited partner is a general partner. Neither our partnership agreement nor the Delaware Act specifically provides for legal recourse against our general partner if a limited partner were to lose limited liability through any fault of our general partner. While this does not mean that a limited partner could not seek legal recourse, we know of no precedent for this type of a claim in Delaware case law.

Under the Delaware Act, a limited partnership may not make a distribution to a partner if, after the distribution, all liabilities of the limited partnership, other than liabilities to partners on account of their limited partner interests and liabilities for which the recourse of creditors is limited to specific property of the partnership, would exceed the fair value of the assets of the limited partnership, except that the fair value of property that is subject to a liability for which the recourse of creditors is limited is included in the assets of the limited partnership only to the extent that the fair value of that property exceeds that liability. For the purpose of determining the fair value of the assets of a limited partnership, the Delaware Act provides that the fair value of property subject to liability for which recourse of creditors is limited shall be included in the assets of the limited partnership only to the extent that the fair value of that property exceeds the nonrecourse liability. The Delaware Act provides that a limited partner who receives a distribution and knew at the time of the distribution that the distribution was in violation of the Delaware Act shall be liable to the limited partnership for the amount of the distribution for three years. Under the Delaware Act, a substituted limited partner of a limited partnership is liable for the obligations of its assignor to make contributions to the partnership, except that such person is not obligated for liabilities unknown to it at the time it became a limited partner and that could not be ascertained from the partnership agreement.

Our development companies conduct business in Colorado. We may have subsidiaries that conduct business in other states in the future. Maintenance of our limited liability as a partner or member of our subsidiaries may require compliance with legal requirements in the jurisdictions in which such subsidiaries conduct business, including qualifying such entities to do business there.

Limitations on the liability of members or limited partners for the obligations of a limited liability company or limited partnership have not been clearly established in many jurisdictions. If, by virtue of our ownership interests in our development companies or otherwise, it were determined that we were conducting business in any state without compliance with the applicable limited partnership or limited liability company statute, or that the right or exercise of the right by the limited partners as a group to remove or replace our general partner for cause,

 

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to approve some amendments to our partnership agreement, or to take other action under our partnership agreement constituted “participation in the control” of our business for purposes of the statutes of any relevant jurisdiction, then the limited partners could be held personally liable for our obligations under the law of that jurisdiction to the same extent as our general partner under the circumstances. We will operate in a manner that our general partner considers reasonable and necessary or appropriate to preserve the limited liability of the limited partners.

Issuance of Additional Partnership Interests

Our partnership agreement authorizes us to issue an unlimited number of additional partnership interests for the consideration and on the terms and conditions determined by our general partner without the approval of the unitholders.

It is possible that we will fund acquisitions through the issuance of additional common units, subordinated units or other partnership interests. Holders of any additional common units we issue will be entitled to share equally with the then-existing common unitholders in our distributions. In addition, the issuance of additional common units or other partnership interests may dilute the value of the interests of the then-existing common unitholders in our net assets.

In accordance with Delaware law and the provisions of our partnership agreement, we may also issue additional partnership interests that, as determined by our general partner, may have rights to distributions or special voting rights to which the common units are not entitled. In addition, our partnership agreement does not prohibit our current or future subsidiaries from issuing equity interests, which may effectively rank senior to the common units.

Our general partner will have the right, which it may from time to time assign in whole or in part to any of its affiliates, to purchase common units, subordinated units or other partnership interests or to make additional capital contributions to us whenever, and on the same terms that, we issue partnership interests to persons other than our general partner and its affiliates, to the extent necessary to maintain the percentage interest of our general partner and its affiliates, including such interest represented by common and subordinated units, that existed immediately prior to each issuance. The common unitholders will not have preemptive rights under our partnership agreement to acquire additional common units or other partnership interests.

Amendment of Our Partnership Agreement

General

Amendments to our partnership agreement may be proposed only by our general partner. However, our general partner will have no duty or obligation to propose any amendment and may decline to do so free of any duty or obligation whatsoever to us or our limited partners, including any duty to act in the best interests of us or the limited partners, other than the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing. In order to adopt a proposed amendment, other than the amendments discussed below, our general partner is required to seek written approval of the holders of the number of units required to approve the amendment or call a meeting of the limited partners to consider and vote upon the proposed amendment. Except as described below, an amendment must be approved by a unit majority.

Prohibited Amendments

No amendment may be made that would, among other actions:

 

   

enlarge the obligations of any limited partner without its consent, unless such is deemed to have occurred as a result of an amendment approved by at least a majority of the type or class of limited partner interests so affected; or

 

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enlarge the obligations of, restrict in any way any action by or rights of, or reduce in any way the amounts distributable, reimbursable or otherwise payable by us to our general partner or any of its affiliates without its consent, which consent may be given or withheld at its option.

The provisions of our partnership agreement preventing the amendments having the effects described in any of the clauses above can be amended upon the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the outstanding units voting together as a single class (including units owned by our general partner and its affiliates). Following the completion of this offering, Noble will own an aggregate of             common units and             subordinated units, representing an aggregate     % limited partner interest (or             common units and             subordinated units, representing an aggregate     % limited partner interest, if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units).

No Unitholder Approval

Our general partner may generally make amendments to our partnership agreement without the approval of any limited partner to reflect:

 

   

a change in our name, the location of our principal office, our registered agent or our registered office;

 

   

the admission, substitution, withdrawal or removal of partners in accordance with our partnership agreement;

 

   

a change that our general partner determines to be necessary or appropriate to qualify or continue our qualification 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 neither we nor any of our subsidiaries will be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes;

 

   

an amendment that is necessary, in the opinion of our counsel, to prevent us or our general partner or its directors, officers, agents or trustees, from in any manner, being subjected to the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Investment Advisors Act of 1940, or “plan asset” regulations adopted under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, or ERISA, each as amended, whether or not substantially similar to plan asset regulations currently applied or proposed by the U.S. Department of Labor;

 

   

an amendment that (i) sets forth the designations, preferences, rights, powers and duties of any class or series of partnership interests or (ii) our general partner determines to be necessary, appropriate or advisable in connection with the authorization or issuance of additional partnership interests;

 

   

any amendment expressly permitted in our partnership agreement to be made by our general partner acting alone;

 

   

an amendment effected, necessitated or contemplated by a merger agreement or plan of conversion that has been approved under the terms of our partnership agreement;

 

   

any amendment that our general partner determines to be necessary or appropriate to reflect and account for the formation by us of, or our investment in, any corporation, partnership or other entity, in connection with our conduct of activities permitted by our partnership agreement;

 

   

a change in our fiscal year or taxable year and any other changes that our general partner determines to be necessary or appropriate as a result of such change;

 

   

mergers with, conveyances to or conversions into another limited liability entity that is newly formed and has no assets, liabilities or operations at the time of the merger, conveyance or conversion other than those it receives by way of the merger, conveyance or conversion; or

 

   

any other amendments substantially similar to any of the matters described in the clauses above.

 

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In addition, our general partner may make amendments to our partnership agreement without the approval of any limited partner if our general partner determines that those amendments:

 

   

do not adversely affect in any material respect the limited partners considered as a whole or any particular class of partnership interests as compared to other classes of partnership interests;

 

   

are necessary or appropriate to satisfy any requirements, conditions or guidelines contained in any opinion, directive, order, ruling or regulation of any federal or state agency or judicial authority or contained in any federal or state statute;

 

   

are necessary or appropriate to facilitate the trading of limited partner interests or to comply with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any securities exchange on which the limited partner interests are or will be listed or admitted to trading;

 

   

are necessary or appropriate for any action taken by our general partner relating to splits or combinations of units under the provisions of our partnership agreement; or

 

   

are required to effect the intent expressed in this prospectus or the intent of the provisions of our partnership agreement or are otherwise contemplated by our partnership agreement.

Opinion of Counsel and Unitholder Approval

For amendments that do not require unitholder approval, our general partner will not be required to obtain an opinion of counsel to the effect that an amendment will not affect the limited liability of any limited partner under Delaware law. No other amendments to our partnership agreement will become effective without the approval of holders of at least 90% of the outstanding units voting as a single class unless we first obtain such an opinion of counsel.

In addition to the above restrictions, any amendment that would have a material adverse effect on the rights or preferences of any type or class of partnership interests in relation to other classes of partnership interests will require the approval of at least a majority of the type or class of partnership interests so affected. Any amendment that would reduce the percentage of units required to take any action, other than to remove our general partner for cause or call a meeting of unitholders, must be approved by the written consent or the affirmative vote of limited partners whose aggregate outstanding units constitute not less than the percentage sought to be reduced. Any amendment that would increase the percentage of units required to remove our general partner for cause must be approved by the written consent or the affirmative vote of limited partners whose aggregate outstanding units constitute not less than 90% of outstanding units. Any amendment that would increase the percentage of units required to call a meeting of unitholders must be approved by the written consent or the affirmative vote of limited partners whose aggregate outstanding units constitute at least a majority of the outstanding units.

Merger, Consolidation, Conversion, Sale or Other Disposition of Assets

A merger, consolidation or conversion of our partnership requires the prior consent of our general partner. However, our general partner will have no duty or obligation to consent to any merger, consolidation or conversion and may decline to do so free of any duty or obligation whatsoever to us or the limited partners, including any duty to act in the best interest of us or the limited partners, other than the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

In addition, our partnership agreement generally prohibits our general partner, without the prior approval of the holders of a unit majority, from causing us to, among other things, sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets in a single transaction or a series of related transactions. Our general partner may, however, mortgage, pledge, hypothecate, or grant a security interest in all or substantially all of our assets without that approval. Our general partner may also sell any or all of our assets under a foreclosure or other realization upon those encumbrances without that approval. Finally, our general partner may consummate any merger with another limited liability entity without the prior approval of our unitholders if we are the surviving

 

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entity in the transaction, our general partner has received an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters, the transaction would not result in an amendment to our partnership agreement requiring unitholder approval, each of our units will be an identical unit of our partnership following the transaction and the partnership interests to be issued by us in such merger do not exceed 20% of our outstanding partnership interests immediately prior to the transaction.

If the conditions specified in our partnership agreement are satisfied, our general partner may convert us or any of our subsidiaries into a new limited liability entity or merge us or any of our subsidiaries into, or convey all of our assets to, a newly formed entity if the sole purpose of that conversion, merger or conveyance is to effect a mere change in our legal form into another limited liability entity, our general partner has received an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters, and our general partner determines that the governing instruments of the new entity provide the limited partners and our general partner with the same rights and obligations as contained in our partnership agreement. The unitholders are not entitled to dissenters’ rights of appraisal under our partnership agreement or applicable Delaware law in the event of a conversion, merger or consolidation, a sale of substantially all of our assets or any other similar transaction or event.

Termination and Dissolution

We will continue as a limited partnership until dissolved and terminated under our partnership agreement. We will dissolve upon:

 

   

the withdrawal or removal of our general partner or any other event that results in its ceasing to be our general partner other than by reason of a transfer of its general partner interest in accordance with our partnership agreement or withdrawal or removal followed by approval and admission of a successor;

 

   

the election of our general partner to dissolve us, if approved by the holders of units representing a unit majority;

 

   

the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of our partnership; or

 

   

there being no limited partners, unless we are continued without dissolution in accordance with the Delaware Act.

Upon a dissolution under the first clause above, the holders of a unit majority may also elect, within specific time limitations, to continue our business on the same terms and conditions described in our partnership agreement by appointing as a successor general partner an entity approved by the holders of units representing a unit majority, subject to our receipt of an opinion of counsel to the effect that:

 

   

the action would not result in the loss of limited liability of any limited partner; and

 

   

neither our partnership nor any of our subsidiaries would be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise be taxable as an entity for federal income tax purposes upon the exercise of that right to continue (to the extent not already so treated or taxed).

Liquidation and Distribution of Proceeds

Upon our dissolution, unless we are continued as a new limited partnership, the liquidator authorized to wind up our affairs will, acting with all of the powers of our general partner that are necessary or appropriate to, liquidate our assets and apply the proceeds of the liquidation as described in “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions—Distributions of Cash Upon Liquidation.” The liquidator may defer liquidation or distribution of our assets for a reasonable period of time or distribute assets to partners in kind if it determines that a sale would be impractical or would cause undue loss to our partners.

 

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Withdrawal or Removal of Our General Partner

Except as described below, our general partner has agreed not to withdraw voluntarily as our general partner prior to             , without obtaining the approval of the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding common units, excluding common units held by our general partner and its affiliates, and by giving 90 days’ written notice and furnishing an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters. On or after             , our general partner may withdraw as general partner without first obtaining approval of any unitholder by giving 90 days’ written notice, and that withdrawal will not constitute a violation of our partnership agreement. Notwithstanding the information above, our general partner may withdraw without unitholder approval upon 90 days’ written notice to the limited partners if at least 50% of the outstanding units are held or controlled by one person and its affiliates other than our general partner and its affiliates. In addition, our partnership agreement permits our general partner in some instances to sell or otherwise transfer all of its general partner interest in us without the approval of the unitholders. Please read “—Transfer of General Partner Interest” and “—Transfer of Incentive Distribution Rights.”

Upon voluntary withdrawal of our general partner by giving notice to the other partners, the holders of a unit majority may select a successor to that withdrawing general partner. If a successor is not elected, or is elected but an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters cannot be obtained, we will be dissolved, wound up and liquidated, unless within a specified period after that withdrawal, the holders of a unit majority agree to continue our business by appointing a successor general partner. Please read “—Termination and Dissolution.”

Our general partner may not be removed unless that removal is both (i) for cause and (ii) approved by the vote of the holders of not less than 66  2 / 3 % of our outstanding units, voting together as a single class, including units held by our general partner and its affiliates, and we receive an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters. Any removal of our general partner is also subject to the approval of a successor general partner by the vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding common units, voting as a separate class, and subordinated units, voting as a separate class. “Cause” is narrowly defined under our partnership agreement to mean that a court of competent jurisdiction has entered a final, non-appealable judgment finding the general partner liable to our partnership or any limited partner for actual fraud or willful misconduct in its capacity as our general partner. Cause does not include most cases of charges of poor management of the business. The ownership of more than 33  1 / 3 % of the outstanding units by our general partner and its affiliates would give them the practical ability to prevent our general partner’s removal. Following the completion of this offering, our Noble will own an aggregate of             common units and             subordinated units, representing an aggregate     % limited partner interest (or             common units and             subordinated units, representing an aggregate     % limited partner interest, if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units).

In the event of removal of our general partner or withdrawal of our general partner where that withdrawal violates our partnership agreement, a successor general partner will have the option to purchase the general partner interest of the departing general partner for a cash payment equal to the fair market value of those interests. Under all other circumstances where our general partner withdraws, the departing general partner will have the option to require the successor general partner to purchase the general partner interest of the departing general partner for fair market value. In each case, this fair market value will be determined by agreement between the departing general partner and the successor general partner. If no agreement is reached, an independent investment banking firm or other independent expert selected by the departing general partner and the successor general partner will determine the fair market value. Or, if the departing general partner and the successor general partner cannot agree upon an expert, then an expert chosen by agreement of the experts selected by each of them will determine the fair market value.

If the option described above is not exercised by either the departing general partner or the successor general partner, the departing general partner will become a limited partner and its general partner interest will automatically convert into common units pursuant to a valuation of those interests as determined by an investment banking firm or other independent expert selected in the manner described in the preceding paragraph.

 

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In addition, we will be required to reimburse the departing general partner for all amounts due the departing general partner, including, without limitation, all employee-related liabilities, including severance liabilities, incurred for the termination of any employees employed by the departing general partner or its affiliates for our benefit.

Transfer of General Partner Interest

Except for transfer by our general partner of all, but not less than all, of its general partner interest to (1) an affiliate of our general partner (other than an individual), or (2) another entity as part of the merger or consolidation of our general partner with or into such entity or the transfer by our general partner of all or substantially all of its assets to such entity, our general partner may not transfer all or any part of its general partner interest to another person prior to                     , 2025 without the approval of the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding common units, excluding common units held by our general partner and its affiliates. As a condition of this transfer, the transferee must assume, among other things, the rights and duties of our general partner, agree to be bound by the provisions of our partnership agreement, and furnish an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters.

Our general partner and its affiliates may at any time transfer units to one or more persons, without unitholder approval, except that they may not transfer subordinated units to us.

Transfer of Ownership Interests in Our General Partner

At any time, Noble may sell or transfer all or part of its membership interest in our general partner, to an affiliate or third party without the approval of our unitholders.

Transfer of Incentive Distribution Rights

At any time, Noble may sell or transfer its incentive distribution rights to an affiliate or third party without the approval of the unitholders.

Change of Management Provisions

Our partnership agreement contains specific provisions that are intended to discourage a person or group from attempting to remove Noble Midstream GP LLC as our general partner or otherwise change our management. If any person or group other than our general partner and its affiliates acquires beneficial ownership of 20% or more of any class of units, that person or group loses voting rights on all of its units. This loss of voting rights does not apply to any person or group that acquires the units from our general partner or its affiliates and any transferees of that person or group who are notified by our general partner that they will not lose their voting rights or to any person or group who acquires the units with the prior approval of the board of directors of our general partner. Please read “—Withdrawal or Removal of Our General Partner.”

Limited Call Right

If at any time our general partner and its affiliates own more than 80% of the then-issued and outstanding limited partner interests of any class, our general partner will have the right, which it may assign in whole or in part to any of its affiliates or to us, to acquire all, but not less than all, of the limited partner interests of such class held by unaffiliated persons as of a record date to be selected by our general partner, on at least 10, but not more than 60, days’ written notice.

The purchase price in the event of this purchase is the greater of:

 

   

the highest cash price paid by either our general partner or any of its affiliates for any limited partner interests of the class purchased within the 90 days preceding the date on which our general partner first mails notice of its election to purchase those limited partner interests; and

 

   

the current market price calculated in accordance with our partnership agreement as of the date three business days before the date the notice is mailed.

 

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As a result of our general partner’s right to purchase outstanding limited partner interests, a holder of limited partner interests may have his limited partner interests purchased at a price that may be lower than market prices at various times prior to such purchase or lower than a unitholder may anticipate the market price to be in the future. The tax consequences to a unitholder of the exercise of this limited call right are the same as a sale by that unitholder of his common units in the market. Please read “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences—Disposition of Common Units.”

Possible Redemption of Ineligible Holders

Non-Taxpaying Holders; Redemption

Our general partner may request proof of the U.S. federal income tax status of our limited partners. We may redeem the units held by any person who our general partner determines is not subject to U.S. federal income taxation on the income generated by the partnership or fails to comply with the procedures instituted by our general partner to obtain proof of such person’s federal income tax status. The redemption price in the case of such a redemption will be the average of the daily closing prices per unit for the 20 consecutive trading days immediately prior to the date set for redemption.

Non-Citizen Assignees; Redemption

Our general partner may request proof of the nationality, citizenship or other related status of our limited partners. We may redeem the units held by any person whose nationality, citizenship or other related status our general partner determines creates substantial risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any property that we have an interest in or who fails to comply with the procedures instituted by our general partner to obtain proof of nationality, citizenship or other related status. The redemption price in the case of such a redemption will be the average of the daily closing prices per unit for the 20 consecutive trading days immediately prior to the date set for redemption.

Meetings; Voting

Except as described below regarding a person or group owning 20% or more of any class of units then outstanding, record holders of units on the record date will be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, meetings of our limited partners and to act upon matters for which approvals may be solicited.

Our general partner does not anticipate that any meeting of unitholders will be called in the foreseeable future. Any action that is required or permitted to be taken by the unitholders may be taken either at a meeting of the unitholders or, if authorized by our general partner, without a meeting if consents in writing describing the action so taken are signed by holders of the number of units that would be necessary to authorize or take that action at a meeting where all limited partners were present and voted. Meetings of the unitholders may be called by our general partner or by unitholders owning at least 20% of the outstanding units of the class for which a meeting is proposed. Unitholders may vote either in person or by proxy at meetings. The holders of a majority in voting power of the outstanding units of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called, represented in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum unless any action by the unitholders requires approval by holders of a greater percentage of the units, in which case the quorum will be the greater percentage. For all matters presented to the limited partners at a meeting at which a quorum is present for which no minimum or other vote of the limited partners is specifically required pursuant to our partnership agreement, the rules and regulations of any national securities exchange on which the common units are admitted to trading, or applicable law or pursuant to any regulation applicable to us or our partnership interests, a majority of the votes cast by the limited partners holding outstanding units will be deemed to constitute the act of all limited partners (with abstentions and broker non-votes being deemed to not have been cast with respect to such matter). On any matter where a minimum or other vote of limited partners is provided by any provision of our partnership agreement or required by the rules or regulations of any national securities exchange on which the common units are admitted to

 

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trading, or applicable law or pursuant to any regulation applicable to us or our partners interests, such minimum or other vote will be the vote of the limited partners required to approve such matter (with the effect of abstentions and broker non-votes to be determined based on the vote of the limited partners required to approve such matter, provided that if the effect of abstentions and broker non-votes is not specified by the applicable rule, regulation or law, and there is no prevailing interpretation of such effect, then abstentions and broker non-votes will be deemed not to have been cast with respect to such matter). The general partner interest does not entitle our general partner to any vote other than its rights as general partner under our partnership agreement, will not be entitled to vote on any action required or permitted to be taken by the unitholders and will not count toward or be considered outstanding when calculating required votes, determining the presence of a quorum, or for similar purposes.

Each record holder of a unit has a vote according to its percentage interest in us, although additional limited partner interests having special voting rights could be issued. Please read “—Issuance of Additional Partnership Interests.” However, if at any time any person or group, other than our general partner and its affiliates, a direct transferee of our general partner and its affiliates or a transferee of such direct transferee, who is notified by our general partner that it will not lose its voting rights, acquires, in the aggregate, beneficial ownership of 20% or more of any class of units then outstanding, that person or group will lose voting rights on all of its units and the units may not be voted on any matter and will not be considered to be outstanding when sending notices of a meeting of unitholders, calculating required votes, determining the presence of a quorum, or for other similar purposes. Common units held in nominee or street name account will be voted by the broker or other nominee in accordance with the instruction of the beneficial owner unless the arrangement between the beneficial owner and its nominee provides otherwise. Except as our partnership agreement otherwise provides, subordinated units will vote together with common units as a single class. Any notice, demand, request, report or proxy material required or permitted to be given or made to record holders of common units under our partnership agreement will be delivered to the record holder by us or by the transfer agent.

Status as Limited Partner

By transfer of common units in accordance with our partnership agreement, each transferee of common units shall be admitted as a limited partner with respect to the common units transferred when such transfer and admission is reflected in our register. Except as described under “—Limited Liability,” the common units will be fully paid, and unitholders will not be required to make additional contributions.

Indemnification

Under our partnership agreement, in most circumstances, we will indemnify the following persons, to the fullest extent permitted by law, from and against all losses, claims, damages or similar events:

 

   

our general partner;

 

   

any departing general partner;

 

   

any person who is or was an affiliate of our general partner or any departing general partner;

 

   

any person who is or was a director, officer, managing member, manager, general partner, fiduciary or trustee of us or our subsidiaries, an affiliate of us or our subsidiaries or any entity set forth in the preceding three bullet points;

 

   

any person who is or was serving as director, officer, managing member, manager, general partner, fiduciary or trustee of another person owing a fiduciary duty to us or any of our subsidiaries at the request of our general partner or any departing general partner or any of their affiliates, excluding any such person providing, on a fee-for-service basis, trustee, fiduciary of custodial services; and

 

   

any person designated by our general partner because such person’s status, service or relationship expose such person to potential claims or suits relating to our or our subsidiaries’ business and affairs.

 

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Any indemnification under these provisions will only be out of our assets. Unless it otherwise agrees, our general partner will not be personally liable for, or have any obligation to contribute or lend funds or assets to us to enable us to effectuate, indemnification. We will purchase insurance against liabilities asserted against and expenses incurred by persons for our activities, regardless of whether we would have the power to indemnify the person against such liabilities under our partnership agreement.

Reimbursement of Expenses

Our partnership agreement requires us to reimburse our general partner for all direct and indirect expenses it incurs or payments it makes on our behalf and all other expenses allocable to us or otherwise incurred by our general partner in connection with operating our business. These expenses include salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to persons who perform services for us or on our behalf and expenses allocated to our general partner by its affiliates. Our general partner is entitled to determine in good faith the expenses that are allocable to us. The expenses for which we are required to reimburse our general partner are not subject to any caps or other limits. Please read “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in the Connection with the Transactions—Omnibus Agreement.”

Books and Reports

Our general partner is required to keep appropriate books of our business at our principal offices. The books will be maintained for financial reporting purposes on an accrual basis. For fiscal and tax reporting purposes, our fiscal year is the calendar year.

We will mail or make available to record holders of common units, within 90 days after the close of each fiscal year, an annual report containing audited financial statements and a report on those financial statements by our independent public accountants. Except for our fourth quarter, we will also mail or make available summary financial information within 45 days after the close of each quarter (or such shorter period as required by the SEC).

We will furnish each record holder of a unit with information reasonably required for tax reporting purposes within 90 days after the close of each calendar year. This information is expected to be furnished in summary form so that some complex calculations normally required of partners can be avoided. Our ability to furnish this summary information to unitholders will depend on the cooperation of unitholders in supplying us with specific information. Every unitholder will receive information to assist such unitholder in determining its federal and state tax liability and filing its federal and state income tax returns, regardless of whether such unitholder supplies us with information.

Right to Inspect Our Books and Records

Our partnership agreement provides that a limited partner can, for a purpose reasonably related to its interest as a limited partner, upon reasonable written demand stating the purpose of such demand and at its own expense, have furnished to such limited partner:

 

   

a current list of the name and last known address of each record holder;

 

   

copies of our partnership agreement and our certificate of limited partnership and all amendments thereto; and

 

   

certain information regarding the status of our business and financial condition.

Our general partner may, and intends to, keep confidential from the limited partners trade secrets or other information the disclosure of which our general partner determines is not in our best interests or that we are required by law or by agreements with third parties to keep confidential. Our partnership agreement limits the right to information that a limited partner would otherwise have under Delaware law.

 

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Registration Rights

Under our partnership agreement, we have agreed to register for resale under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws any common units, subordinated units or other partnership interests proposed to be sold by our general partner or any of its affiliates, other than individuals, or their assignees if an exemption from the registration requirements is not otherwise available. We are obligated to pay all expenses incidental to the registration, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions. Please read “Units Eligible for Future Sale.”

Applicable Law; Exclusive Forum

Our partnership agreement is governed by Delaware law.

Our partnership agreement will provide that 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) shall be the exclusive forum for any claims, suits, actions or proceedings (i) arising out of or relating in any way to our partnership agreement (including any claims, suits or actions to interpret, apply or enforce the provisions of our partnership agreement or the duties, obligations or liabilities among our partners, or obligations or liabilities of our partners to us, or the rights or powers of, or restrictions on, our partners or us), (ii) brought in a derivative manner on our behalf, (iii) asserting a claim of breach of a duty owed by any of our, or our general partner’s, directors, officers, or other employees, or owed by our general partner, to us or our partners, (iv) asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware Act or (v) asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation or similar governing documents have been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with any action, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in our partnership agreement to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action.

If any limited partner, our general partner or any person holding any beneficial interest in us (whether through a broker, dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation) brings any of the claims, suits, actions or proceedings described in items (i) through (v) (including any claims, suits, actions or proceedings arising out of this offering) of the preceding paragraph and such person does not obtain a judgment on the merits that substantially achieves, in substance and amount (if the extent of such achievement is disputed, then as determined by the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or such other court with subject matter jurisdiction of such claim, suit, action or proceeding), the full remedy sought, then such limited partner, our general partner or person holding any beneficial interest in us will be obligated to reimburse us and our affiliates (including our general partner, the directors of our general partner and the owner of our general partner) 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. We and our “affiliates,” as defined in our partnership agreement included in Appendix A to this prospectus (including our general partner, the directors and officers of our general partner and Noble) would be entitled to recover all of their fees, costs and expenses in any such action, and such losing party would be severally liable for all such fees, costs and expenses. These provisions apply to all claims brought by the persons described in this paragraph, including claims under the federal securities laws, to the extent permitted by applicable law. In addition, our partnership agreement provides that each limited partner irrevocably waives the right to trial by jury in any such claim, suit, action or proceeding.

By purchasing a common unit, a limited partner is irrevocably consenting to these limitations and provisions regarding claims, suits, actions or proceedings and submitting 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 claims, suits, actions or proceedings.

 

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UNITS ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

Following the completion of this offering and assuming that the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional common units, our general partner and its affiliates will hold an aggregate of             common units and             subordinated units. All of the subordinated units will convert into common units at the end of the subordination period. All of the common units and subordinated units held by our general partner and its affiliates are subject to lock-up restrictions described below. The sale of these units could have an adverse impact on the price of our common units or on any trading market that may develop.

Rule 144

The common units sold in this offering will generally be freely transferable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, other than any units purchased in this offering by officers and directors of our general partner under the directed unit program, which will be subject to the lock-up restrictions described below. None of the directors or officers of our general partner own any common units prior to this offering; however, they may purchase common units through the directed unit program or otherwise. Additionally, any common units owned by an “affiliate” of ours may not be resold publicly except in compliance with the registration requirements of the Securities Act or under an exemption under Rule 144 of the Securities Act, or Rule 144, or otherwise. Rule 144 permits securities acquired by an affiliate of the issuer to be sold into the market in an amount that does not exceed, during any three-month period, the greater of:

 

   

1.0% of the total number of our common units outstanding; or

 

   

the average weekly reported trading volume of our common units for the four weeks prior to the sale.

At the closing of this offering, the following common units will be restricted and may not be resold publicly except in compliance with the registration requirements of the Securities Act, Rule 144 or otherwise.

 

   

common units owned by our general partner and its affiliates; and

 

   

any units acquired by our general partner or any of its affiliates, including the directors and executive officers of our general partner under the directed unit program.

Sales under Rule 144 are also subject to specific manner of sale provisions, holding period requirements, notice requirements and the availability of current public information about us. A person who is not deemed to have been an affiliate of ours at any time during the three months preceding a sale, and who has beneficially owned his common units for at least six months (provided we are in compliance with the current public information requirement) or one year (regardless of whether we are in compliance with the current public information requirement), would be entitled to sell those common units under Rule 144 without regard to the volume limitations, manner of sale provisions and notice requirements of Rule 144.

Our Partnership Agreement and Registration Rights

Our partnership agreement authorizes us to issue an unlimited number of 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 our general partner shall determine in its sole discretion, all without the approval of any partners. Any issuance of additional common units or other limited partner interests would result in a corresponding decrease in the proportionate ownership interest in us represented by, and could adversely affect the cash distributions to and market price of, common units then outstanding. Please read “Our Partnership Agreement—Issuance of Additional Partnership Interests.”

Under our partnership agreement, our general partner and its affiliates, other than individuals, have the right to cause us to register under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws the offer and sale of any units

 

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that they hold. Subject to the terms and conditions of our partnership agreement, these registration rights allow our general partner and its affiliates or their assignees holding any common units or other limited partner interests to require registration of any of these common units or other limited partner interests and to include any of these common units or other limited partner interests in a registration by us of other partnership interests, including common units offered by us or by any unitholder. Our general partner and its affiliates will continue to have these registration rights for two years after Noble Midstream GP LLC ceases to be our general partner. In connection with any registration of this kind, we will indemnify each unitholder participating in the registration and its officers, directors and controlling persons from and against any liabilities under the Securities Act or any applicable state securities laws arising from the registration statement or prospectus. We will bear all costs and expenses incidental to any registration, excluding any underwriting discounts and commissions. Except as described below, our general partner and its affiliates may sell their common units or other limited partner interests in private transactions at any time, subject to compliance with applicable laws.

Lock-Up Agreements

Our general partner’s executive officers and directors, our general partner and Noble have agreed that for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus they will not, without the prior written consent of Barclays Capital Inc. dispose of any common units or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common units. Participants in our directed unit program will be subject to similar restrictions. Please read “Underwriting” for a description of these lock-up provisions.

Registration Statement on Form S-8

We intend to file a registration statement on Form S-8 under the Securities Act following this offering to register all common units issued or reserved for issuance under our LTIP. We expect to file this registration statement as soon as practicable. Common units covered by the registration statement on Form S-8 will be eligible for sale in the public market, subject to applicable vesting requirements and the terms of applicable lock-up agreements described above.

 

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MATERIAL FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

This section is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be relevant to prospective unitholders who are individual citizens or residents of the U.S. and, unless otherwise noted in the following discussion, is the opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP, counsel to our general partner and us, insofar as it relates to legal conclusions with respect to matters of U.S. federal income tax law. This section is based upon current provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Internal Revenue Code, existing and proposed Treasury regulations promulgated under the Internal Revenue Code, or the Treasury Regulations, and current administrative rulings and court decisions, all of which are subject to change. Later changes in these authorities may cause the tax consequences to vary substantially from the consequences described below. Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this section to “us” or “we” are references to Noble Midstream Partners LP and our operating subsidiaries.

The following discussion does not comment on all federal income tax matters affecting us or our unitholders and does not describe the application of the alternative minimum tax that may be applicable to certain unitholders. Moreover, the discussion focuses on unitholders who are individual citizens or residents of the U.S. and has only limited application to corporations, estates, entities treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, trusts, nonresident aliens, U.S. expatriates and former citizens or long-term residents of the United States or other unitholders subject to specialized tax treatment, such as banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions, tax-exempt institutions, foreign persons (including, without limitation, controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies and non-U.S. persons eligible for the benefits of an applicable income tax treaty with the United States), individual retirement accounts (IRAs), real estate investment trusts (REITs) or mutual funds, dealers in securities or currencies, traders in securities, U.S. persons whose “functional currency” is not the U.S. dollar, persons holding their units as part of a “straddle,” “hedge,” “conversion transaction” or other risk reduction transaction, and persons deemed to sell their units under the constructive sale provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. In addition, the discussion only comments to a limited extent on state, local and foreign tax consequences. Accordingly, we encourage each prospective unitholder to consult his own tax advisor in analyzing the state, local and foreign tax consequences particular to him of the ownership or disposition of common units and potential changes in applicable tax laws.

We will rely on opinions of Andrews Kurth LLP regarding our characterization as a partnership for tax purposes. An opinion of counsel represents only that counsel’s best legal judgment and does not bind the IRS or the courts. Accordingly, the opinions and statements made herein may not be sustained by a court if contested by the IRS. Any contest of this sort with the IRS may materially and adversely impact the market for common units and the prices at which common units trade. In addition, the costs of any contest with the IRS, principally legal, accounting and related fees, will result in a reduction in cash available for distribution to our unitholders and thus will be borne indirectly by our unitholders. Furthermore, the tax treatment of us, or of an investment in us, may be significantly modified by future legislative or administrative changes or court decisions. Any modifications may or may not be retroactively applied.

All statements as to matters of federal income tax law and legal conclusions with respect thereto, but not as to factual matters, contained in this section, unless otherwise noted, are the opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP and are based on the accuracy of the representations made by us, as discussed below.

For the reasons described below, Andrews Kurth LLP has not rendered an opinion with respect to the following specific federal income tax issues: (i) the treatment of a unitholder whose common units are loaned to a short seller to cover a short sale of common units (please read “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Treatment of Short Sales”); (ii) whether our monthly convention for allocating taxable income and losses is permitted by existing Treasury Regulations (please read “—Disposition of Common Units—Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees”) and (iii) whether our method for taking into account Section 743 adjustments is sustainable in certain cases (please read “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Section 754 Election” and “—Uniformity of Units”).

 

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Partnership Status

A partnership is not a taxable entity and incurs no federal income tax liability. Instead, each partner of a partnership is required to take into account his share of items of income, gain, loss and deduction of the partnership in computing his federal income tax liability, regardless of whether cash distributions are made to him by the partnership. Distributions by a partnership to a partner are generally not taxable to the partnership or the partner unless the amount of cash distributed to him is in excess of the partner’s adjusted basis in his partnership interest. Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code provides that publicly-traded partnerships will, as a general rule, be taxed as corporations. However, an exception, referred to as the “Qualifying Income Exception,” exists with respect to publicly-traded partnerships of which 90% or more of the gross income for every taxable year consists of “qualifying income.” Qualifying income includes income and gains derived from the transportation, processing, storage and marketing of crude oil, natural gas and products thereof. Other types of qualifying income include interest (other than from a financial business), dividends, gains from the sale of real property and gains from the sale or other disposition of capital assets held for the production of income that otherwise constitutes qualifying income.

We estimate that less than 5% of our current gross income is not qualifying income; however, this estimate could change from time to time. Based upon and subject to this estimate, the factual representations made by us and our general partner and a review of the applicable legal authorities, including the Proposed Regulations, Andrews Kurth LLP is of the opinion that at least 90% of our current gross income constitutes qualifying income.

The IRS has made no determination as to our status or the status of our operating subsidiaries for federal income tax purposes or whether our operations generate “qualifying income” under Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code. Instead, we will rely on the opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP on such matters. It is the opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP that, based upon the Internal Revenue Code, its regulations, published revenue rulings and court decisions and the representations described below that:

 

   

we will be classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes; and

 

   

each of our operating subsidiaries will be treated as a partnership or will be disregarded as an entity separate from us for federal income tax purposes.

In rendering its opinion, Andrews Kurth LLP has relied on factual representations made by us and our general partner. The representations made by us and our general partner upon which Andrews Kurth LLP has relied include:

 

   

neither we nor any of the operating subsidiaries has elected or will elect to be treated as a corporation; and

 

   

for each taxable year, more than 90% of our gross income has been and will be income of the type that Andrews Kurth LLP has opined or will opine is “qualifying income” within the meaning of Section 7704(d) of the Internal Revenue Code and applicable Proposed Regulations.

We believe that these representations have been true in the past and expect that these representations will continue to be true in the future.

If we fail to meet the Qualifying Income Exception, other than a failure that is determined by the IRS to be inadvertent and that is cured within a reasonable time after discovery (in which case the IRS may also require us to make adjustments with respect to our unitholders or pay other amounts), we will be treated as if we had transferred all of our assets, subject to liabilities, to a newly formed corporation, on the first day of the year in which we fail to meet the Qualifying Income Exception, in return for stock in that corporation, and then distributed that stock to the unitholders in liquidation of their interests in us. This deemed contribution and liquidation should be tax-free to unitholders and us so long as we, at that time, do not have liabilities in excess of the tax basis of our assets. Thereafter, we would be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes.

 

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The present federal income tax treatment of publicly-traded partnerships, including us, or an investment in our common units may be modified by administrative, legislative or judicial interpretation at any time. For example, from time to time, members of the U.S. Congress and the U.S. President propose and consider substantive changes to the existing federal income tax laws that affect publicly-traded partnerships, including the elimination of partnership tax treatment for publicly-traded partnerships.

On May 5, 2015, the U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS released Proposed Regulations regarding qualifying income under Section 7704(d)(1)(E) of the Code. The U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS have requested comments from industry participants regarding the standards set forth in the Proposed Regulations. The Proposed Regulations provide an exclusive list of industry-specific activities and certain limited support activities that generate qualifying income, including water-related activities when provided for use in drilling and hydraulic fracturing activities.

Although the Proposed Regulations adopt a narrow interpretation of the water-related activities that generate qualifying income, we believe the income that we treat as qualifying satisfies these requirements and, in providing the opinion described above, our counsel will rely on the Proposed Regulations to treat income from certain of our water-related activities as qualifying income and to meet the exception for us to be treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes.

However, the Proposed Regulations could be changed before they are finalized and could take a position that is contrary to our interpretation. In the event that we do not satisfy the standards set forth in the final regulations for the water-related services or other income that we treat as qualifying, we anticipate being able to continue to treat income from these activities as qualifying income for ten years under special transition rules provided in the Proposed Regulations.

Any modification to the federal income tax laws and interpretations thereof may or may not be retroactively applied and could make it more difficult or impossible to meet the exception for us to be treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. Please read “—Partnership Status.” We are unable to predict whether any such changes will ultimately be enacted. However, it is possible that a change in law could affect us, and any such changes could negatively impact the value of an investment in our common units.

If we were treated as an association taxable as a corporation in any taxable year, either as a result of a failure to meet the Qualifying Income Exception or otherwise, our items of income, gain, loss and deduction would be reflected only on our tax return rather than being passed through to our unitholders, and our net income would be taxed to us at corporate rates. In addition, any distribution made to a unitholder would be treated as taxable dividend income, to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, or, in the absence of earnings and profits, a nontaxable return of capital, to the extent of the unitholder’s tax basis in his common units, or taxable capital gain, after the unitholder’s tax basis in his common units is reduced to zero. Accordingly, taxation as a corporation would result in a material reduction in a unitholder’s cash flow and after-tax return and thus would likely result in a substantial reduction of the value of the units.

The discussion below is based on Andrews Kurth LLP’s opinion that we will be classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes.

Limited Partner Status

Unitholders of Noble Midstream Partners LP will be treated as partners of Noble Midstream Partners LP for federal income tax purposes. Also, unitholders whose common units are held in street name or by a nominee and who have the right to direct the nominee in the exercise of all substantive rights attendant to the ownership of their common units will be treated as partners of Noble Midstream Partners LP for federal income tax purposes.

A beneficial owner of common units whose units have been transferred to a short seller to complete a short sale would appear to lose his status as a partner with respect to those units for federal income tax purposes. Please read “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Treatment of Short Sales.”

 

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Income, gains, losses or deductions would not appear to be reportable by a unitholder who is not a partner for federal income tax purposes, and any cash distributions received by a unitholder who is not a partner for federal income tax purposes would therefore appear to be fully taxable as ordinary income. These holders are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences to them of holding common units in Noble Midstream Partners LP. The references to “unitholders” in the discussion that follows are to persons who are treated as partners in Noble Midstream Partners LP for federal income tax purposes.

Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership

Flow-Through of Taxable Income

Subject to the discussion below under “—Entity-Level Collections” we will not pay any federal income tax. Instead, each unitholder will be required to report on his income tax return his share of our income, gains, losses and deductions without regard to whether we make cash distributions to him. Consequently, we may allocate income to a unitholder even if he has not received a cash distribution. Each unitholder will be required to include in income his allocable share of our income, gains, losses and deductions for our taxable year ending with or within his taxable year. Our taxable year ends on December 31.

Treatment of Distributions

Distributions by us to a unitholder generally will not be taxable to the unitholder for federal income tax purposes, except to the extent the amount of any such cash distribution exceeds his tax basis in his common units immediately before the distribution. Our cash distributions in excess of a unitholder’s tax basis generally will be considered to be gain from the sale or exchange of the common units, taxable in accordance with the rules described under “—Disposition of Common Units.” Any reduction in a unitholder’s share of our liabilities for which no partner, including the general partner, bears the economic risk of loss, known as “nonrecourse liabilities,” will be treated as a distribution by us of cash to that unitholder. To the extent our distributions cause a unitholder’s “at-risk” amount to be less than zero at the end of any taxable year, he must recapture any losses deducted in previous years. Please read “—Limitations on Deductibility of Losses.”

A decrease in a unitholder’s percentage interest in us because of our issuance of additional common units will decrease his share of our nonrecourse liabilities, and thus will result in a corresponding deemed distribution of cash. This deemed distribution may constitute a non-pro rata distribution. A non-pro rata distribution of money or property may result in ordinary income to a unitholder, regardless of his tax basis in his common units, if the distribution reduces the unitholder’s share of our “unrealized receivables,” including depreciation recapture or substantially appreciated “inventory items,” each as defined in the Internal Revenue Code, and collectively, “Section 751 Assets.” To that extent, the unitholder will be treated as having been distributed his proportionate share of the Section 751 Assets and then having exchanged those assets with us in return for the non-pro rata portion of the actual distribution made to him. This latter deemed exchange will generally result in the unitholder’s realization of ordinary income, which will equal the excess of (1) the non-pro rata portion of that distribution over (2) the unitholder’s tax basis (often zero) for the share of Section 751 Assets deemed relinquished in the exchange.

Ratio of Taxable Income to Distributions

We estimate that a purchaser of common units in this offering who owns those common units from the date of closing of this offering through the record date for distributions for the period ending December 31, 2018, will be allocated, on a cumulative basis, an amount of federal taxable income for that period that will be 20% or less of the cash distributed with respect to that period. Thereafter, we anticipate that the ratio of allocable taxable income to cash distributions to the unitholders will increase. Our estimate is based upon many assumptions regarding our business operations, including assumptions as to our revenues, capital expenditures, cash flow, net working capital and anticipated cash distributions. These estimates and assumptions are subject to, among other things, numerous

 

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business, economic, regulatory, legislative, competitive and political uncertainties beyond our control. Further, the estimates are based on current tax law and tax reporting positions that we will adopt and with which the IRS could disagree. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that these estimates will prove to be correct.

The actual percentage of distributions that will constitute taxable income could be higher or lower than expected, and any differences could be material and could materially affect the value of the common units. For example, the ratio of allocable taxable income to cash distributions to a purchaser of common units in this offering will be greater, and perhaps substantially greater, than our estimate with respect to the period described above if:

 

   

gross income from operations exceeds the amount required to make minimum quarterly distributions on all units, yet we only distribute the minimum quarterly distributions on all units; or

 

   

we make a future offering of common units and use the proceeds of the offering in a manner that does not produce substantial additional deductions during the period described above, such as to repay indebtedness outstanding at the time of this offering or to acquire property that is not eligible for depreciation or amortization for federal income tax purposes or that is depreciable or amortizable at a rate significantly slower than the rate applicable to our assets at the time of this offering.

Basis of Common Units

A unitholder’s initial tax basis for his common units will be the amount he paid for the common units plus his share of our nonrecourse liabilities. That basis will be increased by his share of our income and by any increases in his share of our nonrecourse liabilities. That basis will be decreased, but not below zero, by distributions from us, by the unitholder’s share of our losses, by any decreases in his share of our nonrecourse liabilities and by his share of our expenditures that are not deductible in computing taxable income and are not required to be capitalized. A unitholder will have no share of our debt that is recourse to our general partner to the extent of the general partner’s “net value” as defined in Treasury Regulations under Section 752 of the Internal Revenue Code, but will have a share, generally based on his share of profits, of our nonrecourse liabilities. Please read “—Disposition of Common Units—Recognition of Gain or Loss.”

Limitations on Deductibility of Losses

The deduction by a unitholder of his share of our losses will be limited to the tax basis in his units and, in the case of an individual unitholder, estate, trust, or corporate unitholder (if more than 50% of the value of the corporate unitholder’s stock is owned directly or indirectly by or for five or fewer individuals or some tax-exempt organizations) to the amount for which the unitholder is considered to be “at risk” with respect to our activities, if that is less than his tax basis. A common unitholder subject to these limitations must recapture losses deducted in previous years to the extent that distributions cause his at-risk amount to be less than zero at the end of any taxable year. Losses disallowed to a unitholder or recaptured as a result of these limitations will carry forward and will be allowable as a deduction to the extent that his at-risk amount is subsequently increased, provided such losses do not exceed such common unitholder’s tax basis in his common units. Upon the taxable disposition of a unit, any gain recognized by a unitholder can be offset by losses that were previously suspended by the at-risk limitation but may not be offset by losses suspended by the basis limitation. Any loss previously suspended by the at-risk limitation in excess of that gain would no longer be utilizable.

In general, a unitholder will be at risk to the extent of the tax basis of his units, excluding any portion of that basis attributable to his share of our nonrecourse liabilities, reduced by (i) any portion of that basis representing amounts otherwise protected against loss because of a guarantee, stop loss agreement or other similar arrangement and (ii) any amount of money he borrows to acquire or hold his units, if the lender of those borrowed funds owns an interest in us, is related to the unitholder or can look only to the units for repayment. A unitholder’s at-risk amount will increase or decrease as the tax basis of the unitholder’s units increases or decreases, other than tax basis increases or decreases attributable to increases or decreases in his share of our nonrecourse liabilities.

 

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In addition to the basis and at-risk limitations on the deductibility of losses, the passive loss limitations generally provide that individuals, estates, trusts and some closely held C corporations and personal service corporations can deduct losses from passive activities, which are generally trade or business activities in which the taxpayer does not materially participate, only to the extent of the taxpayer’s income from those passive activities. The passive loss limitations are applied separately with respect to each publicly-traded partnership. Consequently, any passive losses we generate will only be available to offset our passive income generated in the future and will not be available to offset income from other passive activities or investments, including our investments or a unitholder’s investments in other publicly-traded partnerships, or the unitholder’s salary, active business or other income. Passive losses that are not deductible because they exceed a unitholder’s share of income we generate may be deducted in full when he disposes of his entire investment in us in a fully taxable transaction with an unrelated party. The passive loss limitations are applied after other applicable limitations on deductions, including the at-risk rules and the basis limitation.

A unitholder’s share of our net income may be offset by any of our suspended passive losses, but it may not be offset by any other current or carryover losses from other passive activities, including those attributable to other publicly-traded partnerships.

Limitations on Interest Deductions

The deductibility of a non-corporate taxpayer’s “investment interest expense” is generally limited to the amount of that taxpayer’s “net investment income.” Investment interest expense includes:

 

   

interest on indebtedness properly allocable to property held for investment;

 

   

our interest expense attributed to portfolio income; and

 

   

the portion of interest expense incurred to purchase or carry an interest in a passive activity to the extent attributable to portfolio income.

The computation of a unitholder’s investment interest expense will take into account interest on any margin account borrowing or other loan incurred to purchase or carry a unit. Net investment income includes gross income from property held for investment and amounts treated as portfolio income under the passive loss rules, less deductible expenses, other than interest, directly connected with the production of investment income, but generally does not include gains attributable to the disposition of property held for investment or (if applicable) qualified dividend income. The IRS has indicated that the net passive income earned by a publicly-traded partnership will be treated as investment income to its unitholders. In addition, the unitholder’s share of our portfolio income will be treated as investment income.

Entity-Level Collections

If we are required or elect under applicable law to pay any federal, state, local or foreign income tax on behalf of any current or former unitholder or our general partner, we are authorized to pay those taxes from our funds and treat that payment, if made, as a distribution of cash to the unitholder or as a general expense of the partnership. Where the tax is payable on behalf of all unitholders or we cannot determine the specific unitholder on whose behalf the tax is payable, we are authorized to treat the payment as a distribution to all current unitholders. Payments by us as described above could give rise to an overpayment of tax on behalf of an individual unitholder in which event the unitholder would be required to file a claim in order to obtain a credit or refund. Unitholders are urged to consult their tax advisors to determine the consequences to them of any payment we make on their behalf.

 

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Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction

In general, our items of income, gain, loss and deduction will be allocated among our unitholders in accordance with their percentage interests in us. At any time that distributions are made to the common units in excess of distributions to the subordinated units or we make incentive distributions, gross income will be allocated to the recipients to the extent of these distributions.

Specified items of our income, gain, loss and deduction will be allocated to account for (i) any difference between the tax basis and fair market value of our assets at the time of this offering and (ii) any difference between the tax basis and fair market value of any property contributed to us that exists at the time of such contribution, together referred to in this discussion as the “Contributed Property.” The effect of these allocations, referred to as “Section 704(c) Allocations,” to a unitholder purchasing common units from us in this offering will be essentially the same as if the tax bases of our assets were equal to their fair market values at the time of this offering. In the event we issue additional common units or engage in certain other transactions in the future, “reverse Section 704(c) Allocations,” similar to the Section 704(c) Allocations described above, will be made to all of our unitholders immediately prior to such issuance or other transactions to account for the difference between the “book” basis for purposes of maintaining capital accounts and the fair market value of all property held by us at the time of such issuance or future transaction. In addition, items of recapture income will be allocated to the extent possible to the unitholder who was allocated the deduction giving rise to the treatment of that gain as recapture income in order to minimize the recognition of ordinary income by some unitholders. Finally, although we do not expect that our operations will result in the creation of negative capital accounts, if negative capital accounts nevertheless result, items of our income and gain will be allocated in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate the negative balance as quickly as possible.

An allocation of items of our income, gain, loss or deduction, other than an allocation required by the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the difference between a partner’s “book” capital account, credited with the fair market value of Contributed Property, and “tax” capital account, credited with the tax basis of Contributed Property, referred to in this discussion as the “Book-Tax Disparity,” will generally be given effect for federal income tax purposes in determining a partner’s share of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction only if the allocation has “substantial economic effect.” In any other case, a partner’s share of an item will be determined on the basis of his interest in us, which will be determined by taking into account all the facts and circumstances, including:

 

   

his relative contributions to us;

 

   

the interests of all the partners in profits and losses;

 

   

the interest of all the partners in cash flow; and

 

   

the rights of all the partners to distributions of capital upon liquidation.

Andrews Kurth LLP is of the opinion that, with the exception of the issues described in “—Section 754 Election” and “—Disposition of Common Units—Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees,” allocations under our partnership agreement will be given effect for federal income tax purposes in determining a partner’s share of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction.

Treatment of Short Sales

A unitholder whose units are loaned to a “short seller” to cover a short sale of units may be considered as having disposed of those units. If so, he would no longer be treated for tax purposes as a partner with respect to those units during the period of the loan and may recognize gain or loss from the disposition. As a result, during this period:

 

   

any of our income, gain, loss or deduction with respect to those units would not be reportable by the unitholder;

 

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any cash distributions received by the unitholder as to those units would be fully taxable; and

 

   

while not entirely free from doubt, all of these distributions would appear to be ordinary income.

Because there is no direct or indirect controlling authority on the issue relating to partnership interests, Andrews Kurth LLP has not rendered an opinion regarding the tax treatment of a unitholder whose common units are loaned to a short seller to cover a short sale of common units; therefore, unitholders desiring to assure their status as partners and avoid the risk of gain recognition from a loan to a short seller are urged to consult a tax advisor to discuss whether it is advisable to modify any applicable brokerage account agreements to prohibit their brokers from borrowing and loaning their units. The IRS has previously announced that it is studying issues relating to the tax treatment of short sales of partnership interests. Please read “—Disposition of Common Units—Recognition of Gain or Loss.”

Tax Rates

Under current law, the highest marginal U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to ordinary income of individuals is 39.6% and the highest marginal U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to long-term capital gains (generally, capital gains on certain assets held for more than twelve months) of individuals is 20%. Such rates are subject to change by new legislation at any time.

In addition, a 3.8% net investment income tax, or NIIT, is imposed on certain net investment income earned by individuals, estates and trusts. For these purposes, net investment income generally includes a unitholder’s allocable share of our income and gain realized by a unitholder from a sale of units. In the case of an individual, the tax will be imposed on the lesser of (i) the unitholder’s net investment income and (ii) the amount by which the unitholder’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds $250,000 (if the unitholder is married and filing jointly or a surviving spouse), $125,000 (if the unitholder is married and filing separately) or $200,000 (in any other case). In the case of an estate or trust, the tax will be imposed on the lesser of (i) undistributed net investment income and (ii) the excess adjusted gross income over the dollar amount at which the highest income tax bracket applicable to an estate or trust begins.

Section 754 Election

We will make the election permitted by Section 754 of the Internal Revenue Code. That election is irrevocable without the consent of the IRS unless there is a constructive termination of the partnership. Please read “—Disposition of Common Units—Constructive Termination.” The election will generally permit us to adjust a common unit purchaser’s tax basis in our assets (“inside basis”) under Section 743(b) of the Internal Revenue Code to reflect his purchase price. This election does not apply with respect to a person who purchases common units directly from us. The Section 743(b) adjustment belongs to the purchaser and not to other unitholders. For purposes of this discussion, the inside basis in our assets with respect to a unitholder will be considered to have two components: (1) his share of our tax basis in our assets (“common basis”) and (2) his Section 743(b) adjustment to that basis.

We will adopt the remedial allocation method as to all our properties. Where the remedial allocation method is adopted, the Treasury Regulations under Section 743 of the Internal Revenue Code require a portion of the Section 743(b) adjustment that is attributable to recovery property that is subject to depreciation under Section 168 of the Internal Revenue Code and whose book basis is in excess of its tax basis to be depreciated over the remaining cost recovery period for the property’s unamortized Book-Tax Disparity. Under Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-1(a)(6), a Section 743(b) adjustment attributable to property subject to depreciation under Section 167 of the Internal Revenue Code, rather than cost recovery deductions under Section 168, is generally required to be depreciated using either the straight-line method or the 150% declining balance method. Under our partnership agreement, our general partner is authorized to take a position to preserve the uniformity of units even if that position is not consistent with these and any other Treasury Regulations. Please read “—Uniformity of Units.”

 

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We intend to depreciate the portion of a Section 743(b) adjustment attributable to unrealized appreciation in the value of Contributed Property, to the extent of any unamortized Book-Tax Disparity, using a rate of depreciation or amortization derived from the depreciation or amortization method and useful life applied to the property’s unamortized Book-Tax Disparity, or treat that portion as non-amortizable to the extent attributable to property which is not amortizable. This method is consistent with the methods employed by other publicly-traded partnerships but is arguably inconsistent with Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-1(a)(6), which is not expected to directly apply to a material portion of our assets. To the extent this Section 743(b) adjustment is attributable to appreciation in value in excess of the unamortized Book-Tax Disparity, we will apply the rules described in the Treasury Regulations and legislative history. If we determine that this position cannot reasonably be taken, we may take a depreciation or amortization position under which all purchasers acquiring units in the same month would receive depreciation or amortization, whether attributable to common basis or a Section 743(b) adjustment, based upon the same applicable rate as if they had purchased a direct interest in our assets. This kind of aggregate approach may result in lower annual depreciation or amortization deductions than would otherwise be allowable to some unitholders. Please read “—Uniformity of Units.” A unitholder’s tax basis for his common units is reduced by his share of our deductions (whether or not such deductions were claimed on an individual’s income tax return) so that any position we take that understates deductions will overstate the common unitholder’s basis in his common units, which may cause the unitholder to understate gain or overstate loss on any sale of such units. Please read “—Disposition of Common Units—Recognition of Gain or Loss.” Andrews Kurth LLP is unable to opine as to whether our method for taking into account Section 743 adjustments is sustainable for property subject to depreciation under Section 167 of the Internal Revenue Code or if we use an aggregate approach as described above, as there is no direct or indirect controlling authority addressing the validity of these positions. Moreover, the IRS may challenge our position with respect to depreciating or amortizing the Section 743(b) adjustment we take to preserve the uniformity of the units. If such a challenge were sustained, the gain from the sale of units might be increased without the benefit of additional deductions.

A Section 754 election is advantageous if the transferee’s tax basis in his units is higher than the units’ share of the aggregate tax basis of our assets immediately prior to the transfer. In that case, as a result of the election, the transferee would have, among other items, a greater amount of depreciation deductions and his share of any gain or loss on a sale of our assets would be less. Conversely, a Section 754 election is disadvantageous if the transferee’s tax basis in his units is lower than those units’ share of the aggregate tax basis of our assets immediately prior to the transfer. Thus, the fair market value of the units may be affected either favorably or unfavorably by the election. A basis adjustment is required regardless of whether a Section 754 election is made in the case of a transfer of an interest in us if we have a substantial built-in loss immediately after the transfer, or if we distribute property and have a substantial basis reduction. Generally, a built-in loss or a basis reduction is substantial if it exceeds $250,000.

The calculations involved in the Section 754 election are complex and will be made on the basis of assumptions as to the value of our assets and other matters. For example, the allocation of the Section 743(b) adjustment among our assets must be made in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code. The IRS could seek to reallocate some or all of any Section 743(b) adjustment allocated by us to our tangible assets to goodwill instead. Goodwill, as an intangible asset, is generally nonamortizable or amortizable over a longer period of time or under a less accelerated method than our tangible assets. We cannot assure you that the determinations we make will not be successfully challenged by the IRS and that the deductions resulting from them will not be reduced or disallowed altogether. Should the IRS require a different basis adjustment to be made, and should, in our opinion, the expense of compliance exceed the benefit of the election, we may seek permission from the IRS to revoke our Section 754 election. If permission is granted, a subsequent purchaser of units may be allocated more income than he would have been allocated had the election not been revoked.

 

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Tax Treatment of Operations

Accounting Method and Taxable Year

We use the year ending December 31 as our taxable year and the accrual method of accounting for federal income tax purposes. Each unitholder will be required to include in income his share of our income, gain, loss and deduction for our taxable year ending within or with his taxable year. In addition, a unitholder who has a taxable year ending on a date other than December 31 and who disposes of all of his units following the close of our taxable year but before the close of his taxable year must include his share of our income, gain, loss and deduction in income for his taxable year, with the result that he will be required to include in income for his taxable year his share of more than twelve months of our income, gain, loss and deduction. Please read “—Disposition of Common Units—Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees.”

Tax Basis, Depreciation and Amortization

The tax basis of our assets will be used for purposes of computing depreciation and cost recovery deductions and, ultimately, gain or loss on the disposition of those assets. If we dispose of depreciable property by sale, foreclosure or otherwise, all or a portion of any gain, determined by reference to the amount of depreciation deductions previously taken, may be subject to the recapture rules and taxed as ordinary income rather than capital gain. Similarly, a unitholder who has taken cost recovery or depreciation deductions with respect to property we own will likely be required to recapture some or all of those deductions as ordinary income upon a sale of its interest in us. Please read “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction.”

The costs we incur in selling our units (called “syndication expenses”) must be capitalized and cannot be deducted currently, ratably or upon our termination. There are uncertainties regarding the classification of costs as organization expenses, which may be amortized by us, and as syndication expenses, which may not be amortized by us. The underwriting discounts and commissions we incur will be treated as syndication expenses.

Valuation and Tax Basis of Our Properties

The federal income tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of units will depend in part on our estimates of the relative fair market values, and the tax bases, of our assets. Although we may from time to time consult with professional appraisers regarding valuation matters, we will make many of the relative fair market value estimates ourselves. These estimates and determinations of basis are subject to challenge and will not be binding on the IRS or the courts. If the estimates of fair market value or basis are later found to be incorrect, the character and amount of items of income, gain, loss or deductions previously reported by unitholders might change, and unitholders might be required to adjust their tax liability for prior years and incur interest and penalties with respect to those adjustments.

Disposition of Common Units

Recognition of Gain or Loss

Gain or loss will be recognized on a sale of units equal to the difference between the amount realized and the unitholder’s tax basis for the units sold. A unitholder’s amount realized will be measured by the sum of the cash or the fair market value of other property received by him plus his share of our nonrecourse liabilities. Because the amount realized includes a unitholder’s share of our nonrecourse liabilities, the gain recognized on the sale of units could result in a tax liability in excess of any cash received from the sale.

Prior distributions from us that in the aggregate were in excess of cumulative net taxable income for a common unit and, therefore, decreased a unitholder’s tax basis in that common unit will, in effect, become taxable income if the common unit is sold at a price greater than the unitholder’s tax basis in that common unit, even if the price received is less than his original cost.

 

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Except as noted below, gain or loss recognized by a unitholder, other than a “dealer” in units, on the sale or exchange of a unit will generally be taxable as capital gain or loss. Capital gain recognized by an individual on the sale of units held for more than twelve months will generally be taxed at the U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to long-term capital gains. However, a portion of this gain or loss, which will likely be substantial, will be separately computed and taxed as ordinary income or loss under Section 751 of the Internal Revenue Code to the extent attributable to “unrealized receivables,” including depreciation recapture, or to “inventory items” we own. Ordinary income attributable to unrealized receivables, inventory items and depreciation recapture may exceed net taxable gain realized upon the sale of a unit and may be recognized even if there is a net taxable loss realized on the sale of a unit. Thus, a unitholder may recognize both ordinary income and a capital loss upon a sale of units. Capital losses may offset capital gains and no more than $3,000 of ordinary income, in the case of individuals, and may only be used to offset capital gains in the case of corporations. Both ordinary income and capital gain recognized on a sale of units may be subject to the NIIT in certain circumstances. Please read “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Tax Rates.”

The IRS has ruled that a partner who acquires interests in a partnership in separate transactions must combine those interests and maintain a single adjusted tax basis for all those interests. Upon a sale or other disposition of less than all of those interests, a portion of that tax basis must be allocated to the interests sold using an “equitable apportionment” method, which generally means that the tax basis allocated to the interest sold equals an amount that bears the same relation to the partner’s tax basis in his entire interest in the partnership as the value of the interest sold bears to the value of the partner’s entire interest in the partnership. Treasury Regulations under Section 1223 of the Internal Revenue Code allow a selling unitholder who can identify common units transferred with an ascertainable holding period to elect to use the actual holding period of the common units transferred. Thus, according to the ruling discussed above, a common unitholder will be unable to select high or low basis common units to sell as would be the case with corporate stock, but, according to the Treasury Regulations, he may designate specific common units sold for purposes of determining the holding period of units transferred. A unitholder electing to use the actual holding period of common units transferred must consistently use that identification method for all subsequent sales or exchanges of common units. A unitholder considering the purchase of additional units or a sale of common units purchased in separate transactions is urged to consult his tax advisor as to the possible consequences of this ruling and application of the Treasury Regulations.

Specific provisions of the Internal Revenue Code affect the taxation of some financial products and securities, including partnership interests, by treating a taxpayer as having sold an “appreciated” partnership interest, one in which gain would be recognized if it were sold, assigned or terminated at its fair market value, if the taxpayer or related persons enter(s) into:

 

   

a short sale;

 

   

an offsetting notional principal contract; or

 

   

a futures or forward contract;

in each case, with respect to the partnership interest or substantially identical property.

Moreover, if a taxpayer has previously entered into a short sale, an offsetting notional principal contract or a futures or forward contract with respect to the partnership interest, the taxpayer will be treated as having sold that position if the taxpayer or a related person then acquires the partnership interest or substantially identical property. The Secretary of the Treasury is also authorized to issue regulations that treat a taxpayer that enters into transactions or positions that have substantially the same effect as the preceding transactions as having constructively sold the financial position.

Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees

In general, our taxable income and losses will be determined annually, will be prorated on a monthly basis and will be subsequently apportioned among the unitholders in proportion to the number of units owned by each

 

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of them as of the opening of the applicable exchange on the first business day of the month, which we refer to in this prospectus as the “Allocation Date.” However, gain or loss realized on a sale or other disposition of our assets other than in the ordinary course of business will be allocated among the unitholders on the Allocation Date in the month in which that gain or loss is recognized. As a result, a unitholder transferring units may be allocated income, gain, loss and deduction realized after the date of transfer.

Although simplifying conventions are contemplated by the Internal Revenue Code and most publicly-traded partnerships use similar simplifying conventions, the use of this method may not be permitted under existing Treasury Regulations. The U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS recently issued final Treasury Regulations pursuant to which a publicly traded partnership may use a similar monthly simplifying convention to allocate tax items among transferor and transferee unitholders, although such tax items must be prorated on a daily basis. We are currently evaluating these regulations, which apply to certain publicly traded partnerships, including us, for taxable years beginning on or after August 3, 2015. However, these Treasury Regulations do not specifically authorize the use of the proration method we currently plan to adopt. Accordingly, Andrews Kurth LLP is unable to opine on the validity of our method of allocating income, gain, loss and deductions among transferor and transferee unitholders. If the IRS were to successfully challenge our proration method, we may be required to change the allocation of items of income, gain, loss and deduction among our unitholders. We are authorized to revise our method of allocation between transferor and transferee unitholders, as well as unitholders whose interests vary during a taxable year, to conform to these Treasury Regulations.

A unitholder who owns units at any time during a quarter and who disposes of them prior to the record date set for a cash distribution for that quarter will be allocated items of our income, gain, loss and deductions attributable to that quarter through the month of disposition but will not be entitled to receive that cash distribution.

Notification Requirements

A unitholder who sells any of his units is generally required to notify us in writing of that sale within 30 days after the sale (or, if earlier, January 15 of the year following the sale). A purchaser of units who purchases units from another unitholder is also generally required to notify us in writing of that purchase within 30 days after the purchase. Upon receiving such notifications, we are required to notify the IRS of that transaction and to furnish specified information to the transferor and transferee. Failure to notify us of a purchase may, in some cases, lead to the imposition of penalties. However, these reporting requirements do not apply to a sale by an individual who is a citizen of the U.S. and who effects the sale or exchange through a broker who will satisfy such requirements.

Constructive Termination

We will be considered to have technically terminated our partnership for federal income tax purposes if there is a sale or exchange of 50% or more of the total interests in our capital and profits within a twelve-month period. For purposes of determining whether the 50% threshold has been met, multiple sales of the same interest will be counted only once. Our technical termination would, among other things, result in the closing of our taxable year for all unitholders, which would result in us filing two tax returns (and our unitholders could receive two schedules K-1 if the relief discussed below is not available) for one fiscal year and could result in a deferral of depreciation deductions allowable in computing our taxable income. In the case of a unitholder reporting on a taxable year other than a fiscal year ending December 31, the closing of our taxable year may also result in more than twelve months of our taxable income or loss being includable in his taxable income for the year of termination. Our termination currently would not affect our classification as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, but instead we would be treated as a new partnership for federal income tax purposes. If treated as a new partnership, we must make new tax elections, including a new election under Section 754 of the Internal Revenue Code, and could be subject to penalties if we are unable to determine that a termination occurred. The IRS has announced a publicly-traded partnership technical termination relief program whereby, if a

 

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publicly-traded partnership that technically terminated requests publicly-traded partnership technical termination relief and such relief is granted by the IRS, among other things, the partnership will only have to provide one Schedule K-1 to unitholders for the year notwithstanding two partnership tax years.

Uniformity of Units

Because we cannot match transferors and transferees of units, we must maintain uniformity of the economic and tax characteristics of the units to a purchaser of these units. In the absence of uniformity, we may be unable to completely comply with a number of federal income tax requirements, both statutory and regulatory. A lack of uniformity can result from a literal application of Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-1(a)(6). Any non-uniformity could have a negative impact on the value of the units. Please read “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Section 754 Election.” We intend to depreciate the portion of a Section 743(b) adjustment attributable to unrealized appreciation in the value of Contributed Property, to the extent of any unamortized Book-Tax Disparity, using a rate of depreciation or amortization derived from the depreciation or amortization method and useful life applied to the property’s unamortized Book-Tax Disparity, or treat that portion as nonamortizable, to the extent attributable to property the common basis of which is not amortizable, consistent with the regulations under Section 743 of the Internal Revenue Code, even though that position may be inconsistent with Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-1(a)(6), which is not expected to directly apply to a material portion of our assets.

Please read “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Section 754 Election.” To the extent that the Section 743(b) adjustment is attributable to appreciation in value in excess of the unamortized Book-Tax Disparity, we will apply the rules described in the Treasury Regulations and legislative history. If we determine that this position cannot reasonably be taken, we may adopt a depreciation and amortization position under which all purchasers acquiring units in the same month would receive depreciation and amortization deductions, whether attributable to common basis or a Section 743(b) adjustment, based upon the same applicable rate as if they had purchased a direct interest in our assets. If this position is adopted, it may result in lower annual depreciation and amortization deductions than would otherwise be allowable to some unitholders and risk the loss of depreciation and amortization deductions not taken in the year that these deductions are otherwise allowable. This position will not be adopted if we determine that the loss of depreciation and amortization deductions will have a material adverse effect on the unitholders. If we choose not to utilize this aggregate method, we may use any other reasonable depreciation and amortization method to preserve the uniformity of the intrinsic tax characteristics of any units that would not have a material adverse effect on the unitholders. In either case, and as stated above under “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Section 754 Election,” Andrews Kurth LLP has not rendered an opinion with respect to these methods. Moreover, the IRS may challenge any method of depreciating the Section 743(b) adjustment described in this paragraph. If this challenge were sustained, the uniformity of units might be affected, and the gain from the sale of units might be increased without the benefit of additional deductions. Please read “—Disposition of Common Units—Recognition of Gain or Loss.”

Tax-Exempt Organizations and Other Investors

Ownership of units by employee benefit plans, other tax-exempt organizations, non-resident aliens, foreign corporations and other foreign persons raises issues unique to those investors and, as described below to a limited extent, may have substantially adverse tax consequences to them. If you are a tax-exempt entity or a non-U.S. person, you should consult your tax advisor before investing in our common units. Employee benefit plans and most other organizations exempt from federal income tax, including individual retirement accounts and other retirement plans, are subject to federal income tax on unrelated business taxable income. Virtually all of our income allocated to a unitholder that is a tax-exempt organization will be unrelated business taxable income and will be taxable to it.

Non-resident aliens and foreign corporations, trusts or estates that own units will be considered to be engaged in business in the U.S. because of the ownership of units. As a consequence, they will be required to file federal tax returns to report their share of our income, gain, loss or deduction and pay federal income tax at

 

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regular rates on their share of our net income or gain. Moreover, under rules applicable to publicly-traded partnerships, our quarterly distribution to foreign unitholders will be subject to withholding at the highest applicable effective tax rate. Each foreign unitholder must obtain a taxpayer identification number from the IRS and submit that number to our transfer agent on a Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E or applicable substitute form in order to obtain credit for these withholding taxes. A change in applicable law may require us to change these procedures.

In addition, because a foreign corporation that owns units will be treated as engaged in a U.S. trade or business, that corporation may be subject to the U.S. branch profits tax at a rate of 30%, in addition to regular federal income tax, on its share of our earnings and profits, as adjusted for changes in the foreign corporation’s “U.S. net equity,” that is effectively connected with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business. That tax may be reduced or eliminated by an income tax treaty between the U.S. and the country in which the foreign corporate unitholder is a “qualified resident.” In addition, this type of unitholder is subject to special information reporting requirements under Section 6038C of the Internal Revenue Code.

A foreign unitholder who sells or otherwise disposes of a common unit will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on gain realized from the sale or disposition of that unit to the extent the gain is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the foreign unitholder. Under a ruling published by the IRS, interpreting the scope of “effectively connected income,” a foreign unitholder would be considered to be engaged in a trade or business in the U.S. by virtue of the U.S. activities of the partnership, and part or all of that unitholder’s gain would be effectively connected with that unitholder’s indirect U.S. trade or business. Moreover, under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act, a foreign unitholder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax upon the sale or disposition of a common unit if (i) he owned (directly or constructively applying certain attribution rules) more than 5% of our common units at any time during the five-year period ending on the date of such disposition and (ii) 50% or more of the fair market value of all of our assets consisted of U.S. real property interests at any time during the shorter of the period during which such unitholder held the common units or the five-year period ending on the date of disposition. More than 50% of our assets may consist of U.S. real property interests. Therefore, foreign unitholders may be subject to federal income tax on gain from the sale or disposition of their units.

Administrative Matters

Information Returns and Audit Procedures

We intend to furnish to each unitholder, within 90 days after the close of each calendar year, specific tax information, including a Schedule K-1, which describes his share of our income, gain, loss and deduction for our preceding taxable year. In preparing this information, which will not be reviewed by counsel, we will take various accounting and reporting positions, some of which have been mentioned earlier, to determine each unitholder’s share of income, gain, loss and deduction. We cannot assure you that those positions will yield a result that conforms to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code, Treasury Regulations or administrative interpretations of the IRS. Neither we nor Andrews Kurth LLP can assure prospective unitholders that the IRS will not successfully contend in court that those positions are impermissible. Any challenge by the IRS could negatively affect the value of the units.

The IRS may audit our federal income tax information returns. Partnerships generally are treated as separate entities for purposes of federal tax audits, judicial review of administrative adjustments by the IRS and tax settlement proceedings. The tax treatment of partnership items of income, gain, loss and deduction are determined in a partnership proceeding rather than in separate proceedings with the partners. Adjustments to items of our income, gain, loss or deduction resulting from an IRS audit may require each unitholder to adjust a prior year’s tax liability, and possibly may result in an audit of his return. Any audit of a unitholder’s return could result in adjustments not related to our returns as well as those related to our returns. Moreover, recently enacted legislation applicable to our tax years beginning after 2017 changes the audit procedures for large partnerships and in certain circumstances would permit the IRS to assess and collect taxes (including any applicable penalties

 

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and interest) resulting from partnership-level federal income tax audits directly from us in the year in which the audit is completed. If we are required to make payments of taxes, penalties and interest resulting from audit adjustments, our cash available for distribution to our unitholders might be substantially reduced. Pursuant to this new legislation, we will designate a person (our general partner) to act as the partnership representative who shall have the sole authority to act on behalf of the partnership with respect to dealings with the IRS under these new audit procedures.

Current law requires that one partner be designated as the “Tax Matters Partner” for these purposes. Our partnership agreement names our general partner as our Tax Matters Partner.

The Tax Matters Partner will make some elections on our behalf and on behalf of unitholders. In addition, the Tax Matters Partner can extend the statute of limitations for assessment of tax deficiencies against unitholders for items in our returns. The Tax Matters Partner may bind a unitholder with less than a 1% profits interest in us to a settlement with the IRS unless that unitholder elects, by filing a statement with the IRS, not to give that authority to the Tax Matters Partner. The Tax Matters Partner may seek judicial review, by which all the unitholders are bound, of a final partnership administrative adjustment and, if the Tax Matters Partner fails to seek judicial review, judicial review may be sought by any unitholder having at least a 1% interest in profits or by any group of unitholders having in the aggregate at least a 5% interest in profits. However, only one action for judicial review will go forward, and each unitholder with an interest in the outcome may participate.

A unitholder must file a statement with the IRS identifying the treatment of any item on his federal income tax return that is not consistent with the treatment of the item on our return. Intentional or negligent disregard of this consistency requirement may subject a unitholder to substantial penalties.

Nominee Reporting

Persons who hold an interest in us as a nominee for another person are required to furnish to us:

 

   

the name, address and taxpayer identification number of the beneficial owner and the nominee;

 

   

whether the beneficial owner is:

 

   

a person that is not a U.S. person;

 

   

a foreign government, an international organization or any wholly-owned agency or instrumentality of either of the foregoing; or

 

   

a tax-exempt entity;

 

   

the amount and description of units held, acquired or transferred for the beneficial owner; and

 

   

specific information including the dates of acquisitions and transfers, means of acquisitions and transfers, and acquisition cost for purchases, as well as the amount of net proceeds from dispositions.

Brokers and financial institutions are required to furnish additional information, including whether they are U.S. persons and specific information on units they acquire, hold or transfer for their own account. With respect to returns required to be filed before January 1, 2016, a penalty of $100 per failure, up to a maximum of $1,500,000 per calendar year, is imposed by the Internal Revenue Code for failure to report that information to us. Thereafter, these penalties will increase to $250 per failure, up to a maximum of $3 million per calendar year. The nominee is required to supply the beneficial owner of the units with the information furnished to us.

Accuracy-Related Penalties

An additional tax equal to 20% of the amount of any portion of an underpayment of tax that is attributable to one or more specified causes, including negligence or disregard of rules or regulations, substantial understatements of income tax and substantial valuation misstatements, is imposed by the Internal Revenue Code. No penalty will be imposed, however, for any portion of an underpayment if it is shown that there was a reasonable cause for that portion and that the taxpayer acted in good faith regarding that portion.

 

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For individuals, a substantial understatement of income tax in any taxable year exists if the amount of the understatement exceeds the greater of 10% of the tax required to be shown on the return for the taxable year or $5,000 ($10,000 for most corporations). The amount of any understatement subject to penalty generally is reduced if any portion is attributable to a position adopted on the return:

 

   

for which there is, or was, “substantial authority”; or

 

   

as to which there is a reasonable basis and the pertinent facts of that position are disclosed on the return.

If any item of income, gain, loss or deduction included in the distributive shares of unitholders might result in that kind of an “understatement” of income for which no “substantial authority” exists, we must disclose the pertinent facts on our return. In addition, we will make a reasonable effort to furnish sufficient information for unitholders to make adequate disclosure on their returns and to take other actions as may be appropriate to permit unitholders to avoid liability for this penalty. More stringent rules apply to “tax shelters,” which we do not believe includes us, or any of our investments, plans or arrangements.

A substantial valuation misstatement exists if (a) the value of any property, or the adjusted basis of any property, claimed on a tax return is 150% or more of the amount determined to be the correct amount of the valuation or adjusted basis, (b) the price for any property or services (or for the use of property) claimed on any such return with respect to any transaction between persons described in Internal Revenue Code Section 482 is 200% or more (or 50% or less) of the amount determined under Section 482 to be the correct amount of such price, or (c) the net Internal Revenue Code Section 482 transfer price adjustment for the taxable year exceeds the lesser of $5 million or 10% of the taxpayer’s gross receipts. No penalty is imposed unless the portion of the underpayment attributable to a substantial valuation misstatement exceeds $5,000 ($10,000 for most corporations). If the valuation claimed on a return is 200% or more than the correct valuation or certain other thresholds are met, the penalty imposed increases to 40%. We do not anticipate making any valuation misstatements.

In addition, the 20% accuracy-related penalty also applies to any portion of an underpayment of tax that is attributable to transactions lacking economic substance. To the extent that such transactions are not disclosed, the penalty imposed is increased to 40%. Additionally, there is no reasonable cause defense to the imposition of this penalty to such transactions.

Reportable Transactions

If we were to engage in a “reportable transaction,” we (and possibly you and others) would be required to make a detailed disclosure of the transaction to the IRS. A transaction may be a reportable transaction based upon any of several factors, including the fact that it is a type of tax avoidance transaction publicly identified by the IRS as a “listed transaction” or that it produces certain kinds of losses for partnerships, individuals, S corporations, and trusts in excess of $2 million in any single year, or $4 million in any combination of six successive tax years. Our participation in a reportable transaction could increase the likelihood that our federal income tax information return (and possibly your tax return) would be audited by the IRS. Please read “—Information Returns and Audit Procedures.”

Moreover, if we were to participate in a reportable transaction with a significant purpose to avoid or evade tax, or in any listed transaction, you may be subject to the following additional consequences:

 

   

accuracy-related penalties with a broader scope, significantly narrower exceptions, and potentially greater amounts than described above at “—Accuracy-Related Penalties”;

 

   

for those persons otherwise entitled to deduct interest on federal tax deficiencies, nondeductibility of interest on any resulting tax liability; and

 

   

in the case of a listed transaction, an extended statute of limitations.

We do not expect to engage in any “reportable transactions.”

 

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State, Local, Foreign and Other Tax Considerations

In addition to federal income taxes, unitholders may be subject to other taxes, including state, local and foreign income taxes, unincorporated business taxes, and estate, inheritance or intangibles taxes that may be imposed by the various jurisdictions in which we conduct business or own property now or in the future or in which the unitholder is a resident. We currently own property or do business in a substantial number of states, virtually all of which impose a personal income tax and many impose an income tax on corporations and other entities. We may also own property or do business in other states in the future. Although an analysis of those various taxes is not presented here, each prospective unitholder should consider their potential impact on his investment in us.

Although you may not be required to file a return and pay taxes in some jurisdictions because your income from that jurisdiction falls below the filing and payment requirement, you will be required to file income tax returns and to pay income taxes in many of the jurisdictions in which we do business or own property and may be subject to penalties for failure to comply with those requirements. Some of the jurisdictions may require us, or we may elect, to withhold a percentage of income from amounts to be distributed to a unitholder who is not a resident of the jurisdiction. Withholding, the amount of which may be greater or less than a particular unitholder’s income tax liability to the jurisdiction, generally does not relieve a nonresident unitholder from the obligation to file an income tax return. Amounts withheld will be treated as if distributed to unitholders for purposes of determining the amounts distributed by us. Please read “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Entity-Level Collections.”

It is the responsibility of each unitholder to investigate the legal and tax consequences, under the laws of pertinent jurisdictions, of its investment in us. We urge each prospective unitholder to consult, and depend on, its own tax counsel or other advisor with regard to those matters. Further, it is the responsibility of each unitholder to file all state, local and foreign, as well as U.S. federal tax returns, that may be required of it. Andrews Kurth LLP has not rendered an opinion on the state, local, alternative minimum tax or non-U.S. tax consequences of an investment in us.

 

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INVESTMENT IN NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP BY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

An investment in our common units by an employee benefit plan is subject to additional considerations because the investments of these plans are subject to the fiduciary responsibility and prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA and the prohibited transaction restrictions imposed by Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code and may be subject to provisions under certain other laws or regulations that are similar to ERISA or the Internal Revenue Code, or Similar Laws. For these purposes the term “employee benefit plan” includes, but is not limited to, qualified pension, profit-sharing and stock bonus plans, certain Keogh plans, certain simplified employee pension plans, IRAs and tax deferred annuities established or maintained by an employer or employee organization, and entities whose underlying assets are considered to include “plan assets” of any such plan, account or arrangement, each, a Plan. This summary is based on the provisions of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code, and the related regulations and administrative and judicial interpretations, as of the date hereof. This summary does not purport to be complete, and no assurance can be given that future legislation, court decisions or administrative regulations, rulings or pronouncements will not significantly modify the requirements summarized herein. Any such changes may be retroactive and thereby apply to transactions entered into before the date of their enactment or release.

General Fiduciary Matters

ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code impose certain duties on persons who are fiduciaries of an a Plan that is subject to Title I of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code, or an ERISA Plan, and prohibit certain transactions involving the assets of an ERISA Plan and its fiduciaries or other interested parties. Under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code, any person who exercises any discretionary authority or control over the administration of an ERISA Plan or the management or disposition of the assets of an ERISA Plan, or who renders investment advice for a fee or other compensation to an ERISA Plan, is generally considered to be a fiduciary of the ERISA Plan. In considering an investment in our common units, among other things, consideration should be given to:

 

   

whether the investment is prudent under Section 404(a)(1)(B) of ERISA and any other applicable Similar Laws;

 

   

whether, in making the investment, the employee benefit plan will satisfy the diversification requirements of Section 404(a)(1)(C) of ERISA and any other applicable Similar Laws;

 

   

whether the investment is permitted under the terms of the applicable documents governing the Plan;

 

   

whether making the investment will comply with the delegation of control and prohibited transaction provisions under Section 406 of ERISA, Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code and any other applicable Similar Laws (please read the discussion under “—Prohibited Transaction Issues” below);

 

   

whether in making the investment, the Plan will be considered to hold, as plan assets, (1) only the investment in our common units or (2) an undivided interest in our underlying assets (please read the discussion under “—Plan Asset Issues” below); and

 

   

whether the investment will result in recognition of unrelated business taxable income by the employee benefit plan and, if so, the potential after-tax investment return. Please read “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences—Tax-Exempt Organizations and Other Investors.”

The person with investment discretion with respect to the assets of a Plan, often called a fiduciary, should determine whether an investment in our common units is authorized by the appropriate governing instruments and is a proper investment for the Plan.

Governmental plans (as defined in Section 3(32) of ERISA) and certain church plans (as defined in Section 3(33) of ERISA) and non-U.S. plans (as defined in Section 4(b)(4) of ERISA), while generally not subject to the fiduciary responsibility provisions of ERISA or the provisions of Section 4975 of the Internal

 

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Revenue Code, may nevertheless be subject to local, state or other federal or non-U.S. laws that are substantially similar to ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. Fiduciaries of any such Plans should consult with their counsel before acquiring our common units.

Prohibited Transaction Issues

Section 406 of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code (which also applies to IRAs that are not considered part of an employee benefit plan) prohibit ERISA Plans from engaging in specified transactions involving “plan assets” with parties that are “parties in interest” under ERISA or “disqualified persons” under the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the ERISA Plan, unless an exemption is applicable. A party in interest or disqualified person who engages in a non-exempt prohibited transaction may be subject to excise taxes and other penalties and liabilities under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. In addition, the fiduciary of the ERISA Plan that engaged in such a prohibited transaction may be subject to excise taxes, penalties and liabilities under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code.

Plan Asset Issues

In addition to considering whether the purchase of our common units is a prohibited transaction, a fiduciary of a Plan should consider whether the Plan will, by investing in our common units, be deemed to own an undivided interest in our assets, with the result that our general partner also would be a fiduciary of the Plan and our operations would be subject to the regulatory restrictions of ERISA, including its prohibited transaction rules, as well as the prohibited transaction rules of the Internal Revenue Code and any other applicable Similar Laws.

The Department of Labor regulations provide guidance with respect to whether the assets of an entity in which Plans acquire equity interests would be deemed “plan assets” under certain circumstances. Under these regulations, an entity’s underlying assets generally would not be considered to be “plan assets” if, among other things:

 

  (1) the equity interests acquired by employee benefit plans are publicly offered securities—i.e., the equity interests are part of a class of securities that are widely held by 100 or more investors independent of the issuer and each other, “freely transferable” (as defined in the applicable Department of Labor regulations) and either part of a class of securities registered pursuant to certain provisions of the federal securities laws or sold to the plan as part of a public offering under certain conditions;

 

  (2) the entity is an “operating company”—i.e., it is primarily engaged in the production or sale of a product or service other than the investment of capital either directly or through a majority-owned subsidiary or subsidiaries; or

 

  (3) there is no significant investment by benefit plan investors, which is defined to mean that, immediately after the most recent acquisition of an equity interest in any entity by an employee benefit plan, less than 25% of the total value of each class of equity interest, disregarding certain interests held by our general partner, its affiliates and certain other persons, is held by the employee benefit plans and IRAs referred to above and entities whose underlying assets are considered to include “plan assets” of any such plans or IRAs.

With respect to an investment in our common units, we believe that our assets should not be considered “plan assets” under these regulations because it is expected that the investment will satisfy the requirements in (1) and (2) above and may also satisfy the requirements in (3) above (although we do not monitor the level of investment by benefit plan investors as required for compliance with (3)).

The foregoing discussion of issues arising for employee benefit plan investments under ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code and applicable Similar Laws is general in nature and is not intended to be all inclusive, nor should it be construed as legal advice. Plan fiduciaries contemplating a purchase of our common units should consult with their own counsel regarding the consequences of such purchase under ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code and Similar Laws in light of the serious penalties, excise taxes and liabilities imposed on persons who engage in prohibited transactions or other violations.

 

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UNDERWRITING

Barclays Capital Inc., Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC are acting as the representatives of the underwriters and the joint book-running managers of this offering. Under the terms of an underwriting agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, each of the underwriters named below has severally agreed to purchase from us the respective number of common units shown opposite its name below:

 

Underwriters

   Number of
Common
Units

Barclays Capital Inc.

  

Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated

  

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

  

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith

                      Incorporated

  

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

  

Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.

  

Wells Fargo Securities, LLC

  

Simmons & Company International

  

BB&T Capital Markets, a division of BB&T Securities, LLC

  

BBVA Securities Inc.

  

BNP Paribas Securities Corp.

  

CIBC World Markets Corp.

  

DNB Markets, Inc.

  

Fifth Third Securities, Inc.

  

Mizuho Securities USA Inc.

  

Mitsubishi UFJ Securities (USA), Inc.

  

PNC Capital Markets LLC

  

Scotia Capital (USA) Inc.

  

SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc.

  

SG Americas Securities, LLC

  

TD Securities (USA) LLC

  

Tudor, Pickering, Holt, & Co. Securities, Inc.

  
  

 

Total

  
  

 

The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters’ obligation to purchase common units depends on the satisfaction of the conditions contained in the underwriting agreement including:

 

   

the obligation to purchase all of the common units offered hereby (other than those common units covered by their option to purchase additional common units as described below), if any of the common units are purchased;

 

   

the representations and warranties made by us to the underwriters are true;

 

   

there is no material change in our business or the financial markets; and

 

   

we deliver customary closing documents to the underwriters.

 

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Commissions and Expenses

The following table summarizes the underwriting discounts and commissions we will pay to the underwriters. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units. The underwriting fee is the difference between the initial price to the public and the amount the underwriters pay to us for the common units.

 

     No Exercise      Full Exercise  

Per common unit

   $                $            

Total

   $                $            

In addition, we will pay an aggregate structuring fee of     % to             for evaluation, analysis and structuring of this offering.

The representatives have advised us that the underwriters propose to offer the common units directly to the public at the public offering price on the cover of this prospectus and to selected dealers, which may include the underwriters, at such offering price less a selling concession not in excess of $         per common unit. After the offering, the representatives may change the offering price and other selling terms.

The expenses of the offering that are payable by us are estimated to be approximately $         (excluding underwriting discounts, structuring fees and commissions).

Option to Purchase Additional Common Units

We have granted the underwriters an option exercisable for 30 days after the date of this prospectus to purchase, from time to time, in whole or in part, up to an aggregate of             additional common units from us at the public offering price less underwriting discounts and commissions. This option may be exercised to the extent the underwriters sell more than common units in connection with this offering. To the extent that this option is exercised, each underwriter will be obligated, subject to certain conditions, to purchase its pro rata portion of these additional common units based on the underwriter’s percentage underwriting commitment in the offering as indicated in the table at the beginning of this Underwriting Section. Any remaining common units not purchased by the underwriters pursuant to exercise of the option to purchase additional common units will be issued to Noble at the expiration of the option period for no additional consideration, and these common units will be issued pursuant to the exemption from registration provided under Section  4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

Lock-Up Agreements

We, Noble, our general partner, the directors and executive officers of our general partner and holders of more than 5% of our outstanding common units, have agreed that, for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, we and they will not directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of Barclays Capital Inc., (1) offer for sale, sell, pledge, or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction or device that is designed to, or could be expected to, result in the disposition by any person at any time in the future of) any common units (including, without limitation, common units that may be deemed to be beneficially owned by us or them in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC and common units that may be issued upon exercise of any options or warrants) or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for common units (other than the common units issued pursuant to employee benefit plans or other employee compensation plans existing on the date of this prospectus), or sell or grant options, rights or warrants with respect to any common units or securities convertible into or exchangeable for common units (other than the grant of options pursuant to option plans existing on the date of this prospectus), (2) enter into any swap or other derivatives transaction that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic benefits or risks of ownership of common units, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of common units or other securities, in cash or otherwise, (3) make any demand for or exercise any right or file or cause to be filed a

 

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registration statement, including any amendments thereto, with respect to the registration of any common units or securities convertible, exercisable or exchangeable into common units or any of our other securities (other than any registration statement on Form S-8), or (4) publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing.

Barclays Capital Inc., in its sole discretion, may release the common units and other securities subject to the lock-up agreements described above in whole or in part at any time. When determining whether or not to release common units and other securities from lock-up agreements, Barclays Capital Inc. will consider, among other factors, the holder’s reasons for requesting the release, the number of common units and other securities for which the release is being requested and market conditions at the time.

As described below under “—Directed Unit Program,” any common units sold in the Directed Unit Program to our directors or officers shall be subject to the lock-up agreement described above. Any participants in the Directed Unit Program who purchase more than $100,000 of common units under the program will be subject to a 180-day lock up with respect to any common units sold to them pursuant to that program. Any other participants in the Directed Unit Program will be subject to a 30-day lock-up. These lock ups will have similar restrictions as the lock-up agreement described above.

Directed Unit Program

At our request, the underwriters have reserved up to     % of the common units for sale at the initial public offering price to persons who are directors, officers or employees of our general partner and its affiliates and certain other persons associated with us, as designated by us, through a directed unit program. The number of common units available for sale to the general public will be reduced by the number of directed units purchased by participants in the program. Except for certain of the officers and directors of our general partner who have entered into lock-up agreements, each person buying common units through the directed unit program has agreed that, for a period of 30 days from the date of this prospectus, or 180 days for participants who purchase more than $100,000 of common units, he or she will not, without the prior written consent of Barclays Capital Inc., dispose of or hedge any common units or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common units with respect to units purchased in the program. For certain officers and directors of our general partner purchasing common units through the directed unit program, the lock-up agreements described above shall govern with respect to their purchases. Barclays Capital Inc. in its sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time, which, in the case of officers and directors of our general partner, shall be with notice. Any directed units not purchased will be offered by the underwriters to the general public on the same basis as all other common units offered. We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities and expenses, including liabilities under the Securities Act, in connection with the sales of the directed units.

Offering Price Determination

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common units. The initial public offering price was negotiated between the representatives and us. In determining the initial public offering price of our common units, the representatives considered:

 

   

the history and prospects for the industry in which we compete;

 

   

our financial information;

 

   

the ability of our management and our business potential and earning prospects;

 

   

the prevailing securities markets at the time of this offering; and

 

   

the recent market prices of, and the demand for, publicly traded common units of generally comparable companies.

Indemnification

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make for these liabilities.

 

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Stabilization, Short Positions and Penalty Bids

The representatives may engage in stabilizing transactions, short sales and purchases to cover positions created by short sales, and penalty bids or purchases for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of the common units, in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act:

 

   

Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum.

 

   

A short position involves a sale by the underwriters of common units in excess of the number of common units the underwriters are obligated to purchase in the offering, which creates the syndicate short position. This short position may be either a covered short position or a naked short position. In a covered short position, the number of common units involved in the sales made by the underwriters in excess of the number of common units they are obligated to purchase is not greater than the number of common units that they may purchase by exercising their option to purchase additional common units. In a naked short position, the number of common units involved is greater than the number of common units in their option to purchase additional common units. The underwriters may close out any short position by either exercising their option to purchase additional common units or purchasing common units in the open market. In determining the source of common units to close out the short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of common units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase common units through their option to purchase additional common units. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there could be downward pressure on the price of the common units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.

 

   

Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of common units in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions.

 

   

Penalty bids permit the representatives to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when common units originally sold by the syndicate member is purchased in a stabilizing or syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions.

 

   

These stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of the common units or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the common units. As a result, the price of the common units may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. These transactions may be effected on the NYSE or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

Neither we nor any of the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of the common units. In addition, neither we nor any of the underwriters make any representation that the representatives will engage in these stabilizing transactions or that any transaction, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

Listing on the New York Stock Exchange

We have applied to list our common units on the NYSE under the symbol “NBLX.”

Stamp Taxes

If you purchase common units offered in this prospectus, you may be required to pay stamp taxes and other charges under the laws and practices of the country of purchase, in addition to the offering price listed on the cover page of this prospectus.

 

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Other Relationships

The underwriters and certain of their affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. The underwriters and certain of their affiliates have, from time to time, performed, and may in the future perform, various commercial and investment banking and financial advisory services for us and our affiliates, including Noble, and to persons and entities with relationships with us and our affiliates, for which they received or may in the future receive customary fees and expenses. We anticipate that affiliates of Barclays Capital Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and DNB Markets, Inc. will be lenders under our new revolving credit facility and will receive origination fees funded by a portion of the proceeds of this offering. Please see “Use of Proceeds.”. Additionally, affiliates of certain of the underwriters are lenders under Noble’s revolving credit facility.

In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and certain of their respective affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities or instruments of the issuer or its affiliates. If the underwriters or their respective affiliates have a lending relationship with us, certain of those underwriters or their affiliates routinely hedge, and certain other of those underwriters or their affiliates may hedge, their credit exposure to us consistent with their customary risk management policies. Typically, the underwriters and their affiliates would hedge such exposure by entering into transactions which consist of either the purchase of credit default swaps or the creation of short positions in our securities or the securities of our affiliates, including potentially the common units offered hereby. Any such credit default swaps or short positions could adversely affect future trading prices of the common units offered hereby. The underwriters and certain of their affiliates may also communicate independent investment recommendations, market color or trading ideas or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long or short positions in such securities and instruments.

Direct Participation Plan Requirements

Because FINRA views the common units offered hereby as interests in a direct participation program, the offering is being made in compliance with FINRA Rule 2310. Investor suitability with respect to the common units should be judged similarly to the suitability with respect to other securities that are listed for trading on a national securities exchange.

Selling Restrictions

This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell to, or a solicitation of an offer to buy from, anyone in any country or jurisdiction (i) in which such an offer or solicitation is not authorized, (ii) in which any person making such offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or (iii) in which any such offer or solicitation would otherwise be unlawful. No action has been taken that would, or is intended to, permit a public offer of the common units or possession or distribution of this prospectus or any other offering or publicity material relating to the common units in any country or jurisdiction (other than the United States) where any such action for that purpose is required. Accordingly, each underwriter has undertaken that it will not, directly or indirectly, offer or sell any common units or have in its possession, distribute or publish any prospectus, form of application, advertisement or other document or information in any country or jurisdiction except under circumstances that will, to the best of its knowledge and belief, result in compliance with any applicable laws and regulations and all offers and sales of common units by it will be made on the same terms.

 

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Singapore

This prospectus has not been and will not be registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the common units may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the common units be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore, or SFA, (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275, of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

Where the common units are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:

 

  (1) a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or

 

  (2) a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor, securities (as defined in Section 239(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the common units pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:

 

  (a) to an institutional investor or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA;

 

  (b) where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer;

 

  (c) where the transfer is by operation of law;

 

  (d) as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or

 

  (e) as specified in Regulation 32 of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Shares and Debentures) Regulations 2005 of Singapore.

Hong Kong

Our common units may not be offered or sold in Hong Kong by means of this prospectus or any other document other than to (a) professional investors as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance of Hong Kong (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong), or SFO, and any rules made under the SFO, or (b) in other circumstances which do not result in this prospectus being deemed to be a “prospectus,” as defined in the Companies Ordinance of Hong Kong (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong), or CO, or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the CO or the SFO; and no person has issued or had in possession for the purposes of issue, or will issue or has in possession for the purposes of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere, any advertisement, invitation or document relating to our common units which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to our common units which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to professional investors as defined in the SFO.

 

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VALIDITY OF THE COMMON UNITS

The validity of the common units and certain tax and other legal matters will be passed upon for us by Andrews Kurth LLP, Houston, Texas. Certain legal matters in connection with our common units offered hereby will be passed upon for the underwriters by Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., Houston, Texas.

EXPERTS

The combined financial statements of Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and for the years then ended, have been included herein, in reliance upon the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, appearing elsewhere herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

The balance sheet of Noble Midstream Partners LP as of July 17, 2015, has been included herein, in reliance upon the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, appearing elsewhere herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 relating to the common units offered by this prospectus. This prospectus, which constitutes a part of the registration statement, does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement. For further information regarding us and the common units offered by this prospectus, we refer you to the full registration statement, including its exhibits and schedules, filed under the Securities Act. The registration statement, of which this prospectus constitutes a part, including its exhibits and schedules, may be inspected and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of the materials may also be obtained from the SEC at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Room. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330.

The SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. Our registration statement, of which this prospectus constitutes a part, can be downloaded from the SEC’s website.

After the completion of this offering, we will file with or furnish to the SEC periodic reports and other information. These reports and other information may be inspected and copied at the Public Reference Room maintained by the SEC or obtained from the SEC’s website as provided above. Following the completion of this offering, our website will be located at www.NBLMidstream.com. We intend to make our periodic reports and other information filed with or furnished to the SEC available, free of charge, through our website, as soon as reasonably practicable after those reports and other information are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Information on our website or any other website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and does not constitute a part of this prospectus.

We intend to furnish or make available to our unitholders annual reports containing our audited financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. We also intend to furnish or make available to our unitholders quarterly reports containing our unaudited interim financial information, including the information required by Form 10-Q, for the first three fiscal quarters of each fiscal year.

Noble is subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance therewith, files reports and other information with the SEC. You may read Noble’s filings on the SEC’s website and at the Public Reference Room described above or Noble’s website at www.nobleenergyinc.com . Noble’s common stock trades on the NYSE under the symbol “NBL.” Information on Noble’s website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and does not constitute a part of this prospectus.

 

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements. Statements that are predictive in nature, that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions or that include the words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate” and other expressions that are predictions of or indicate future events and trends and that do not relate to historical matters identify forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements include statements about our business strategy, our industry, our future profitability, our expected capital expenditures and the impact of such expenditures on our performance, the costs of being a publicly traded partnership and our capital programs. All statements in this prospectus about our forecast of distributable cash flow and our forecasted results for the twelve months ending December 31, 2016 constitute forward-looking statements.

A forward-looking statement may include a statement of the assumptions or bases underlying the forward-looking statement. We believe that we have chosen these assumptions or bases in good faith and that they are reasonable. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. You should also understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors and should not consider the following list to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the results contemplated by such forward-looking statements include:

 

   

Noble’s ability to meet their drilling and development plan in the DJ Basin;

 

   

changes in general economic conditions;

 

   

competitive conditions in our industry;

 

   

actions taken by third-party operators, gatherers, processors and transporters;

 

   

the demand for crude oil and natural gas gathering and processing services;

 

   

our ability to successfully implement our business plan;

 

   

our ability to complete internal growth projects on time and on budget;

 

   

the price and availability of debt and equity financing;

 

   

the availability and price of crude oil and natural gas to the consumer compared to the price of alternative and competing fuels;

 

   

competition from the same and alternative energy sources;

 

   

energy efficiency and technology trends;

 

   

operating hazards and other risks incidental to our midstream services;

 

   

natural disasters, weather-related delays, casualty losses and other matters beyond our control;

 

   

interest rates;

 

   

labor relations;

 

   

defaults by Noble under our gathering and processing agreements;

 

   

changes in availability and cost of capital;

 

   

changes in our tax status;

 

   

the effect of existing and future laws and government regulations;

 

   

the effects of future litigation; and

 

   

certain factors discussed elsewhere in this prospectus.

You should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Although forward-looking statements reflect our good faith beliefs at the time they are made, forward-looking statements involve known

 

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and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including the factors described under “Risk Factors,” which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise, unless required by law.

 

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I NDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Noble Midstream Partners LP

 

Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Statements  

Introduction

    F-2   

Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Statement of Operations for the Year Ended December 31, 2014

    F-4   

Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Statement of Operations for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015

    F-5   

Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Balance Sheet as of September 30, 2015

    F-6   

Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Statements

    F-7   

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

 
Historical Financial Statements  

Combined Statements of Operations for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 and 2014

    F-9   

Combined Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2015 (Supplemental Pro Forma), September 30, 2015 (Historical) and December 31, 2014

    F-10   

Combined Statements of Changes in Net Parent Investment as of December  31, 2014 and September 30, 2015

    F-11   

Combined Statements of Cash Flows for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 and 2014

    F-12   

Notes to Unaudited Combined Financial Statements

    F-13   

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

    F-20   

Combined Statements of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2014 and 2013

    F-21   

Combined Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2014 and 2013

    F-22   

Combined Statements of Changes in Net Parent Investment as of December 31, 2014 and 2013

    F-23   

Combined Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2014 and 2013

    F-24   

Notes to Combined Financial Statements

    F-25   

Noble Midstream Partners LP

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

    F-34   

Balance Sheet as of July 17, 2015

    F-35   

Notes to Balance Sheet

    F-36   

 

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NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP

UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Introduction

Set forth below are the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of September 30, 2015 and the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2014 and the nine months ended September 30, 2015 (together with the notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements, the “pro forma financial statements”) of Noble Midstream Partners LP (the “Partnership”, “we,” “us” or “our”). Our pro forma financial statements have been derived from the historical combined financial statements of Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor, our predecessor for accounting purposes (our “Predecessor”), which are included elsewhere in this prospectus.

The Predecessor’s business includes the contributed assets, liabilities and results of operations of (i) crude oil and natural gas gathering systems located in the DJ Basin in northern Colorado, (ii) crude oil treating facilities in the DJ Basin in northern Colorado, (iii) fresh water storage and delivery and saltwater collection, gathering, cleaning, recycling and disposal systems in the DJ Basin in northern Colorado and (iv) a 3.33% non-controlling member interest in White Cliffs Pipeline, L.L.C. also located in the DJ Basin (the “White Cliffs Interest”) (collectively, the “Contributed Businesses”).

We will own and operate the businesses of our Predecessor effective as of the closing of this offering. The contribution of our Predecessor’s business to us will be recorded at historical cost as it is considered to be a reorganization of entities under common control. Upon completion of this offering, we will own controlling interests in the development companies that own our operating assets ranging from 5% to 75%. The pro forma financial statements have been prepared on the basis that we will be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

The pro forma financial statements have been derived from the audited and unaudited historical combined financial statements of our Predecessor. The historical financial statements of the Predecessor are set forth elsewhere in this prospectus, and the pro forma financial statements for the Partnership should be read in conjunction with, and are qualified in their entirety by reference to, such historical financial statements and the related notes contained therein. The pro forma adjustments are based upon currently available information and certain estimates and assumptions, and actual results may differ from the pro forma adjustments. However, management believes that these estimates and assumptions provide a reasonable basis for presenting the significant effects of the contemplated transactions and that the pro forma adjustments are factually supportable and give appropriate effect to those estimates and assumptions.

The pro forma adjustments have been prepared as if the transactions to be effected at the closing of the offering had taken place on September 30, 2015, in the case of the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet, and as of January 1, 2014, in the case of the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2014 and the nine months ended September 30, 2015. The pro forma financial statements have been presented for informational purposes only. The pro forma financial statements may not be indicative of the results that actually would have occurred if we had assumed the operations of our Predecessor on the dates indicated, or the results that will be obtained in the future.

The pro forma financial statements give pro forma effect to the matters described in the accompanying notes, including:

 

   

Noble’s contribution of the Contributed Businesses to us, including the percentages of the development companies that will operate our assets described under “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Affiliates in Connection with the Transactions—Contribution Agreement;”

 

   

the recognition of incremental revenues under our commercial agreements;

 

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our entry into a new $350 million revolving credit facility;

 

   

our entry into an omnibus agreement with Noble;

 

   

the consummation of this offering and our issuance of (i)            common units to the public (assuming the underwriters’ option to purchase additional            common units from us is not exercised) and (ii)              common units,             subordinated units, a non-economic general partner interest in us and all of our incentive distribution rights (“IDRs”) to Noble; and

 

   

the application of the net proceeds of this offering as described in “Use of Proceeds.”

The pro forma financial statements do not give effect to an estimated $5.5 million in incremental general and administrative expenses that we expect to incur annually as a result of being a publicly traded partnership, including costs associated with annual and quarterly reports to unitholders, preparation and distribution of our financial statements, tax return and Schedule K-1 preparation and distribution expenses, investor relations activities, registrar and transfer agent fees, incremental director and officer liability insurance premiums and independent director compensation. The pro forma financial statements also do not give effect to variable general and administrative costs we will incur under the omnibus agreement and the operational services and secondment agreement that we will enter into with Noble as of the closing of this offering. As a result, the pro forma financial statements may not be indicative of the results that actually would have occurred if the matters described above had occurred on the dates indicated or that would be obtained in the future.

 

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Noble Midstream Partners LP

Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Statements of Operations

Year Ended December 31, 2014

(thousands)

 

     Historical     Pro Forma
Adjustments
          Pro
Forma
 

Revenues

        

Revenues — Related Party

   $ 2,086      $ 98,546        (a   $ 100,632   

Income from Investments

     3,798        —            3,798   
  

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total Revenues

     5,884        98,546          104,430   
  

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

 

Expenses

        

Direct Operating

     8,538        35,575        (a     44,113   

Depreciation

     11,315        —            11,315   

General and Administrative

     6,734        6,850        (b     13,584   
  

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total Expenses

     26,587        42,425          69,012   
  

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

 

Operating Income (Loss)

     (20,703     56,121          35,418   

Interest Expense

     3,566        (2,866     (c     700   

Tax Benefit

     (9,178     9,178        (d   $ —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net Income (Loss)

     (15,091     49,809        $ 34,718   

Net income attributable to non-controlling interests

     —          9,475        (e     9,475   
  

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net income attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

     (15,091     40,334          25,243   
  

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

 

Pro forma general partners interest in net income attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

        

Pro forma limited partners’ interest in net income attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP:

        

Common units

           —     

Subordinated units

           —     

Pro forma net income per limited partner unit (basic and diluted)

        

Common units

           —     

Subordinated units

           —     

Pro forma weighted average number of limited partner units outstanding (basic and diluted)

        

Common units

           —     

Subordinated units

           —     

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements

 

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Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP

Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Statements of Operations

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015

(thousands)

 

     Historical      Pro Forma
Adjustments
          Pro
Forma
 

Revenues

         

Revenues—Related Party

   $ 51,734       $ 20,630        (a   $ 72,364   

Income from Investments

     3,418         —            3,418   
  

 

 

    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total Revenues

     55,152         20,630          75,782   
  

 

 

    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Expenses

         

Direct Operating

     11,152         10,516        (a     21,668   

Depreciation

     4,956         —            4,956   

General and Administrative

     2,358         5,138        (b     7,496   
  

 

 

    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total Expenses

     18,466         15,654          34,120   
  

 

 

    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Operating Income (Loss)

     36,686         4,976          41,662   

Interest Expense

     2,788         (2,263     (c     525   

Income Tax Expense (Benefit)

     12,717         (12,717     (d     —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net Income (Loss)

     21,181         19,956          41,137   

Net income attributable to non-controlling interests

     —           13,423        (e     13,423   
  

 

 

    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Net income attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

     21,181         6,533          27,714   
  

 

 

    

 

 

     

 

 

 

Pro forma general partners interest in net income attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP

            —     

Pro forma limited partners’ interest in net income attributable to Noble Midstream Partners LP:

         

Common units

            —     

Subordinated units

            —     

Pro forma net income per limited partner unit (basic and diluted)

         

Common units

            —     

Subordinated units

            —     

Pro forma weighted average number of limited partner units outstanding (basic and diluted)

         

Common units

            —     

Subordinated units

            —     

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements

 

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Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP

Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Balance Sheet

As of September 30, 2015

(thousands)

 

     Historical     Pro Forma
Adjustments
    Pro
Forma
 
ASSETS       

Current Assets

      

Cash and Cash Equivalents

   $ 19,590                      (f)   
                     (g)   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Other Current Assets

     15,845       
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Current Assets

     35,435       

Property, Plant and Equipment

      

Total Property, Plant and Equipment, Gross

     261,747       

Less: Accumulated Depreciation

     (20,896    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Property, Plant and Equipment, Net

     240,851       

Investments

     12,480       
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Assets

   $ 288,766       
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
LIABILITIES AND NET PARENT INVESTMENT       

Current Liabilities

      

Accounts Payable—Related Party

   $ 19,681       
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Other Current Liabilities

     11,019       
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Current Liabilities

     30,700       

Long-Term Debt

      

Deferred Income Taxes, Noncurrent

     13,013                      (d)   

Asset Retirement Obligations

     3,570       

Other Long-Term Liabilities

     806       
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Liabilities

     48,089       
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net parent investment / partners’ capital

      
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net parent investment

     240,677        (240,677) (h)      —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Common unitholders—Public

                     (i)   

Common unitholders—Noble

                     (i)   

Subordinated unitholders—Noble

                     (i)   

General Partner—Noble

                     (i)   

Noncontrolling interest—Noble

                     (i)   

Total net parent investment / partners’ capital

      
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Liabilities and Net Parent Investment

   $ 288,766       
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited pro forma condensed financial statements

 

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Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP

Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Financial Statements

 

1. Pro Forma Adjustments and Assumptions

The pro forma adjustments are based on currently available information and certain estimates and assumptions and, therefore, the actual effects of these transactions will differ from the pro forma adjustments. We have only included adjustments that are directly attributable to the transactions, factually supportable and, with respect to the statements of operations, expected to have a continuing impact on the combined results. A general description of these transactions and adjustments is provided as follows:

 

  (a) Represents the pro forma adjustment to revenues associated with the Partnership’s execution of new long-term, fixed-fee commercial agreements with Noble. The increase to revenue is calculated using the fees under the commercial agreements applied to the historical volumes during the year ended December 31, 2014 and the nine months ended September 30, 2015.

 

  (b) Represents the fixed-fee portion of additional general and administrative expenses incurred under our omnibus agreement.

 

  (c) Represents the pro forma adjustment to interest expense associated with our allocated portion of Noble’s interest expense and the amortization of origination fees and the commitment fee associated with the new revolving credit facility over the five year expected term of the facility. As of the date of the offering, we do not expect to draw on the revolving credit facility.

 

  (d) We will not be subject to income taxes as a publicly traded partnership. As such, this adjustment removes our historical taxes.

 

  (e) Represents the 25%, 90%, 95%, 95% and 95% non-controlling interests in Colorado River DevCo LP, Green River DevCo LP, Gunnison River DevCo LP, Laramie River DevCo LP and San Juan River DevCo LP, respectively, retained by Noble, that have been calculated for each of the periods presented.
  (f) Represents the net adjustments to cash and cash equivalents, as follows (in thousands):

 

     September 30, 2015  

Gross proceeds from initial public offering

   $                

Underwriters’ discount and fees

  

Expenses and costs of initial public offering

  

Payment of debt issuance costs (see note c)

  

Distribution of proceeds to Noble

  
  

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents pro forma adjustment

   $     

 

  (g) Represents the distribution of the remaining IPO proceeds of $            to Noble.

 

  (h) Represents the elimination of Noble’s net investment in us at September 30, 2015 following Noble’s contribution to us of 75%, 10%, 5%, 5% and 5% controlling interests in Colorado River DevCo LP, Green River DevCo LP, Gunnison River DevCo LP, Laramie River DevCo LP and San Juan River LP, respectively.

 

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Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP

Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Financial Statements

 

  (i) Represents net adjustments to the public common unitholders’ partners’ capital, as follows (in thousands):

 

     September 30, 2015  

Gross proceeds from initial public offering (see note f)

   $                

Underwriters’ discount and fees (see note f)

  

Expenses and costs of initial public offering (see note f)

  
  

 

 

 
   $     

 

2. Pro Forma Net Income per Unit

Pro forma net income per unit is determined by dividing pro forma net income that would have been allocated, in accordance with the net income and loss allocation provisions of the partnership agreement, to the common and subordinated unitholders under the two-class method by the number of common units and subordinated units expected to be outstanding at the completion of this offering. For purposes of this calculation, we assumed (1) the minimum quarterly distribution was made to all unitholders for each quarter during the periods presented and (2) the number of units outstanding was        common units and        subordinated units. The common and subordinated unitholders represent an aggregate 100% limited partner interest in us. All units were assumed to have been outstanding since January 1, 2014. Basic and diluted pro forma net income per unit are equivalent as there are no dilutive units at the date of closing of the initial public offering of the common units of the Partnership. Pursuant to the partnership agreement, to the extent that the quarterly distributions exceed certain target levels, the general partner is entitled to receive certain incentive distributions that will result in more net income proportionately being allocated to the general partner than to the holders of common units and subordinated units. The pro forma net income per unit calculations assume that no incentive distributions were made to the general partner because no such distributions would have been paid based upon on the assumption that distributions declared equal the minimum quarterly distribution.

 

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Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Combined Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss

(thousands)

(unaudited)

 

 

     Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
     2015      2014  

Revenues

     

Midstream Services—Related Party

   $ 51,734       $ 1,563   

Income from Investments

     3,418         2,564   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Revenues

     55,152         4,127   

Costs and Expenses

     

Direct Operating

     11,152         6,239   

Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization

     4,956         7,971   

General and Administrative

     2,358         5,309   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Operating Expenses

     18,466         19,519   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Operating Income (Loss)

     36,686         (15,392

Other Expense

     

Interest Expense, Net of Amount Capitalized

     2,788         2,962   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Other Expense

     2,788         2,962   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes

     33,898         (18,354
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Income Tax Provision (Benefit)

     12,717         (6,941
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Income (Loss) and Comprehensive Income (Loss)

   $ 21,181       $ (11,413
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Supplemental pro forma (unaudited) basic and diluted income (loss) per limited partner unit (See Note 10)

     

Common units

     

Subordinated units

     

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited combined financial statements

 

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Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Combined Balance Sheets

(thousands)

(unaudited)

 

     Supplemental
Pro Forma
September 30,

2015
    September 30,
2015
    December 31,
2014
 
ASSETS       

Current Assets

      

Cash and Cash Equivalents

   $ 19,590      $ 19,590      $ —     

Accounts Receivable—Related Party

     5,563        5,563        —     

Deferred Tax Asset

     10,218        10,218        —     

Other Current Assets

     64        64        —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Current Assets

     35,435        34,435        —     

Property, Plant and Equipment

      

Total Property, Plant and Equipment, Gross

     261,747        261,747        211,586   

Accumulated Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization

     (20,896     (20,896     (16,073
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Property, Plant and Equipment, Net

     240,851        240,851        195,513   

Investments

     12,480        12,480        11,077   

Deferred Tax Asset

     —          —          9,922   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Assets

   $ 288,766      $ 288,766      $ 216,512   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
LIABILITIES AND NET PARENT INVESTMENT       

Current Liabilities

      

Accounts Payable—Related Party

   $ 19,681      $ 19,681      $ —     

Accounts Payable—Trade

     10,131        10,131        —     

Due to Affiliate

     —          —          —     

Other Current Liabilities

     888        888        —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Current Liabilities

     30,700        30,700        —     

Deferred Income Taxes, Noncurrent

     13,013        13,013        —     

Asset Retirement Obligations

     3,570        3,570        2,839   

Other Long-Term Liabilities

     806        806        —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Liabilities

     48,089        48,089        2,839   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Commitments and Contingencies

      

Total Net Equity—Net Parent Investment

     240,677        240,677        213,673   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Liabilities and Net Parent Investment

   $ 288,766      $ 288,766      $ 216,512   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited combined financial statements

 

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Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Combined Statements of Changes in Net Parent Investment

(thousands)

(unaudited)

 

     Total Net Equity—Net
Parent Investment
 

Balance at December 31, 2014

   $ 213,673   

Net Income

     21,181   

Contributions from Parent

     5,823   
  

 

 

 

Balance at September 30, 2015

   $ 240,677   
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited combined financial statements

 

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Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Combined Statements of Cash Flows

(thousands)

(unaudited)

 

     Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
     2015     2014  

Cash Flows From Operating Activities

    

Net Income (Loss)

   $ 21,181      $ (11,413

Adjustments to Reconcile Net Income (loss) to Net Cash Provided by Operating (Used) in Activities

    

Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization

     4,956        7,971   

Deferred Income Taxes

     12,717        (6,945

Stock Based Compensation

     150        318   

Changes in Operating Assets and Liabilities

    

(Increase) in Accounts Receivable—Related Party

     (5,563     —     

(Increase) Decrease in Other Current Assets

     (64     —     

(Decrease) Increase in Accounts Payable

     25,933        —     

Increase in Other Current Liabilities

     806        —     

Other Operating Assets and Liabilities, Net

     888        —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Cash Provided by (Used) in Operating Activities

     61,004        (10,069
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash Flows From Investing Activities

    

Additions to Property, Plant and Equipment

     (45,684     (61,289

Additions to Investments

     (2,251     —     

Distributions from Investments

     848        379   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities

     (47,087     (60,910
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash Flows From Financing Activities

    

Contributions from Parent, net

     5,673        70,979   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Cash Provided By Financing Activities

     5,673        70,979   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents

     19,590        —     

Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Period

     —          —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Period

   $ 19,590      $ —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited combined financial statements

 

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Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Notes to the Unaudited Combined Financial Statements

Note 1. Description of Business and Basis of Presentation

These combined financial statements constitute the contributed business of our accounting predecessor (the “Predecessor,” “we” or “our”) from Noble Energy, Inc. (“Noble”) to a newly formed partnership, Noble Midstream Partners LP (the “Partnership”), and have been prepared in connection with the initial public offering (the “Offering”) of common units representing limited partner interests in the Partnership

The Predecessor business includes the contributed assets, liabilities and results of operations of (i) crude oil and natural gas gathering systems located in the DJ Basin in northern Colorado (ii) crude oil treating facilities in the DJ Basin in northern Colorado (iii) fresh water storage and delivery and saltwater collection in the DJ Basin in Northern Colorado and (iv) a 3.33% non-controlling member interest in White Cliffs Pipeline, L.L.C. also located in the DJ Basin (the “White Cliffs Interest”) (collectively, the “Contributed Businesses”).

The Contributed Businesses were operated and held by a wholly owned subsidiary of Noble during the periods presented in the accompanying combined financial statements. It is anticipated that controlling interests in the Contributed Businesses will be transferred by Noble to the Partnership, in connection with the Offering.

The combined financial statements of the Predecessor have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) on the basis of Noble’s historical ownership of the Contributed Businesses.

The accompanying combined statements of operations include expense allocations for certain functions historically performed by Noble but not historically allocated to the Contributed Businesses, including allocations of general corporate services, such as treasury, accounting, human resources and legal services. These allocations were based primarily on direct usage when identifiable or capital expenditures or other relevant allocations during the respective periods. We believe the assumptions underlying the accompanying combined financial statements, including the assumptions regarding allocation of expenses from Noble, are reasonable. Nevertheless, the accompanying combined financial statements may not include all of the expenses that would have been incurred and may not reflect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows had we been a stand-alone company during the periods presented. Because a direct ownership relationship did not exist among the businesses comprising the Predecessor, the net investment in the Predecessor is shown as Parent Net Investment, in lieu of owner’s equity, in the combined financial statements. No goodwill is included in our combined financial statements as none of the goodwill held by Noble is associated with the historical basis of the Contributed Business.

Noble used a centralized approach to the cash management and financing of the Predecessor’s operations prior to January 1, 2015. The Predecessor had no bank accounts prior to January 1, 2015 and, as such, the cash generated by our operations was directly received by Noble, and Noble funded our operating and investing activities as needed. Accordingly, the cash and cash equivalents held by Noble were not allocated to us prior to January 1, 2015. We have reflected cash management and financing activities performed by Noble as a component of net parent investment on our accompanying combined balance sheet as of December 31, 2014, and as contributions from parent, net on our accompanying combined statements of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2014.

Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make a number of estimates and assumptions relating to the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues

 

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Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Notes to the Unaudited Combined Financial Statements

 

and expenses during the reporting period. Items subject to estimates and assumptions include the useful lives of property and equipment, obligations for environmental liabilities, allocations of expenses from Noble, deferred tax assets and liabilities, among others. Although management believes these amounts are reasonable, actual results could differ from these estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents For purposes of reporting cash flows, cash and cash equivalents include unrestricted cash on hand and investments with original maturities of three months or less at the time of purchase.

Property, Plant and Equipment Property, plant and equipment primarily consists of gathering pipelines, facilities and related equipment, which are stated at the lower of historical cost less accumulated depreciation, or fair value, if impaired. We capitalize construction-related direct labor, material costs and the interest related to construction. Maintenance and repair costs are expensed as incurred. Prior to January 1, 2015, certain assets were accounted for under the successful efforts method of accounting within Noble’s accounting policies. Under this method, costs to acquire mineral interests in crude oil and natural gas properties, drill and equip exploratory wells that find proved reserves, and drill and equip development wells are capitalized. Capitalized costs of producing crude oil and natural gas properties, along with support equipment and facilities, are amortized to expense by the unit-of-production method based on proved crude oil, natural gas and NGL reserves on a field-by-field basis, as estimated by Noble’s qualified petroleum engineers. Noble’s policy is to use quarter-end reserves and add back current period production to compute quarterly depreciation, depletion and amortization expense. Costs of certain gathering facilities or processing plants serving a number of properties are depreciated using the straight-line method over the useful lives of the assets ranging from three to thirty years. Upon sale or retirement of depreciable or depletable property, the cost and related accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization are eliminated from the accounts and the resulting gain or loss is recognized.

Although Noble has historically operated the midstream assets in support of the U.S. onshore upstream business as a cost center within the United States reportable segment, beginning in January 2015, Noble began operating the midstream business as a stand-alone business. However, the midstream business will continue to be consolidated by Noble and reported within Noble’s consolidated financial statements. Due to the change in the intended use of these assets, Noble changed the method of depreciation from units-of-production to the straight-line method for future accounting periods. This change is a change in accounting estimate that is effected by a change in accounting principle. When the two are inseparable, the change is accounted for as a change in accounting estimate. Depreciation will be calculated on a straight-line basis prospectively from the first quarter of 2015, the period of change, and in prospective periods. Following this adjustment, our assets will have useful lives ranging from 24 to 30 years. For assets that were converted from the unit-of-production method, their respective asset lives will be 30 years from the date originally placed into service.

Property and equipment included assets under construction of $25.6 million and $42.0 million at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.

Capitalization of Interest We capitalize interest costs associated with the development and construction of significant assets or projects to bring them to a condition and location necessary for their intended use. Interest is capitalized using an interest rate equivalent to the weighted average rate Noble pays on long-term debt. Capitalized interest is included in Property, plant and equipment is depreciated over the life of the asset. Capitalized interest totaled $2.4 million and $1.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Investments We use the cost method of accounting for investments in entities that we do not control or exert significant influence over. We carry the investments at cost on our combined balance sheet and recognize

 

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Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Notes to the Unaudited Combined Financial Statements

 

dividends on our combined statement of operations when received. Dividends received in excess of earnings are recorded as a return of capital on the combined balance sheet. We account for our investment in the White Cliffs Interest under the cost method of accounting for investments because we have virtually no influence over partnership operations and financial policies.

Asset Retirement Obligations Asset retirement obligations (“AROs”) consist of estimated costs of dismantlement, removal, site reclamation and similar activities associated with our equipment and facilities. We recognize the fair value of a liability for an ARO in the period in which it is incurred when we have an existing legal obligation associated with the retirement of our properties that can reasonably be estimated, with the associated asset retirement cost capitalized as part of the carrying cost of the asset. The asset retirement cost is determined at current costs and is inflated into future dollars using an inflation rate that is based on the consumer price index. The future projected cash flows are then discounted to their present value using a credit-adjusted risk-free rate. After initial recording, the liability is increased for the passage of time, with the increase being reflected as accretion expense and included in our depreciation, depletion and amortization expense in the combined statement of operations. Subsequent adjustments in the cost estimate are reflected in the liability and the amounts continue to be amortized over the useful life of the related long-lived asset.

Net Parent Investment In the accompanying combined balance sheets, Net parent investment represents Noble’s historical investment in us, our accumulated net results, and the net effect of transactions with, and allocations from, Noble.

Revenue Recognition Beginning in January 2015, we earn substantially all of our revenues from our commercial agreements we have entered into with Noble. We recognize revenues when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, price is fixed or determinable and collectibility is reasonably assured.

We recognized related party revenues of $51.7 million and $1.6 million from Noble during the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Income Taxes We are not a separate taxable entity for U.S. Federal and states purposes, and our results are included in the consolidated income tax returns of Noble. The provision for income taxes and income tax assets and liabilities were determined as if we were a stand-alone taxpayer for all periods presented. Deferred income taxes are determined using the liability method and reflect temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amount and income tax basis of assets and liabilities recorded using the currently enacted statutory income tax rate. Regular assessments are made of the likelihood of those deferred tax assets being realized. If it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized, a valuation allowance is recorded to reduce the deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. Following the Offering, our operations will be treated as a partnership for federal and state income tax purpose, with each partner being separately taxed on its share of taxable income.

Comprehensive Loss There are no differences between net loss and comprehensive loss due to the absence of items of other comprehensive income in the periods presented.

 

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Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Notes to the Unaudited Combined Financial Statements

 

Note 3. Transactions with Affiliates

We generate a substantial portion of our revenues from commercial agreements with Noble. Additional detail related to our related party revenue is as follows:

 

     Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
         2015              2014      
($ in thousands)              

Midstream Services—Related Party

     

Natural Gas, Crude Oil and Produced Water Gathering

   $ 34,633       $ —     

Water Delivery

     14,136         —     

Crude Oil Treating

     2,965         1,563   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Midstream Services—Related Party

   $ 51,734       $ 1,563   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

We have historically been operated as part of the consolidated operations of Noble and a substantial portion of our transactions are with Noble and its affiliates. Noble also provides substantial labor and overhead support for us and the accompanying combined financial statements include expense allocations for support functions provided by Noble. These support functions include treasury, tax, accounting, human resources and legal services. In January of 2015 we entered into an agreement to pay a fixed fee for certain overhead support functions. For the nine months ended September 30, 2015, our general and administrative charges totaled $2.4 million. Prior to entering into this agreement, these allocations were based primarily on direct usage when identifiable or capital expenditures during the respective periods. Management believes that these allocations are reasonable and reflect the utilization of services provided and benefits received, but may differ from the cost that would have been incurred had we operated as a stand-alone company for the periods presented. For the nine months ended September 30, 2014, allocated general and administrative expenses totaled $5.3 million. Additionally, Noble allocated interest expense to us based on capital expenditures for the periods presented.

Note 4. Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment, at cost, is as follows:

 

     September 30,
2015
    December 31,
2014
 
($ in thousands)             

Crude Oil, Natural Gas and Produced Water Gathering Systems and Facilities

   $ 170,059      $ 109,530   

Water Delivery System

     46,038        39,952   

Crude Oil Treating Facilities

     20,099        20,123   

Construction-in-Progress

     25,551        41,981   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Property, Plant and Equipment, at Cost

     261,747        211,586   

Accumulated Depreciation

     (20,896     (16,073
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Property, Plant and Equipment, Net

   $ 240,851      $ 195,513   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

F-16


Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Notes to the Unaudited Combined Financial Statements

 

Note 5. Asset Retirement Obligations

AROs consist primarily of estimated costs of dismantlement, removal, site reclamation and similar activities associated with our equipment and facilities. Changes in ARO are as follows:

 

     Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
     2015  
($ in thousands)       

Asset Retirement Obligations, Beginning Balance

   $ 2,839   

Liabilities Incurred

     598   

Accretion Expense (1)

     133   
  

 

 

 

Asset Retirement Obligations, Ending Balance

   $ 3,570   
  

 

 

 

 

(1) Accretion expense is included in depreciation, depletion and amortization expense in the combined statements of operations.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2015, liabilities incurred were related to our central gathering facility in Weld County, Colorado.

Note 6. Income Taxes

Income taxes have been prepared on a separate return basis as if the Predecessor was a stand-alone entity. The Predecessor, however, is included in Noble’s U.S. consolidated federal income tax return and also files some U.S. state income tax returns on a combined basis with Noble. All of income before income taxes for the periods presented was earned in the United States.

 

     Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
     2015     2014  
($ in thousands)             

Current

   $ —        $ 4   

Deferred

   $ 12,717      $ (6,945
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Income Tax (Benefit) Provision

   $ 12,717      $ (6,941
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Effective Tax Rate

     37.5     37.8

Our effective tax rate (ETR) for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 remained flat as compared with the nine months ended September 30, 2014.

A reconciliation of the federal statutory tax rate to the effective tax rate is as follows:

 

     Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
         2015             2014      
(percentages)             

Federal Statutory Rate

     35.0     35.0

Effect of

    

State Taxes, Net of Federal Benefit

     2.5     2.8
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Effective Rate

     37.5     37.8
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

F-17


Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Notes to the Unaudited Combined Financial Statements

 

Note 7. Concentration of Credit Risk

Noble accounted for 94% and 38% of our revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Note 8. Supplemental Cash Flow Information

Noble accrued $8.9 million and $5.8 million related to midstream capital expenditures as of September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Note 9. Segments

Our operations are located in the United States and are organized into three reporting segments: Gathering Systems, Water Delivery, Investments in Midstream Entities, and Partnership and Other. Our reportable segments comprise the structure used by our Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”) to make key operating decisions and assess performance. The accounting policies of the segments are identical to those described in Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of these unaudited combined financial statements.

Partnership expenses include general expenses associated with managing all reportable operating segments. Partnership assets consist primarily of deferred tax assets.

Summarized financial information concerning the Partnership’s reportable segments is shown in the following tables:

 

     Gathering
Systems
    Water
Delivery
    Investments      Partnership
and Other
    Combined  

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015

           

Revenues—Related Party

   $ 37,598      $ 14,136      $ —         $ —        $ 51,734   

Income from Investments

     —          —          3,418         —          3,418   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Revenues

     37,598        14,136        3,418         —          55,152   

Income (Loss) before income taxes

     25,284        10,730        3,418         (5,534     33,898   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014

           

Revenues—Related Party

   $ 1,563      $ —        $ —         $ —        $ 1,563   

Income from Investments

     —          —          2,564         —          2,564   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Revenues

     1,563        —          2,564         —          4,127   

Income (Loss) before income taxes

     (9,403     (1,509     2,564         (10,006     (18,354
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

September 30, 2015

           

Total Assets

     190,207        50,644        12,480         35,435        288,766   

December 31, 2014

           

Total Assets

     156,302        39,211        11,077         9,922        216,512   

Note 10. Unaudited Supplemental Pro Forma Information

Unaudited supplemental pro forma balance sheet and net income (loss) per unit have been presented in accordance with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 1.B.3. The supplemental pro forma balance sheet gives effect to the distribution of approximately $ million to Noble to be paid upon completion of the Offering. Accordingly, the Partnership is deemed to have used $ million of net proceeds of the Offering of common units to pay the distribution, which is evidenced by a due to affiliate reflected in the supplemental condensed combined pro forma balance sheet.

 

F-18


Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Notes to the Unaudited Combined Financial Statements

 

The Predecessor had net income of $21.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015. Supplemental pro forma net income (loss) per limited partner unit assumes additional common units were issued to give effect to the distribution described above. The supplemental pro forma net income per limited partner unit assumes common units, which includes the common units that would have been required to be issued in connection with the offering in order to pay the distribution, and subordinated units were outstanding for the nine months ended September 30, 2015. The number of common units deemed to have been sold in the Offering in order to pay the distribution described above is . This number was calculated by dividing the total $ million distribution in excess of earnings for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 by the initial public offering price of $ per unit (the mid-point of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus) after deducting underwriting discounts and estimated offering expenses, and would result in net income (loss) of $ per unit.

The Predecessor had net loss of $15.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. Supplemental pro forma net income per limited partner unit assumes additional common units were issued to give effect to the distribution described above. The supplemental pro forma net loss per limited partner unit assumes common units, which includes the common units that would have been required to be issued in connection with this offering in order to pay the distribution, and subordinated units were outstanding for the year ended December 31, 2014. The number of common units deemed to have been sold in the Offering in order to pay the distribution described above is . This number was calculated by dividing the total $ million distribution in excess of earnings for the year ended December 31, 2014 by the initial public offering price of $ per unit (the mid-point of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus) after deducting underwriting discounts and estimated offering expenses and would result in net income loss of $ per unit. There were no potential common units outstanding to be considered in the pro forma diluted earnings per unit calculation for either period presented.

 

F-19


Table of Contents

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Board of Directors

Noble Energy, Inc.:

We have audited the accompanying combined balance sheets of Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor (the Predecessor) as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the related combined statements of operations, changes in net parent investment and cash flows for the years then ended. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Predecessor’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Houston, Texas

July 24, 2015

 

F-20


Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Combined Statements of Operations

(in thousands)

 

     Year Ended
December 31
 
     2014     2013  

Revenues

    

Midstream Services—Related Party

   $ 2,086      $ 2,169   

Income from Investments

     3,798        3,024   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Revenues

     5,884        5,193   

Costs and Expenses

    

Direct Operating

     8,538        2,760   

Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization

     11,315        3,092   

General and Administrative

     6,734        6,124   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Operating Expenses

     26,587        11,976   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating Loss

     (20,703     (6,783

Other Expense

    

Interest Expense, Net of Amount Capitalized

     3,566        3,263   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Other Expense

     3,566        3,263   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss Before Income Taxes

     (24,269     (10,046

Income Tax Benefit

     (9,178     (3,746
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Loss

   $ (15,091   $ (6,300
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these combined financial statements

 

F-21


Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Combined Balance Sheets

(in thousands)

 

     December 31,  
     2014     2013  
ASSETS     

Current Assets

    

Cash and Cash Equivalents

   $ —        $ —     

Other Current Assets

     —          —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Current Assets

     —          —     

Property, Plant and Equipment

    

Property, Plant and Equipment

     211,586        132,397   

Accumulated Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization

     (16,073     (4,893
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Property, Plant and Equipment, Net

     195,513        127,504   

Investments

     11,077        11,639   

Deferred Taxes, Net

     9,922        740   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Assets

   $ 216,512      $ 139,883   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
LIABILITIES AND NET PARENT INVESTMENT     

Current Liabilities

    

Accounts Payable—Trade

   $ —        $ —     

Other Current Liabilities

     —          —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Current Liabilities

     —          —     

Asset Retirement Obligations

     2,839        2,704   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Liabilities

     2,839        2,704   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Commitments and Contingencies (Refer to Note 10)

    

Total Net Equity—Net Parent Investment

     213,673        137,179   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Liabilities and Net Parent Investment

   $ 216,512      $ 139,883   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these combined financial statements

 

F-22


Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Combined Statements of Changes in Net Parent Investment

(in thousands)

 

     Total Net Equity—Net
Parent Investment
 

Balance at January 1, 2013

   $ 36,498   

Net loss

     (6,300

Transactions with Parent, Net

     106,981   
  

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2013

     137,179   

Net loss

     (15,091

Transactions with Parent, Net

     91,585   
  

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2014

   $ 213,673   
  

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these combined financial statements

 

F-23


Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Combined Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands)

 

     Year Ended
December 31,
 
     2014     2013  

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

    

Net Loss

   $ (15,091   $ (6,300

Adjustments to Reconcile Net Loss to Net Cash Used in Operating Activities

    

Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization

     11,315        3,092   

Deferred Income Taxes

     (9,182     (3,874

Stock Based Compensation

     424        147   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Cash Used in Operating Activities

     (12,534     (6,935
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash Flows From Investing Activities

    

Additions to Property, Plant and Equipment

     (80,466     (96,318

Distributions from Investments

     562        732   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities

     (79,904     (95,586
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash Flows From Financing Activities

    

Contributions from Parent, net

     92,438        102,521   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities

     92,438        102,521   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Increase (Decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents

     —          —     

Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Period

     —          —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Period

   $ —        $ —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these combined financial statements

 

F-24


Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Notes to Combined Financial Statements

Note 1. Description of Business and Basis of Presentation

These combined financial statements constitute the contributed midstream assets and liabilities of Noble Energy, Inc. (“Noble”) as the accounting predecessor (the “Predecessor,” “we” or “our”) to a newly formed limited partnership, Noble Midstream Partners LP (the “Partnership”), and have been prepared in connection with the initial public offering (the “Offering”) of common units representing limited partner interests of the Partnership.

The Predecessor’s business includes the contributed assets, liabilities and results of operations of (i) crude oil and natural gas gathering systems located in the DJ Basin in northern Colorado, (ii) crude oil treating facilities in the DJ Basin in northern Colorado, (iii) fresh water storage and delivery and saltwater collection in the DJ Basin in northern Colorado, gathering, cleaning, recycling and disposal systems in the DJ Basin in northern Colorado and (iv) a 3.33% non-controlling member interest in White Cliffs Pipeline, L.L.C. also located in the DJ Basin (the “White Cliffs Interest”) (collectively, the “Contributed Businesses”).

The Contributed Businesses were operated and held by Noble during the periods presented in the accompanying combined financial statements. It is anticipated that controlling interests the Contributed Businesses will be transferred by Noble to the Partnership in connection with the Offering.

The combined financial statements of the Predecessor have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) on the basis of Noble’s historical ownership of the Contributed Businesses.

The accompanying combined statements of operations include expense allocations for certain functions historically performed by Noble but not historically allocated to the Contributed Businesses, including allocations of general corporate services, such as treasury, accounting, human resources and legal services. These allocations were based primarily on direct usage when identifiable or capital expenditures or other relevant allocations during the respective years. We believe the assumptions underlying the accompanying combined financial statements, including the assumptions regarding allocation of expenses from Noble, are reasonable. Nevertheless, the accompanying combined financial statements may not include all of the expenses that would have been incurred and may not reflect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows had we been a stand-alone company during the years presented. Because a direct ownership relationship did not exist among the businesses comprising the Predecessor, the net investment in the Predecessor is shown as Net Parent Investment, in lieu of owner’s equity, in the combined financial statements. No goodwill is included in our combined financial statements as none of the goodwill held by Noble was associated with the historical basis of the Contributed Businesses.

Noble used a centralized approach to the cash management and financing of the Predecessor’s operations prior to January 1, 2015. The Predecessor had no bank accounts during the historical periods presented and, as such, the cash generated by our operations was directly received by Noble, and Noble funded our operating and investing activities as needed. Accordingly, the cash and cash equivalents held by Noble were not allocated to us for any of the years presented. We have reflected cash management and financing activities performed by Noble as a component of net parent investment on our accompanying combined balance sheets, and as contributions from parent, net on our accompanying combined statements of cash flows.

Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make a number of estimates and assumptions relating to the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during

 

F-25


Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Notes to Combined Financial Statements

 

the reporting period. Items subject to estimates and assumptions include the useful lives of property and equipment, obligations for environmental liabilities, allocations of expenses from Noble, deferred tax assets and liabilities, among others. Although management believes these amounts are reasonable, actual results could differ from these estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include unrestricted cash on hand and investments with original maturities of three months or less at the time of purchase. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Predecessor’s business did not hold any cash and cash equivalents.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment primarily consists of gathering pipelines, facilities and related equipment, which are stated at the lower of historical cost less accumulated depreciation, or fair value, if impaired. We capitalize construction-related direct labor, material costs and the interest related to construction. Maintenance and repair costs are expensed as incurred.

Prior to January 1, 2015, certain assets were accounted for under the successful efforts method of accounting within Noble’s accounting policies. Under this method, costs to acquire mineral interests in crude oil and natural gas properties, drill and equip exploratory wells that find proved reserves, and drill and equip development wells are capitalized. Capitalized costs of producing crude oil and natural gas properties, along with support equipment and facilities, are amortized to expense by the unit-of-production method based on proved crude oil, natural gas and NGL reserves on a field-by-field basis, as estimated by Noble’s qualified petroleum engineers. Noble’s policy is to use quarter-end reserves and add back current period production to compute quarterly depreciation, depletion and amortization expense. Costs of certain gathering facilities serving a number of properties are depreciated using the straight-line method over the useful lives of the assets ranging from three to 30 years. Upon sale or retirement of depreciable or depletable property, the cost and related accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization are eliminated from the accounts and the resulting gain or loss is recognized.

Although Noble has historically operated the midstream assets in support of the U.S. onshore upstream business as a cost center within the United States reportable segment, beginning in January 2015, Noble elected to begin operating the midstream business as if it were a stand-alone business. However, the midstream business will continue to be consolidated by Noble and reported within Noble’s consolidated financial statements. Due to the change in the intended use of these assets, Noble changed the method of depreciation from units-of-production to the straight-line method for future accounting periods. This change is a change in accounting estimate that is effected by a change in accounting principle. When the two are inseparable, the change is accounted for as a change in accounting estimate. Depreciation will be calculated on a straight-line basis prospectively from the first quarter of 2015, the period of change, and in prospective periods. Following this adjustment, our assets will have useful lives ranging from 24 to 30 years. For assets that were converted from the unit-of-production method, their respective asset lives will be 30 years from the date originally placed into service. If Noble had made this change in January of 2013, depreciation expense would have been $4.7 million and $1.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Property and equipment included assets under construction of $42.0 million and $36.1 million at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

F-26


Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Notes to Combined Financial Statements

 

Capitalization of Interest

We capitalize interest costs associated with the development and construction of significant assets or projects to bring them to a condition and location necessary for their intended use. Interest is capitalized using an interest rate equivalent to the weighted average rate Noble pays on long-term debt. Capitalized interest is included in property, plant and equipment and is depreciated over the life of the asset. Capitalized interest totaled $1.6 million and $3.1 million, for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Investments

We use the cost method of accounting for investments in entities that we do not control, or exert significant influence over. We carry the investments at cost on our combined balance sheet and recognize dividends on our combined statement of operations when received. Dividends received in excess of earnings are recorded as a return of capital on the combined balance sheet. We account for our investment in the White Cliffs Interest under the cost method of accounting for investments because we have virtually no influence over partnership operations and financial policies.

Asset Retirement Obligations

Asset retirement obligations (“AROs”) consist of estimated costs of dismantlement, removal, site reclamation and similar activities associated with our equipment and facilities. We recognize the fair value of a liability for an ARO in the period in which it is incurred and when we have an existing legal obligation associated with the retirement of our properties that can reasonably be estimated. The associated asset retirement cost is capitalized as part of the carrying cost of the asset. The asset retirement cost is determined at current costs and is inflated into future dollars using an inflation rate that is based on the consumer price index. The future projected cash flows are then discounted to their present value using a credit-adjusted risk-free rate. After initial recording, the liability is increased for the passage of time, with the increase being reflected as accretion expense and included in our depreciation, depletion and amortization expense in the combined statement of operations. Subsequent adjustments in the cost estimate are reflected in the liability and the amounts continue to be amortized over the useful life of the related long-lived asset.

There were no ARO additions during the year ended December 31, 2014. The non-cash ARO addition was $2.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2013.

Net Parent Investment

In the accompanying combined balance sheets, net parent investment represents Noble’s historical investment in us, our accumulated net results, and the net effect of transactions with, and allocations from, Noble.

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenues when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, price is fixed or determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. Beginning in January 2015, we earn substantially all of our revenues from our commercial agreements we have entered into with Noble.

We recognized related party revenues of $2.1 million and $2.2 million from Noble during the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

 

F-27


Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Notes to Combined Financial Statements

 

Income Taxes

We are not a separate taxable entity for U.S. Federal and states income tax purposes, and our results are included in the consolidated income tax returns of Noble. The provision for income taxes and income tax assets and liabilities were determined as if we were a stand-alone taxpayer for all periods presented. Deferred income taxes are determined using the liability method and reflect temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amount and income tax basis of assets and liabilities recorded using the currently enacted statutory income tax rate. Regular assessments are made of the likelihood of those deferred tax assets being realized. If it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized, a valuation allowance is recorded to reduce the deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. Following the Offering, our operations will be treated as a partnership for federal and state income tax purposes, with each partner being separately taxed on its share of taxable income.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Predecessor’s financial statements reflect various stock-based compensation awards granted by Noble to certain employees of the midstream business. Stock options and other stock-based compensation awards granted to employees and directors are recorded at grant-date fair value. Expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the employee’s requisite service period (generally the vesting period of the award) in the combined statements of operations. For purposes of these combined financial statements, the Predecessor recognized the relevant amounts as expense in each period, with the offset included in net parent investment. These expenses were based primarily on direct usage during the respective years.

Comprehensive Loss

There are no differences between net loss and comprehensive loss due to the absence of items of other comprehensive income in the periods presented.

Note 3. Transactions with Affiliates

We have been historically operated as a part of the consolidated operations of Noble and a substantial portion of our transactions are with Noble and its affiliates. Employees of Noble provided services to us, and are included within our direct operating cost. Noble also provides substantial labor and overhead support for us and the accompanying combined financial statements include expense allocations for support functions provided by Noble. These support functions include general and administrative services, such as information technology, treasury, tax, accounting, human resources and legal services. These expense allocations are based primarily on direct usage when identifiable or capital expenditures or other relevant allocations during the respective periods. Management believes that these allocations are reasonable and reflect the utilization of services provided and benefits received, but may differ from the cost that would have been incurred had we operated as a stand-alone company for the periods presented. For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, we have been allocated $6.7 million and $6.1 million, respectively, of general and administrative expenses. Additionally, Noble allocated interest expense to us based on capital expenditures for the periods presented. See also Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies—Net Parent Investment and—Revenue Recognition to these audited combined financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Notes to Combined Financial Statements

 

Note 4. Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment, at cost, is as follows:

 

     December 31,  
     2014     2013  
($ in thousands)             

Crude Oil, Natural Gas and Saltwater Gathering Systems and Facilities

   $ 109,530      $ 74,785   

Crude Oil Treating Facilities

     20,123        6,681   

Water Delivery System

     39,952        14,808   

Construction-in-Progress

     41,981        36,123   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Property, Plant and Equipment, at Cost

     211,586        132,397   

Accumulated Depreciation

     (16,073     (4,893
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Property, Plant and Equipment, Net

   $ 195,513      $ 127,504   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Note 5. Asset Retirement Obligations

AROs consist primarily of estimated costs of dismantlement, removal, site reclamation and similar activities associated with our equipment and facilities. Changes in AROs are as follows:

 

     December 31,  
     2014      2013  
($ in thousands)              

Asset Retirement Obligations, Beginning Balance

   $ 2,704       $ —     

Liabilities Incurred

     —           2,704   

Accretion Expense (1)

     135         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Asset Retirement Obligations, Ending Balance

   $ 2,839       $ 2,704   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) Accretion expense is included in depreciation, depletion and amortization expense in the combined statements of operations.

For the Year ended December 31, 2014

No additional liabilities were incurred.

For the Year ended December 31, 2013

Liabilities incurred were related to our centralized gathering facility and crude oil treating facilities in Weld County, Colorado.

Note 6. Stock-Based Compensation

Certain Noble employees supporting our operations were granted stock-based compensation awards under Noble stock option and restricted stock plans. Expenses associated with these Noble stock-based compensation awards were included in the Predecessor’s combined statements of operations during the respective years. In 2014, we recognized $424,000 of expense related to Noble stock compensation awards, of which approximately $376,000 is reported in our direct operating expenses and $48,000 is reported in general and administrative expense. In 2013, we recognized $147,000 of expense related to Noble stock compensation awards, of which approximately $130,000 is reported in our operating expenses and $17,000 is reported in general and administrative expense.

 

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Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Notes to Combined Financial Statements

 

Noble’s stock-based compensation plans may grant stock options and stock appreciation rights and award restricted stock and cash awards to our officers or other employees and those of our subsidiaries. Stock options are issued with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of Noble’s common stock on the date of grant, and are subject to such other terms and conditions as may be determined by the Compensation, Benefits, and Stock Option Committee (the “Committee”) of Noble’s Board of Directors. Unless granted by the Committee for a shorter term, the options expire 10 years from the grant date. Option grants generally vest ratably over a three-year period.

Restricted stock awards with a time-vested restriction vest over a three year period (20% after year one, an additional 30% after year two and the remaining 50% after year three) or over a two year period (40% after year one and the remaining 60% after year two). Restricted stock awards with a performance-vested restriction cliff vest after a three year period if Noble achieves certain levels of total shareholder return relative to a pre-determined industry peer group.

Stock Option Grants

The fair value of each stock option granted was estimated on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes-Merton option valuation model that used the assumptions described below:

 

   

Expected term . The expected term represents the period of time that options granted are expected to be outstanding, which is the grant date to the date of expected exercise or other expected settlement for options granted. The hypothetical midpoint scenario considers Noble’s actual exercise and post-vesting cancellation history and expectations for future periods, which assumes that all vested, outstanding options are settled halfway between the current date and their expiration date.

 

   

Expected volatility . The expected volatility represents the extent to which Noble’s stock price is expected to fluctuate between the grant date and the expected term of the award. Historical volatility of Noble’s common stock relates to a period equal to the expected term of the option prior to the date of grant. Historical volatility produces an estimate that is representative of Noble’s expectations about the future volatility of Noble’s common stock over the expected term.

 

   

Risk-free rate . The risk-free rate is the implied yield available on US Treasury securities with a remaining term equal to the expected term of the option. The risk-free rate is based on a weighting of five and seven year US Treasury securities as of the date of grant.

 

   

Dividend yield . The dividend yield represents the value of Noble’s stock’s annualized dividend as compared to Noble’s stock’s average price for the three-year period ended prior to the date of grant. It is calculated by dividing one full year of Noble’s expected dividends by Noble’s average stock price over the three-year period ended prior to the date of grant.

The assumptions used in valuing Noble’s stock options granted were as follows:

 

     Year Ended
December 31,
 
     2014     2013  
(weighted averages)             

Expected Term (in Years)

     5.9        5.7   

Expected Volatility

     35.1     36.4

Risk-Free Rate

     1.8     1.1

Expected Dividend Yield

     1.1     1.2

Weighted Average Grant-Date Fair Value

   $ 20.31      $ 17.08   

 

F-30


Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Notes to Combined Financial Statements

 

Restricted Stock Awards

Awards of time-vested restricted stock (shares subject to service conditions) are valued at the price of Noble’s common stock at the date of award. The fair values of market based restricted stock awards are estimated on the grant date of award using a Monte Carlo valuation model that uses the assumptions in the following table. The Monte Carlo model is based on random projections of stock price paths and must be repeated numerous times to achieve a probabilistic assessment. Expected volatility represents the extent to which Noble’s stock price is expected to fluctuate between now and the award’s anticipated term. The calculation uses the historical volatility of Noble’s common stock for the three-year period ended prior to the date of award. The risk-free rate is based on a three-year period for U.S. Treasury securities as of the year ended prior to the date of award.

The assumptions used in valuing Noble’s market based restricted stock awards granted were as follows:

 

     Year Ended
December 31,
 
     2014     2013  

Number of Simulations

     500,000        500,000   

Expected Volatility

     30     30

Risk-Free Rate

     0.7     0.4

The weighted average award-date fair value of Noble’s restricted stock awarded was $41.22 per share in 2014 and $38.07 per share in 2013.

Note 7. Income Taxes

Income taxes have been prepared on a separate return basis as if the Predecessor was a stand-alone entity. The Predecessor, however, is included in the Noble Energy, Inc. U.S. consolidated federal income tax return and U.S. state income tax returns on a combined basis with Noble, as required. All of income before income taxes for the periods presented was earned in the United States.

The income tax benefit consists of the following:

 

     Year Ended
December 31,
 
     2014      2013  
($ in thousands)              

Current Taxes

     

Federal

   $ —         $ —     

State

     4         128   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Current

     4         128   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Deferred Taxes

     

Federal

     (8,494      (3,516

State

     (688      (358
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Deferred

     (9,182      (3,874
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Income Tax Provision

     (9,178      (3,746
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Notes to Combined Financial Statements

 

A reconciliation of the federal statutory tax rate to the effective tax rate is as follows:

 

     Year Ended
December 31,
 
         2014             2013      
(percentages)             

Federal Statutory Rate

     35.0     35.0

Effect of

    

State Taxes, Net of Federal Benefit

     2.8     2.3
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Effective Rate

     37.8     37.3
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

The components of deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows:

 

     Year Ended
December 31,
 
     2014     2013  
($ in thousands)             

Deferred Tax Assets

    

Loss Carryforwards

   $ 18,839      $ 5,469   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Deferred Tax Assets

     18,839        5,469   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Deferred Tax Liabilities

    

Property, Plant and Equipment, and Investment in White Cliffs Pipeline, L.L.C. 

     (8,917     (4,729
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Deferred Tax Liability

     (8,917     (4,729
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Deferred Tax Asset

   $ 9,922      $ 740   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

At December 31, 2014, we had net operating losses (NOL) of $49.4 million that, if unused, will begin to expire in 2034. The realization of the deferred tax asset related to the NOL is dependent upon generating sufficient taxable income in the applicable jurisdictions. We believe future revenue will generate sufficient taxable income to utilize the NOL and a valuation allowance will not be required.

Note 8. Concentration of Credit Risk

Prior to January 1, 2015, the Midstream Business operated as part of the integrated operations of Noble, and did not have credit risk.

Note 9. Supplemental Cash Flow Information

Noble accrued $5.0 million and $6.3 million related to midstream capital expenditures as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. During the years presented, the Contributed Business operated as part of the integrated operations of Noble, and Noble funded our operating and investing activities as needed.

 

F-32


Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor

Notes to Combined Financial Statements

 

Note 10. Commitments and Contingencies

Legal Proceedings

For the periods presented, we were part of Noble’s integrated business. In the ordinary course of business, Noble is from time to time party to various judicial and administrative proceedings. Noble regularly assesses the need for accounting recognition or disclosure of these contingencies. In the case of a known contingency, Noble accrues a liability when the loss is probable and the amount is reasonably estimable. If a range of amounts can be reasonably estimated and no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount, then the minimum of the range is accrued. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, Noble did not have accrued liabilities for any legal contingencies related to us. Based on currently available information, we believe it is remote that the outcome of known matters would have a material adverse impact on our combined financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Note 11. Segments

Our operations are located in the United States and are organized into four reporting segments: Gathering Systems, Water Delivery, Investments in Midstream Entities, and Partnership and Other. Our reportable segments comprise the structure used by our Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”) to make key operating decisions and assess performance. The accounting policies of the segments are identical to those described in Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.

Partnership expenses include general expenses associated with managing all reportable operating segments. Partnership assets consist primarily of deferred tax assets.

Summarized financial information concerning the Partnership’s reportable segments is shown in the following tables:

 

     Gathering
Systems
    Water
Delivery
    Investments      Partnership
and Other
    Combined  
($ in thousands)                                

Year Ended December 31, 2014

           

Revenues—Related Party

   $ 2,086      $ —        $ —         $ —        $ 2,086   

Income from Investments

     —          —          3,798         —          3,798   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Revenues

     2,086        —          3,798         —          5,884   

Income (Loss) before Income Taxes

     (13,381     (2,303     3,798         (12,383     (24,269

Additions to Long-Lived Assets

     64,947        14,242        —           —          79,189   

Total Assets at End of Year

     156,302        39,211        11,077         9,922        216,512   

 

     Gathering
Systems
    Water
Delivery
    Investments      Partnership
and Other
    Combined  
($ in thousands)                                

Year Ended December 31, 2013

           

Revenues—Related Party

   $ 2,169      $ —        $ —         $ —        $ 2,169   

Income from Investments

     —          —          3,024         —          3,024   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Revenues

     2,169        —          3,024         —          5,193   

Income (Loss) before Income Taxes

     (1,712     (925     3,024         (10,433     (10,046

Additions to Long-Lived Assets

     87,175        15,590        —           —          102,765   

Total Assets at End of Year

     100,237        27,267        11,639         740        139,883   

 

F-33


Table of Contents

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Partners of Noble Midstream Partners LP

We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Noble Midstream Partners LP (the Partnership) as of July 17, 2015. This balance sheet is the responsibility of the Partnership’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on this balance sheet based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the balance sheet is free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall balance sheet presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Noble Midstream Partners LP as of July 17, 2015 in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Houston, Texas

July 24, 2015

 

F-34


Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP

Balance Sheet

 

     July 17, 2015  

Assets

  

Cash

   $ 1,000   
  

 

 

 

Total Assets

   $ 1,000   
  

 

 

 

Partners’ Capital

  

Limited Partner

     980   

General Partner

     20   
  

 

 

 

Total Partners’ Capital

   $ 1,000   
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

 

F-35


Table of Contents

Noble Midstream Partners LP

Notes to Balance Sheet

Note 1. Description of Business and Basis of Presentation

Noble Midstream Partners LP (“we” or the “Partnership”) is a Delaware limited partnership, which was formed on December 23, 2014 but has not yet commenced operations. Noble Midstream Partners GP LLC (the “General Partner”) is a limited liability company formed on December 23, 2014 to become the General Partner of the Partnership.

On December 23, 2014, in connection with the formation of the Partnership, Noble Midstream Partners LP issued to (i) Noble Midstream Partners GP LLC a 1% General Partner interest in the Partnership for $20 and (ii) to Noble Midstream Services, LLC, a 99% limited partner interest in the Partnership for $980.

 

F-36


Table of Contents

APPENDIX A

FORM OF

FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED

AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

OF

NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP

A Delaware Limited Partnership

Dated as of

[                    ], 2015


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

             Page

Article I DEFINITIONS

   A-1
 

Section 1.1

 

Definitions

   A-1
 

Section 1.2

 

Construction

   A-21

Article II ORGANIZATION

   A-21
 

Section 2.1

 

Formation

   A-21
 

Section 2.2

 

Name

   A-21
 

Section 2.3

 

Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices

   A-21
 

Section 2.4

 

Purpose and Business

   A-21
 

Section 2.5

 

Powers

   A-22
 

Section 2.6

 

Term

   A-22
 

Section 2.7

 

Title to Partnership Property

   A-22

Article III RIGHTS OF LIMITED PARTNERS

   A-22
 

Section 3.1

 

Limitation of Liability

   A-22
 

Section 3.2

 

Management of Business

   A-22
 

Section 3.3

 

Rights of Limited Partners.

   A-23

Article IV CERTIFICATES; RECORD HOLDERS; TRANSFER OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS; REDEMPTION OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

   A-24
 

Section 4.1

 

Certificates

   A-24
 

Section 4.2

 

Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates.

   A-24
 

Section 4.3

 

Record Holders

   A-25
 

Section 4.4

 

Transfer Generally

   A-25
 

Section 4.5

 

Registration and Transfer of Limited Partner Interests

   A-26
 

Section 4.6

 

Transfer of the General Partner’s General Partner Interest

   A-27
 

Section 4.7

 

Transfer of Incentive Distribution Rights

   A-27
 

Section 4.8

 

Restrictions on Transfers

   A-27
 

Section 4.9

 

Eligibility Certificates; Ineligible Holders

   A-28
 

Section 4.10

 

Redemption of Partnership Interests of Ineligible Holders

   A-29

Article V CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND ISSUANCE OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

   A-30
 

Section 5.1

 

Organizational Contributions

   A-30
 

Section 5.2

 

Contributions by Limited Partners

   A-31
 

Section 5.3

 

Interest and Withdrawal

   A-31
 

Section 5.4

 

Capital Accounts

   A-31
 

Section 5.5

 

Issuances of Additional Partnership Interests and Derivative Partnership Interests

   A-34
 

Section 5.6

 

Conversion of Subordinated Units

   A-35
 

Section 5.7

 

Limited Preemptive Right

   A-35
 

Section 5.8

 

Splits and Combinations

   A-35
 

Section 5.9

 

Fully Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Limited Partner Interests

   A-36
 

Section 5.10

 

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

   A-36

 

A-i


Table of Contents
             Page

Article VI ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

   A-37
 

Section 6.1

 

Allocations for Capital Account Purposes

   A-37
 

Section 6.2

 

Allocations for Tax Purposes

   A-45
 

Section 6.3

 

Requirement and Characterization of Distributions; Distributions to Record Holders

  

A-46
 

Section 6.4

 

Distributions of Available Cash from Operating Surplus

   A-47
 

Section 6.5

 

Distributions of Available Cash from Capital Surplus

   A-48
 

Section 6.6

 

Adjustment of Minimum Quarterly Distribution and Target Distribution Levels

   A-48
 

Section 6.7

 

Special Provisions Relating to the Holders of Subordinated Units

   A-48
 

Section 6.8

 

Special Provisions Relating to the Holders of Incentive Distribution Rights

   A-49
 

Section 6.9

 

Entity-Level Taxation

   A-49

Article VII MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS

   A-50
 

Section 7.1

 

Management

   A-50
 

Section 7.2

 

Certificate of Limited Partnership

   A-52
 

Section 7.3

 

Restrictions on the General Partner’s Authority to Sell Assets of the Partnership Group

   A-52
 

Section 7.4

 

Reimbursement of and Other Payments to the General Partner

   A-52
 

Section 7.5

 

Outside Activities

   A-53
 

Section 7.6

 

Loans from the General Partner; Loans or Contributions from the Partnership or Group Members

   A-54
 

Section 7.7

 

Indemnification

   A-55
 

Section 7.8

 

Liability of Indemnitees

   A-56
 

Section 7.9

 

Standards of Conduct; Resolution of Conflicts of Interest and Replacement of Duties

   A-56
 

Section 7.10

 

Other Matters Concerning the General Partner and Other Indemnitees .

   A-59
 

Section 7.11

 

Purchase or Sale of Partnership Interests

   A-59
 

Section 7.12

 

Registration Rights of the General Partner and Its Affiliates

   A-59
 

Section 7.13

 

Reliance by Third Parties

   A-63
 

Section 7.14

 

Replacement of Fiduciary Duties

   A-63

Article VIII BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS

   A-63
 

Section 8.1

 

Records and Accounting

   A-63
 

Section 8.2

 

Fiscal Year

   A-64
 

Section 8.3

 

Reports

   A-64

Article IX TAX MATTERS

   A-64
 

Section 9.1

 

Tax Returns and Information

   A-64
 

Section 9.2

 

Tax Elections

   A-64
 

Section 9.3

 

Tax Controversies

   A-65
 

Section 9.4

 

Withholding; Tax Payments

   A-65

Article X ADMISSION OF PARTNERS

   A-65
 

Section 10.1

 

Admission of Limited Partners

   A-65
 

Section 10.2

 

Admission of Successor General Partner

   A-66
 

Section 10.3

 

Amendment of Agreement and Certificate of Limited Partnership

   A-66

 

A-ii


Table of Contents
             Page

Article XI WITHDRAWAL OR REMOVAL OF PARTNERS

   A-66
 

Section 11.1

 

Withdrawal of the General Partner

   A-66
 

Section 11.2

 

Removal of the General Partner

   A-68
 

Section 11.3

 

Interest of Departing General Partner and Successor General Partner

   A-68
 

Section 11.4

 

Withdrawal of Limited Partners

   A-69

Article XII DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION

   A-69
 

Section 12.1

 

Dissolution

   A-69
 

Section 12.2

 

Continuation of the Business of the Partnership After Dissolution

   A-70
 

Section 12.3

 

Liquidator

   A-70
 

Section 12.4

 

Liquidation

   A-71
 

Section 12.5

 

Cancellation of Certificate of Limited Partnership

   A-71
 

Section 12.6

 

Return of Contributions

   A-71
 

Section 12.7

 

Waiver of Partition

   A-71
 

Section 12.8

 

Capital Account Restoration

   A-71

Article XIII AMENDMENT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT; MEETINGS; RECORD DATE

   A-72
 

Section 13.1

 

Amendments to be Adopted Solely by the General Partner

   A-72
 

Section 13.2

 

Amendment Procedures

   A-73
 

Section 13.3

 

Amendment Requirements

   A-73
 

Section 13.4

 

Special Meetings

   A-74
 

Section 13.5

 

Notice of a Meeting

   A-74
 

Section 13.6

 

Record Date

   A-74
 

Section 13.7

 

Postponement and Adjournment

   A-74
 

Section 13.8

 

Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting

   A-75
 

Section 13.9

 

Quorum and Voting

   A-75
 

Section 13.10

 

Conduct of a Meeting

   A-76
 

Section 13.11

 

Action Without a Meeting

   A-76
 

Section 13.12

 

Right to Vote and Related Matters

   A-76

Article XIV MERGER, CONSOLIDATION OR CONVERSION

   A-77
 

Section 14.1

 

Authority

   A-77
 

Section 14.2

 

Procedure for Merger, Consolidation or Conversion

   A-77
 

Section 14.3

 

Approval by Limited Partners

   A-78
 

Section 14.4

 

Certificate of Merger or Certificate of Conversion

   A-79
 

Section 14.5

 

Effect of Merger, Consolidation or Conversion

   A-80

Article XV RIGHT TO ACQUIRE LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS

   A-80
 

Section 15.1

 

Right to Acquire Limited Partner Interests

   A-80

Article XVI GENERAL PROVISIONS

   A-82
 

Section 16.1

 

Addresses and Notices; Written Communications

   A-82
 

Section 16.2

 

Further Action

   A-82

 

A-iii


Table of Contents
             Page
 

Section 16.3

 

Binding Effect

   A-82
 

Section 16.4

 

Integration

   A-82
 

Section 16.5

 

Creditors

   A-82
 

Section 16.6

 

Waiver

   A-82
 

Section 16.7

 

Third-Party Beneficiaries

   A-83
 

Section 16.8

 

Counterparts

   A-83
 

Section 16.9

 

Applicable Law; Forum; Venue and Jurisdiction; Attorneys’ Fee; Waiver of Trial by Jury

   A-83
 

Section 16.10

 

Invalidity of Provisions

   A-84
 

Section 16.11

 

Consent of Partners

   A-84
 

Section 16.12

 

Facsimile and Email Signatures

   A-84

 

A-iv


Table of Contents

FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF

LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP

THIS FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP, dated as of [                    ], 2015, is entered into by and between NOBLE MIDSTREAM GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as the General Partner, and NBL MIDSTREAM, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ NBL Midstream ”), as a Limited Partner, together with any other Persons who become Partners in the Partnership or parties hereto as provided herein. In consideration of the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

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.

Acquisition ” means any transaction in which any Group Member acquires (through an asset acquisition, stock acquisition, merger or other form of investment) control over all or a portion of the assets, properties or business of another Person for the purpose of increasing, over the long term, the operating capacity, operating income or revenue of the Partnership Group from the operating capacity, operating income or revenue of the Partnership Group existing immediately prior to such transaction. For purposes of this definition, “long term” generally refers to a period of time greater than twelve months.

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 (an “ Additional Book Basis Reduction ”) and the Carrying Value of other property is increased as a result of such Book-Down Event (a “ Carrying Value Increase ”), then any such Carrying Value Increase shall be treated as Additional Book Basis in an amount equal to the lesser of (i) the amount of such Carrying Value Increase and (ii) the amount determined by proportionately allocating to the Carrying Value Increases resulting from such Book-Down Event by the lesser of (A) the aggregate Additional Book Basis Reductions resulting from such Book-Down Event and (B) 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

 

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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 amounts that such Partner is obligated to restore under the standards set by Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(c), including any amount that such Partner is 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 was the only interest in the Partnership held by such Partner from and after the date on which such Partnership Interest was first issued.

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

Adjusted Property ” means any property the Carrying Value of which has been adjusted pursuant to Section 5.4(d) .

Affiliate ” means, with respect to any Person, any other Person that directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries controls, is controlled by or is under common control with, the Person in question. As used herein, the term “control” means the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a Person, whether through ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.

Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units ” has the meaning given such term in Section 5.10(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).

 

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Agreed Value ” of (a) a Contributed Property means the fair market value of such Contributed 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 each case as determined by the General Partner.

Agreement ” means this First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Noble Midstream Partners LP, as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time, including pursuant to any Supplemental Terms Annex.

Associate ” means, when used to indicate a relationship with any Person, (a) any corporation or organization of which such Person is a director, officer, manager, general partner or managing member or is, directly or indirectly, the owner of 20% or more of any class of voting stock or other voting interest, (b) any trust or other estate in which such Person has at least a 20% beneficial interest or as to which such Person serves as trustee or in a similar fiduciary capacity and (c) any relative or spouse of such Person, or any relative of such spouse, who has the same principal residence as such Person.

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 reserves for future capital expenditures and for anticipated future credit needs 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, plus any Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage on all Common Units, with respect to such Quarter; 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.

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 the board of directors or board of managers of the General Partner if the General Partner is a corporation or limited liability company, or the board of directors or board of managers of the general partner of the General Partner if the General Partner is a limited partnership, as applicable.

 

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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 Revaluation 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 5.4 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 Revaluation 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, the State of Colorado or the State of Texas shall not be regarded as a Business Day.

Capital Account ” means the capital account maintained for a Partner pursuant to Section 5.4 . 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 was 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 (a) any cash, cash equivalents or the Net Agreed Value of Contributed Property that a Partner contributes to the Partnership or that is contributed or deemed contributed to the Partnership on behalf of a Partner (including, in the case of an underwritten offering of Units, the amount of any underwriting discounts or commissions) or (b) current distributions that a Partner is entitled to receive but otherwise waives.

Capital Improvement ” means (a) the construction of new capital assets by a Group Member, (b) the replacement, improvement or expansion of existing capital assets by a Group Member or (c) a capital contribution by a Group Member to a Person that is not a Subsidiary in which a Group Member has, or after such capital contribution will have, directly or indirectly, an equity interest, to fund such Group Member’s pro rata share of the cost of the construction of new, or the replacement, improvement or expansion of existing, capital assets by such Person, in each case if and to the extent such construction, replacement, improvement or expansion is made to increase, over the long term, the operating capacity, operating income or revenue of the Partnership Group, in the case of clause (a)  and clause (b) , or such Person, in the case of clause (c) , from the operating capacity, operating income or revenue of the Partnership Group or such Person, as the case may be, existing immediately prior to such construction, replacement, improvement, expansion or capital contribution. For purposes of this definition, “long term” generally refers to a period of time greater than twelve months.

Capital Surplus ” means Available Cash distributed by the Partnership 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, 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

 

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Section 5.4(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 liable to the Partnership or any Limited Partner for actual fraud or willful 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 of The Depository Trust Company or its successors and assigns) as may be adopted by the General Partner, issued by the Partnership and evidencing ownership of 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 7.2 , as such Certificate of Limited Partnership may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Citizenship Eligible Holder ” means a Limited Partner whose nationality, citizenship or other related status the General Partner determines, upon receipt of an Eligibility Certificate or other requested information, does not or would not create under any federal, state or local law or regulation to which a Group Member is subject, a substantial risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any property, including any governmental permit, endorsement or other authorization, in which a Group Member has an interest.

claim ” or “ claims ” (for purposes of Section 7.12(g) ) has the meaning given such term in Section 7.12(g) .

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

Closing Price ” for any day, with respect to Limited Partner Interests of a particular class, means the last sale price on such day, regular way, or in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the last closing bid and ask prices on such day, regular way, in either case as reported on the principal National Securities Exchange on which such Limited Partner Interests are listed or admitted to trading or, if such Limited Partner Interests of such class are not listed or admitted to trading on any National Securities Exchange, the average of the high bid and low ask prices on such day in the over-the-counter market, as reported by such other system then in use, or, if on any such day such Limited Partner Interests of such class are not quoted by any such organization, the average of the closing bid and ask 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 ” has the meaning given such term in Section 11.3(a) .

Commences Commercial Service ” means the date upon which a Capital Improvement is first put into or commences commercial service by a Group Member following completion of construction, replacement, improvement or expansion and testing, as applicable.

Commission ” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

 

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

Conflicts Committee ” means any committee of the Board of Directors (whether designated as a “Conflicts Committee” or otherwise) composed of two or more directors, each of whom (a) is not an officer or employee of the General Partner, (b) is not an officer, director or employee of any Affiliate of the General Partner (other than Group Members), (c) is not a holder of any ownership interest in the General Partner or its Affiliates or the Partnership Group other than (i) Common Units and (ii) awards that are granted to such director in his or her capacity as a director under any long-term incentive plan, equity compensation plan or similar plan implemented by the General Partner or the Partnership 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 Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and by the National Securities Exchange on which the Common Units are listed or admitted to trading (or if no such National Securities Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange).

Construction Debt ” means debt incurred to fund (a) all or a portion of a Capital Improvement or replacement asset, (b) interest payments (including periodic net payments under related interest rate swap agreements) and related fees on other Construction Debt or (c) distributions (including incremental Incentive Distributions) on Construction Equity.

Construction Equity ” means equity issued to fund (a) all or a portion of a Capital Improvement or replacement asset, (b) interest payments (including periodic net payments under related interest rate swap agreements) and related fees on Construction Debt or (c) distributions (including incremental Incentive Distributions) on other Construction Equity. Construction Equity does not include equity issued in the Initial Public Offering.

Construction Period ” means the period beginning on the date that a Group Member enters into a binding obligation to commence a Capital Improvement and ending on the earlier to occur of the date that such Capital Improvement Commences Commercial Service and the date that the Group Member abandons or disposes of such Capital Improvement.

Contributed Property ” means each property or other asset, in such form as may be permitted by the Delaware Act, but excluding cash, contributed to the Partnership. Once the Carrying Value of a Contributed Property is adjusted pursuant to Section 5.4(d) , such property or other asset shall no longer constitute a Contributed Property, but shall be deemed an Adjusted Property.

Contribution Agreement ” means that certain Contribution, Conveyance and Assumption Agreement, effective as of the Closing Date, by and among Noble, the Organizational Limited Partner, NBL Midstream, the General Partner, the Partnership and certain other Persons party thereto, together with the additional conveyance documents and instruments contemplated or referenced thereunder, as such may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

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

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

 

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

Deferred Issuance ” has the meaning given such term in Section 5.2(c)

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 .

Derivative Partnership Interests ” means any options, rights, warrants, appreciation rights, tracking, profit and phantom interests and other derivative securities relating to, convertible into or exchangeable for Partnership Interests.

Disposed of Adjusted Property ” has the meaning given such term in Section 6.1(d)(xii)(B) .

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

Eligibility Certificate ” means a certificate the General Partner may request a Limited Partner to execute as to such Limited Partner’s (or such Limited Partner’s beneficial owners’) federal income tax status or nationality, citizenship or other related status for the purpose of determining whether such Limited Partner is an Ineligible Holder.

Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount ” has the meaning given such term in Section 6.9 .

“Estimated Maintenance Capital Expenditures” means an estimate made in good faith by the General Partner (with the concurrence of the Conflicts Committee) of the average quarterly Maintenance Capital Expenditures that the Partnership will need to incur over the long term to maintain the operating capacity and/or operating income, in each case to the extent the General Partner (with the concurrence of the Conflicts Committee) deems appropriate at the time such estimate is made, of the Partnership Group (including the Partnership’s proportionate share of the average quarterly Maintenance Capital Expenditures of its Subsidiaries that are not wholly owned) existing at the time the estimate is made. The estimate will be made at least annually and whenever an event occurs that is likely to result in a material adjustment to the amount of future Estimated 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 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 (before deduction for any underwriters’ discounts and commissions), 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.

Event of Withdrawal ” has the meaning given such term in Section 11.1(a) .

Excess Additional Book Basis ” has the meaning given such term in the definition of “Additional Book Basis Derivative Items.”

Excess Distribution ” has the meaning given such term in Section 6.1(d)(iii)(A) .

Excess Distribution Unit ” has the meaning given such term in Section 6.1(d)(iii)(A) .

 

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

Expansion Capital Expenditures ” means cash expenditures for Acquisitions or Capital Improvements and shall not include Maintenance Capital Expenditures or Investment Capital Expenditures. Expansion Capital Expenditures shall include interest (including periodic net payments under related interest rate swap agreements) and related fees paid during the Construction Period on Construction Debt to fund Expansion Capital Expenditures. Where cash expenditures are made in part for Expansion Capital Expenditures and in part for other purposes, the General Partner shall determine the allocation between the amounts paid for each.

Final Subordinated Units ” has the meaning given such term in Section 6.1(d)(x)(A) .

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

First Target Distribution ” means $[            ] per Unit per Quarter (or, with respect to the period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on [                    ], 2015, it means the product of $[            ] multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days in such period and the denominator of which is 92), subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 5.10 , Section 6.6 and Section 6.9 .

Fully Diluted Weighted Average Basis ” means, when calculating the number of Outstanding Units for any period, a basis that includes (a) the weighted average number of Outstanding Units during such period plus (b) all Partnership Interests and Derivative Partnership Interests (i) that are convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Units or for which Units are issuable, in each case that are senior to or pari passu with the Subordinated Units, (ii) whose conversion, exercise or exchange price, if any, is less than the Current Market Price on the date of such calculation, (iii) that may be converted into or exercised or exchanged for such Units prior to or during the Quarter immediately following the end of the period for which the calculation is being made without the satisfaction of any contingency beyond the control of the holder other than the payment of consideration and the compliance with administrative mechanics applicable to such conversion, exercise or exchange and (iv) that were not converted into or exercised or exchanged for such Units during the period for which the calculation is being made; provided, however , that for purposes of determining the number of Outstanding Units on a Fully Diluted Weighted Average Basis when calculating whether the Subordination Period has ended or Subordinated Units are entitled to convert into Common Units pursuant to Section 5.6 , such Partnership Interests and Derivative Partnership Interests shall be deemed to have been Outstanding Units only for the four Quarters that comprise the last four Quarters of the measurement period; provided, further , that if consideration will be paid to any Group Member in connection with such conversion, exercise or exchange, the number of Units to be included in such calculation shall be that number equal to the difference between (x) the number of Units issuable upon such conversion, exercise or exchange and (y) the number of Units that such consideration would purchase at the Current Market Price.

General Partner ” means Noble Midstream 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 its capacity 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 without reference to any Limited Partner Interest held by it) and includes any and all rights, powers and benefits to which the General Partner is entitled as provided in this Agreement, together with all obligations of the General Partner to comply with the terms and provisions of this Agreement. The General Partner Interest does not include any rights to 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.

 

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Group ” means two or more Persons that have, or 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 over 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, in each case, 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 a Group Member to fluctuations in interest rates, the price of hydrocarbons, basis differentials or currency exchange rates in their operations or financing activities and not for speculative purposes.

Holder ” means any of the following:

(a) the General Partner who is the Record Holder of Registrable Securities;

(b) any Affiliate of the General Partner who is the Record Holder of Registrable Securities (other than natural persons who are Affiliates of the General Partner by virtue of being officers, directors or employees of the General Partner or any of its Affiliates);

(c) any Person who has been the General Partner within the prior two years and who is the Record Holder of Registrable Securities;

(d) any Person who has been an Affiliate of the General Partner within the prior two years and who is the Record Holder of Registrable Securities (other than natural persons who were Affiliates of the General Partner by virtue of being officers, directors or employees of the General Partner or any of its Affiliates); and

(e) a transferee and current Record Holder of Registrable Securities to whom the transferor of such Registrable Securities, who was a Holder at the time of such transfer, assigns its rights and obligations under this Agreement; provided , such transferee agrees in writing to be bound by the terms of this Agreement and provides its name and address to the Partnership promptly upon such transfer.

IDR Reset Common Units ” has the meaning given such term in Section 5.10(a) .

IDR Reset Election ” has the meaning given such term in Section 5.10(a) .

Incentive Distribution Right ” means a Limited Partner Interest having the rights and obligations specified with respect to Incentive Distribution Rights in this Agreement (and no other rights otherwise available to or other obligations of a holder of a Partnership Interest).

Incentive Distributions ” means any amount of cash distributed to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights pursuant to Section 6.4(a)(v) , (vi)  and (vii)  and Section 6.4(b)(iii) , (iv)  and (v) .

Incremental Income Taxes ” has the meaning given such term in Section 6.9 .

Indemnified Persons ” has the meaning given such term in Section 7.12(g) .

 

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Indemnitee ” means (a) the 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, fiduciary or trustee of (i) any Group Member, the General Partner or any Departing General Partner or (ii) any Affiliate of any Group Member, the General Partner or any Departing General Partner, (e) any Person who is or was serving at the request of the General Partner or any Departing General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner or any Departing General Partner as a manager, managing member, general partner, director, officer, fiduciary or trustee of another Person owing a fiduciary or contractual duty or standard of care 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 and (f) any Person the General Partner designates as an “Indemnitee” for purposes of this Agreement because such Person’s status, service or relationship exposes such Person to potential claims, demands, suits or proceedings relating to the Partnership Group’s business and affairs.

Ineligible Holder ” means a Limited Partner who is not a Citizenship Eligible Holder or a Rate Eligible Holder.

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

Initial Limited Partners ” means NBL Midstream (with respect to the Common Units, Subordinated Units and Incentive Distribution Rights received by it as described in Section 5.2(a) ) and the IPO Underwriters upon the issuance by the Partnership of Common Units as described in Section 5.2(b) in connection with the Initial Public Offering.

Initial Public Offering ” means the initial offering and sale of Common Units to the public (including the offer and sale of Common Units pursuant to the Over-Allotment Option), as described in the IPO Registration Statement.

Initial Unit Price ” means (a) with respect to the Common Units and the Subordinated Units, the initial public offering price per Common Unit at which the Common Units were first offered to the public for sale as set forth on the cover page of the IPO Prospectus 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) issuances of equity interests of any Group Member (including the Common Units sold to the IPO Underwriters in the Initial Public Offering) to anyone other than the Partnership Group; (c) sales or other voluntary or involuntary dispositions of any assets of any Group Member other than (i) sales or other dispositions of inventory, accounts receivable and other assets in the ordinary course of business and (ii) sales or other dispositions of assets as part of normal retirements or replacements; and (d) capital contributions received by a Group Member.

Investment Capital Expenditures ” means capital expenditures other than Maintenance Capital Expenditures and Expansion Capital Expenditures.

IPO Prospectus ” means the final prospectus relating to the Initial Public Offering dated [                    ], 2015 and filed by the Partnership with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 of the Securities Act on [                    ], 2015.

 

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IPO Registration Statement ” means the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-207560, as it has been or as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, filed by the Partnership with the Commission under the Securities Act to register the offering and sale of the Common Units in the Initial Public Offering.

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

IPO Underwriting Agreement ” means that certain Underwriting Agreement dated as of [            ], 2015 among the IPO Underwriters, NBL Midstream, the General Partner and the Partnership, providing for the purchase of Common Units by the IPO Underwriters.

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

Limited Partner ” means, unless the context otherwise requires, each Initial Limited Partner, each additional Person that becomes a Limited Partner pursuant to the terms of this Agreement and any Departing General Partner upon the change of its status from General Partner to Limited Partner pursuant to Section 11.3 , in each case, in such Person’s capacity as a limited partner of the Partnership; provided, however , that when the term “Limited Partner” is used herein in the context of any vote or other approval, including Articles XIII and XIV , such term shall not, solely for such purpose, include any holder of any Incentive Distribution Right (solely with respect to its Incentive Distribution Rights and not with respect to any other Limited Partner Interest held by such Person) except as may otherwise be required by law.

Limited Partner Interest ” means an equity interest of a Limited Partner in the Partnership, which may be evidenced by Common Units, Subordinated Units, Incentive Distribution Rights or other Partnership Interests (other than a General Partner Interest) or a combination thereof (but excluding Derivative Partnership Interests), 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 pursuant to 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 (d)  of the third sentence of Section 12.1 , 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.

Liquidation Gain ” has the meaning set forth in the definition of Net Termination Gain.

Liquidation Loss ” has the meaning set forth in the definition of Net Termination Loss.

Liquidator ” means one or more Persons selected pursuant to Section 12.3 to perform the functions described in Section 12.4 as liquidating trustee of the Partnership within the meaning of the Delaware Act.

Maintenance Capital Expenditure ” means cash expenditures (including expenditures for the construction of new capital assets or the replacement, improvement or expansion of existing capital assets) by a Group Member made to maintain, over the long term, the operating capacity or operating income of the Partnership Group. Maintenance Capital Expenditures shall not include Expansion Capital Expenditures or Investment Capital Expenditures. Maintenance Capital Expenditures shall include interest (and related fees) on Construction Debt to fund the replacement assets and paid in respect of the Construction Period and the amount of cash distributions paid in respect of Construction Equity to fund the construction or development of replacement assets (and incremental Incentive Distributions in respect thereof) and paid in respect of the Construction Period. For purposes of this definition, “long term” generally refers to a period of time greater than twelve months.

Merger Agreement ” has the meaning given such term in Section 14.1 .

 

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Minimum Quarterly Distribution ” means $[            ] per Unit per Quarter (or with respect to the period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on [                    ], 2015, it means the product of $[            ] multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days in such period and the denominator of which is 92), subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 5.10 , Section 6.6 and Section 6.9 .

National Securities Exchange ” means an exchange registered with the Commission under Section 6(a) of the Exchange Act (or any successor to such Section).

NBL Midstream ” has the meaning given such term in the preamble.

Net Agreed Value ” means (a) in the case of any Contributed Property, the Agreed Value of such Contributed Property reduced by any Liabilities either assumed by the Partnership upon such contribution or to which such Contributed 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 5.4(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 5.4 and shall not include any items specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) ; provided, however , that the determination of the items that have been specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) shall be made without regard to any reversal of such items under Section 6.1(d)(xii) .

Net Loss ” means, for any taxable period, the excess, if any, of the Partnership’s items of loss and deduction (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable period over the Partnership’s items of income and gain (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable period. The items included in the calculation of Net Loss shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.4 and shall not include any items specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) ; provided, however , that the determination of the items that have been specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) shall be made without regard to any reversal of such items under Section 6.1(d)(xii) .

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

Net Termination Gain ” means, as applicable, (a) the sum, if positive, of all items of income, gain, loss or deduction (determined in accordance with Section 5.4 (b)) that are recognized (i) after the Liquidation Date (“ Liquidation Gain ”) 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) (“ Sale Gain ”), 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 5.4(d) on the date of a Revaluation Event (“ Revaluation Gain ”); provided, however , the items included in the determination of Net Termination Gain shall not include any items of income, gain or loss specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) ; and provided, further , that Sale Gain and Revaluation Gain shall not include any items of income, gain, loss or deduction that are recognized during any portion of the taxable period during which such Sale Gain or Revaluation Gain occurs.

 

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Net Termination Loss ” means, as applicable, (a) the sum, if negative, of all items of income, gain, loss or deduction (determined in accordance with Section 5.4 (b)) that are recognized (i) after the Liquidation Date (“ Liquidation Loss ”) 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) (“ Sale Loss ”), 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 5.4(d) on the date of a Revaluation Event (“ Revaluation Loss ”); provided, however , items included in the determination of Net Termination Loss shall not include any items of income, gain or loss specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) ; and provided, further , that Sale Loss and Revaluation Loss shall not include any items of income, gain, loss or deduction that are recognized during any portion of the taxable period during which such Sale Loss or Revaluation Loss occurs.

Noble ” means Noble Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

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(b) if such properties were disposed of in a taxable transaction in full satisfaction of such liabilities and for no other consideration.

Nonrecourse Deductions ” means any and all items of loss, deduction or expenditure (including any expenditure described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code) that, in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(b), are attributable to a Nonrecourse Liability.

Nonrecourse Liability ” has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-1(a)(2).

Notice ” means a written request from a Holder pursuant to Section 7.12 which shall (a) specify the Registrable Securities intended to be registered, offered and sold by such Holder, (b) describe the nature or method of the proposed offer and sale of Registrable Securities and (c) contain the undertaking of such Holder to provide all such information and materials and take all action as may be required or appropriate in order to permit the Partnership to comply with all applicable requirements and obligations in connection with the registration and disposition of such Registrable Securities pursuant to Section 7.12 .

Notice of Election to Purchase ” has the meaning given such term in Section 15.1(b) .

Omnibus Agreement ” means that certain Omnibus Agreement, effective as of the Closing Date, among Noble, the Organizational Limited Partner, NBL Midstream, the General Partner, the Partnership and the other Persons party thereto from time to time, as such agreement may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Operational Services and Secondment Agreement ” means that certain Operational Services and Secondment Agreement, effective as of the Closing Date, among Noble, the Partnership, the General Partner and the other Persons party thereto from time to time, as such agreement may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

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, compensation of employees, officers and directors of the General Partner, reimbursement of expenses of the General Partner and its Affiliates, debt service payments, Estimated Maintenance Capital Expenditures, repayment of Working Capital Borrowings and payments made in the ordinary course of business under any Hedge Contracts, 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;

 

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(b) payments (including prepayments and prepayment penalties) 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, (vi) repurchases of Partnership Interests, other than repurchases of Partnership Interests by the Partnership to satisfy obligations under employee benefit plans or reimbursement of expenses of the General Partner for purchases of Partnership Interests by the General Partner to satisfy obligations under employee benefit plans or (vii) any other expenditures or payments using the proceeds of the Initial Public Offering as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the IPO Prospectus. Where cash expenditures are made in part for Maintenance Capital Expenditures and in part for other purposes, the General Partner shall determine the allocation between the amounts paid for each; and

(d) (i) amounts paid in connection with the initial purchase of a Hedge Contract shall be amortized over the life of such Hedge Contract and (ii) payments made in connection with the termination of any Hedge Contract prior to the expiration of its scheduled settlement or termination date shall be included in equal quarterly installments over the remaining scheduled life of such Hedge Contract.

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) $[            ] 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 the termination of Hedge Contracts (provided that cash receipts from the termination of a Hedge Contract prior to its scheduled settlement or termination date shall be included in Operating Surplus in equal quarterly installments over the remaining scheduled life of such Hedge Contract), (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 from Operating Surplus paid during the Construction Period (including incremental Incentive Distributions) on Construction Equity to fund Expansion Capital Expenditures, 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 (or the Partnership’s proportionate share of cash reserves in the case of Subsidiaries that are not wholly owned) established by the General Partner to provide funds for future Operating Expenditures; (iii) all Working Capital Borrowings not repaid within twelve 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 disbursements made (including contributions to a Group Member or disbursements on behalf of a Group Member) or cash reserves established, increased or reduced after the end of such period but on or before the date of determination of Available Cash with respect to such period shall be deemed to have been made, established, increased or reduced, for purposes of determining Operating Surplus, within such period if the General Partner so determines.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, (x) “Operating Surplus” with respect to the Quarter in which the Liquidation Date occurs and any subsequent Quarter shall equal zero; (y) 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; and (z) cash received from any equity interest in a Person that is not a Subsidiary of a Group Member and for which the Partnership accounts using the equity method shall not exceed the Partnership’s proportionate share of the Person’s Operating Surplus (calculated as if the pertinent definitions hereof applied to such Person from the date the Partnership acquired its interest without any basket similar to clause (a)(i) above).

 

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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 or to such other person selecting such counsel or obtaining such opinion.

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

Organizational Limited Partner ” means Noble Midstream Services, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.

Original General Partner Interest ” has the meaning given such term in Section 5.1.

Original Limited Partner Interest ” has the meaning given such term in Section 5.1.

Outstanding ” means, with respect to Partnership Interests, all Partnership Interests that are issued by the Partnership and reflected as outstanding in the Partnership Register 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, all Partnership Interests owned by or for the benefit of such Person or Group shall not be entitled to be voted on any matter and shall not be considered to be Outstanding when sending notices of a meeting of Limited Partners to vote on any matter (unless otherwise required by law), calculating required votes, determining the presence of a quorum or for other similar purposes under this Agreement, except that Partnership Interests so owned shall be considered to be Outstanding for purposes of Section 11.1(b)(iv) (such Partnership Interests shall not, however, be treated as a separate class or group 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 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 directly or indirectly from a Person or Group described in clause (i) , provided , that, upon or prior to such acquisition, 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 with the prior approval of the Board of Directors.

Over-Allotment Option ” means the option to purchase additional Common Units granted to the IPO Underwriters by the Partnership pursuant to the IPO Underwriting Agreement.

Partner Nonrecourse Debt ” has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(b)(4).

Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain ” has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(2).

Partner Nonrecourse Deductions ” means any and all items of loss, deduction or expenditure (including any expenditure described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code) that, in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i), are attributable to a Partner Nonrecourse Debt.

Partners ” means the General Partner and the Limited Partners.

Partnership ” means Noble Midstream Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership.

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

Partnership Interest ” means any equity interest, including any class or series of equity interest, in the Partnership, which shall include any Limited Partner Interests but shall exclude the General Partner Interest and any Derivative Partnership Interests.

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).

 

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Partnership Register ” means a register maintained on behalf of the Partnership by the General Partner, or, if the General Partner so determines, by the Transfer Agent as part of the Transfer Agent’s books and transfer records, with respect to each class of Partnership Interests in which all Record Holders and transfers of such class of Partnership Interests are registered or otherwise recorded.

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

Percentage Interest ” means, as of any date of determination, (a) as to any Unitholder with respect to Units, the product obtained by multiplying (i) 100% less the percentage applicable to clause (b)  below by (ii) the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the number of Units held by such Unitholder by (B) the total number of Outstanding Units, and (b) as to the holders of other Partnership Interests issued by the Partnership in accordance with Section 5.5 , the percentage calculated in accordance with the method established as a part of such issuance. The Percentage Interest with respect to an Incentive Distribution Right and the General Partner Interest, in each case, shall at all times be zero.

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

Plan of Conversion ” has the meaning given such term in Section 14.1 .

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 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, (c) when used with respect to holders of Incentive Distribution Rights, apportioned among all holders of Incentive Distribution Rights in accordance with the relative number or percentage of Incentive Distribution Rights held by each such holder and (d) when used with respect to Holders who have requested to include Registrable Securities in a Registration Statement pursuant to Section 7.12(a) or Section 7.12(b) , apportioned among all such Holders in accordance with the relative number of Registrable Securities held by each such holder and included in the Notice relating to such request .

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 which includes the Closing Date, the portion of such fiscal quarter after the Closing Date.

Rate Eligible Holder ” means a Limited Partner subject to U.S. federal income taxation on the income generated by the Partnership. A Limited Partner that is an entity not subject to U.S. federal income taxation on the income generated by the Partnership shall be deemed a Rate Eligible Holder so long as all of the entity’s beneficial owners are subject to such taxation.

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.

 

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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 receive notice of, or entitled to exercise rights in respect of, any lawful action of Limited Partners (including voting) or (b) the identity of Record Holders entitled to receive any report or distribution or to participate in any offer. For the avoidance of doubt, Section 13.6 of the Agreement shall not apply to any Record Date set by the General Partner for purposes of determining the identity of Record Holders entitled to receive any report or distribution or 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 in the records of the Transfer Agent and in the Partnership Register as of the Partnership’s close 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 in the Partnership Register that the General Partner has caused to be kept as of the Partnership’s close of business on a particular Business Day.

Redeemable Interests ” means any Partnership Interests for which a redemption notice has been given, and has not been withdrawn, pursuant to Section 4.10 .

Registrable Security ” means any Partnership Interest other than the General Partner Interest; provided, however , that any Registrable Security shall cease to be a Registrable Security: (a) at the time a Registration Statement covering such Registrable Security is declared effective by the Commission, or otherwise becomes effective under the Securities Act, and such Registrable Security has been sold or disposed of pursuant to such Registration Statement; (b) at the time such Registrable Security may be disposed of without restriction pursuant to Rule 144 (or any successor or similar rule or regulation under the Securities Act); (c) when such Registrable Security is held by a Group Member and (d) at the time such Registrable Security has been sold in a private transaction in which the transferor’s rights under Section 7.12 have not been assigned to the transferee of such securities.

Registration Statement ” has the meaning given such term in Section 7.12(a) .

Remaining Net Positive Adjustments ” means, as of the end of any taxable period, (a) with respect to the Unitholders holding Common Units or Subordinated Units, the excess of (i) the Net Positive Adjustments of the Unitholders holding Common Units or Subordinated Units as of the end of such period over (ii) the sum of those Unitholders’ Share of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items for each prior taxable period and (b) with respect to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights, the excess of (i) the Net Positive Adjustments of the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights as of the end of such period over (ii) 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 or deduction pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(i) , Section 6.1(d)(ii) , Section 6.1(d)(iv) , Section 6.1(d)(v) , Section 6.1(d)(vi) , Section 6.1(d)(vii) or Section 6.1(d)(ix) .

Reset MQD ” has the meaning given such term in Section 5.10(e) .

Reset Notice ” has the meaning given such term in Section 5.10(b) .

Revaluation Event ” means an event that results in adjustment of the Carrying Value of each Partnership property pursuant to Section 5.4(d) .

Revaluation Gain ” has the meaning set forth in the definition of Net Termination Gain.

Revaluation Loss ” has the meaning set forth in the definition of Net Termination Loss.

Sale Gain ” has the meaning set forth in the definition of Net Termination Gain.

 

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Sale Loss ” has the meaning set forth in the definition of Net Termination Loss.

Second Liquidation Target Amount ” has the meaning given such term in Section 6.1(c)(i)(E) .

Second Target Distribution ” means $[            ] per Unit per Quarter (or, with respect to the period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on [            ], 2015, it means the product of $[            ] multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the number of days in such period and the denominator of which is 92), subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 5.10 , Section 6.6 and Section 6.9 .

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

Selling Holder ” means a Holder who is selling Registrable Securities pursuant to the procedures in Section 7.12 .

Share of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items ” means in connection with any allocation of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items for any taxable period, (a) with respect to the Unitholders holding Common Units or Subordinated Units, the amount that bears the same ratio to such Additional Book Basis Derivative Items as the Unitholders’ Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of the end of such taxable period bear to the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of that time, and (b) 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 bear to the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of that time.

Special Approval ” means approval by a majority of the members of the Conflicts Committee acting in good faith.

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

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

(a) the first Business Day following the distribution of Available Cash to Partners pursuant to Section 6.3(a) in respect of any Quarter beginning with the Quarter ending [                    ], 2018 in respect of which (i) (A) distributions of Available Cash from Operating Surplus on each of the Outstanding Common Units, Subordinated Units and any other Outstanding Units that are senior or equal in right of distribution to the Subordinated Units, in each case with respect to each of the three consecutive, non-overlapping four-Quarter periods immediately preceding such date equaled or exceeded the sum of the Minimum Quarterly Distribution on all Outstanding Common Units, Subordinated Units and any other Outstanding Units that are senior or equal in right of distribution to the Subordinated Units, in each case in respect of such periods and (B) the Adjusted Operating Surplus for each of the three consecutive, non-overlapping four-Quarter periods immediately preceding such date equaled or exceeded the sum of the Minimum Quarterly Distribution on all of the Common Units, Subordinated Units and any other Units that are senior or equal in right of distribution to the Subordinated Units, in each case that were Outstanding during such periods on a Fully Diluted Weighted Average Basis, and (ii) there are no Cumulative Common Unit Arrearages.

(b) the first Business Day following the distribution of Available Cash to Partners pursuant to Section 6.3(a) in respect of any Quarter beginning with the Quarter ending [                    ], 2016 in respect of which (i) (A) distributions of Available Cash from Operating Surplus on each of the Outstanding Common Units,

 

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Subordinated Units and any other Outstanding Units that are senior or equal in right of distribution to the Subordinated Units, in each case with respect to the four-Quarter period immediately preceding such date equaled or exceeded 150% of the Minimum Quarterly Distribution on all of the Outstanding Common Units, Subordinated Units and any other Outstanding Units that are senior or equal in right of distribution to the Subordinated Units, in each case in respect of such period, and (B) the Adjusted Operating Surplus for the four-Quarter period immediately preceding such date equaled or exceeded 150% of the sum of the Minimum Quarterly Distribution on all of the Common Units, Subordinated Units and any other Units that are senior or equal in right of distribution to the Subordinated Units, in each case that were Outstanding during such period on a Fully Diluted Weighted Average Basis, plus the corresponding Incentive Distributions and (ii) there are no Cumulative Common Unit Arrearages.

Subsidiary ” means, with respect to any Person, (a) a corporation of which more than 50% of the voting power of shares entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors or other governing body of such corporation is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof, (b) a partnership (whether general or limited) in which such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of determination, a general or limited partner of such partnership, but only if more than 50% of the general partner interests of such partnership is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof or (c) any other Person (other than a corporation or a partnership) in which such Person, one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, has (i) at least a majority ownership interest or (ii) the power to elect or direct the election of a majority of the directors or other governing body of such Person.

Supplemental Terms Annex ” has the meaning given such term in Section 5.5(b) .

Surviving Business Entity ” has the meaning given such term in Section 14.2(b) .

Target Distributions ” means, collectively, the First Target Distribution, Second Target Distribution and Third Target Distribution.

Tax Matters Partner ” has the meaning given such term in Section 9.3 .

Tenth Anniversary ” means [                    ], 2025.

Third Target Distribution ” means $[            ] per Unit per Quarter (or, with respect to the period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on [                    ], 2015, it means the product of $[            ] multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the number of days in such period and the denominator of which is 92), subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 5.10 , Section 6.6 and Section 6.9 .

Trading Day ” means a day on which the principal National Securities Exchange on which the referenced Partnership Interests of any class are listed or admitted to trading is open for the transaction of business or, if such Partnership Interests are not listed or admitted to trading on any National Securities Exchange, a day on which banking institutions in New York City are not legally required to be closed.

Transaction Documents ” has the meaning given such term in Section 7.1(b) .

Transfer ” has the meaning given such term in Section 4.4(a) .

Transfer Agent ” means such bank, trust company or other Person (including the General Partner or one of its Affiliates) as may be appointed from time to time by the General Partner to act as registrar and transfer agent for any class of Partnership Interests in accordance with the Exchange Act and the rules of the National Securities Exchange on which such Partnership Interests are listed or admitted to trading (if any); provided,

 

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however , that, if no such Person is appointed as registrar and transfer agent for any class of Partnership Interests, the General Partner shall act as registrar and transfer agent for such class of Partnership Interests.

Treasury Regulation ” means the United States Treasury regulations promulgated under the Code.

Underwritten Offering ” means (a) an offering pursuant to a Registration Statement in which Partnership Interests are sold to an underwriter on a firm commitment basis for reoffering to the public (other than the Initial Public Offering), (b) an offering of Partnership Interests pursuant to a Registration Statement that is a “bought deal” with one or more investment banks and (c) an “at-the-market” offering pursuant to a Registration Statement in which Partnership Interests are sold to the public through one or more investment banks or managers on a best efforts basis.

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

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

Unitholders ” means the Record Holders of Units.

Unpaid MQD ” has the meaning given such term in Section 6.1(c)(i)(B) .

Unrealized Gain ” attributable to any item of Partnership property means, as of any date of determination, the excess, if any, of (a) the fair market value of such property as of such date (as determined under Section 5.4(d) ) over (b) the Carrying Value of such property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made pursuant to Section 5.4(d) as of such date).

Unrealized Loss ” attributable to any item of Partnership property means, as of any date of determination, the excess, if any, of (a) the Carrying Value of such property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made pursuant to Section 5.4(d) as of such date) over (b) the fair market value of such property as of such date (as determined under Section 5.4(d) ).

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 from time to time.

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

Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel ” has the meaning given such term in Section 11.1(b) .

Working Capital Borrowings ” means borrowings incurred pursuant to a credit facility, commercial paper facility or similar financing arrangement that are used solely for working capital purposes or to pay distributions

 

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to the Partners; provided that when such borrowings are incurred it is the intent of the borrower to repay such borrowings within twelve 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, 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. The General Partner has the power to construe and interpret this Agreement and to act upon any such construction or interpretation. To the fullest extent permitted by law, any construction or interpretation of this Agreement by the General Partner, any action taken pursuant thereto and any determination made by the General Partner in good faith shall, in each case, be conclusive and binding on all Record Holders, each other Person or Group who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest and all other Persons for all purposes.

ARTICLE II

ORGANIZATION

Section 2.1 Formation . The General Partner and the Organizational Limited Partner previously formed the Partnership as a limited partnership pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act. The parties hereby amend and restate the original Agreement of Limited Partnership of Noble Midstream Partners LP in its entirety. This amendment and restatement shall become effective on the date of this Agreement. Except as expressly provided to the contrary in this Agreement, the rights, duties and Liabilities of the Partners and the administration, dissolution and termination of the Partnership shall be governed by the Delaware Act. All Partnership Interests shall constitute personal property of the owner thereof for all purposes.

Section 2.2 Name . The name of the Partnership shall be “ Noble Midstream Partners LP ”. Subject to applicable law, 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 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware 19801, and the registered agent for service of process on the Partnership in the State of Delaware at such registered office shall be The Corporation Trust Company. The principal office of the Partnership shall be located at 1001 Noble Energy Way, Houston, Texas 77070, 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 1001 Noble Energy Way, Houston, Texas 77070, 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

 

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activity that is approved by the General Partner 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 in furtherance of the foregoing, including the making of capital contributions or loans to a Group Member; provided , however , that the General Partner shall not cause the Partnership to engage, directly or indirectly, in any business activity that the General Partner determines would be reasonably likely to cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the General Partner shall have no duty or obligation to propose or approve the conduct by the Partnership of any business and may decline to do so free of any fiduciary duty or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership or any Limited Partner 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, and the General Partner in determining whether to propose or approve the conduct by the Partnership of any business shall be permitted to do so in its sole and absolute discretion.

Section 2.5 Powers . The Partnership shall be empowered to do any and all acts and things necessary, appropriate, proper, advisable, incidental to or convenient for the furtherance and accomplishment of the purposes and business described in Section 2.4 and for the protection and benefit of the Partnership.

Section 2.6 Term . The term of the Partnership commenced upon the filing of the Certificate of Limited Partnership in accordance with the Delaware Act and shall continue 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 Property . Title to Partnership property, 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 property or any portion thereof. Title to any or all of the Partnership property may be held in the name of the Partnership, the General Partner, one or more Affiliates of the General Partner or one or more nominees of the General Partner or its Affiliates, as the General Partner may determine. The General Partner hereby declares and warrants that any Partnership property for which record title is held in the name of the General Partner or one or more Affiliates of the General Partner or one or more nominees of the General Partner or its Affiliates 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 any successor General Partner. All Partnership property 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 property 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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transact any business in the Partnership’s name or have the power to sign documents for or otherwise bind the Partnership. No action 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 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) nor shall any such action affect, impair or eliminate the limitations on the liability of the Limited Partners under this Agreement.

Section 3.3 Rights of Limited Partners.

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

(i) to obtain from the General Partner either (A) the Partnership’s most recent filings with the Commission on Form 10-K and any subsequent filings on Form 10-Q or Form 8-K or (B) if the Partnership is no longer subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the information specified in, and meeting the requirements of, Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act (or any successor rule or regulation under the Securities Act); provided , that the foregoing materials shall be deemed to be available to a Limited Partner in satisfaction of the requirements of this Section 3.3(a)(i) if posted on or accessible through the Partnership’s or the Commission’s website;

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

(iii) to obtain a copy of this Agreement and the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all amendments thereto.

(b) To the fullest extent permitted by law, the rights to information granted the Limited Partners pursuant to Section 3.3(a) and Section 8.3 replace in their entirety any rights to information provided for in Section 17-305(a) of the Delaware Act, and each of the Limited Partners, each other Person or Group 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 any rights as Limited Partners, interest holders or otherwise to receive any information either pursuant to Sections 17-305(a) of the Delaware Act or otherwise except for the information identified in Section 3.3(a) and Section 8.3.

(c) 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 in good faith 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 3.3 ).

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement or Section 17-305 of the Delaware Act, each of the Limited Partners, each other Person or Group 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 or Group.

 

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ARTICLE IV

CERTIFICATES; RECORD HOLDERS; TRANSFER OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS; REDEMPTION OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

Section 4.1 Certificates . Record Holders of Partnership Interests and, where appropriate, Derivative Partnership Interests, shall be recorded in the Partnership Register and ownership of such interests shall be evidenced by a physical certificate or book entry notation in the Partnership Register. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, 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 physical certificates. Certificates, if any, shall be executed on behalf of the Partnership by any one senior officer of the General Partner (including, as applicable, the Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer or any Vice President) and the Secretary, any Assistant Secretary or any other officer or officers of the General Partner as the Board of Directors may authorize to execute Certificates (collectively, the “ Authorized Officers ”) acting on behalf of the General Partner, and shall bear the legend set forth in Section 4.8(f) . The signatures of such Authorized Officers upon a Certificate may, to the extent permitted by law, be facsimiles. In case any officer who has signed or whose signature has been placed upon such Certificate shall have ceased to hold the applicable office before such Certificate is issued, it may be issued by the Partnership with the same effect as if he or she were such officer at the date of its issuance. If a Transfer Agent has been appointed for a class of Partnership Interests, no Certificate for such class of Partnership Interests shall be valid for any purpose until it has been countersigned by the Transfer Agent; provided , however , that, if the General Partner elects to cause the Partnership to issue Partnership Interests of such class in global form, the Certificate shall be valid upon receipt of a certificate from the Transfer Agent certifying that the Partnership Interests have been duly registered in accordance with the directions of the Partnership. Subject to the requirements of Section 6.7(b) and Section 6.7(c) , if Common Units are evidenced by Certificates, on or after the date on which Subordinated Units are converted into Common Units pursuant to the terms of Section 5.6 , the Record Holders of such Subordinated Units (a) if the Subordinated Units are evidenced by Certificates, may exchange such Certificates for Certificates evidencing the Common Units into which such Record Holder’s Subordinated Units converted or (b) if the Subordinated Units are not evidenced by Certificates, shall be issued Certificates evidencing the Common Units into which such Record Holders’ Subordinated Units converted. With respect to any Partnership Interests that are represented by physical certificates, the General Partner may determine that such Partnership Interests will no longer be represented by physical certificates and may, upon written notice to the holders of such Partnership Interests and subject to applicable law, take whatever actions it deems necessary or appropriate to cause such Partnership Interests to be registered in book entry or global form and may cause such physical certificates to be cancelled or deemed cancelled.

Section 4.2 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates.

(a) If any mutilated Certificate is surrendered to the Transfer Agent, the Authorized Officers, acting on behalf of the General Partner, acting 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 Authorized Officers, acting on behalf of the General Partner, acting 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 that is no longer available due to loss, destruction or theft, if the Record Holder of the Certificate:

(i) makes proof by affidavit, in form and substance satisfactory to the General Partner, that a previously issued Certificate has been lost, destroyed or stolen;

(ii) requests the issuance of a new Certificate at a time when the General Partner does not have actual knowledge that the Certificate has been acquired by a purchaser for value in good faith and without notice of an adverse claim;

 

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(iii) if requested by the General Partner, delivers to the General Partner a bond, in form and substance satisfactory to the General Partner, with surety or sureties and with fixed or open penalty as the General Partner may direct, to indemnify the Partnership, the Limited 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, to the fullest extent permitted by law, such 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 names and addresses of holders of a Partnership Interest as they appear in the Partnership Register shall be the official list of Record Holders of the Partnership Interests for all purposes. The Partnership and the General Partner 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 or Group, regardless of whether the Partnership or the General Partner 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 or Group in acquiring and/or holding Partnership Interests, as between the Partnership on the one hand, and such other Person on the other hand, such representative Person shall be the Limited Partner with respect to such Partnership Interest upon becoming the Record Holder in accordance with Section 10.1(b) and have the rights and obligations of a Limited Partner hereunder as and to the extent provided herein, including Section 10.1(c) .

Section 4.4 Transfer Generally .

(a) The term “ transfer , ” when used in this Agreement with respect to a Partnership Interest, shall be deemed to refer to a transaction (i) by which the General Partner assigns all or any part of its General Partner Interest to another Person and includes a sale, assignment, gift, pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation, mortgage, exchange or any other disposition by law or otherwise or (ii) by which the holder of a Limited Partner Interest assigns all or a part of such Limited Partner Interest to another Person who is or becomes a Limited Partner as a result thereof, 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 null and void, and the Partnership shall have no obligation to effect any such transfer or purported transfer.

 

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(c) Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed to prevent or limit a disposition by any stockholder, member, partner or other owner of the General Partner or any Limited Partner of any or all of such Person’s shares of stock, membership interests, partnership interests or other ownership interests in the General Partner or such Limited Partner and the term “transfer” shall not include any such disposition.

Section 4.5 Registration and Transfer of Limited Partner Interests .

(a) The General Partner shall maintain, or cause to be maintained by the Transfer Agent in whole or in part, the Partnership Register on behalf of the Partnership.

(b) The General Partner shall not recognize any transfer of Limited Partner Interests evidenced by Certificates until the Certificates evidencing such Limited Partner Interests are duly endorsed and surrendered for registration of transfer. No charge shall be imposed by the General Partner for such transfer; provided , however , 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 of this Section 4.5(b) , the Authorized Officers, acting on behalf of the General Partner, acting on behalf of the Partnership, shall execute and deliver, and in the case of Certificates evidencing Limited Partner Interests for which a Transfer Agent has been appointed, 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. Upon the proper surrender of a Certificate, such transfer shall be recorded in the Partnership Register. Notwithstanding this paragraph, if the General Partner has determined that Certificates will no longer be issued with respect to any class of Limited Partner Interests, then the General Partner shall be under no obligation to deliver replacement Certificates to a transferee of a Limited Partner Interest of such class and shall cancel the returned Certificate upon the surrender of same by the transferor and shall only be required to reflect the transfer in the Partnership Register.

(c) Upon the receipt by the General Partner or the Transfer Agent of a duly endorsed certificate or, in the case of uncertificated Limited Partner Interests for which a Transfer Agent has been appointed, the Transfer Agent of proper transfer instructions from the Record Holder of uncertificated Limited Partner Interests, such transfer shall be recorded in the Partnership Register.

(d) Except as provided in Section 4.9 , by acceptance of any Limited Partner Interests pursuant to a transfer in accordance with this Article IV , each transferee of a Limited Partner Interest (including any nominee, agent or representative acquiring such Limited Partner Interests for the account of another Person or Group) (i) shall be admitted to the Partnership as a Limited Partner with respect to the Limited Partner Interests so transferred to such Person when any such transfer or admission is reflected in the Partnership Register and such Person becomes the Record Holder of the Limited Partner Interests so transferred, (ii) shall become bound, and shall be deemed to have agreed to be bound, by the terms of this Agreement, (iii) shall be deemed to represent that the transferee has the capacity, power and authority to enter into this Agreement, and (iv) shall be deemed to make 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 4.3 , (iii)  Section 4.8 , (iv)  Section 4.9 , (v) with respect to any class or series of Limited Partner Interests, the provisions of any statement of designations or an amendment to this Agreement (including any Supplemental Terms Annex) establishing such class or series, (vi) any contractual provisions binding on any Limited Partner and (vii) provisions of applicable law including the Securities Act, Limited Partner Interests shall be freely transferable.

 

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(f) The General Partner and its Affiliates shall have the right at any time to transfer their Subordinated Units and Common Units (whether issued upon conversion of the Subordinated Units or otherwise) to one or more Persons.

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

(a) Subject to Section 4.6(c) below, prior to the Tenth Anniversary, the General Partner shall not transfer all or any part of its General Partner Interest to a Person unless such transfer (i) has been approved by the prior written consent or vote of the holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units (excluding Common Units owned by the General Partner and its Affiliates) or (ii) is of all, but not less than all, of its General Partner Interest to (A) an Affiliate of the General Partner (other than an individual) or (B) another Person (other than an individual) in connection with the merger or consolidation of the General Partner with or into such other Person or the transfer by the General Partner of all or substantially all of its assets to such other Person.

(b) Subject to Section 4.6(c) below, on or after the Tenth Anniversary, the General Partner may transfer all or any part of its General Partner Interest without the approval of any Limited Partner or any other Person.

(c) 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 of any Limited Partner under the Delaware Act 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 owned 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 Transfer of Incentive Distribution Rights . The General Partner or any other holder of Incentive Distribution Rights may transfer any or all of its Incentive Distribution Rights without the approval of any Limited Partner or any other Person.

Section 4.8 Restrictions on Transfers .

(a) Except as provided in Section 4.8(e) , notwithstanding the other provisions of this Article IV , no transfer of any Partnership Interests shall be made if such transfer would (i) violate the then applicable federal or state securities laws or rules and regulations of the Commission, any state securities commission or any other governmental authority with jurisdiction over such transfer, (ii) terminate the existence 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). The Partnership may issue stop transfer instructions to any Transfer Agent in order to implement any restriction on transfer contemplated by this Agreement.

(b) The General Partner may impose restrictions on the transfer of Partnership Interests if it receives an Opinion of Counsel that such restrictions are necessary 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 (to the extent not already so treated or taxed) 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

 

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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) The transfer of an IDR Reset Common Unit that was issued in connection with an IDR Reset Election pursuant to Section 5.10 shall be subject to the restrictions imposed by Section 6.8(b) and Section 6.8(c) .

(d) The transfer of a Subordinated Unit or a Common Unit resulting from the conversion of a Subordinated Unit shall be subject to the restrictions imposed by Section 6.7(b) and Section 6.7(c) .

(e) Except for Section 4.9 , nothing in this Agreement shall preclude the settlement of any transactions involving Partnership Interests entered into through the facilities of any National Securities Exchange on which such Partnership Interests are listed or admitted to trading.

(f) Each certificate or book entry evidencing Partnership Interests shall bear a conspicuous legend in substantially the following form:

THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY ACKNOWLEDGES FOR THE BENEFIT OF NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP THAT THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED IF SUCH TRANSFER (AS DEFINED IN THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT) 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 OF NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE OR (C) CAUSE NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP 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). THE GENERAL PARTNER OF NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP MAY IMPOSE ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS ON THE TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY IF IT RECEIVES AN OPINION OF COUNSEL THAT SUCH RESTRICTIONS ARE NECESSARY TO (A) AVOID A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP BECOMING TAXABLE AS A CORPORATION OR OTHERWISE BECOMING TAXABLE AS AN ENTITY FOR U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX PURPOSES (TO THE EXTENT NOT ALREADY SO TREATED OR TAXED) OR (B) PRESERVE THE UNIFORMITY OF THE LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS IN NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP (OR ANY CLASS OR CLASSES THEREOF). THIS SECURITY MAY BE SUBJECT TO ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS ON ITS TRANSFER PROVIDED IN THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT. COPIES OF SUCH AGREEMENT MAY BE OBTAINED AT NO COST BY WRITTEN REQUEST MADE BY THE HOLDER OF RECORD OF THIS SECURITY TO THE SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL PARTNER AT THE PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES OF THE PARTNERSHIP. EXCEPT AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 4.9 OF THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT, THE RESTRICTIONS SET FORTH ABOVE SHALL NOT PRECLUDE THE SETTLEMENT OF ANY TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THIS SECURITY ENTERED INTO THROUGH THE FACILITIES OF ANY NATIONAL SECURITIES EXCHANGE ON WHICH THIS SECURITY IS LISTED OR ADMITTED TO TRADING.

Section 4.9 Eligibility Certificates; Ineligible Holders .

(a) The General Partner may upon demand or on a regular basis require Limited Partners, and transferees of Limited Partner Interests in connection with a transfer, to execute an Eligibility Certificate or provide other information as is necessary for the General Partner to determine if any such Limited Partners or transferees are Ineligible Holders.

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information related thereto, or if upon receipt of such Eligibility Certificate or other requested information the General Partner determines that a Limited Partner or a transferee of a Limited Partner is an Ineligible Holder, the Limited Partner Interests owned by such Limited Partner shall be subject to redemption in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.10 or the General Partner may refuse to effect the transfer of the Limited Partner Interests to such transferee. In addition, the General Partner shall be substituted for any Limited Partner that is an Ineligible Holder as the Limited Partner in respect of the Ineligible Holder’s Limited Partner Interests.

(c) The General Partner shall, in exercising, or abstaining from exercising, voting rights in respect of Limited Partner Interests held by it on behalf of Ineligible Holders, distribute the votes or abstentions 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 distributed, either casting votes for or against or abstaining as to the matter.

(d) 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 Partnership purposes as a purchase by the Partnership from the Ineligible Holder of its Limited Partner Interests (representing the right to receive its share of such distribution in kind).

(e) At any time after an Ineligible Holder can and does certify that it no longer is an Ineligible Holder, it 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 4.10 , such Ineligible Holder upon approval of the General Partner, shall no longer constitute an Ineligible Holder and the General Partner shall cease to be the Limited Partner in respect of such Limited Partner Interests.

(f) If at any time a transferee of a Partnership Interest fails to furnish an Eligibility Certificate or any other information requested by the General Partner pursuant to Section 4.9 within 30 days of such request, or if upon receipt of such Eligibility Certificate or other information the General Partner determines, with the advice of counsel, that such transferee is an Ineligible Holder, the Partnership may, unless the transferee establishes to the satisfaction of the General Partner that such transferee is not an Ineligible Holder, prohibit and void the transfer, including by placing a stop order with the Transfer Agent.

Section 4.10 Redemption of Partnership Interests of Ineligible Holders .

(a) If at any time a Limited Partner fails to furnish an Eligibility Certificate or any other information requested within the period of time specified in Section 4.9 , or if upon receipt of such Eligibility Certificate or other information the General Partner determines 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 not an Ineligible Holder or has transferred his Limited Partner Interests to a Person who is not an Ineligible 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 such Limited Partner’s last address designated in the Partnership Register or on the records of the Transfer Agent, by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid. The notice shall be deemed to have been given when so mailed. The notice shall specify the Redeemable Interests, the date fixed for redemption, the place of payment, that payment of the redemption price will be made upon 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 such Limited Partner would otherwise be entitled in respect of the Redeemable Interests will accrue or be made.

 

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(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 5% annually and payable in three equal annual installments of principal together with accrued interest, commencing one year after the redemption date.

(iii) The Limited Partner or such Limited Partner’s 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 or transferee 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 4.10 shall also be applicable to Limited Partner Interests held by a Limited Partner as nominee, agent or representative of a Person determined to be an Ineligible Holder.

(c) Nothing in this Section 4.10 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 and the transferor provides notice of such transfer to the General Partner. Upon receipt of notice of such a transfer, the General Partner shall withdraw the notice of redemption, provided the transferee of such Limited Partner Interest certifies to the satisfaction of the General Partner that such transferee is not an Ineligible Holder. If the transferee fails to make such certification within 30 days after the request and, in any event, before the redemption date, such redemption shall be effected from the transferee on the original redemption date.

ARTICLE V

CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND ISSUANCE OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

Section 5.1 Organizational Contributions . In connection with the formation of the Partnership under the Delaware Act, the General Partner made an initial Capital Contribution to the Partnership in the amount of $20.00 for a 1% General Partner Interest in the Partnership (the “ Original General Partner Interest ) and was admitted as the General Partner of the Partnership, and the Organizational Limited Partner made an initial Capital Contribution to the Partnership in the amount of $980.00 for a 99% Limited Partner Interest in the Partnership (the “ Original Limited Partner Interest ”) and was admitted as a Limited Partner of the Partnership. As of the Closing Date, pursuant to the Contribution Agreement and this Agreement, (i) the Organizational Limited Partner distributed to NBL Midstream the Original Limited Partner Interest, NBL Midstream was admitted as a Limited Partner, immediately thereafter the Organizational Limited Partner ceased to be a limited partner of the Partnership and the Partnership was continued without dissolution, (ii) the General Partner was issued a non-economic management interest in the Partnership (represented by the General Partner Interest), (iii) the Original General Partner Interest and the Original Limited Partner Interest were redeemed in exchange for the return of the initial Capital Contributions made with respect to such interests, and (iv) 99% of any interest or other profit that may have resulted from the investment or other use of such initial Capital Contributions was allocated and distributed to NBL Midstream, and the balance thereof was allocated and distributed to the General Partner. The General Partner hereby continues as the general partner of the Partnership with a non-economic management interest in the Partnership and NBL Midstream hereby continues as a Limited Partner, in each case with respect to the portion of its interest that was not redeemed.

 

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Section 5.2 Contributions by Limited Partners .

(a) On the Closing Date, pursuant to and as described in the Contribution Agreement, NBL Midstream contributed to the Partnership, as a Capital Contribution, 100% of the membership interests in the Organizational Limited Partner in exchange for (i) [            ] Common Units, (ii) [            ] Subordinated Units, (iii) the Incentive Distribution Rights, and (iv) the right to receive a cash distribution from the Partnership as set forth in the Contribution Agreement.

(b) On the Closing Date and pursuant to the IPO Underwriting Agreement, each IPO Underwriter contributed cash to the Partnership in exchange for the issuance by the Partnership of Common Units to each IPO Underwriter, all as set forth in the Contribution Agreement. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, but subject to the last sentence of Section 6.3(a), the Partnership is hereby authorized to distribute to NBL Midstream any net cash proceeds from the sale of Option Units (as defined in the Contribution Agreement) upon the exercise of the Over-Allotment Option in accordance with the Contribution Agreement.

(c) Upon each exercise, if any, of the Over-Allotment Option, each IPO Underwriter shall contribute cash to the Partnership on the applicable Option Closing Date in exchange for the issuance by the Partnership of Common Units to each IPO Underwriter, all as set forth in the IPO Underwriting Agreement. Any Common Units subject to the Over-Allotment Option that are not purchased by the IPO Underwriters pursuant to the Over-Allotment Option, if any (the “ Deferred Issuance ”), will be issued to NBL Midstream at the expiration of the Over-Allotment Option period for no additional consideration, all as set forth in the IPO Underwriting Agreement.

(d) Except for the Capital Contributions made or to be made pursuant to Section 5.2(a) through Section 5.2(c) and for Capital Contributions required to be made by or on behalf of a Person acquiring Partnership Interests or Derivative Partnership Interests in connection with future issuances in accordance with Section 5.5 , no Limited Partner will be required to make any additional Capital Contribution to the Partnership pursuant to this Agreement.

Section 5.3 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 termination of the Partnership may be considered as such by law and then only to the extent provided for in this Agreement. Except to the extent expressly provided in this Agreement, no Partner 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 5.4 Capital Accounts .

(a) The Partnership shall maintain for each Partner (or a beneficial owner of Partnership Interests held by a nominee, agent or representative in any case in which the nominee, agent or representative 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 by the Partner with respect to such Partnership Interest and (ii) all items of Partnership income and gain computed in accordance with Section 5.4(b) and allocated with respect to such Partnership Interest pursuant to Section 6.1 , and decreased by (x) the amount of cash or Net Agreed Value of all actual and deemed distributions of cash or property made to the Partner with respect to such Partnership Interest, and (y) all items of Partnership deduction and loss computed in accordance with Section 5.4(b) and allocated with respect to such Partnership Interest pursuant to Section 6.1 .

 

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(b) For purposes of computing the amount of any item of income, gain, loss or deduction that is to be allocated pursuant to Article VI and is to be reflected in the Partners’ Capital Accounts, the determination, recognition and classification of any such item shall be the same as its determination, recognition and classification for U.S. federal income tax purposes (including any method of depreciation, cost recovery or amortization used for that purpose); provided , that:

(i) Solely for purposes of this Section 5.4 , 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 or governing, organizational or similar documents) 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) The computation of all items of income, gain, loss and deduction shall be made (x) except as otherwise provided in this Agreement and Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), without regard to any election under Section 754 of the Code that may be made by the Partnership, and (y) 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.

(iv) To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Partnership property pursuant to Section 734(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.

(v) In the event the Carrying Value of Partnership property is adjusted pursuant to Section 5.4(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.

(vi) Any income, gain or loss attributable to the taxable disposition of any Partnership property shall be determined as if the adjusted basis of such property as of such date of disposition were equal in amount to the property’s Carrying Value as of such date.

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

(viii) 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 the Carrying Values of Partnership property. 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).

 

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(c) (i) Except as otherwise provided in this Section 5.4(c) , a transferee of a Partnership Interest shall succeed to a Pro Rata portion of the Capital Account of the transferor relating to the Partnership Interest so transferred.

(ii) Subject to Section 6.7(b) , immediately prior to the transfer of a Subordinated Unit or a Subordinated Unit that has converted into a Common Unit pursuant to Section 5.6 by a holder thereof (in each case, other than a transfer to an Affiliate of the holder thereof unless the General Partner elects to have this Section 5.5(c)(ii) apply to such transfer), the Capital Account maintained for such Person with respect to such transferred Units will (A) first, be allocated to the Units to be transferred in an amount equal to the product of (x) the number of such Units to be transferred 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 transferor, regardless of whether it has retained any Units. Following any such allocation, the transferor’s Capital Account, if any, maintained with respect to the Subordinated Units or retained Common Units resulting from conversion of Subordinated Units, if any, will have a balance equal to the amount allocated under clause (B)  above, and the transferee’s Capital Account established with respect to the transferred Units will have a balance equal to the amount allocated under clause (A)  above.

(iii) Subject to Section 6.8(b) , immediately prior to the transfer of an IDR Reset Common Unit by a holder thereof (other than a transfer to an Affiliate of the holder thereof unless the General Partner elects to have this Section 5.5(c)(iii) apply to such transfer), 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 an Initial 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)  above, 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 5.10 , 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 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 such 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

 

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Partnership Interests at such time and the value 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 property (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. 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 one made pursuant to Section 12.4 , be determined in the same manner as that provided in Section 5.4(d)(i) or (B) in the case of a liquidating distribution pursuant to Section 12.4 , be determined by the Liquidator using such method of valuation as it may adopt.

Section 5.5 Issuances of Additional Partnership Interests and Derivative Partnership Interests .

(a) The Partnership may issue additional Partnership Interests (other than General Partner Interests) and Derivative Partnership Interests for any Partnership purpose at any time and from time to time to such Persons for such consideration and on such terms and conditions as the General Partner shall determine, all without the approval of any Limited Partners.

(b) Each additional Partnership Interest authorized to be issued by the Partnership pursuant to Section 5.5(a) may be issued in one or more classes, or one or more series of any such classes, with such designations, preferences, rights, powers and duties (which may be senior to existing classes and series of Partnership Interests), as shall be fixed by the General Partner, including (i) the right to share in Partnership profits and losses or items thereof; (ii) the right to share in Partnership distributions; (iii) the rights upon dissolution and liquidation of the Partnership; (iv) whether, and the terms and conditions upon which, the Partnership may, or shall be required to, redeem the Partnership Interest; (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. The designations, powers, duties, rights and preferences of any additional class of Partnership Interests issued pursuant to this Section 5.5 may be set forth in an amendment to, or amendment and restatement of, this Agreement or in an annex to this Agreement (a “ Supplemental Terms Annex ”), the provisions of which shall supplement and, to the extent inconsistent with any other provision of this Agreement, supersede and amend the provisions hereof. To the extent that more than one Supplemental Terms Annex is in effect at any time and the terms of such Supplemental Terms Annexes conflict with each other, then the terms set forth in the most recently adopted Supplemental Terms Annex shall control.

(c) The General Partner shall take all actions that it determines to be necessary or appropriate in connection with (i) each issuance of Partnership Interests and Derivative Partnership Interests pursuant to Section 5.2 or this Section 5.5 , including Common Units issued in connection with the Deferred Issuance, (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 5.10 , (iv) reflecting admission of such additional Limited Partners in the Partnership Register as the Record Holders of such Limited Partner Interests and (v) all additional issuances of Partnership Interests and Derivative Partnership Interests. The General Partner shall determine the relative rights, powers and duties of the holders of the Units or other Partnership Interests or Derivative Partnership Interests being so issued. The General Partner shall do all things necessary to comply with the Delaware Act and is authorized and directed to do all things that it determines to be necessary or appropriate in connection with any future issuance of

 

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Partnership Interests or Derivative 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 5.6 Conversion of Subordinated Units .

(a) All of the Subordinated Units shall convert into Common Units on a one-for-one basis on the expiration of the Subordination Period.

(b) A Common Unit that has been issued upon conversion of a Subordinated Unit shall be subject to the provisions of Section 6.7 .

Section 5.7 Limited Preemptive Right . Except as provided in this Section 5.7 and in Section 5.10 or as otherwise provided in a separate agreement by the Partnership, no Person shall have any preemptive, preferential or other similar right with respect to the issuance of any Partnership Interest, whether unissued, held in the treasury or hereafter created. Other than with respect to the issuance of Partnership Interests in connection with the Initial Public Offering, the General Partner shall have the right, which it may from time to time assign in whole or in part to any of its Affiliates, to purchase Partnership Interests from the Partnership whenever, and on the same terms that, the Partnership issues Partnership Interests to Persons other than the General Partner and its Affiliates, to the extent necessary to maintain the Percentage Interests of the General Partner and its Affiliates equal to that which existed immediately prior to the issuance of such Partnership Interests.

Section 5.8 Splits and Combinations .

(a) Subject to Section 5.8(d) , Section 6.6 and Section 6.9 (dealing with adjustments of distribution levels), the Partnership may make a Pro Rata distribution of Partnership Interests to all Record Holders or may effect a subdivision or combination of Partnership Interests so long as, after any such event, each Partner shall have the same Percentage Interest in the Partnership as before such event, and any amounts calculated on a per Unit basis (including any Common Unit Arrearage or Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage) or stated as a number of Units (including the number of Subordinated Units that may convert prior to the end of the Subordination Period) are proportionately adjusted.

(b) Whenever such a distribution, subdivision or combination of Partnership Interests is declared, the General Partner shall select a date as of which the distribution, subdivision or combination shall be effective and shall send notice thereof at least 20 days prior to such distribution date to each Record Holder as of a date that is not less than 10 days prior to the date of such notice (or such shorter periods as required by applicable law). 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, letter or other official medium of communication 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 Partnership Interests represented by Certificates, the surrender of any Certificate held by such Record Holder immediately prior to such Record Date.

 

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(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 5.5(d) and this Section 5.8(d) , each fractional Unit shall be rounded to the nearest whole Unit, with fractional Units equal to or greater than a 0.5 Unit being rounded to the next higher Unit.

Section 5.9 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 Sections 17-303(a), 17-607 or 17-804 of the Delaware Act.

Section 5.10 Issuance of Common Units in Connection with Reset of Incentive Distribution Rights .

(a) Subject to the provisions of this Section 5.10 , the holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights (or, if there is more than one holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights, the holders of a majority in interest of the Incentive Distribution Rights) shall have the right, at any time when there are no Subordinated Units Outstanding and the Partnership has made a distribution pursuant to Section 6.4(b)(v) for each of the four most recently completed Quarters and the amount of each such distribution did not exceed Adjusted Operating Surplus for such Quarter, to make an election (the “ IDR Reset Election ”) to cause the Minimum Quarterly Distribution and the Target Distributions to be reset in accordance with the provisions of Section 5.10(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 average amount of the aggregate cash distributions made by the Partnership for the two full Quarters immediately preceding the giving of the Reset Notice in respect of the Incentive Distribution Rights by (ii) the average of the cash distributions made by the Partnership in respect of each Common Unit for the two full Quarters immediately preceding the giving of the Reset Notice (the number of Common Units determined by such quotient is referred to herein as the “ Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units ”). If at the time of any IDR Reset Election the General Partner and its Affiliates are not the holders of a majority in interest of the Incentive Distribution Rights, then the IDR Reset Election shall be subject to the prior written concurrence of the General Partner that the conditions described in the immediately preceding sentence have been satisfied. The making of the IDR Reset Election in the manner specified in this Section 5.10 shall cause the Minimum Quarterly Distribution and the Target Distributions to be reset in accordance with the provisions of Section 5.10(e) and, in connection therewith, the holder or holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights will become entitled to receive IDR Reset Common Units on the basis specified above, without any further approval required by the General Partner or the Unitholders other than as set forth in this Section 5.10(a) , at the time specified in Section 5.10(c) unless the IDR Reset Election is rescinded pursuant to Section 5.10(d) .

(b) To exercise the right specified in Section 5.10(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 Quantity of IDR Reset 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 fifteenth Business Day after receipt by the Partnership of the Reset Notice; provided , however , that the issuance of IDR Reset 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 IDR Reset 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.

 

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(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 IDR Reset Common Units to be issued pursuant to this Section 5.10 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 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 Minimum Quarterly Distribution and the Target Distributions shall be adjusted at the time of the issuance of IDR Reset Common Units or other Partnership Interests pursuant to this Section 5.10 such that (i) the Minimum Quarterly Distribution shall be reset to equal the average cash distribution amount per Common Unit for the two Quarters immediately prior to the Partnership’s receipt of the Reset Notice (the “ Reset MQD ”), (ii) the First Target Distribution shall be reset to equal 115% of the Reset MQD, (iii) the Second Target Distribution shall be reset to equal 125% of the Reset MQD and (iv) the Third Target Distribution shall be reset to equal 150% of the Reset MQD.

(f) Upon the issuance of IDR Reset Common Units pursuant to Section 5.10(a) , the Capital Account maintained with respect to the Incentive Distribution Rights will (i) first, be allocated to IDR Reset Common Units in an amount equal to the product of (A) the Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units and (B) the Per Unit Capital Amount for an Initial Common Unit, and (ii) second, as to any remaining balance in such Capital Account, be retained by the holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights. If there is not sufficient capital 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 (i)  of this Section 5.10(f) , the IDR Reset Common Units shall be subject to Section 6.1(d)(x)(B) and (D) .

ARTICLE VI

ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

Section 6.1 Allocations for Capital Account Purposes . Subject to the terms of any Supplemental Terms Annex, for purposes of maintaining the Capital Accounts and in determining the rights of the Partners among themselves, the Partnership’s items of income, gain, loss and deduction (computed in accordance with Section 5.4(b)) for each taxable period shall be allocated among the Partners as provided herein below.

(a) Net Income . After giving effect to the special allocations in Section 6.1(d), Net Income for each taxable period (including a pro rata part of all items of income, gain, loss and deduction taken into account in computing Net Income for such taxable period) shall be allocated as follows:

(i) First, to the General Partner until the aggregate amount of 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 amount of 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.

 

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(b) Net Loss . After giving effect to the special allocations in Section 6.1(d), Net Loss for each taxable period (including a pro rata part of each item of income, gain, loss and deduction taken into account in computing Net Loss for such taxable period) shall be allocated as follows:

(i) First, to the Unitholders, Pro Rata; provided , that Net Loss shall not be allocated to a Unitholder pursuant to this Section 6.1(b) (i) to the extent that such allocation would cause such Unitholder to have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account at the end of such taxable period (or increase any existing deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account); and

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

(c) Net Termination Gains and Losses . Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss occurring during a 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 Available Cash 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 ; provided further , that Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss attributable to (i) Liquidation Gain or Liquidation Loss shall be allocated on the last day of the taxable period during which such Liquidation Gain or Liquidation Loss occurred, (ii) Sale Gain or Sale Loss shall be allocated as of the time of the sale or disposition giving rise to such Sale Gain or Sale Loss and allocated to the Partners consistent with the second proviso set forth in Section 6.2(f) and (iii) Revaluation Gain or Revaluation Loss shall be allocated on the date of the Revaluation Event giving rise to such Revaluation Gain or Revaluation Loss.

(i) Except as provided in Section 6.1(c)(iv) and 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, and deduction taken into account in computing Net Termination Gain) shall be allocated in the following order and priority:

(A) First, to each Unitholder having a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account, in the proportion that such deficit balance bears to the total deficit balances in the Adjusted Capital Accounts of all Unitholders, until each such Unitholder has been allocated Net Termination Gain equal to any such deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account;

(B) Second, to all Unitholders holding Common Units, 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) if the Net Termination Gain is attributable to Liquidation Gain, the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for the Quarter during which the Liquidation Date occurs, reduced by any distribution pursuant to Section 6.4(a)(i) or Section 6.4(b)(i) with respect to each such Common Unit for such Quarter (the amount determined pursuant to this clause (2) is hereinafter referred to as the “ Unpaid MQD ”) and (3) any then existing Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage;

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

(D) Fourth, 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 Unpaid MQD, (3) any then existing Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage, and (4) the excess of (aa) the First Target Distribution less the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for each 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

 

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distributions of Available Cash that is deemed to be Operating Surplus made pursuant to Section 6.4(a)(iv) and Section 6.4(b)(ii) with respect to each such Common Unit for such period (the sum of subclauses (1) , (2) , (3)  and (4)  is hereinafter referred to as the “ First Liquidation Target Amount ”);

(E) Fifth, 15% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and 85% 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 Available Cash that is deemed to be Operating Surplus made pursuant to Section 6.4(a)(v) and Section 6.4(b)(iii) with respect to each such Common Unit for such period (the sum of subclauses (1)  and (2)  is hereinafter referred to as the “ Second Liquidation Target Amount ”);

(F) Sixth, 25% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and 75% 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 Available Cash that is deemed to be Operating Surplus made pursuant to Section 6.4(a)(vi) and Section 6.4(b)(iv) with respect to each such Common Unit for such period; and

(G) Finally, 50% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and 50% 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 (1) in the Capital Account for each Common Unit that is Outstanding prior to such Revaluation Event being equal to the Event Issue Value and (2) 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 (i) the Capital Accounts with respect to all Partnership Interests that were Outstanding immediately prior to such Revaluation Event were equal to zero and (ii) the aggregate Carrying Value of all Partnership property equaled the aggregate amount of all of the Partnership’s Liabilities.

(ii) Except as otherwise provided by Section 6.1(c)(iii) or Section 6.1(c)(iv) , Net Termination Loss shall be allocated:

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

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

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

(iii) Net Termination Loss attributable to Revaluation Loss and deemed recognized prior to the conversion of the last Outstanding Subordinated Unit and prior to the Liquidation Date shall be allocated:

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

 

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(B) Second, to all Unitholders holding Subordinated Units, Pro Rata; provided, that Net Termination Loss shall not be allocated pursuant to this Section 6.1(c)(iii)(B) to the extent such allocation would cause any Unitholder to have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account at the end of such taxable period (or increase any existing deficit in its Adjusted Capital Account); and

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

(iv) If (A) a Net Termination Loss has been allocated pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(iii) , (B) a Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss subsequently occurs (other than as a result of a Revaluation Event) prior to the conversion of the last Outstanding Subordinated Unit, and (C) after tentatively making all allocations of such Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss provided for in Section 6.1(c)(i) or Section 6.1(c)(ii) , as applicable, the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit does not equal the amount such Capital Account would have been if Section 6.1(c)(iii) had not been part of this Agreement and all prior allocations of Net Termination Gain and Net Termination Loss had been made pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(i) or Section 6.1(c)(ii) , as applicable, then items of income, gain, loss and deduction included in such Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss, as applicable, shall be specially allocated to all Unitholders in a manner that will, to the maximum extent possible, cause the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit to equal the amount such Capital Account would have been if all allocations of Net Termination Gain and Net Termination Loss had been made pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(i) or Section 6.1(c)(ii) , as applicable.

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

(i) Partnership Minimum Gain Chargeback . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1 , if there is a net decrease in Partnership Minimum Gain during any Partnership taxable period, each Partner shall be allocated items of Partnership income and gain for such period (and, if necessary, subsequent periods) in the manner and amounts provided in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(f)(6), 1.704-2(g)(2) and 1.704-2(j)(2)(i), or any successor provision. For purposes of this Section 6.1(d) , each Partner’s Adjusted Capital Account balance shall be determined, and the allocation of gross income or gain required hereunder shall be effected, prior to the application of any other allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(d) with respect to such taxable period (other than an allocation pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(vi) and Section 6.1(d)(vii) ). This Section 6.1(d)(i) is intended to comply with the Partnership Minimum Gain chargeback requirement in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(f) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(ii) Chargeback of Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain . Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section 6.1 (other than Section 6.1(d)(i) ), except as provided in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(4), if there is a net decrease in Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain during any Partnership taxable period, any Partner with a share of Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain at the beginning of such taxable period shall be allocated items of Partnership income and gain for such period (and, if necessary, subsequent periods) in the manner and amounts provided in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(i)(4) and 1.704-2(j)(2)(ii), or any successor provision. For purposes of this Section 6.1(d) , each Partner’s Adjusted Capital Account balance shall be determined, and the allocation of gross income or gain required hereunder shall be effected, prior to the application of any other allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(d) , other than an allocation pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(i) , 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 for the same taxable period (the amount of the excess, an “ Excess Distribution ” and the Unit with respect to

 

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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) , all or any portion of 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 adjustment, allocation or distribution described in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5), or 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6), items of Partnership gross income and gain shall be specially allocated to such Partner in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate, to the extent required by the Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 704(b) of the Code, the deficit balance, if any, in its Adjusted Capital Account created by such adjustments, allocations or distributions as quickly as possible; provided, however , 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 and gain in the amount of such excess as quickly as possible; provided, however , that an allocation pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(v) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would have a deficit balance in its Adjusted 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 satisfies 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 first, to any Partner that contributed property to the Partnership in proportion to and to the extent of the amount by which each such Partner’s share of any Section 704(c) built-in gains exceeds such Partner’s share of Nonrecourse Built-in Gain, and second, among the Partners Pro Rata.

 

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(ix) Code Section 754 Adjustments . To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Partnership property pursuant to Section 734(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 as a result of a distribution to a Partner in complete liquidation of such Partner’s interest in the Partnership, the amount of such adjustment to the Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the asset) or loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis) taken into account pursuant to Section 5.4 , and such item of gain or loss shall be specially allocated to the Partners in a manner consistent with the manner in which their Capital Accounts are required to be adjusted pursuant to such Section of the Treasury Regulations.

(x) Economic Uniformity .

(A) At the election of the General Partner with respect to any taxable period ending upon, or after, the termination of the Subordination Period, all or a portion of the remaining items of Partnership gross income or gain for such taxable period, after taking into account allocations pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(iii) , shall be allocated 100% to each Partner holding Subordinated Units that are Outstanding as of the termination of the Subordination Period (“ Final Subordinated Units ”) in the proportion of the number of Final Subordinated Units held by such Partner to the total number of Final Subordinated Units then Outstanding, until each such Partner has been allocated an amount of gross income or gain that increases the Capital Account maintained with respect to such Final Subordinated Units to an amount that after taking into account the other allocations of income, gain, loss and deduction to be made with respect to such taxable period will equal the product of (1) the number of Final Subordinated Units held by such Partner and (2) the Per Unit Capital Amount for a Common Unit. The purpose of this allocation is to establish uniformity between the Capital Accounts underlying Final Subordinated Units and the Capital Accounts underlying Common Units held by Persons other than the General Partner and its Affiliates immediately prior to the conversion of such Final Subordinated Units into Common Units. This allocation method for establishing such economic uniformity will be available to the General Partner only if the method for allocating the Capital Account maintained with respect to the Subordinated Units between the transferred and retained Subordinated Units pursuant to Section 5.4(c)(ii) does not otherwise provide such economic uniformity to the Final Subordinated Units.

(B) Prior to making any allocations pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(xii)(C) , if a Revaluation Event occurs during any taxable period of the Partnership ending upon, or after, the issuance of IDR Reset Common Units pursuant to Section 5.10 , then after the application of Section 6.1(d)(x)(A) , any Unrealized Gains and Unrealized Losses shall be allocated among the Partners in a manner that to the nearest extent possible results in the Capital Accounts maintained with respect to such IDR Reset Common Units issued pursuant to Section 5.10 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.

(C) Prior to making any allocations pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(xii)(C) , if a Revaluation Event occurs, then after the application of Section 6.1(d)(x)(A) - (B) , any remaining Unrealized Gains and Unrealized Losses shall be allocated to the holders of (A) Outstanding Privately Placed Units, Pro Rata, or (B) Outstanding Common Units (other than Privately Placed Units), Pro Rata, as applicable, in a manner that to the nearest extent possible results in the Capital Accounts maintained with respect to each Privately Placed Unit equaling the Per Unit Capital Amount for an Initial Common Unit.

(D) 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.

 

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(E) 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 (1) adopt such conventions as it deems appropriate in determining the amount of depreciation, amortization and cost recovery deductions; (2) make special allocations of income, gain, loss, deduction, Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss; and (3) without the consent of any Limited Partner or any other Person, 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) that are publicly traded as a single class. 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)(E) only if it determines that such conventions, allocations or amendments would not have a material adverse effect on the Partners, the holders of any class or classes of Outstanding Limited Partner Interests or the Partnership.

(xi) Curative Allocation.

(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1 , other than the Required Allocations, the General Partner shall take the Required Allocations into account in making the Agreed Allocations so that, to the extent possible, the net amount of items of gross income, gain, loss and deduction allocated to each Partner pursuant to the Required Allocations and the Agreed Allocations, together, shall be equal to the net amount of such items that would have been allocated to each such Partner under the Agreed Allocations had the Required Allocations and the related Curative Allocation not otherwise been provided in this Section 6.1 . In exercising its discretion under this Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A) , the General Partner may take into account future Required Allocations that, although not yet made, are likely to offset other Required Allocations previously made. Allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A) shall only be made with respect to Required Allocations to the extent the General Partner determines that such allocations will otherwise be inconsistent with the economic agreement among the Partners.

(B) The General Partner shall, with respect to each taxable period, (1) apply the provisions of Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A) in whatever order is most likely to minimize the economic distortions that might otherwise result from the Required Allocations, and (2) divide all allocations pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A) among the Partners in a manner that is likely to minimize such economic distortions.

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

(A) The General Partner shall allocate Additional Book Basis Derivative Items consisting of depreciation, amortization, 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) .

(B) If a sale or other taxable disposition of an Adjusted Property, including, for this purpose, inventory (“ Disposed of Adjusted Property ”) occurs other than in connection with an event giving rise to Sale Gain or Sale Loss, the General Partner shall allocate (1) items of gross income and gain (x) away from the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights and (y) to the Unitholders, or (2) items of deduction and loss (x) away from the Unitholders and (y) 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)(xii)(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)(xii)(B) , the Unitholders shall

 

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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 ( e.g. , Additional Book Basis Derivative Items taken into account in computing cost of goods sold would reduce the amount of book income otherwise available for allocation among the Partners). Any allocation made pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(xii)(B) shall be made after all of the other Agreed Allocations have been made as if this Section 6.1(d)(xii) were not in this Agreement and, to the extent necessary, shall require the reallocation of items that have been allocated pursuant to such other Agreed Allocations.

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

(xiii) Special Curative Allocation in Event of Liquidation Prior to Conversion of the Last Outstanding Subordinated Unit . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1 (other than the Required Allocations), if (1) the Liquidation Date occurs prior to the conversion of the last Outstanding Subordinated Unit and (2) after having made all other allocations provided for in this Section 6.1 for the taxable period in which the Liquidation Date occurs, the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit does not equal the amount such Capital Account would have been if Section 6.1(c)(iii) and Section 6.1(c)(iv) had not been part of this Agreement and all prior allocations of Net Termination Gain and Net Termination Loss had been made pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(i) or Section 6.1(c)(ii) , as applicable, then items of income, gain, loss and deduction for such taxable period shall be reallocated among all Unitholders in a manner determined appropriate by the General Partner so as to cause, to the maximum extent possible, the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit to equal the amount such Capital Account would have been if all prior allocations of Net Termination Gain and Net Termination Loss had been made pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(i) or Section 6.1(c)(ii) , as applicable. For the avoidance of doubt, the reallocation of items set forth in the immediately preceding sentence provides that, to the extent necessary to achieve the Capital Account balances described above, (x) items of income and gain that would otherwise be included in Net Income or Net Loss, as the case may be, for the taxable period in which the Liquidation Date occurs shall be reallocated from the Unitholders holding Subordinated Units to Unitholders holding Common Units and (y) items of deduction and loss that would otherwise be included in Net Income or Net Loss, as the case may be, for the taxable period in which the Liquidation Date occurs shall be reallocated from Unitholders

 

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holding Common Units to the Unitholders holding Subordinated Units. In the event that (1) the Liquidation Date occurs on or before the date (not including any extension of time prescribed by law) for the filing of the Partnership’s U.S. federal income tax return for the taxable period immediately prior to the taxable period in which the Liquidation Date occurs and (2) the reallocation of items for the taxable period in which the Liquidation Date occurs as set forth above in this Section 6.1(d)(xiii) fails to achieve the Capital Account balances described above, items of income, gain, loss and deduction that would otherwise be included in the Net Income or Net Loss, as the case may be, for such prior taxable period shall be reallocated among the Unitholders in a manner that will, to the maximum extent possible and after taking into account all other allocations made pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(xiii) , cause the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit to equal the amount such Capital Account would have been if all prior allocations of Net Termination Gain and Net Termination Loss had been made pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(i) or Section 6.1(c)(ii) , as applicable.

Section 6.2 Allocations for Tax Purposes .

(a) Except as otherwise provided herein, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, each item of income, gain, loss and deduction shall be allocated among the Partners in the same manner as its correlative item of “book” income, gain, loss or deduction is allocated pursuant to Section 6.1 .

(b) In an attempt to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities attributable to a Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, items of income, gain, loss, depreciation, amortization and cost recovery deductions shall be allocated for U.S. federal income tax purposes among the Partners in the manner provided under Section 704(c) of the Code, and the Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 704(b) and 704(c) of the Code, as determined appropriate by the General Partner (taking into account the General Partner’s discretion under Section 6.1(d)(x)(E)); provided , that in all events the General Partner shall apply the “remedial allocation method” in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-3(d).

(c) The General Partner may determine to depreciate or amortize the portion of an adjustment under Section 743(b) of the Code attributable to unrealized appreciation in any Adjusted Property (to the extent of the unamortized Book-Tax Disparity) using a predetermined rate derived from the depreciation or amortization method and useful life applied to the unamortized Book-Tax Disparity of such property, despite any inconsistency of such approach with Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-l(a)(6) or any successor regulations thereto. If the General Partner determines that such reporting position cannot reasonably be taken, the General Partner may adopt depreciation and amortization conventions under which all purchasers acquiring Limited Partner Interests in the same month would receive depreciation and amortization deductions, based upon the same applicable rate as if they had purchased a direct interest in the Partnership’s property. If the General Partner chooses not to utilize such aggregate method, the General Partner may use any other depreciation and amortization conventions to preserve the uniformity of the intrinsic tax characteristics of any Limited Partner Interests, so long as such conventions would not have a material adverse effect on the Limited Partners or the Record Holders of any class or classes of Limited Partner Interests.

(d) In accordance with Treasury Regulation Sections 1.1245-1(e) and 1.1250-1(f), any gain allocated to the Partners upon the sale or other taxable disposition of any Partnership property shall, to the extent possible, after taking into account other required allocations of gain pursuant to this Section 6.2 , be characterized as Recapture Income in the same proportions and to the same extent as such Partners (or their predecessors in interest) have been allocated any deductions directly or indirectly giving rise to the treatment of such gains as Recapture Income.

(e) All items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit recognized by the Partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and allocated to the Partners in accordance with the provisions hereof shall be determined without regard to any election under Section 754 of the Code that may be made by the Partnership; provided , however , that such allocations, once made, shall be adjusted (in the manner determined by the General Partner) to take into account those adjustments permitted or required by Sections 734 and 743 of the Code.

 

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

(g) Allocations that would otherwise be made to a Limited Partner under the provisions of this Article VI shall instead be made to the beneficial owner of Limited Partner Interests held by a nominee, agent or representative in any case in which such nominee, agent or representative 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.

(h) 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 shall make corrective allocations pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(4)(x).

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

(a) Within 45 days following the end of each Quarter commencing with the Quarter ending on [                    ], 2015, 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. The Record Date for determining the Partners entitled to the first distribution of Available Cash shall not be prior to the final closing of the Over-Allotment Option or the Deferred Issuance. 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 Available Cash 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 Available Cash distributed by the Partnership on such date shall, except as otherwise provided in Section 6.5 , be deemed to be “ Capital Surplus .” Distributions and redemption payments, if any, by the Partnership shall be subject to the Delaware Act notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement.

(b) Notwithstanding Section 6.3(a) (but subject to the last sentence of Section 6.3(a) ), in the event of the dissolution and liquidation of the Partnership, all cash received during or after the Quarter in which the Liquidation Date occurs 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 an advance of 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 the Transfer Agent or through any other Person or agent, only to the Record Holder of such Partnership Interest as of the Record Date set for such distribution. Such payment shall constitute full payment and satisfaction of the Partnership’s liability in respect of such payment, regardless of any claim of any Person who may have an interest in such payment by reason of an assignment or otherwise.

 

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Section 6.4 Distributions of Available Cash from Operating Surplus .

(a) During the Subordination Period . Available Cash with respect to any Quarter within the Subordination Period that is deemed to be Operating Surplus pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.3 or Section 6.5 shall be distributed as follows, except as otherwise required in respect of additional Partnership Interests or Derivative Partnership Interests issued pursuant to Section 5.5(b) :

(i) First, to all Unitholders holding Common Units, Pro Rata, until there has been distributed in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such Quarter;

(ii) Second, to all Unitholders holding Common Units, Pro Rata, until there has been distributed in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage existing with respect to such Quarter;

(iii) Third, to all Unitholders holding Subordinated Units, Pro Rata, until there has been distributed in respect of each Subordinated Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such Quarter;

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

(v) Fifth, (A) 15% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and (B) 85% 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;

(vi) Sixth, (A) 25% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and (B) 75% 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

(vii) Thereafter, (A) 50% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and (B) 50% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata;

provided , however , that if the Minimum Quarterly Distribution, the First Target Distribution, the Second Target Distribution and the Third Target Distribution have been reduced to zero pursuant to the second sentence of Section 6.6(a) , the distribution of Available Cash that is deemed to be Operating Surplus with respect to any Quarter will be made solely in accordance with Section 6.4(a)(vii) .

(b) After the Subordination Period . Available Cash with respect to any Quarter after the Subordination Period that is deemed to be Operating Surplus pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.3 or Section 6.5 shall be distributed as follows, except as otherwise required in respect of additional Partnership Interests issued pursuant to Section 5.5(b) :

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

(ii) Second, 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 First Target Distribution over the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such Quarter;

(iii) Third, (A) 15% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and (B) 85% 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;

 

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(iv) Fourth, (A) 25% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and (B) 75% 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

(v) Thereafter, (A) 50% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and (B) 50% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata;

provided , however , that if the Minimum Quarterly Distribution, the First Target Distribution, the Second Target Distribution and the Third Target Distribution have been reduced to zero pursuant to the second sentence of Section 6.6(a) , the distribution of Available Cash that is deemed to be Operating Surplus with respect to any Quarter will be made solely in accordance with Section 6.4(b)(v) .

Section 6.5 Distributions of Available Cash from Capital Surplus . Available Cash that is 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, to the Unitholders, Pro Rata, until a hypothetical holder of a Common Unit acquired on the Closing Date has received with respect to such Common Unit distributions of Available Cash that are deemed to be Capital Surplus in an aggregate amount equal to the Initial Unit Price. Available Cash that is deemed to be Capital Surplus shall then be distributed to all Unitholders holding Common Units, Pro Rata, until there has been distributed in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage. Thereafter, all Available Cash shall be distributed as if it were Operating Surplus and shall be distributed in accordance with Section 6.4 .

Section 6.6 Adjustment of Minimum Quarterly Distribution and Target Distribution Levels .

(a) The Minimum Quarterly Distribution, Target Distributions, Common Unit Arrearages and Cumulative Common Unit Arrearages shall be proportionately adjusted in the event of any distribution, combination or subdivision (whether effected by a distribution payable in Units or otherwise) of Units or other Partnership Interests in accordance with Section 5.8 . In the event of a distribution of Available Cash that is deemed to be from Capital Surplus, the then applicable Minimum Quarterly Distribution and Target Distributions shall be adjusted proportionately downward 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, then the fair market value will be the Current Market Price before the ex-dividend date, and if the Common Units are not publicly traded, then the fair market value for the purposes of the immediately preceding sentence will be determined by the Board of Directors.

(b) The Minimum Quarterly Distribution, First Target Distribution, Second Target Distribution and Third Target Distribution, shall also be subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 5.10 and Section 6.9 .

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

(a) Except with respect to the right to vote on or approve matters requiring the vote or approval of a percentage of the holders of Outstanding Common Units and the right to participate in allocations of income, gain, loss and deduction and distributions made with respect to Common Units, the holder of a Subordinated Unit shall have all of the rights and obligations of a Unitholder holding Common Units hereunder; provided , however , that immediately upon the conversion of Subordinated Units into Common Units pursuant to Section 5.6 , the Unitholder holding Common Units resulting from the conversion of Subordinated Units shall possess all of the rights and obligations of a Unitholder holding Common Units hereunder with respect to such Common Units resulting from the conversion of Subordinated Units, including the right to vote as a Common Unitholder and the right to participate in allocations of income, gain, loss and deduction and distributions made with respect to Common Units; provided , however , that such Common Units resulting from the conversion of Subordinated Units shall remain subject to the provisions of Section 5.4(c)(ii) , Section 6.1(d)(x)(A) , Section 6.7(b) and Section 6.7(c) .

 

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(b) A Unitholder shall not be permitted to transfer a Subordinated Unit or a Common Unit resulting from the conversion of a Subordinated Unit pursuant to Section 5.6 (other than a transfer to an Affiliate) if the remaining balance in the transferring Unitholder’s Capital Account with respect to the retained Subordinated Units or retained Common Units resulting from the conversion of Subordinated Units would be negative after giving effect to the allocation under Section 5.4(c)(ii)(B) .

(c) The holder of a Common Unit that has resulted from the conversion of a Subordinated Unit pursuant to Section 5.6 shall not be issued a Common Unit Certificate pursuant to Section 4.1 (if the Common Units are represented by Certificates) and 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 each such Common Unit should have, as a substantive matter, like intrinsic economic and federal income tax characteristics, in all material respects, to the intrinsic economic and federal income tax characteristics of an Initial Common Unit. In connection with the condition imposed by this Section 6.7(c), the General Partner may take whatever steps are required to provide economic uniformity to such Common Units in preparation for a transfer of such Common Units, including the application of Section 5.4(c)(ii) , Section 6.1(d)(x) and Section 6.7(b) ; provided , however , that no such steps may be taken that would have a material adverse effect on the Unitholders holding Common Units.

Section 6.8 Special Provisions Relating to the Holders of Incentive Distribution Rights .

(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights (1) shall (x) possess the rights and obligations provided in this Agreement with respect to a Limited Partner pursuant to Article III and Article VII and (y) have a Capital Account as a Partner pursuant to Section 5.4 and all other provisions related thereto and (2) shall not (x) be entitled to vote on any matters requiring the approval or vote of the holders of Outstanding Units, except as provided by law, (y) be entitled to any distributions other than as provided in Section 6.4(a)(v) , (vi)  and (vii), Section 6.4(b)(iii), (iv)  and (v), and Section 12.4 or (z) be allocated items of income, gain, loss or deduction other than as specified in this Article VI ; provided , however , that for the avoidance of doubt, the foregoing shall not preclude the Partnership from making any other payments or distributions in connection with other actions permitted by this Agreement.

(b) 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 5.4(c)(iii) .

(c) A holder of an IDR Reset Common Unit that was issued in connection with an IDR Reset Election pursuant to Section 5.10 shall not be issued a Common Unit Certificate pursuant to Section 4.1 (if the Common Units are evidenced by Certificates) or evidence of the issuance of uncertificated Common Units, and shall not be permitted to transfer such Common Unit to a Person that is not an Affiliate of such holder, until such time as the General Partner determines, based on advice of counsel, that each such IDR Reset Common Unit should have, as a substantive matter, like intrinsic economic and federal income tax characteristics, in all material respects, to the intrinsic economic and federal income tax characteristics of an Initial Common Unit. In connection with the condition imposed by this Section 6.8(c) , the General Partner may take whatever steps are required to provide economic uniformity to such IDR Reset Common Units in preparation for a transfer of such IDR Reset Common Units, including the application of Section 5.4(c)(iii) , Section 6.1(d)(x)(B) , or Section 6.1(d)(x)(D) ; provided , however , that no such steps may be taken that would have a material adverse effect on the Unitholders holding Common Units.

Section 6.9 Entity-Level Taxation . If legislation is enacted or the official interpretation of existing legislation is modified by a governmental authority, which after giving effect to such enactment or modification, results in a Group Member becoming subject to federal, state or local or non-U.S. income or withholding taxes in excess of the amount of such taxes due from the Group Member prior to such enactment or modification (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any increase in the rate of such taxation applicable to the Group Member),

 

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then the General Partner may, in its sole and absolute discretion, reduce the Minimum Quarterly Distribution and the Target Distributions by the amount of income or withholding taxes that are payable by reason of any such new legislation or interpretation (the “ Incremental Income Taxes ”), or any portion thereof selected by the General Partner, in the manner provided in this Section 6.9 . If the General Partner elects to reduce the Minimum Quarterly Distribution and 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 Minimum Quarterly Distribution, First Target Distribution, Second Target Distribution and Third Target Distribution, shall be the product obtained by multiplying (a) the amounts therefor that are set out herein prior to the application of this Section 6.9 times (b) the quotient obtained by dividing (i) Available Cash with respect to such Quarter by (ii) the sum of Available Cash 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, Available Cash 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, all management powers over the business and affairs of the Partnership shall be exclusively vested in the General Partner, and no Limited Partner, in its capacity as such, 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 7.3 , 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 into or exchangeable for Partnership Interests, and the incurring of any other obligations;

(ii) the making of tax, regulatory and other filings, or rendering of periodic or other reports to governmental or other agencies having jurisdiction over the business or assets of the Partnership;

(iii) the acquisition, disposition, mortgage, pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation or exchange of any or all of the assets of the Partnership or the merger or other combination of the Partnership with or into another Person (the matters described in this clause (iii)  being subject, however, to any prior approval that may be required by Section 7.3 and 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; subject to Section 7.6(a), 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;

 

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(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 held by the Partnership;

(vii) the selection and dismissal of officers, employees, agents, internal and outside attorneys, accountants, consultants and contractors 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) subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 2.4 ;

(x) the control of any matters affecting the rights and obligations of the Partnership, including the bringing and defending of actions at law or in equity and otherwise engaging in the conduct of litigation, arbitration or mediation and the incurring of legal expense and the settlement of claims and litigation;

(xi) the indemnification of any Person against Liabilities and contingencies to the extent permitted by law;

(xii) the entering into of listing agreements with any National Securities Exchange and the delisting of some or all of the Limited Partner Interests from, or requesting that trading be suspended on, any such exchange (subject to any prior approval that may be required under Section 4.8 );

(xiii) the purchase, sale or other acquisition or disposition of Partnership Interests, or the issuance of Derivative 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) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, any Group Member Agreement, the Delaware Act or any applicable law, rule or regulation, each Record Holder and each other Person who may acquire an interest in a Partnership Interest or that is otherwise bound by this Agreement hereby (i) approves, ratifies and confirms the execution, delivery and performance by the parties thereto of this Agreement and the Group Member Agreement of each other Group Member, the IPO Underwriting Agreement, the Omnibus Agreement, the Contribution Agreement, the Operational Services and Secondment Agreement and the other agreements described in or filed as exhibits to the IPO Registration Statement that are related to the transactions contemplated by the IPO Registration Statement (collectively, the “ Transaction Documents ”) (in each case other than this Agreement, without giving effect to any amendments, supplements or restatements thereof entered into after the date such Person becomes bound by the provisions of this Agreement); (ii) agrees that the General Partner (on its own or on behalf of the Partnership) is authorized to execute, deliver and perform the agreements referred to in clause i) of this sentence and the other agreements, acts, transactions and matters described in or contemplated by the IPO Registration Statement on behalf of the Partnership without any further act, approval or vote of the Partners or the other Persons who may acquire an interest in Partnership Interests or are otherwise bound by this Agreement; and (iii) agrees that the execution, delivery or performance by the General Partner, any Group Member or any Affiliate of any of them of this Agreement or any agreement authorized or permitted under this Agreement (including the exercise by the General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner of the

 

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rights accorded pursuant to Article XV ) shall not constitute a breach by the General Partner of any duty that the General Partner may owe the Partnership or the Limited Partners or any other Persons under this Agreement (or any other agreements) or of any duty existing at law, in equity or otherwise.

Section 7.2 Certificate of Limited Partnership . The General Partner has caused the Certificate of Limited Partnership to be filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as required by the Delaware Act. The General Partner shall use all reasonable efforts to cause to be filed such other certificates or documents that the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate for the formation, continuation, qualification and operation of a limited partnership (or a partnership in which the limited partners have limited liability) in the State of Delaware or any other state in which the Partnership may elect to do business or own property. To the extent the General Partner determines such action to be necessary or appropriate, the General Partner shall file amendments to and restatements of the Certificate of Limited Partnership and do all things to maintain the Partnership as a limited partnership (or a partnership or other entity in which the limited partners have limited liability) under the laws of the State of Delaware or of any other state in which the Partnership may elect to do business or own property. Subject to the terms of Section 3.3(a) , the General Partner shall not be required, before or after filing, to deliver or mail a copy of the Certificate of Limited Partnership, any qualification document or any amendment thereto to any Limited Partner.

Section 7.3 Restrictions on the General Partner’s Authority to Sell Assets of the Partnership Group . 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 (including by way of merger, consolidation or other combination or sale of ownership interests of the Partnership’s Subsidiaries) without the approval of holders of a Unit Majority; provided , however , that this provision shall not preclude or limit the General Partner’s ability to mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or grant a security interest in all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership Group and shall not apply to any forced sale of any or all of the assets of the Partnership Group pursuant to the foreclosure of, or other realization upon, any such encumbrance.

Section 7.4 Reimbursement of and Other Payments to the General Partner .

(a) Except as provided in this Section 7.4 , and elsewhere in this Agreement or in the Omnibus Agreement or the Operational Services and Secondment Agreement, the General Partner shall not be compensated for its services as a general partner or member of any Group Member.

(b) Except as may be otherwise provided in the Omnibus Agreement or the Operational Services and Secondment Agreement, the General Partner shall be reimbursed on a monthly basis, or such other basis as the General Partner may determine, for (i) all direct and indirect expenses it incurs or payments it makes on behalf of the Partnership Group (including salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to any Person, including Affiliates of the General Partner, to perform services for the Partnership Group or for the General Partner in the discharge of its duties to the Partnership Group) and (ii) all other expenses allocable to the Partnership Group or otherwise incurred by the General Partner or its Affiliates in connection with managing and operating the Partnership Group’s business and affairs (including expenses allocated to the General Partner by its Affiliates). The General Partner shall determine the expenses that are allocable to the Partnership Group. Reimbursements pursuant to this Section 7.4 shall be in addition to any reimbursement to the General Partner as a result of indemnification pursuant to Section 7.7 . Any allocation of expenses to the Partnership by the General Partner in a manner consistent with its or its Affiliates’ past business practices shall be deemed to have been made in good faith.

(c) The General Partner, without the approval of the Limited Partners (who shall have no right to vote in respect thereof), may propose and adopt on behalf of the Partnership employee benefit plans, employee programs and employee practices (including plans, programs and practices involving the issuance of Partnership Interests or Derivative Partnership Interests), or cause the Partnership to issue Partnership Interests or Derivative

 

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Partnership Interests in connection with, or pursuant to, any employee benefit plan, employee program or employee practice maintained or sponsored by the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, in each case for the benefit of officers, employees, consultants and directors of the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, in respect of services performed, directly or indirectly, for the benefit of the Partnership Group. The Partnership agrees to issue and sell to the General Partner or any of its Affiliates any Partnership Interests or Derivative Partnership Interests that the General Partner or such Affiliates are obligated to provide to any officers, employees, consultants and directors pursuant to any such employee benefit plans, employee programs or employee practices. Expenses incurred by the General Partner in connection with any such plans, programs and practices (including the net cost to the General Partner or such Affiliates of Partnership Interests or Derivative Partnership Interests purchased by the General Partner or such Affiliates from the Partnership to fulfill options or awards under such plans, programs and practices) shall be reimbursed in accordance with Section 7.4(b) . Any and all obligations of the General Partner under any employee benefit plans, employee programs or employee practices adopted by the General Partner as permitted by this Section 7.4(c) shall constitute obligations of the General Partner hereunder and shall be assumed by any successor General Partner approved pursuant to Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 or the transferee of or successor to all of the General Partner’s General Partner Interest pursuant to Section 4.6 .

(d) 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 the revenues or gross margin of any member of the Partnership Group if the tax benefit produced by the payment of such management fee or fees exceeds the amount of such fee or fees.

(e) The General Partner and its Affiliates may enter into an agreement to provide services to any Group Member for a fee or otherwise than for cost.

Section 7.5 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 IPO Registration Statement, (B) the acquiring, owning or disposing of debt securities or equity interests in any Group Member, (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 or (D) the performance of its obligations under the Omnibus Agreement.

(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, and none of the same shall constitute a breach of this Agreement or any duty otherwise existing at law, in equity or otherwise to any Group Member or any Partner or any other Person bound by this Agreement; provided , that such Unrestricted Person does not engage in such business or activity using confidential or proprietary information provided by or on behalf of the Partnership to such Unrestricted Person. None of any Group Member, any Limited Partner or any other Person shall have any rights by virtue of this Agreement, any Group Member Agreement or the partnership relationship established hereby in any business ventures of any Unrestricted Person.

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General Partner) in accordance with the provisions of this Section 7.5 is hereby approved by the Partnership and all Partners and all other Persons bound by this Agreement, (ii) it shall be deemed not to be a breach of any duty or any other 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 or any duty otherwise existing at law or in equity, 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 the Partnership, and such Unrestricted Person (including the General Partner) shall not be liable to the Partnership, to any Limited Partner or any other Person bound by this Agreement for breach of any duty by reason of the fact that such Unrestricted Person (including the General Partner) pursues or acquires for itself, directs such opportunity to another Person or does not communicate such opportunity or information to the Partnership; provided, that such Unrestricted Person does not engage in such business or activity using confidential or proprietary information provided by or on behalf of the Partnership to such Unrestricted Person.

(d) The General Partner and each of its Affiliates may acquire Units or other Partnership Interests in addition to those acquired on the Closing Date and, except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, shall be entitled to exercise, at their option, all rights relating to all Units and/or other Partnership Interests acquired by them. The term “Affiliates” when used in this Section 7.5(d) with respect to the General Partner shall not include any Group Member.

Section 7.6 Loans from the General Partner; Loans or Contributions from the Partnership or Group Members .

(a) The General Partner or any of its Affiliates may lend to any Group Member, and any Group Member may borrow from the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, funds needed or desired by such Group Member for such periods of time and in such amounts as the General Partner may determine; provided, however , that in any such case the lending party may not charge the borrowing party interest at a rate greater than the rate that would be charged the borrowing party or impose terms less favorable to the borrowing party than would be charged or imposed on the borrowing party by unrelated lenders on comparable loans made on an arm’s-length basis (without reference to the lending party’s financial abilities or guarantees), all as determined by the General Partner. The borrowing party shall reimburse the lending party for any costs (other than any additional interest costs) incurred by the lending party in connection with the borrowing of such funds. For purposes of this Section 7.6(a) and Section 7.6(b) , the term “Group Member” shall include any Affiliate of a Group Member that is controlled by the Group Member.

(b) The Partnership may lend or contribute to any Group Member, and any Group Member may borrow from the Partnership, funds on terms and conditions determined by the General Partner. No Group Member may lend funds to the General Partner or any of its Affiliates (other than another Group Member), except for short-term cash management purposes.

(c) No borrowing by any Group Member or the approval thereof by the General Partner shall be deemed to constitute a breach of any duty, expressed or implied, of the General Partner or its Affiliates to the Partnership or the Limited Partners or any other Person bound by this Agreement existing hereunder, or existing at law, in equity or otherwise, by reason of the fact that the purpose or effect of such borrowing is directly or indirectly to (i) enable distributions to the General Partner or its Affiliates (in their capacities as Limited Partners) to exceed the General Partner’s Percentage Interest (in its capacity as a Limited Partner) of the total amount distributed to all Partners or (ii) hasten the expiration of the Subordination Period or the conversion of any Subordinated Units into Common Units.

 

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Section 7.7 Indemnification .

(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law but subject to the limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, all Indemnitees shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Partnership from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other amounts arising from any and all threatened, pending or completed claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, and whether formal or informal and including appeals, in which any Indemnitee may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of its status as an Indemnitee and acting (or refraining to act) in such capacity on behalf of or for the benefit of the Partnership; 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 engaged in intentional fraud, willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful; provided, further, no indemnification pursuant to this Section 7.7 shall be available to any Affiliate of the General Partner (other than a Group Member), or to any other Indemnitee, with respect to any such Affiliate’s obligations pursuant to the Transaction Documents. Any indemnification pursuant to this Section 7.7 shall be made only out of the assets of the Partnership, it being agreed that the General Partner shall not be personally liable for such indemnification and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Partnership to enable it to effectuate such indemnification.

(b) To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses (including legal fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnitee who is indemnified pursuant to Section 7.7(a) in defending any claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding shall, from time to time, be advanced by the Partnership prior to 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 this Agreement or any other agreement, pursuant to any vote of the holders of Outstanding Limited Partner Interests, as a matter of law, in equity or otherwise, both as to actions in the Indemnitee’s capacity as an Indemnitee and as to actions in any other capacity (including any capacity under the IPO Underwriting Agreement), 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, executors and administrators of the Indemnitee.

(d) The Partnership may purchase and maintain (or reimburse the General Partner or its Affiliates for the cost of) insurance, on behalf of the General Partner, its Affiliates and such other Persons as the General Partner shall determine, against any liability that may be asserted against, or expense that may be incurred by, such Person in connection with the Partnership’s activities or such Person’s activities on behalf of the Partnership, regardless of whether the Partnership would have the power to indemnify such Person against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement.

(e) For purposes of this Section 7.7 , the Partnership shall be deemed to have requested an Indemnitee to serve as fiduciary of an employee benefit plan whenever the performance by it of its duties to the Partnership also imposes duties on, or otherwise involves services by, it to the plan or participants or beneficiaries of the plan; excise taxes assessed on an Indemnitee with respect to an employee benefit plan pursuant to applicable law shall constitute “fines” within the meaning of Section 7.7(a) ; and action taken or omitted by it with respect to any employee benefit plan in the performance of its duties for a purpose reasonably believed by it to be in the 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 Limited Partners or any other Persons who are 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 engaged in intentional fraud, willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful.

(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, to the Partners or to any such other Persons who are 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 Partnership or to such Partners or to any such other Persons who are bound by this Agreement for its good faith reliance on the provisions of this Agreement.

(d) Any amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 7.8 or any provision hereof shall be prospective only and shall not in any way affect the limitations on the liability of the Indemnitees under this Section 7.8 as in effect immediately prior to such amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part, prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or be asserted.

Section 7.9 Standards of Conduct; Resolution of Conflicts of Interest and Replacement of Duties .

(a) Whenever the General Partner makes a determination or takes or declines to take any action, or any Affiliate of the General Partner causes 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 a lesser standard is provided for in this Agreement, or the determination, action or failure to act has been approved as provided in

 

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Section 7.9(b)(i) or Section 7.9(b)(ii), the General Partner, or such Affiliate causing it to do so, shall make such determination or take or decline to take such action in good faith. Whenever the Board of Directors, any committee of the Board of Directors (including the Conflicts Committee) or any Affiliate of the General Partner makes a determination or takes or declines to take any action, whether under this Agreement, any Group Member Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby or otherwise, then, unless a lesser standard is provided for in this Agreement or the determination, action or failure to act has been approved as provided in Section 7.9(b)(i) or Section 7.9(b)(ii) , the Board of Directors, any committee of the Board of Directors (including the Conflicts Committee) or any Affiliate of the General Partner shall make such determination or take or decline to take such action in good faith. The foregoing and other lesser standards governing any determination, action or failure to act provided for in this Agreement are the sole and exclusive standards governing any such determinations, actions and failures to act of the General Partner, the Board of Directors, any committee of the Board of Directors (including the Conflicts Committee) and any Affiliate of the General Partner, and none of the General Partner, the Board of Directors, any committee of the Board of Directors (including the Conflicts Committee) or any Affiliate of the General Partner shall be subject to any fiduciary duty or other duty or obligation, or any other, different or higher standard (all of which duties, obligations and standards are hereby eliminated, waived and disclaimed), under this Agreement, any Group Member Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby or otherwise, or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity. Any such determination, 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) or any Affiliate of the General Partner 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) or any Affiliate of the General Partner subjectively believed such determination, action or failure to act was adverse to the interests of the Partnership. The subjective belief of a majority of the members of the Board of Directors (or any committee thereof) that voted on, or provided written consent to, any determination, action or failure to act of the Board of Directors (or any committee thereof) as to whether a determination, action or failure to act was adverse to the interests of the Partnership shall constitute the subjective belief of the Board of Directors (or any committee thereof). In any proceeding brought by or on behalf of the Partnership, any Limited Partner, any Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or any other Person who is bound by this Agreement challenging such determination, action 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 or such other applicable lesser standard under this Agreement.

(b) Unless a lesser standard is otherwise provided in this Agreement or any Group Member Agreement, whenever a potential conflict of interest exists or arises between the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Partnership, any Group Member or any Partner, 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, any Group Member Agreement, or 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 or (ii) approved by the vote of a majority of the Outstanding Common Units (excluding Common Units owned by the General Partner and its Affiliates). 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 in respect of any such conflict of interest that has not received Special Approval or Unitholder approval. If the General Partner does not submit the resolution or course of action in respect of such conflict of interest as provided in either clause (i) or clause (ii)  of the first sentence of this Section 7.9(b) , then any such resolution or course of action shall be governed by Section 7.9(a) . Whenever the General Partner makes a determination whether or not to refer any potential conflict of interest to the Conflicts Committee for Special Approval, whether or not to seek Unitholder approval or whether or not to 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 free of any duty or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership or any Limited Partner or any other Person bound by this Agreement, and the General Partner shall not, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be

 

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required to act in good faith or pursuant to any other standard or duty imposed by this Agreement, any Group Member Agreement, any other agreement contemplated hereby or otherwise or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity, and the General Partner in making such determination shall be permitted to do so in its sole and absolute discretion. If Special Approval is sought, then it shall be presumed that, in making its determination, the Conflicts Committee acted in good faith, and if the Board of Directors determines that a director satisfies the eligibility requirements to be a member of the Conflicts Committee, then it shall be presumed that, in making its determination, the Board of Directors 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 or by or on behalf of any Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or any other Person bound by this Agreement challenging any action, failure to act or determination by the Conflicts Committee with respect to any matter referred to the Conflicts Committee for Special Approval, or challenging any determination by the Board of Directors that 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, as applicable, did not act in good faith. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement or any duty otherwise existing at law or equity, the conflicts of interest described in the IPO Registration Statement are hereby approved by all Partners and shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement or any such duty.

(c) Whenever the General Partner makes a determination or takes or declines to take any action, or any Affiliate of the General Partner causes the General Partner to do so, in its individual capacity as opposed to in its capacity as the general partner of the Partnership, whether under this Agreement, any Group Member Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby or otherwise, then (i) the General Partner, or such Affiliate causing it to do so, is entitled, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to make such determination or to take or decline to take such action free of any duty (including any fiduciary duty) 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 is bound by this Agreement, (ii) the General Partner, or such Affiliate 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, any Group Member Agreement, any other agreement contemplated hereby or otherwise or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity and (iii) the Person or Persons making such determination or taking or declining to take such action shall be permitted to do so in their sole and absolute discretion. By way of illustration and not of limitation, whenever the phrases “at its option,” “its sole and absolute discretion” or some variation of those phrases, are used in this Agreement, they indicate 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.

(d) The General Partner’s organizational documents may provide that determinations to take or decline to take any action in its individual, rather than representative, capacity may or shall be determined by its members, if the General Partner is a limited liability company, stockholders, if the General Partner is a corporation, or the members or stockholders of the General Partner’s general partner, if the General Partner is a general or limited partnership.

(e) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the General Partner and its Affiliates shall have no duty or obligation, express or implied, to (i) sell or otherwise dispose of, or approve the sale or disposition 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 either the General Partner or any of its Affiliates to enter into such contracts shall, in each case, be at its option.

(f) The Limited Partners, any other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest and any other Person 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 .

 

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(g) For the avoidance of doubt, whenever the Board of Directors, any member of the Board of Directors, any committee of the Board of Directors (including the Conflicts Committee) and any member of any such committee, the officers of the General Partner or any Affiliates of the General Partner (including any Person making a determination or acting for or on behalf of such Affiliate of the General Partner) make a determination on behalf of or recommendation to 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 (but not the obligations) of the General Partner hereunder, including eliminations, waivers and modifications of duties (including any fiduciary duties) to the Partnership, any of its Partners or any other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or any other Person bound by this Agreement, and the protections and presumptions set forth in this Agreement.

Section 7.10 Other Matters Concerning the General Partner and Other Indemnitees .

(a) The General Partner and any other Indemnitee may rely and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, bond, debenture or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.

(b) The General Partner and any other Indemnitee may consult with legal counsel, accountants, appraisers, management consultants, investment bankers and other consultants and advisors selected by it, and any act taken or omitted to be taken 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, respectively, reasonably believes to be within such Person’s professional or expert competence shall be conclusively presumed to have been taken or omitted to be taken in good faith and in accordance with such advice or opinion.

(c) The General Partner shall have the right, in respect of any of its powers or obligations hereunder, to act through any of its duly authorized officers, a duly appointed attorney or attorneys-in-fact or the duly authorized officers of the Partnership or 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 Derivative Partnership Interests; provided that, except as permitted pursuant to Section 4.10 or approved by the Conflicts Committee, the General Partner may not cause any Group Member to purchase Subordinated Units during the Subordination Period. 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 .

Section 7.12 Registration Rights of the General Partner and Its Affiliates .

(a) Demand Registration . Upon receipt of a Notice from any Holder at any time after the 180th day after the Closing Date, the Partnership shall file with the Commission as promptly as reasonably practicable a registration statement under the Securities Act (each, a “ Registration Statement ”) providing for the resale of the Registrable Securities identified in such Notice, which may, at the option of the Holder giving such Notice, be a Registration Statement that provides for the resale of the Registrable Securities from time to time pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The Partnership shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause such Registration Statement to become effective as soon as reasonably practicable after the initial filing of the Registration Statement and to remain effective and available for the resale of the Registrable Securities by the Selling Holders named therein until the earlier of (i) six months following such Registration Statement’s effective date and (ii) the date on which all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement have been sold. In the event one or more Holders request in a Notice to dispose of a number of Registrable Securities that such Holder

 

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or Holders reasonably anticipates will result in gross proceeds of at least $30 million in the aggregate pursuant to a Registration Statement in an Underwritten Offering, the Partnership shall retain underwriters that are reasonably acceptable to such Selling Holders in order to permit such Selling Holders to effect such disposition through an Underwritten Offering; provided , however , that the Partnership shall have the exclusive right to select the bookrunning managers. The Partnership and such Selling Holders shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form that is reasonably acceptable to the Partnership and take all reasonable actions as are requested by the managing underwriters to facilitate the Underwritten Offering and sale of Registrable Securities therein. No Holder may participate in the Underwritten Offering unless it agrees to sell its Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement on the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement and completes and delivers all necessary documents and information reasonably required under the terms of such underwriting agreement. In the event that the managing underwriter of such Underwritten Offering advises the Partnership and the Holder in writing that in its opinion the inclusion of all or some Registrable Securities would adversely and materially affect the timing or success of the Underwritten Offering, the amount of Registrable Securities that each Selling Holder requested be included in such Underwritten Offering shall be reduced on a Pro Rata basis to the aggregate amount that the managing underwriter deems will not have such material and adverse effect. Any Holder may withdraw from such Underwritten Offering by notice to the Partnership and the managing underwriter; provided , such notice is delivered prior to the launch of such Underwritten Offering.

(b) Piggyback Registration . At any time after the 180th day after the Closing Date, if the Partnership shall propose to file a Registration Statement (other than pursuant to a demand made pursuant to Section 7.12(a)) for an offering of Partnership Interests for cash (other than an offering relating solely to an employee benefit plan, an offering relating to a transaction on Form S-4 or an offering on any registration statement that does not permit secondary sales), the Partnership shall notify all Holders of such proposal at least five Business Days before the proposed filing date. The Partnership shall use commercially reasonable efforts to include such number of Registrable Securities held by any Holder in such Registration Statement as each Holder shall request in a Notice received by the Partnership within two Business Days of such Holder’s receipt of the notice from the Partnership. If the Registration Statement for which the Partnership gives notice under this Section 7.12(b) is for an Underwritten Offering, then any Holder’s ability to include its desired amount of Registrable Securities in such Registration Statement shall be conditioned on such Holder’s inclusion of all such Registrable Securities in the Underwritten Offering; provided , that, in the event that the managing underwriter of such Underwritten Offering advises the Partnership and the Holder in writing that in its opinion the inclusion of all or some Registrable Securities would adversely and materially affect the timing or success of the Underwritten Offering, the amount of Registrable Securities that each Selling Holder requested be included in such Underwritten Offering shall be reduced on a Pro Rata basis to the aggregate amount that the managing underwriter deems will not have such material and adverse effect. In connection with any such Underwritten Offering, the Partnership and the Selling Holders involved shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form that is reasonably acceptable to the Partnership and take all reasonable actions as are requested by the managing underwriters to facilitate the Underwritten Offering and sale of Registrable Securities therein. No Holder may participate in the Underwritten Offering unless it agrees to sell its Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement on the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement and completes and delivers all necessary documents and information reasonably required under the terms of such underwriting agreement. Any Holder may withdraw from such Underwritten Offering by notice to the Partnership and the managing underwriter; provided , such notice is delivered prior to the launch of such Underwritten Offering. The Partnership shall have the right to terminate or withdraw any Registration Statement or Underwritten Offering initiated by it under this Section 7.12(b) prior to the effective date of the Registration Statement or the pricing date of the Underwritten Offering, as applicable.

(c) Sale Procedures . In connection with its obligations under this Section 7.12 , the Partnership shall:

(i) furnish to each Selling Holder (A) as far in advance as reasonably practicable before filing a Registration Statement or any supplement or amendment thereto, upon request, copies of reasonably complete drafts of all such documents proposed to be filed (including exhibits and each document incorporated by reference therein to the extent then required by the rules and regulations of the Commission), and provide each such Selling Holder the opportunity to object to any information pertaining

 

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to such Selling Holder and its plan of distribution that is contained therein and make the corrections reasonably requested by such Selling Holder with respect to such information prior to filing a Registration Statement or supplement or amendment thereto and (B) such number of copies of such Registration Statement and the prospectus included therein and any supplements and amendments thereto as such Persons may reasonably request in order to facilitate the public sale or other disposition of the Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement; provided , however , that the Partnership will not have any obligation to provide any document pursuant to clause (B)  hereof that is available on the Commission’s website;

(ii) if applicable, use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the Registrable Securities covered by a Registration Statement under the securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Selling Holders or, in the case of an Underwritten Offering, the managing underwriter, shall reasonably request; provided , however , that the Partnership shall not be required to qualify generally to transact business in any jurisdiction where it is not then required to so qualify or to take any action that would subject it to general service of process in any jurisdiction where it is not then so subject;

(iii) promptly notify each Selling Holder and each underwriter, at any time when a prospectus is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, of (A) the filing of a Registration Statement or any prospectus or prospectus supplement to be used in connection therewith, or any amendment or supplement thereto, and, with respect to such Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, when the same has become effective and (B) any written comments from the Commission with respect to any Registration Statement or any document incorporated by reference therein and any written request by the Commission for amendments or supplements to a Registration Statement or any prospectus or prospectus supplement thereto;

(iv) immediately notify each Selling Holder and each underwriter, at any time when a prospectus is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, of (A) the occurrence of any event or existence of any fact (but not a description of such event or fact) as a result of which the prospectus or prospectus supplement contained in a Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading (in the case of the prospectus contained therein, in the light of the circumstances under which a statement is made), (B) the issuance or threat of issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of a Registration Statement, or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose or (C) the receipt by the Partnership of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of any Registrable Securities for sale under the applicable securities or blue sky laws of any jurisdiction. Following the provision of such notice, subject to Section 7.12(f), the Partnership agrees to, as promptly as practicable, amend or supplement the prospectus or prospectus supplement or take other appropriate action so that the prospectus or prospectus supplement does not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances then existing and to take such other reasonable action as is necessary to remove a stop order, suspension, threat thereof or proceedings related thereto; and

(v) enter into customary agreements and take such other actions as are reasonably requested by the Selling Holders or the underwriters, if any, in order to expedite or facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities, including the provision of comfort letters and legal opinions as are customary in such securities offerings.

(d) Suspension . Each Selling Holder, upon receipt of notice from the Partnership of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 7.12(c)(iv) , shall forthwith discontinue disposition of the Registrable Securities by means of a prospectus or prospectus supplement until such Selling Holder’s receipt of the copies of the supplemented or amended prospectus contemplated by such subsection, or until it is advised in writing by the Partnership that the use of the prospectus may be resumed, and receipt of copies of any additional or supplemental filings incorporated by reference in the prospectus.

 

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(e) Expenses . Except as set forth in an underwriting agreement for the applicable Underwritten Offering or as otherwise agreed between a Selling Holder and the Partnership, all costs and expenses of a Registration Statement filed or an Underwritten Offering that includes Registrable Securities pursuant to this Section 7.12 (other than underwriting discounts and commissions on Registrable Securities and fees and expenses of counsel and advisors to Selling Holders) shall be paid by the Partnership.

(f) Delay Right . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, if the General Partner determines that the Partnership’s compliance with its obligations in this Section 7.12 would be detrimental to the Partnership because such registration would (x) materially interfere with a significant acquisition, reorganization or other similar transaction involving the Partnership, (y) require premature disclosure of material information that the Partnership has a bona fide business purpose for preserving as confidential or (z) render the Partnership unable to comply with requirements under applicable securities laws, then the Partnership shall have the right to postpone compliance with such obligations for a period of not more than six months; provided , however , that such right may not be exercised more than twice in any 24 month period.

(g) Indemnification .

(i) 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, but subject to the limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, indemnify and hold harmless each Selling 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(g) 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, preliminary prospectus, final prospectus or issuer free writing prospectus under which any Registrable Securities were registered or sold by such Selling Holder under the Securities Act, 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 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, preliminary prospectus, final prospectus or issuer free writing prospectus 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.

(ii) Each Selling Holder shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, indemnify and hold harmless the Partnership, the General Partner, the General Partner’s officers and directors and each Person who controls the Partnership or the General Partner (within the meaning of the Securities Act) and any agent thereof to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the Partnership to the Selling Holders, but only with respect to information regarding such Selling Holder furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Selling Holder expressly for inclusion in a Registration Statement, preliminary prospectus, final prospectus or free writing prospectus relating to the Registrable Securities held by such Selling Holder.

(iii) The provisions of this Section 7.12(g) shall be in addition to any other rights to indemnification or contribution that a Person entitled to indemnification under this Section 7.12(g) may have pursuant to law, equity, contract or otherwise.

(h) Specific Performance . Damages in the event of breach of Section 7.12 by a party hereto may be difficult, if not impossible, to ascertain, and it is therefore agreed that each party, in addition to and without limiting any other remedy or right it may have, will have the right to seek an injunction or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction, enjoining any such breach, and enforcing specifically the terms and provisions hereof,

 

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and each of the parties hereto hereby waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any and all defenses it may have on the ground of lack of jurisdiction or competence of the court to grant such an injunction or other equitable relief. The existence of this right will not preclude any such party from pursuing any other rights and remedies at law or in equity that such party may have.

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 or representative 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 or representative 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 or representative in connection with any such dealing. In no event shall any Person dealing with the General Partner or any such officer or representative 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 representative. Each and every certificate, document or other instrument executed on behalf of the Partnership by the General Partner or such officer or representative 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.

Section 7.14 Replacement of Fiduciary Duties . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, to the extent that, at law or in equity, the General Partner or any other Indemnitee would have duties (including fiduciary duties) to the Partnership, to another Partner, to any Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or to any other Person bound by this Agreement, all such duties (including fiduciary duties) are hereby eliminated, to the fullest extent permitted by law, and replaced with the duties or standards expressly set forth herein. The elimination of duties (including fiduciary duties) to the Partnership, each of the Partners, each other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest and each other Person bound by this Agreement and replacement thereof with the duties or standards expressly set forth herein are approved by the Partnership, each of the Partners, each other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest and each other Person bound by this Agreement.

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 3.3(a) . Any books and records maintained by or on behalf of the Partnership in the regular course of its business, including the Partnership Register, books of account and records of Partnership proceedings, may be kept on, or be in the form of, computer disks, hard drives, punch cards, magnetic tape, photographs, micrographics or any other information storage device; provided , that the books and records so maintained are convertible into clearly legible written form within a reasonable period of time. The books of the Partnership shall be maintained, for financial reporting purposes, on an accrual basis in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The Partnership shall not be required to keep books maintained on a cash basis, and the General Partner shall be permitted to calculate cash-based measures, including Operating Surplus and Adjusted Operating Surplus, by making such adjustments to its accrual basis books to account for non-cash items and other adjustments as the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate.

 

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

Section 8.3 Reports .

(a) Whether or not the Partnership is subject to the requirement to file reports with the Commission, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 90 days after the close of each fiscal year of the Partnership (or such shorter period as required by the Commission), the General Partner shall cause to be mailed or made available, by any reasonable means (including by posting on or making accessible through the Partnership’s or the Commission’s website), to each Record Holder of a Unit 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 the Commission or 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) Whether or not the Partnership is subject to the requirement to file reports with the Commission, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 45 days after the close of each Quarter (or such shorter period as required by the Commission) except the last Quarter of each fiscal year, the General Partner shall cause to be mailed or made available, by any reasonable means (including by posting on or making accessible through the Partnership’s or the Commission’s website), to each Record Holder of a Unit, 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 the Commission or 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.

ARTICLE IX

TAX MATTERS

Section 9.1 Tax Returns and Information . The Partnership shall timely file all returns of the Partnership that are required for federal, state and local income tax purposes on the basis of the accrual method and the taxable period or year that it is required by law to adopt, from time to time, as determined by the General Partner. In the event the Partnership is required to use a taxable period other than a year ending on December 31, the General Partner shall use reasonable efforts to change the taxable period of the Partnership to a year ending on December 31. The tax information reasonably required by Record Holders for federal, state and local income tax reporting purposes with respect to a taxable period shall be furnished to them within 90 days of the close of the calendar year in which the Partnership’s taxable period ends. The classification, realization and recognition of income, gain, losses and deductions and other items shall be on the accrual method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Section 9.2 Tax Elections .

(a) The Partnership shall make the election under Section 754 of the Code in accordance with applicable regulations thereunder, subject to the reservation of the right to seek to revoke any such election upon the General Partner’s determination that such revocation is in the best interests of the Limited Partners. Notwithstanding any other provision herein contained, for the purposes of computing the adjustments under Section 743(b) of the Code, the General Partner shall be authorized (but not required) to adopt a convention whereby the price paid by a transferee of a Limited Partner Interest will be deemed to be the lowest quoted closing price of the Limited Partner Interests on any National Securities Exchange on which such Limited Partner Interests are listed or admitted to trading during the calendar month in which such transfer is deemed to occur pursuant to Section 6.2(f) without regard to the actual price paid by such transferee.

 

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

Section 9.3 Tax Controversies . Subject to the provisions hereof, the General Partner is designated as the “tax matters partner” (as defined in Section 6231(a)(7) of the Code) (the “ Tax Matters Partner ”) 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 Tax Matters Partner and to do or refrain from doing any or all things reasonably required by the Tax Matters Partner to conduct such proceedings. Each Partner agrees that notice of or updates regarding tax controversies shall be deemed conclusively to have been given or made by the Tax Matters Partner if the Partnership has either (a) filed the information for which notice is required with the Commission via its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system and such information is publicly available on such system or (b) made the information for which notice is required available on any publicly available website maintained by the Partnership, whether or not such Partner remains a Partner in the Partnership at the time such information is made publicly available.

Section 9.4 Withholding .

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, or established by any foreign law. 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 or Section 12.4(c) in the amount of such withholding from such Partner.

ARTICLE X

ADMISSION OF PARTNERS

Section 10.1 Admission of Limited Partners .

(a) Upon the issuance by the Partnership of Common Units, Subordinated Units and Incentive Distribution Rights to NBL Midstream and the IPO Underwriters in connection with the Initial Public Offering as described in Article V , such Persons shall, by acceptance of such Limited Partner Interests, and upon becoming the Record Holders of such Limited Partner Interests, continue as, or be admitted to the Partnership as Initial Limited Partners in respect of the Common Units, Subordinated Units or Incentive Distribution Rights issued to them and be bound by this Agreement, all with or without execution of this Agreement by such Persons.

(b) By acceptance of any Limited Partner Interests transferred in accordance with Article IV or acceptance of any Limited Partner Interests issued pursuant to Article V or pursuant to a merger, consolidation or conversion pursuant to Article XIV , each transferee of, or other such Person acquiring, a Limited Partner Interest (including any nominee, agent or representative acquiring such Limited Partner Interests for the account of another Person or Group, who shall be subject to Section 10.1(c) below) (i) except as provided in Section 4.9 , shall be admitted to the Partnership as a Limited Partner with respect to the Limited Partner Interests so transferred or issued to such Person when such Person becomes the Record Holder of the Limited Partner Interests so transferred or acquired, (ii) shall become bound, and shall be deemed to have agreed to be bound, by the terms of this Agreement, (iii) shall be deemed to represent that the transferee or acquirer has the capacity, power and authority to enter into this Agreement, and (iv) shall be deemed to make any consents, acknowledgements or waivers contained in this Agreement, all with or without execution of this Agreement by such Person. The transfer of any

 

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Limited Partner Interests and the admission of any new Limited Partner shall not constitute an amendment to this Agreement. A Person may become a Limited Partner 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 becoming 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 4.9 .

(c) With respect to any Limited Partner that holds Units representing Limited Partner Interests for another Person’s account (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 Limited Partner shall, in exercising the rights of a Limited Partner in respect of such Units on any matter, and unless the arrangement between such Persons provides otherwise, take all action as a Limited Partner by virtue of being the Record Holder of such Units at the direction of the Person who is the beneficial owner, and the Partnership shall be entitled to assume such Limited Partner is so acting without further inquiry.

(d) The name and mailing address of each Record Holder shall be listed in the Partnership Register maintained for such purpose by the Partnership or the Transfer Agent. The General Partner shall update the Partnership Register from time to time as necessary to reflect accurately the information therein (or shall cause the Transfer Agent to do so, as applicable).

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

Section 10.2 Admission of Successor General Partner . A successor General Partner approved pursuant to Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 or the transferee of or successor to all of the General Partner Interest pursuant to Section 4.6 who is proposed to be admitted as a successor General Partner shall be admitted to the Partnership as the General Partner, effective immediately prior to (a) the withdrawal or removal of the predecessor or transferring General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 or (b) 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 is hereby authorized to and 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 Partnership Register to reflect such admission and, if necessary, to prepare as soon as practicable an amendment to this Agreement and, if required by law, the General Partner shall prepare and file an amendment to the Certificate of Limited Partnership.

ARTICLE XI

WITHDRAWAL OR REMOVAL OF PARTNERS

Section 11.1 Withdrawal of the General Partner .

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

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(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)  through (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 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) , (v)  or (vi)(A) , (vi)(B) , (vi)(C) or (vi)(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 12:00 midnight, Eastern Time, on the Tenth Anniversary, 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 owned 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 12:00 midnight, Eastern Time, on the Tenth Anniversary, the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days’ advance notice to the Limited Partners, such withdrawal to take effect on the date specified in such notice; (iii) at any time that the General Partner ceases to be the General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1(a)(ii) or is removed pursuant to Section 11.2 or (iv) notwithstanding clause (i)  of this sentence, at any time that the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days’ advance notice of its intention to withdraw to the Limited Partners, such withdrawal to take effect on the date specified in the notice, if at the time such notice is given one Person and its Affiliates (other than the General Partner and its Affiliates) own beneficially or of record or control at least 50% of the Outstanding 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) , the holders of 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

 

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extent applicable, of the other Group Members of which the General Partner is a general partner or a managing member. If, prior to the effective date of the General Partner’s withdrawal, a successor is not elected by the Unitholders as provided herein or the Partnership does not receive a Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel, the Partnership shall be dissolved in accordance with Section 12.1 unless the business of the Partnership is continued pursuant to Section 12.2 . Any successor General Partner elected in accordance with the terms of this Section 11.1 shall be subject to the provisions of Section 10.2 .

Section 11.2 Removal of the General Partner . The General Partner may not be removed unless such removal is both (i) for Cause and (ii) approved by the Unitholders holding at least 66  2 / 3 % of the Outstanding Units (including Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates) voting as a single class. Any such action by such holders for removal of the General Partner must also provide for the election of a successor General Partner by the Unitholders holding a majority of the Outstanding Common Units, voting as a separate class, and Unitholders holding a majority of the Outstanding Subordinated Units (if any Subordinated Units are then Outstanding), voting as a separate class, including, in each case, Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates. Such removal shall be effective immediately following the admission of a successor General Partner pursuant to Section 10.2 . The removal of the General Partner shall also automatically constitute the removal of the General Partner as general partner or managing member, to the extent applicable, of the other Group Members of which the General Partner is a general partner or a managing member. If a Person is elected as a successor General Partner in accordance with the terms of this Section 11.2 , such Person shall, upon admission pursuant to Section 10.2 , automatically become a successor general partner or managing member, to the extent applicable, of the other Group Members of which the General Partner is a general partner or a managing member. The right of the holders of Outstanding Units to remove the General Partner shall not exist or be exercised unless the Partnership has received an opinion opining as to the matters covered by a Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel. Any successor General Partner elected in accordance with the terms of this Section 11.2 shall be subject to the provisions of Section 10.2 .

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

(a) In the event of withdrawal of the General Partner under circumstances where such withdrawal does not violate this Agreement, if a successor General Partner is elected in accordance with the terms of Section 11.1 , then the Departing General Partner shall have the option, exercisable prior to the effective date of the withdrawal of such Departing General Partner, to require such successor General Partner to purchase such Departing General Partner’s or its Affiliates’ economic general partner interests (or equivalent interests), 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 the Departing General Partner’s withdrawal. If the General Partner is removed by the Unitholders pursuant to Section 11.2 or if the General Partner withdraws under circumstances where such withdrawal violates this Agreement and (i) if a successor General Partner is elected in accordance with the terms of Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 , as applicable, or (ii) if the business of the Partnership is continued pursuant to Section 12.2 and the successor General Partner is not the former General Partner, then such successor General Partner 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 any event described in the preceding sentences of this Section 11.3(a) the Departing General Partner shall be entitled to receive all reimbursements due such Departing General Partner pursuant to Section 7.4 , including any employee-related liabilities (including severance liabilities), incurred in connection with the termination of any employees employed by the Departing General Partner or its Affiliates (other than any Group Member) for the benefit of the Partnership or the other Group Members.

For purposes of this Section 11.3(a) , the fair market value of the Combined Interest shall be determined by agreement between the Departing General Partner and its successor or, failing agreement within 30 days after the effective date of such Departing General Partner’s withdrawal or removal, by an independent investment banking

 

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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 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 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 (or its transferee) shall become a Limited Partner and its Combined Interest shall be converted into Common Units pursuant to a valuation made by an investment banking firm or other independent expert selected pursuant to Section 11.3(a) , without reduction in such Partnership Interest (but subject to proportionate dilution by reason of the admission of its successor). Any successor General Partner shall indemnify the Departing General Partner (or its transferee) as to all debts and liabilities of the Partnership arising on or after the date on which the Departing General Partner (or its transferee) becomes a Limited Partner. For purposes of this Agreement, conversion of the Combined Interest of the Departing General Partner to Common Units will be characterized as if the Departing General Partner (or its transferee) contributed its Combined Interest to the Partnership in exchange for the newly issued Common Units.

(c) If a successor General Partner is elected in accordance with the terms of Section 11.1 or 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 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, if any, 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 withdrawal or removal of the General Partner, if a successor General Partner is elected pursuant to Section 11.1 , Section 11.2 or Section 12.2 , to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Partnership shall not be dissolved and such successor General Partner shall continue the business of the Partnership. The Partnership shall dissolve, and (subject to Section 12.2 ) its affairs shall be wound up, upon:

(a) an Event of Withdrawal of the General Partner as provided in Section 11.1(a) (other than Section 11.1(a)(ii) ), unless (i) a successor General Partner is elected and a Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel is received as provided in Section 11.1(b) or Section 11.2 and such successor is admitted to the Partnership pursuant to Section 10.2 or (ii) the holders of a Unit Majority elect to continue the business of the Partnership and to appoint a successor General Partner pursuant to Section 12.2 ;

 

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(b) an election to dissolve the Partnership by the General Partner that is approved by the holders of 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) the conveyance of all the Partnership’s assets to another limited liability entity in accordance with Section 14.3(d) .

Section 12.2 Continuation of the Business of the Partnership After Dissolution . Upon (a) an Event of Withdrawal caused by the withdrawal or removal of the General Partner as provided in Section 11.1(a)(i) or (iii)  and the failure of the Unitholders to select a successor to such Departing General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 , then, to the maximum extent permitted by law, within 90 days thereafter, or (b) an event constituting an Event of Withdrawal as defined in Section 11.1(a)(iv) , (v)  or (vi) , then, to the maximum extent permitted by law, within 180 days thereafter, the holders of 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 a successor General Partner a Person approved by the holders of 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 Departing General Partner, then the interest of the Departing 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 , however , that the right of the holders 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 of any Limited Partner under the Delaware Act 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 (or in the event of dissolution pursuant to Section 12.1(a) , the holders of a Unit Majority) shall select one or more Persons to act as Liquidator. The Liquidator (if other than the General Partner) shall be entitled to receive such compensation for its services as may be approved by holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units, if any, voting as a single class. The Liquidator (if other than the General Partner) shall agree not to resign at any time without 15 days’ prior notice and may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by notice of removal approved by holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units, if any, voting as a single class. Upon dissolution, removal or resignation of the Liquidator, a successor and substitute Liquidator (who shall have and succeed to all rights, powers and duties of the original Liquidator) shall within 30 days thereafter be approved by holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units, if any, voting as a single class. The right to approve a successor or substitute Liquidator in the manner provided herein shall be deemed to refer also to any such successor or substitute Liquidator approved in the manner herein provided. Except as expressly provided in this Article XII , the Liquidator approved in the manner provided herein shall have and may exercise, without further authorization or consent of any of the parties hereto,

 

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all of the powers conferred upon the General Partner under the terms of this Agreement (but subject to all of the applicable limitations, contractual and otherwise, upon the exercise of such powers, other than the limitation on sale set forth in Section 7.3 ) necessary or appropriate to carry out the duties and functions of the Liquidator hereunder for and during the period of time required to complete the winding up and liquidation of the Partnership as provided for herein.

Section 12.4 Liquidation . The Liquidator shall proceed to dispose of the assets of the Partnership, discharge its Liabilities and otherwise wind up its affairs in such manner and over such period as determined by the Liquidator, subject to Section 17-804 of the Delaware Act and the following:

(a) The assets may be disposed of by public or private sale or by distribution in kind to one or more Partners on such terms as the Liquidator and such Partner or Partners may agree. If any property is distributed in kind, the Partner receiving the property shall be deemed for purposes of Section 12.4(c) to have received cash equal to its fair market value; and contemporaneously therewith, appropriate cash distributions must be made to the other Partners. The Liquidator may defer liquidation or distribution of the Partnership’s assets for a reasonable time if it determines that an immediate sale or distribution of all or some of the Partnership’s assets would be impractical or would cause undue loss to the Partners. The Liquidator may distribute the Partnership’s assets, in whole or in part, in kind if it determines that a sale would be impractical or would cause undue loss to the Partners.

(b) Liabilities of the Partnership include amounts owed to the Liquidator as compensation for serving in such capacity (subject to the terms of Section 12.3 ) and amounts to Partners otherwise than in respect of their distribution rights under Article VI . With respect to any liability that is contingent, conditional or unmatured or is otherwise not yet due and payable, the Liquidator shall either settle such claim for such amount as it thinks appropriate or establish a reserve of cash or other assets to provide for its payment. When paid, any unused portion of the reserve shall be distributed as additional liquidation proceeds.

(c) Subject to the terms of any Supplemental Terms Annex, all property and all cash in excess of that required to satisfy 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 property.

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.

 

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ARTICLE XIII

AMENDMENT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT; MEETINGS; RECORD DATE

Section 13.1 Amendments to be Adopted Solely by the General Partner . Each Limited Partner agrees that the General Partner, without the approval of any Limited 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 considered as a whole or any particular class of Partnership Interests as compared to other classes of Partnership Interests in any material respect (except as permitted by subsection (g) of this Section 13.1 ); provided that for purposes of determining whether an amendment satisfies the requirements of this Section 13.1(d)(i), the General Partner may in its sole discretion disregard any adverse effect on any class or classes of Partnership Interests the holders of which have approved such amendment pursuant to Section 13.3(c) , (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 5.8 or (iv) is required to effect the intent expressed in the IPO 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 year 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 year of the Partnership including, if the General Partner shall so determine, a change in the definition of “Quarter” and the dates on which distributions are to be made by the Partnership;

(f) an amendment that is necessary, in the Opinion of Counsel, to prevent the Partnership, the General Partner or its directors, officers, trustees or agents from in any manner being subjected to the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, or “plan asset” regulations adopted under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, regardless of whether such are substantially similar to plan asset regulations currently applied or proposed by the United States Department of Labor;

(g) an amendment that (i) sets forth the designations, preferences, rights, powers and duties of any class or series of Partnership Interests or Derivative Partnership Interests issued pursuant to Section 5.5 or (ii) the General Partner determines to be necessary, appropriate or advisable in connection with the authorization or issuance of any class or series of Partnership Interests or Derivative Partnership Interests pursuant to Section 5.5 , including such an amendment effectuated through a Supplemental Terms Annex;

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(i) an amendment effected, necessitated or contemplated by a Merger Agreement or a Plan of Conversion 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 Section 14.3(e) ; 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 free of any duty or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership, any Limited Partner or any other Person bound by this Agreement, and, in declining to propose or approve an amendment to this Agreement, 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 otherwise or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity, and the General Partner in determining whether to propose or approve any amendment to this Agreement shall be permitted to do so in its sole and absolute discretion. An amendment to this Agreement shall be effective upon its approval by the General Partner and, except as otherwise provided by Section 13.1 or Section 13.3 , the holders of a Unit Majority, unless a greater or different percentage of Outstanding Units is required under this Agreement. Each proposed amendment that requires the approval of the holders of a specified percentage of Outstanding Units shall be set forth in a writing that contains the text of the proposed amendment. If such an amendment is proposed, the General Partner shall seek the written approval of the requisite percentage of Outstanding Units or call a meeting of the Unitholders to consider and vote on such proposed amendment. The General Partner shall notify all Record Holders upon final adoption of any amendments. The General Partner shall be deemed to have notified all Record Holders as required by this Section 13.2 if it has posted or made accessible such amendment through the Partnership’s or the Commission’s website.

Section 13.3 Amendment Requirements .

(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 13.1 and Section 13.2 , no provision of this Agreement that establishes a percentage of Outstanding Units required to take any action shall be amended, altered, changed, repealed or rescinded in any respect that would have the effect of (i) in the case of any provision of this Agreement other than Section 11.2 or Section 13.4 , reducing such percentage or (ii) in the case of Section 11.2 or Section 13.4 , increasing such percentages, unless such amendment is approved by the written consent or the affirmative vote of holders of Outstanding Units whose aggregate Outstanding Units constitute (x) in the case of a reduction as described in subclause (a)(i) hereof, not less than the voting requirement sought to be reduced, (y) in the case of an increase in the percentage in Section 11.2 , not less than 90% of the Outstanding Units or (z) in the case of an increase in the percentage in Section 13.4 , not less than a majority of the Outstanding Units.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 13.1 and Section 13.2 , no amendment to this Agreement may (i) enlarge the obligations of any Limited Partner without its consent, unless such shall be deemed to have occurred as a result of an amendment approved pursuant to Section 13.3(c) or (ii) enlarge the obligations of, restrict in any way any action by or rights of, or reduce in any way the amounts distributable, reimbursable or otherwise payable to, the General Partner or any of its Affiliates without the General Partner’s consent, which consent may be given or withheld at its option.

 

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(c) Except as provided in Section 14.3 , and without limitation of the General Partner’s authority to adopt amendments to this Agreement without the approval of any Limited Partners as contemplated in Section 13.1 , any amendment that would have a material adverse effect on the rights or preferences of any class of Partnership Interests in relation to other classes of Partnership Interests must be approved by the holders of not less than a majority of the Outstanding Partnership Interests of the class affected.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, except for amendments pursuant to Section 13.1 and except as otherwise provided by Section 14.3(f) , no amendments shall become effective without the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the Outstanding Units voting as a single class unless the Partnership obtains an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that such amendment will not affect the limited liability of any Limited Partner under applicable partnership law of the state under whose laws the Partnership is organized.

(e) Except as provided in Section 13.1 , this Section 13.3 shall only be amended with the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the Outstanding Units.

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 specific purposes for which the special meeting is to be called and the class or classes of Units for which the meeting is proposed. No business may be brought by any Limited Partner before such special meeting except the business listed in the related request. 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 or cause to be sent a notice of the meeting to the Limited Partners. 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 be permitted to 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 or jurisdiction in which the Partnership is qualified to do business. If any such vote were to take place, to the fullest extent permitted by law, it shall be deemed null and void to the extent necessary so as not 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 .

Section 13.6 Record Date . For purposes of determining the Limited Partners who are Record Holders of the class or classes of Outstanding Limited Partner Interests 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 shall 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 such Limited Partners are requested in writing by the General Partner to give such approvals.

Section 13.7 Postponement and Adjournment . Prior to the date upon which any meeting of Limited Partners is to be held, the General Partner may postpone such meeting one or more times for any reason by giving notice to each Limited Partner entitled to vote at the meeting so postponed of the place, date and hour at

 

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which such meeting would be held. Such notice shall be given not fewer than two days before the date of such meeting and otherwise in accordance with this Article XIII . When a meeting is postponed, a new Record Date need not be fixed unless such postponement shall be for more than 45 days. Any meeting of Limited Partners may be adjourned by the General Partner 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 approval. No Limited Partner vote shall be required for any adjournment. A meeting of Limited Partners may be adjourned by the General Partner as to one or more proposals regardless of whether action has been taken on other matters. 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 . The transactions of 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 (i) when the Limited Partner attends the meeting for the express purpose of objecting, at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened and (ii) that attendance at a meeting is not a waiver of any right to disapprove of any matters submitted for consideration or to object to the failure to submit for consideration any matters required to be included in the notice of the meeting, but not so included, if such objection is expressly made at the beginning of the meeting.

Section 13.9 Quorum and Voting . Except as otherwise provided by this Agreement or required by the rules or regulations of any National Securities Exchange on which the Common Units are admitted to trading, or applicable law or pursuant to any regulation applicable to the Partnership or its Partnership Interests, the presence, in person or by proxy, of holders of a majority in voting power of the Outstanding Units of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called (including Outstanding Units deemed owned by the General Partner) entitled to vote at the meeting shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of Limited Partners of such class or classes. Abstentions and broker non-votes in respect of such Units shall be deemed to be Units present at such meeting for purposes of establishing a quorum. For all matters presented to the Limited Partners holding Outstanding Units at a meeting at which a quorum is present for which no minimum or other vote of Limited Partners is required by any other provision of this Agreement, the rules or regulations of any National Securities Exchange on which the Common Units are admitted to trading, or applicable law or pursuant to any regulation applicable to the Partnership or its Partnership Interests, a majority of the votes cast by the Limited Partners holding Outstanding Units shall be deemed to constitute the act of all Limited Partners (with abstentions and broker non-votes being deemed to not have been cast with respect to such matter). On any matter where a minimum or other vote of Limited Partners holding Outstanding Units is provided by any other provision of this Agreement or required by the rules or regulations of any National Securities Exchange on which the Common Units are admitted to trading, or applicable law or pursuant to any regulation applicable to the Partnership or its Partnership Interests, such minimum or other vote shall be the vote of Limited Partners required to approve such matter (with the effect of abstentions and broker non-votes to be determined based on the vote of Limited Partners required to approve such matter; provided that if the effect of abstentions and broker non-votes is not specified by such applicable rule, regulation or law, and there is no prevailing interpretation of such effect, then abstentions and broker non-votes shall be deemed to not have been cast with respect to such matter; provided further , that, for the avoidance of doubt, with respect to any matter on which this Agreement requires the approval of a specified percentage of the Outstanding Units, abstentions and broker non-votes shall be counted as votes against such matter). The Limited Partners present at a duly called or held meeting at which a quorum has been established may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the exit of enough Limited Partners to leave less than a quorum.

 

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Section 13.10 Conduct of a Meeting . The General Partner shall have full power and authority concerning the manner of conducting any meeting of the Limited Partners or solicitation of approvals in writing, including the determination of Persons entitled to vote, the existence of a quorum, the satisfaction of the requirements of Section 13.4 , the conduct of voting, the validity and effect of any proxies and the determination of any controversies, votes or challenges arising in connection with or during the meeting or voting. The General Partner shall designate a Person to serve as chairman of any meeting and shall further designate a Person to take the minutes of any meeting. All minutes shall be kept with the records of the Partnership maintained by the General Partner. The General Partner may make such other regulations consistent with applicable law and this Agreement as it may deem advisable concerning the conduct of any meeting of the Limited Partners or solicitation of approvals in writing, including regulations in regard to the appointment of proxies, the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes and approvals, the submission and examination of proxies and other evidence of the right to vote, and the submission and revocation of approvals in writing.

Section 13.11 Action Without a Meeting . If authorized by the General Partner, any action that may be taken at a meeting of the Limited Partners may be taken without a meeting if an approval in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by Limited Partners owning not less than the minimum percentage of the Outstanding Units that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all the Limited Partners were present and voted (unless such provision conflicts with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which 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 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 Outstanding Units held by such Limited Partners, the Partnership shall be deemed to have failed to receive a ballot for the Outstanding Units that were not voted. If approval of the taking of any permitted 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) approvals sufficient to take the action proposed are deposited with the Partnership in care of the General Partner, (b) approvals sufficient to take the action proposed are dated as of a date not more than 90 days prior to the date sufficient approvals are first deposited with the Partnership and (c) an Opinion of Counsel is delivered to the General Partner to the effect that the exercise of such right and the action proposed to be taken with respect to any particular matter (i) will not cause the Limited Partners to be deemed to be taking part in the management and control of the business and affairs of the Partnership so as to jeopardize the Limited Partners’ limited liability and (ii) is otherwise permissible under the state statutes then governing the rights, duties and Liabilities of the Partnership and the Partners.

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 (and also subject to the limitations contained in the definition of “Outstanding”) shall be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, a meeting of Limited Partners or to act with respect to matters as to which the holders of the Outstanding 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 that is the Record Holder (such as a broker, dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation, or an agent of any of the foregoing), such Record Holder 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 such Record Holder 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 .

 

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(c) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Record Holder of an Incentive Distribution Right shall not be entitled to vote such Incentive Distribution Right on any Partnership matter.

ARTICLE XIV

MERGER, CONSOLIDATION OR CONVERSION

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 limited 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 or any other country, pursuant to a written plan of merger or consolidation (“ Merger Agreement ”) or a written plan of conversion (“ Plan of Conversion ”), as the case may be, in accordance with this Article XIV .

Section 14.2 Procedure for Merger, Consolidation or Conversion .

(a) Merger, consolidation or conversion 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, consolidation or conversion of the Partnership and may decline to do so free of any duty or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership, any Limited Partner or any other Person bound by this Agreement and, in declining to consent to a merger, consolidation or conversion, 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, and the General Partner in determining whether to consent to any merger, consolidation or conversion of the Partnership shall be permitted to do so in its sole and absolute discretion.

(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 state or country of domicile of each of the business entities proposing to merge or consolidate;

(ii) the name and state of domicile 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 (A) if any general or limited partner interests, securities or rights of any constituent business entity are not to be exchanged or converted solely for, or into, cash, property or general or limited partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of the Surviving Business Entity, the cash, property or 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 general or limited partner interests, securities or rights are to receive in exchange for, or upon conversion of their interests, securities or rights and (B) in the case of equity interests represented by certificates, upon the surrender of such certificates, which cash, property or general or limited partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of the Surviving Business Entity or any general or limited partnership, corporation, trust, 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, operating agreement or other similar charter or governing document) of the Surviving Business Entity to be effected by such merger or consolidation;

 

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(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 , however , 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 at or prior to the time of the filing of such certificate of merger and stated therein); and

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

(c) If the General Partner shall determine to consent to the conversion, the General Partner shall approve the Plan of Conversion, which shall set forth:

(i) the name of the converting entity and the converted entity;

(ii) a statement that the Partnership is continuing its existence in the organizational form of the converted entity;

(iii) a statement as to the type of entity that the converted entity is to be and the state or country under the laws of which the converted entity is to be incorporated, formed or organized;

(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 converted entity;

(v) in an attachment or exhibit, the certificate of limited partnership of the Partnership;

(vi) in an attachment or exhibit, the certificate of limited partnership, articles of incorporation or other organizational documents of the converted entity;

(vii) the effective time of the conversion, which may be the date of the filing of the certificate of conversion or a later date specified in or determinable in accordance with the Plan of Conversion (provided, that if the effective time of the conversion is to be later than the date of the filing of such certificate of conversion, the effective time shall be fixed at a date or time certain at or prior to the time of the filing of such certificate of conversion and stated therein); and

(viii) such other provisions with respect to the proposed conversion 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) and Section 14.3(e) , the General Partner, upon its approval of the Merger Agreement or the Plan of Conversion, as the case may be, shall direct that the Merger Agreement or the Plan of Conversion, 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 or the Plan of Conversion, as the case may be, shall be included in or enclosed with the notice of a special meeting or the written consent and, subject to any applicable requirements of Regulation 14A pursuant to the Exchange Act or successor provision, no other disclosure regarding the proposed merger, consolidation or conversion shall be required.

(b) Except as provided in Section 14.3(d) and Section 14.3(e) , the Merger Agreement or the Plan of Conversion, as the case may be, shall be approved upon receiving the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of a Unit Majority unless the Merger Agreement or the Plan of Conversion, as the case may be, effects an amendment to any provision of this Agreement that, if contained in an amendment to this Agreement adopted pursuant to Article XIII , 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 or the Plan of Conversion, as the case may be.

 

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(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 or certificate of conversion pursuant to Section 14.4 , the merger, consolidation or conversion may be abandoned pursuant to provisions therefor, if any, set forth in the Merger Agreement or the Plan of Conversion, as the case may be.

(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 conversion, merger or conveyance other than those it receives from the Partnership or other Group Member if (i) the General Partner has received an Opinion of Counsel that the conversion, merger or conveyance, as the case may be, would not result in the loss of limited liability under the laws of the jurisdiction governing the other limited liability entity (if that jurisdiction is not Delaware) of any Limited Partner as compared to its limited liability under the Delaware Act 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), (ii) the sole purpose of such conversion, merger or conveyance is to effect a mere change in the legal form of the Partnership into another limited liability entity and (iii) the General Partner determines that 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 limited liability entity if (i) 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 of any Limited Partner under the laws of the jurisdiction governing the other limited liability entity (if that jurisdiction is not Delaware) as compared to its limited liability under the Delaware Act 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), (ii) 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 , (iii) the Partnership is the Surviving Business Entity in such merger or consolidation, (iv) each Unit Outstanding immediately prior to the effective date of the merger or consolidation is to be an identical Unit of the Partnership after the effective date of the merger or consolidation and (v) 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 (i) effect any amendment to this Agreement or (ii) 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 or Certificate of Conversion . Upon the required approval by the General Partner and the Unitholders of a Merger Agreement or the Plan of Conversion, as the case may be, a certificate of merger or certificate of conversion or other filing, as applicable, shall be executed and filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware or the appropriate filing office of any other jurisdiction, as applicable, in conformity with the requirements of the Delaware Act or other applicable law.

 

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Section 14.5 Effect of Merger, Consolidation or Conversion .

(a) At the effective time of the merger or consolidation:

(i) all of the rights, privileges and powers of each of the business entities that has merged or consolidated, and all property, real, personal and mixed, and all debts due to any of those business entities and all other things and causes of action belonging to each of those business entities, shall be vested in the Surviving Business Entity and after the merger or consolidation shall be the property of the Surviving Business Entity to the extent they were of each constituent business entity;

(ii) the title to any real property vested by deed or otherwise in any of those constituent business entities shall not revert and is not in any way impaired because of the merger or consolidation;

(iii) all rights of creditors and all liens on or security interests in property of any of those constituent business entities shall be preserved unimpaired; and

(iv) all debts, Liabilities and duties of those constituent business entities shall attach to the Surviving Business Entity and may be enforced against it to the same extent as if the debts, Liabilities and duties had been incurred or contracted by it.

(b) At the effective time of the conversion:

(i) the Partnership shall continue to exist, without interruption, but in the organizational form of the converted entity rather than in its prior organizational form;

(ii) all rights, title, and interests to all real estate and other property owned by the Partnership shall continue to be owned by the converted entity in its new organizational form without reversion or impairment, without further act or deed, and without any transfer or assignment having occurred, but subject to any existing liens or other encumbrances thereon;

(iii) all Liabilities of the Partnership shall continue to be Liabilities of the converted entity in its new organizational form without impairment or diminution by reason of the conversion;

(iv) all rights of creditors or other parties with respect to or against the prior interest holders or other owners of the Partnership in their capacities as such in existence as of the effective time of the conversion will continue in existence as to those Liabilities and may be pursued by such creditors and obligees as if the conversion did not occur;

(v) a proceeding pending by or against the Partnership or by or against any of Partners in their capacities as such may be continued by or against the converted entity in its new organizational form and by or against the prior Partners without any need for substitution of parties; and

(vi) the Partnership Interests that are to be converted into partnership interests, shares, evidences of ownership or other securities in the converted entity as provided in the Plan of Conversion shall be so converted, and Partners shall be entitled only to the rights provided in the Plan of Conversion.

ARTICLE XV

RIGHT TO ACQUIRE LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS

Section 15.1 Right to Acquire Limited Partner Interests .

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if at any time the General Partner and its Affiliates hold more than [    ] % of the total Limited Partner Interests of any class then Outstanding, the General Partner shall then have the right, which right it may assign and transfer in whole or in part to the Partnership or any Affiliate of the General Partner, exercisable at its option, 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

 

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Affiliates, at the greater of (x) the Current Market Price as of the date three Business Days prior to the date that the notice described in Section 15.1(b) is mailed and (y) the highest price paid by the General Partner or any of its Affiliates for any such Limited Partner Interest of such class purchased during the 90-day period preceding the date that the notice described in Section 15.1(b) is mailed.

(b) If the General Partner, any Affiliate of the General Partner or the Partnership elects to exercise the right to purchase Limited Partner Interests granted pursuant to Section 15.1(a) , the General Partner shall deliver to the applicable Transfer Agent or exchange agent notice of such election to purchase (the “ Notice of Election to Purchase ”) and shall cause the Transfer Agent or exchange 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), together with such information as may be required by law, rule or regulation, at least 10, but not more than 60, days prior to the Purchase Date. Such Notice of Election to Purchase shall also be filed and distributed as may be required by the Commission or any National Securities Exchange on which such Limited Partner Interests are listed or admitted to trading. The Notice of Election to Purchase shall specify the Purchase Date and the price (determined in accordance with Section 15.1(a) ) at which Limited Partner Interests will be purchased and state that the General Partner, its Affiliate or the Partnership, as the case may be, elects to purchase such Limited Partner Interests, upon surrender of Certificates representing such Limited Partner Interests, in the case of Limited Partner Interests evidenced by Certificates, or instructions agreeing to such redemption in exchange for payment, at such office or offices of the Transfer Agent or exchange agent as the Transfer Agent or exchange agent may specify, or as may be required by any National Securities Exchange on which such Limited Partner Interests are listed or admitted to trading. Any such Notice of Election to Purchase mailed to a Record Holder of Limited Partner Interests at such Record Holder’s address as reflected in the Partnership Register shall be conclusively presumed to have been given regardless of whether the owner receives such notice. On or prior to the Purchase Date, the General Partner, its Affiliate or the Partnership, as the case may be, shall deposit with the Transfer Agent or exchange 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 or redemption instructions shall not have been surrendered for purchase or provided, respectively, all rights of the holders of such Limited Partner Interests (including any rights pursuant to Article IV , Article V , Article VI and Article XII ) shall thereupon cease, except the right to receive the purchase price (determined in accordance with Section 15.1(a) ) for Limited Partner Interests therefor, without interest, upon surrender to the Transfer Agent or exchange agent of the Certificates representing such Limited Partner Interests, in the case of Limited Partner Interests evidenced by Certificates, or instructions agreeing to such redemption, and such Limited Partner Interests shall thereupon be deemed to be transferred to the General Partner, its Affiliate or the Partnership, as the case may be, on the Partnership Register, and the General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner, or the Partnership, as the case may be, shall be deemed to be the Record Holder of all such Limited Partner Interests from and after the Purchase Date and shall have all rights as the Record Holder of such Limited Partner Interests (including all rights as owner of such Limited Partner Interests pursuant to Article IV , Article V , Article VI and Article XII ).

(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 such holder’s Certificate evidencing such Limited Partner Interest to the Transfer Agent or exchange agent in exchange for payment of the amount described in Section 15.1(a) therefor, without interest thereon, in accordance with procedures set forth by the General Partner.

 

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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. Except as otherwise provided herein, 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 such Record Holder’s address as shown in the Partnership Register, regardless of any claim of any Person who may have an interest in such Partnership Interests by reason of any assignment or otherwise. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (i) a Partner shall consent to receiving notices, demands, requests, reports or proxy materials via electronic mail or by the Internet or (ii) the rules of the Commission shall permit any report or proxy materials to be delivered electronically or made available via the Internet, any such notice, demand, request, report or proxy materials shall be deemed given or made when delivered or made available via such mode of delivery. An affidavit or certificate of making of any notice, payment or report in accordance with the provisions of this Section 16.1 executed by the General Partner, the Transfer Agent or the mailing organization shall be prima facie evidence of the giving or making of such notice, payment or report. If any notice, payment or report addressed to a Record Holder at the address of such Record Holder appearing in the Partnership Register is returned by the United States Postal Service marked to indicate that the United States Postal Service is unable to deliver it, such notice, payment or report and any subsequent notices, payments and reports shall be deemed to have been duly given or made without further mailing (until such time as such Record Holder or another Person notifies the Transfer Agent or the Partnership of a change in such Record Holder’s address) 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 email 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.

 

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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.

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) or Section 10.1(b) without execution hereof.

Section 16.9 Applicable Law; Forum; Venue and Jurisdiction; Attorneys’ Fee; Waiver of Trial by Jury .

(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 or Group holding any beneficial interest in the Partnership (whether through a broker, dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation or an agent of any of the foregoing or otherwise):

(i) irrevocably agrees that any claims, suits, actions or proceedings (A) arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement (including any claims, suits or actions to interpret, apply or enforce the provisions of this Agreement or the duties 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 duty (including any 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, 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; provided, however, that any claims, suits, actions or proceedings over which the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware does not have jurisdiction shall be brought in any other court in the State of Delaware having jurisdiction;

(ii) irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the State of Delaware 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 courts of the State of Delaware or of any other court to which proceedings in the courts 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;

(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 , however , that nothing in this clause (v)  shall affect or limit any right to serve process in any other manner permitted by law;

 

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(vi) agrees that if such Partner, Person or Group 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 sought by such Partner, Person or Group, then such Partner, Person or Group 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 Partnership and its Affiliates may incur in connection with such claim, suit, action or proceeding; and

(vii) IRREVOCABLY WAIVES THE RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY SUCH CLAIM, SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING.

Section 16.10 Invalidity of Provisions . If any provision or part of a provision of this Agreement (including when read together with each Supplemental Terms Annex then in effect) is or becomes for any reason, invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions and/or parts 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 and/or part of a provision shall be 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) or other similar electronic format affixed in the name and on behalf of the Transfer Agent on Certificates representing Common Units is expressly permitted by this Agreement.

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

 

GENERAL PARTNER:
NOBLE MIDSTREAM GP LLC
By:  

 

Name:   

 

Title:  

 

Signature Page to First Amended and Restated Agreement of

Limited Partnership of Noble Midstream Partners LP

 

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LIMITED PARTNER
NBL MIDSTREAM, LLC
By:  

 

Name:   

 

Title:  

 

Signature Page to First Amended and Restated Agreement of

Limited Partnership of Noble Midstream Partners LP

 

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EXHIBIT A

to the First Amended and Restated

Agreement of Limited Partnership of

Noble Midstream Partners LP

Certificate Evidencing Common Units

Representing Limited Partner Interests in

Noble Midstream Partners LP

 

No.             

                Common Units

In accordance with Section 4.1 of the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Noble Midstream Partners LP, as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time (the “ Partnership Agreement ”), Noble Midstream 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 in the records 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 at, and will be furnished without charge on delivery of written request to the Partnership at, the principal office of the Partnership located at 1001 Noble Energy Way, Houston, Texas 77070. 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 NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP THAT THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED IF SUCH TRANSFER (AS DEFINED IN THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT) 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 OF NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE OR (C) CAUSE NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP 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). THE GENERAL PARTNER OF NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP MAY IMPOSE ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS ON THE TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY IF IT RECEIVES AN OPINION OF COUNSEL THAT SUCH RESTRICTIONS ARE NECESSARY TO (A) AVOID A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP BECOMING TAXABLE AS A CORPORATION OR OTHERWISE BECOMING TAXABLE AS AN ENTITY FOR U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX PURPOSES (TO THE EXTENT NOT ALREADY SO TREATED OR TAXED) OR (B) PRESERVE THE UNIFORMITY OF THE LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS IN NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP (OR ANY CLASS OR CLASSES THEREOF). THIS SECURITY MAY BE SUBJECT TO ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS ON ITS TRANSFER PROVIDED IN THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT. COPIES OF SUCH AGREEMENT MAY BE OBTAINED AT NO COST BY WRITTEN REQUEST MADE BY THE HOLDER OF RECORD OF THIS SECURITY TO THE SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL PARTNER AT THE PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES OF THE PARTNERSHIP. EXCEPT AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 4.9 OF THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT. THE RESTRICTIONS SET FORTH ABOVE SHALL NOT PRECLUDE THE SETTLEMENT OF ANY TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THIS SECURITY ENTERED INTO THROUGH THE FACILITIES OF ANY NATIONAL SECURITIES EXCHANGE ON WHICH THIS SECURITY IS LISTED OR ADMITTED TO TRADING.

The Holder, by accepting this Certificate, is deemed to have (i) requested admission as, and agreed to become, a Limited Partner and to have agreed to comply with and be bound by and to have executed the

 

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Partnership Agreement, (ii) represented and warranted that the Holder has all right, power and authority and, if an individual, the capacity necessary to enter into the Partnership Agreement and (iii) made the waivers and given the consents and approvals contained in the Partnership Agreement.

This Certificate shall not be valid for any purpose unless it has been countersigned and registered by the Transfer Agent. This Certificate shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware.

 

Dated:  

 

   NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP
     By:   NOBLE MIDSTREAM GP LLC,
       its general partner
       By:  

 

       By:  

 

     Countersigned and Registered by:
        

 

         as a Transfer Agent
       By:  

 

         Authorized Signature

 

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[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.

 

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ASSIGNMENT OF COMMON UNITS OF

NOBLE MIDSTREAM 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 in the records of Noble Midstream Partners LP.

 

Dated:                                                                                                

   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.
  
  

 

     (Signature)
  

 

     (Signature)
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     

No transfer of the Common Units evidenced hereby will be registered in the records of the Partnership, unless the Certificate evidencing the Common Units to be transferred is surrendered for registration or transfer.

 

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APPENDIX B Glossary of Terms

Bbl or barrel: One stock tank barrel, or 42 U.S. gallons liquid volume, used in reference to crude oil, NGLs or other liquid hydrocarbons.

Bbl/d: Bbl per day.

BBtu: One billion British thermal units.

BBtu/d: BBtu per day.

Bcfe: One billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent with one barrel of crude oil or NGLs converted to six thousand cubic feet of natural gas.

Bcfe/d: Bcfe per day.

Boe: Barrels of crude oil equivalent.

Boe/d: Boe per day.

Bpm: Barrels per month.

Brent: Brent Crude, a crude oil pricing benchmark.

Btu: British thermal units.

DJ Basin: Denver-Julesburg Basin, a geologic structural basin centered in eastern Colorado.

DOT: The U.S. Department of Transportation.

EIA: The U.S. Energy Information Administration.

EPA: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

FERC: The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

field: The general area encompassed by one or more crude oil or natural gas reservoirs or pools that are located on a single geologic feature, that are otherwise closely related to the same geologic feature (either structural or stratigraphic).

hydrocarbon: An organic compound containing only carbon and hydrogen.

IRS: The Internal Revenue Service.

MBbl: One thousand barrels.

MBbl/d: One thousand barrels per day.

MBoe: Thousand barrels of crude oil equivalent.

MBoe/d: MBoe per day.

Mcf: One thousand cubic feet of natural gas.

Mcf/d: One thousand cubic feet per day.

 

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MMBoe: One million barrels of crude oil equivalent.

MMBtu: One million British thermal units.

MMBbl: One million barrels.

MMBbl/d: One million barrels per day.

MMcf: One million cubic feet of natural gas.

MMcfe: One million cubic feet equivalent, determined using a ratio of six Mcf of natural gas to one barrel of crude oil or NGLs.

MMcf/d: One million cubic feet per day.

MMcfe/d: One million cubic feet equivalent per day.

natural gas: Hydrocarbon gas found in the earth, composed of methane, ethane, butane, propane and other gases.

NGLs: Natural gas liquids, which consist primarily of ethane, propane, isobutane, normal butane and natural gasoline.

NYMEX: New York Mercantile Exchange.

OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

SEC: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

PHMSA: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

throughput: The volume of product transported or passing through a pipeline, plant, terminal or other facility.

WTI: West Texas Intermediate, a crude oil pricing benchmark.

 

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LOGO

Noble Midstream Partners LP

Common Units

Representing Limited Partner Interests

 

 

Prospectus

                    , 2015

 

 

Lead Book-Running Managers

Barclays

Baird

J.P. Morgan

 

 

Joint Book-Running Managers

BofA Merrill Lynch

Citigroup

Deutsche Bank Securities

Wells Fargo Securities

 

 

Co-Managers

Simmons & Company International

BB&T Capital Markets

BBVA

BNP PARIBAS

CIBC

DNB Markets

Fifth Third Securities

Mizuho Securities

MUFG

PNC Capital Markets LLC

Scotia Howard Weil

SMBC Nikko

SOCIETE GENERALE

TD Securities

Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co.

Through and including                     , 2015 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), federal securities laws may require all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, to deliver a prospectus. This requirement is in addition to a dealer’s obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as an underwriter and with respect to an unsold allotment or subscription.

 


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Part II

Information Not Required in Prospectus

Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution

Set forth below are the expenses (other than underwriting discounts and commissions and the structuring fee) expected to be incurred in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities registered hereby. With the exception of the SEC registration fee, the FINRA filing fee and the NYSE listing fee, the amounts set forth below are estimates.

 

SEC registration fee

   $ 10,070   

FINRA filing fee

     *   

NYSE listing fee

     *   

Printing and engraving expenses

     *   

Fees and expenses of legal counsel

     *   

Accounting fees and expenses

     *   

Transfer agent and registrar fees

     *   

Miscellaneous

     *   
  

 

 

 

Total

   $             *   
  

 

 

 

 

* To be provided by amendment.

Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

The section of the prospectus entitled “Our Partnership Agreement—Indemnification” discloses that we will generally indemnify officers, directors and affiliates of the general partner to the fullest extent permitted by the law against all losses, claims, damages or similar events and is incorporated herein by this reference. Reference is also made to the underwriting agreement to be filed as an exhibit to this registration statement in which Noble Midstream Partners LP and certain of its affiliates will agree to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments that may be required to be made in respect of these liabilities. Subject to any terms, conditions or restrictions set forth in the partnership agreement, Section 17-108 of the Delaware Act empowers a Delaware limited partnership to indemnify and hold harmless any partner or other persons from and against all claims and demands whatsoever. Noble has purchased insurance covering the general partner’s officers and directors against liabilities asserted and expenses incurred in connection with their activities as officers and directors of the general partner or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries.

Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

On December 23, 2014, in connection with the formation of the partnership, Noble Midstream Partners LP issued to Noble Midstream GP LLC a 1% general partner interest in the partnership for $20.00 and a 99% limited partner interest in the partnership for $980.00 in an offering exempt from registration under Section 4(2) of the Securities Act. There have been no other sales of unregistered securities within the past three years.

 

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Item 16. Exhibits

The following documents are filed as exhibits to this registration statement:

 

Exhibit
number

  

Description

  1.1    Form of Underwriting Agreement (including form of Lock-Up Agreement)
  3.1*    Certificate of Limited Partnership of Noble Midstream Partners LP
  3.2*    Amendment to the Certificate of Limited Partnership of Noble Midstream Partners LP
  3.3    Amendment to the Certificate of Limited Partnership of Noble Midstream Partners LP
  3.4*    Form of First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Noble Midstream Partners LP (included as Appendix A to the Prospectus)
  3.5*    Certificate of Formation of Noble Midstream GP LLC
  3.6*    Amendment to Certificate of Formation of Noble Midstream GP LLC
  3.7    Form of First Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Noble Midstream GP LLC
  5.1*    Form of opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP as to the legality of the securities being registered
  8.1*    Form of opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP relating to tax matters
10.1    Form of Contribution, Conveyance and Assumption Agreement
10.2#    Form of Noble Midstream Partners LP 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan
10.3    Form of Omnibus Agreement
10.4    Form of Operational Services and Secondment Agreement
10.5    Form of Credit Agreement
10.6*    Agreement Terms and Conditions Relating to Gas Gathering Services.
10.7†*    Amended and Restated Gas Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 01, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Colorado River DevCo LP.
10.8*    Amended and Restated Gas Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 03, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Green River DevCo LP.
10.9*    Agreement Terms and Conditions Relating to Crude Oil Treating Services.
10.10†*    Second Amended and Restated Crude Oil Treating Agreement, Agreement Addendum 01, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Colorado River DevCo LP.
10.11*    Agreement Terms and Conditions Relating to Produced Water Services.
10.12†*    Amended and Restated Produced Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 01, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Colorado River DevCo LP.
10.13†*    Amended and Restated Produced Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 02, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and San Juan River DevCo LP.
10.14*    Amended and Restated Produced Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 03, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Green River DevCo LP.
10.15*    Amended and Restated Produced Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 04, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Gunnison River DevCo LP.

 

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Exhibit
number

  

Description

10.16*    Amended and Restated Produced Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 05, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Laramie River DevCo LP.
10.17*    Terms and Conditions Relating to Fresh Water Services.
10.18†*    Amended and Restated Fresh Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 01, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Colorado River DevCo LP.
10.19†*    Amended and Restated Fresh Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 02, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and San Juan River DevCo LP.
10.20†*    Amended and Restated Fresh Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 03, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Green River DevCo LP.
10.21*    Amended and Restated Fresh Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 04, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Gunnison River DevCo LP.
10.22*    Amended and Restated Fresh Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 05, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Laramie River DevCo LP.
10.23*    Terms and Conditions Relating to Crude Oil Gathering Services.
10.24†*    Amended and Restated Crude Oil Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 01, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Colorado River DevCo LP.
10.25†*    Amended and Restated Crude Oil Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 02, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Colorado River DevCo LP.
10.26*    Amended and Restated Crude Oil Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 03, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Green River DevCo LP.
10.27*    Amended and Restated Crude Oil Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 04, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Gunnison River DevCo LP.
10.28*    Amended and Restated Crude Oil Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 05, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Laramie River DevCo LP.
10.29    Form of Agreement of Limited Partnership of Colorado River DevCo LP
10.30    Form of Agreement of Limited Partnership of Green River DevCo LP
10.31    Form of Agreement of Limited Partnership of Gunnison River DevCo LP
10.32    Form of Agreement of Limited Partnership of Laramie River DevCo LP
10.33    Form of Agreement of Limited Partnership of San Juan River DevCo LP
21.1*    List of Subsidiaries of Noble Midstream Partners LP
23.1    Consent of KPMG LLP
23.2    Consent of KPMG LLP

 

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Exhibit
number

  

Description

23.3**    Consent of Andrews Kurth LLP (contained in Exhibit 5.1)
23.4**    Consent of Andrews Kurth LLP (contained in Exhibit 8.1)
23.5    Consent of Director Nominee
24.1*    Powers of Attorney (contained on the signature page to this Registration Statement)

 

* Filed previously.
** To be filed by amendment.
# Compensatory plan, contract or arrangement.
Confidential treatment has been requested for certain portions thereof pursuant to a Confidential Treatment Request filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such provisions have been filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Item 17. Undertakings

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriters at the closing specified in the underwriting agreement certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriters to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act 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 Securities 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 Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that,

(1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

(2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus 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) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however , that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.

 

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(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(a) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(b) If the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use;

(c) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

(d) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

(e) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

The undersigned registrant undertakes to send to each common unitholder, at least on an annual basis, a detailed statement of any transactions with Noble Midstream GP LLC, our general partner, or its affiliates and of fees, commissions, compensation and other benefits paid, or accrued to Noble Midstream GP LLC or its affiliates for the fiscal year completed, showing the amount paid or accrued to each recipient and the services performed.

The registrant undertakes to provide to the common unitholders the financial statements required by Form 10-K for the first full fiscal year of operations of the registrant.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Houston, State of Texas, on November 6, 2015.

 

NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP

By:        

 

Noble Midstream GP LLC,

 

its general partner

 

             By:        

 

/s/ Terry R. Gerhart

 

Terry R. Gerhart

 

Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated on November 6, 2015.

 

/s/ Terry R. Gerhart

Terry R. Gerhart

  

Chief Executive Officer and Director

(Principal Executive Officer)

*

John F. Bookout, IV

  

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial Officer)

*

Dustin A. Hatley

  

Chief Accounting Officer

(Principal Accounting Officer)

*

Kenneth M. Fisher

  

Chairman of the Board of Directors

*

Charles J. Rimer

  

Director

*

Gary W. Willingham

  

Director

* Terry R. Gerhart hereby signs this Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on behalf of the indicated persons for whom he is attorney-in-fact on November 6, 2015, pursuant to powers of attorney previously included with the Registration Statement on Form S-1 of Noble Midstream Partners LP filed on October 22, 2015 with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

By:

  /s/  Terry R. Gerhart        
 

Terry R. Gerhart

Attorney-in-fact

 

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Exhibit Index

 

Exhibit
number

    

Description

  1.1             Form of Underwriting Agreement (including form of Lock-Up Agreement)
  3.1*           Certificate of Limited Partnership of Noble Midstream Partners LP
  3.2*           Amendment to the Certificate of Limited Partnership of Noble Midstream Partners LP
  3.3             Amendment to the Certificate of Limited Partnership of Noble Midstream Partners LP
  3.4*           Form of First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Noble Midstream Partners LP (included as Appendix A to the Prospectus)
  3.5*           Certificate of Formation of Noble Midstream GP LLC
  3.6*           Amendment to Certificate of Formation of Noble Midstream GP LLC
  3.7             Form of First Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Noble Midstream GP LLC
  5.1*           Form of opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP as to the legality of the securities being registered
  8.1*           Form of opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP relating to tax matters
  10.1             Form of Contribution, Conveyance and Assumption Agreement
  10.2#           Form of Noble Midstream Partners LP 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan
  10.3             Form of Omnibus Agreement
  10.4             Form of Operational Services and Secondment Agreement
  10.5             Form of Credit Agreement
  10.6*           Agreement Terms and Conditions Relating to Gas Gathering Services.
  10.7†*        Amended and Restated Gas Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 01, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Colorado River DevCo LP.
  10.8*           Amended and Restated Gas Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 03, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Green River DevCo LP.
  10.9*           Agreement Terms and Conditions Relating to Crude Oil Treating Services.
  10.10†*       Second Amended and Restated Crude Oil Treating Agreement, Agreement Addendum 01, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Colorado River DevCo LP.
  10.11*         Agreement Terms and Conditions Relating to Produced Water Services.
  10.12†*       Amended and Restated Produced Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 01, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Colorado River DevCo LP.
  10.13†*       Amended and Restated Produced Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 02, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and San Juan River DevCo LP.
  10.14*         Amended and Restated Produced Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 03, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Green River DevCo LP.
  10.15*         Amended and Restated Produced Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 04, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Gunnison River DevCo LP.
  10.16*         Amended and Restated Produced Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 05, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Laramie River DevCo LP.

 

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Exhibit
number

    

Description

  10.17*         Terms and Conditions Relating to Fresh Water Services.
  10.18†*       Amended and Restated Fresh Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 01, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Colorado River DevCo LP.
  10.19†*       Amended and Restated Fresh Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 02, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and San Juan River DevCo LP.
  10.20†*       Amended and Restated Fresh Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 03, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Green River DevCo LP.
  10.21*         Amended and Restated Fresh Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 04, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Gunnison River DevCo LP.
  10.22*         Amended and Restated Fresh Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 05, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Laramie River DevCo LP.
  10.23*         Terms and Conditions Relating to Crude Oil Gathering Services.
  10.24†*       Amended and Restated Crude Oil Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 01, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Colorado River DevCo LP.
  10.25†*       Amended and Restated Crude Oil Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 02, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Colorado River DevCo LP.
  10.26*         Amended and Restated Crude Oil Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 03, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Green River DevCo LP.
  10.27*         Amended and Restated Crude Oil Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 04, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Gunnison River DevCo LP.
  10.28*         Amended and Restated Crude Oil Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 05, effective as of October 1, 2015, among Noble Energy, Inc., Noble Midstream Services, LLC and Laramie River DevCo LP.
  10.29           Form of Agreement of Limited Partnership of Colorado River DevCo LP
  10.30           Form of Agreement of Limited Partnership of Green River DevCo LP
  10.31           Form of Agreement of Limited Partnership of Gunnison River DevCo LP
  10.32           Form of Agreement of Limited Partnership of Laramie River DevCo LP
  10.33           Form of Agreement of Limited Partnership of San Juan River DevCo LP
  21.1*         List of Subsidiaries of Noble Midstream Partners LP
  23.1           Consent of KPMG LLP
  23.2           Consent of KPMG LLP
  23.3**       Consent of Andrews Kurth LLP (contained in Exhibit 5.1)
  23.4**       Consent of Andrews Kurth LLP (contained in Exhibit 8.1)
  23.5           Consent of Director Nominee

 

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Table of Contents

Exhibit
number

    

Description

  24.1*         Powers of Attorney (contained on the signature page to this Registration Statement)

 

* Filed previously.
** To be filed by amendment.
# Compensatory plan, contract or arrangement.
Confidential treatment has been requested for certain portions thereof pursuant to a Confidential Treatment Request filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such provisions have been filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

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Exhibit 1.1

NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP

[ ] Common Units

Representing Limited Partner Interests

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

[●], 2015

B ARCLAYS C APITAL I NC .

R OBERT W. B AIRD  & C O . I NCORPORATED

J.P. M ORGAN S ECURITIES LLC,

As Representatives of the several

    Underwriters named in Schedule I attached hereto,

c/o Barclays Capital Inc.

745 Seventh Avenue

New York, New York 10019

Ladies and Gentlemen:

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

It is understood and agreed by all parties hereto that the Partnership was recently formed to own, operate, develop and acquire midstream energy assets, as described more particularly in the Preliminary Prospectus (as defined herein). It is further understood and agreed to by all parties that as of the date hereof:

 

  (a) Noble Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ Noble ”), directly owns a 100% membership interest in Noble Energy US Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ US Holdings ”);

 

  (b) US Holdings directly owns a 100% membership interest in NBL Midstream, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ NBL Midstream ”);

 

  (c) NBL Midstream directly owns a 100% membership interest in Noble Midstream Services, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Midstream Services ”);

 

  (d) Midstream Services directly owns a 100% membership interest in Noble Midstream GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and the sole general partner of the Partnership with a 1.0% general partner interest in the Partnership (the “ General Partner ”);


  (e) Midstream Services directly owns a 99% limited partner interest in the Partnership;

 

  (f) Midstream Services directly owns a membership interest in White Cliffs Pipeline, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company (“ White Cliffs ”);

 

  (g) Midstream Services directly owns a 100% membership interest in:

 

  i Colorado River DevCo GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Colorado River DevCo GP ”), which owns a 1% general partner interest in Colorado River DevCo LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“ Colorado River Devco ”);

 

  ii Green River DevCo GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Green River DevCo GP ”), which owns a 1% general partner interest in Green River DevCo LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“ Green River DevCo ”);

 

  iii Gunnison River DevCo GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Gunnison River DevCo GP ”), which owns a 1% general partner interest in Gunnison River DevCo LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“ Gunnison River DevCo ”);

 

  iv Laramie River DevCo GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Laramie River DevCo GP ”), which owns a 1% general partner interest in Laramie River DevCo LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“ Laramie River DevCo ”); and

 

  v San Juan River DevCo GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ San Juan River DevCo GP ”), which owns a 1% general partner interest in San Juan River DevCo LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“ San Juan River DevCo ”);

 

  (h) Midstream Services directly owns:

 

  i a 99% limited partner interest in Colorado River DevCo;

 

  ii a 99% limited partner interest in Green River DevCo;

 

  iii a 99% limited partner interest in Gunnison River DevCo;

 

  iv a 99% limited partner interest in Laramie River DevCo; and

 

  v a 99% limited partner interest in San Juan River DevCo.

 

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  (i) Each of Colorado River DevCo, Midstream Services and Noble are a party to: (i) the Amended and Restated Gas Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 01, effective as of October 1, 2015, (ii) the Second Amended and Restated Crude Oil Treating Agreement, Agreement Addendum 01, effective as of October 1, 2015, (iii) the Amended and Restated Produced Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 01, effective as of October 1, 2015, (iv) the Amended and Restated Fresh Water Services Agreement, Addendum 01, effective as of October 1, 2015, (v) the Amended and Restated Crude Oil Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 01, effective as of October 1, 2015 and (vi) the Amended and Restated Crude Oil Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 02, effective as of October 1, 2015, each filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement and including terms and conditions related to any of the foregoing (collectively, the “ Colorado River DevCo Agreements ”), pursuant to which Colorado River DevCo and Midstream Services provide services to Noble;

 

  (j) Each of Green River DevCo, Midstream Services and Noble are a party to: (i) the Amended and Restated Gas Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 03, effective as of October 1, 2015, (ii) the Amended and Restated Produced Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 03, effective as of October 1, 2015, (iii) the Amended and Restated Fresh Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 03, effective as of October 1, 2015 and (iv) the Amended and Restated Crude Oil Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 03, effective as of October 1, 2015, each filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement and including terms and conditions related to any of the foregoing (collectively, the “ Green River DevCo Agreements ”), pursuant to which Green River DevCo and Midstream Services provide services to Noble;

 

  (k) Each of Gunnison River DevCo, Midstream Services and Noble are a party to: (i) the Amended and Restated Produced Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 04, effective as of October 1, 2015, (ii) the Amended and Restated Fresh Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 04, effective as of October 1, 2015 and (iii) the Amended and Restated Crude Oil Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 04, effective as of October 1, 2015, each filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement and including terms and conditions related to any of the foregoing (collectively, the “ Gunnison River DevCo Agreements ”), pursuant to which Gunnison River DevCo and Midstream Services provide services to Noble;

 

  (l)

Each of Laramie River DevCo, Midstream Services and Noble are a party to: (i) the Amended and Restated Produced Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 05, effective as of October 1, 2015, (ii) the Amended and Restated Fresh Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 05, effective as of October 1, 2015 and (iii) the Amended and Restated Crude Oil Gathering Agreement, Agreement Addendum 05, effective as of October 1, 2015, each filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement and including terms

 

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  and conditions related to any of the foregoing (collectively, the “ Laramie River DevCo Agreements ”), pursuant to which Laramie River DevCo and Midstream Services provide services to Noble; and

 

  (m) Each of San Juan River DevCo, Midstream Services and Noble are a party to: (i) the Amended and Restated Produced Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 02, effective as of October 1, 2015 and (ii) the Amended and Restated Fresh Water Services Agreement, Agreement Addendum 02, effective as of October 1, 2015, each filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement and including terms and conditions related to any of the foregoing (collectively, the “ San Juan River DevCo Agreements ”), pursuant to which San Juan River DevCo and Midstream Services provide services to Noble.

It is further understood and agreed to by the parties hereto that the following transactions have occurred or will occur on or immediately prior to the Initial Delivery Date (as defined below):

 

  (a) Noble, NBL Midstream, the General Partner, the Partnership, Midstream Services, the GP Subsidiaries and the Development Companies (as defined below) will enter into a Contribution, Conveyance and Assumption Agreement substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “ Contribution Agreement ”), pursuant to which

(i) Midstream Services will contribute to the Development Companies, through the GP Subsidiaries, certain domestic infrastructure assets (the “ Contributed Assets ”), such that after giving effect to the contributions:

(A) Colorado River DevCo GP will hold a 75% general partner interest in Colorado River DevCo and Midstream Services will hold a 25% limited partner interest in Colorado River DevCo;

(B) Green River DevCo GP will hold a 10% general partner interest in Green River DevCo and Midstream Services will hold a 90% limited partner interest in Green River DevCo;

(C) Gunnison River DevCo GP will hold a 5% general partner interest in Gunnison River DevCo and Midstream Services will hold a 95% limited partner interest in Gunnison River DevCo;

(D) Laramie River DevCo GP will hold a 5% general partner interest in Laramie River DevCo and Midstream Services will hold a 95% limited partner interest in Laramie River DevCo; and

(E) San Juan River DevCo GP will hold a 5% general partner interest in San Juan River DevCo and Midstream Services will hold a 95% limited partner interest in San Juan River DevCo;

 

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(ii) Midstream Services will distribute to NBL Midstream its (A) 100% member interest in the General Partner, (B) 99% limited partner interest in the Partnership, (C)25% limited partner interest in Colorado River DevCo, (D) 90% limited partner interest in Green River DevCo, (E) 95% limited partner interest in Gunnison River DevCo, (F) 95% limited partner interest in Laramie River DevCo, and (G) 95% limited partner interest in San Juan River DevCo;

(iii) Midstream Services will distribute certain retained assets to affiliates of Noble; and

(iv) the Partnership will redeem the 1% general partner interest in the General Partner and the General Partner will be issued a non-economic general partner interest; and

(v) NBL Midstream will contribute to the Partnership 100% of the membership interests in Midstream Services in exchange for (A) [●] common and [●] subordinated units representing limited partnership interests in the Partnership (collectively, the “ Sponsor Units ”), (B) all of the incentive distribution right of the Partnership (the “ Incentive Distribution Rights ”) and (III) the right to receive a portion of the net proceeds of the offering of the Firm Units;

 

  (b) Midstream Services will enter into a new $350 million revolving credit agreement substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “ New Credit Agreement ”);

 

  (c) the Partnership, the General Partner, NBL Midstream, Midstream Services and Noble will enter into an omnibus agreement, substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “ Omnibus Agreement ”), with Noble;

 

  (d) the General Partner and the Partnership will enter into an operational services agreement, substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “ Operational Services and Secondment Agreement ”), with Noble (or one of Noble’s wholly owned subsidiaries) pursuant to which Noble (or one of its wholly owned subsidiaries) will provide certain operational services to the Partnership in support of its gathering pipelines, central gathering facilities and crude oil treating facilities;

 

  (e) each of the Limited Liability Company Agreement of the General Partner and the Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership shall have been amended and restated to the extent necessary to reflect the foregoing transactions and the other matters reflected therein;

 

  (f) the public offering of the Firm Units contemplated hereby (the “ Offering ”) will be consummated, and the net proceeds thereof will be delivered to the Partnership; and

 

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  (g) the Partnership will use the net proceeds received from the Offering as provided in the “Use of Proceeds” section of the Registration Statement;

all on the terms contemplated by the Preliminary Prospectus. The transactions contemplated in items (a) through (g) above are referred to herein as the “ Transactions .” The “ Transaction Documents ” shall mean the Contribution Agreement, New Credit Agreement, Omnibus Agreement, the Colorado River DevCo Agreements, the Green River DevCo Agreements, the Gunnison River DevCo Agreements, the Laramie River DevCo Agreements, the San Juan River DevCo Agreements and Operational Services and Secondment Agreement.

The Partnership, the General Partner and NBL Midstream are referred to collectively as the “ Partnership Parties .” US Holdings and the Partnership Parties are referred to collectively as the “ Noble Parties .” Colorado River DevCo, Green River DevCo, Gunnison River DevCo, Laramie River DevCo and San Juan River DevCo are referred to collectively as the “ Development Companies .” Colorado River DevCo GP, Green River DevCo GP, Gunnison River DevCo GP, Laramie River DevCo GP and San Juan River DevCo GP are referred to collectively as the “ GP Subsidiaries ”. Midstream Services, the Development Companies and the GP Subsidiaries are referred to collectively as the “ Subsidiaries .” The Noble Parties and the Subsidiaries are referred to collectively as the “ Partnership Entities .”

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

(a) Registration Statement . A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333- 207560) relating to the Units has (i) been prepared by the Partnership in conformity with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities Act ”), and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ Commission ”) thereunder; (ii) been filed with the Commission under the Securities Act; and (iii) become effective under the Securities Act. Copies of such registration statement and any amendment thereto have been delivered by the Partnership to you as the representatives (the “ Representatives ”) of the Underwriters. As used in this Agreement:

(i) “ Applicable Time ” means [●] [a.m.][p.m.] (New York City time) on [●], 2015;

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

(iii) “ Issuer Free Writing Prospectus ” means any “issuer free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act, relating to the Units in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Partnership’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g) under the Securities Act;

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Any reference to the “ most recent Preliminary Prospectus ” shall be deemed to refer to the latest Preliminary Prospectus included in the Registration Statement or filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act prior to or on the date hereof. [Any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include the abbreviated registration statement to register additional Common Units under Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the “ Rule 462(b) Registration Statement ”).]

(b) No Stop Order . The Commission has not issued an order preventing or suspending the use of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, and no proceeding for the purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act has been instituted or, to the Partnership Parties’ knowledge, threatened by the Commission.

(c) Emerging Growth Company Status . From the time of initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement to the Commission [(or, if earlier, the first date on which the Partnership engaged directly or through any Person authorized to act on its behalf in any Testing the Waters Communication)] 1 through the date hereof, the Partnership has been and will be an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “ Emerging Growth Company ”).

 

 

1   To be removed if no TTW communication.

 

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(d) Testing-the-Waters Communications . The Partnership (i) has not engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication [other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representatives with entities that are qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act or institutions that are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Securities Act] and (ii) has not authorized anyone [other than the Representatives] to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Partnership has not distributed or approved for distribution any Written Testing-the-Waters Communications [other than those listed on Schedule V hereto].

(e) Ineligible Issuer . (A) At the earliest time after the filing of the Registration Statement that the Partnership or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Securities Act) of the Units and (B) as of the date hereof (with such date being used as the determination date for purposes of this clause (B)), the Partnership was not and is not an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, without taking into account any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 under the Securities Act that it is not necessary that the Partnership be considered an ineligible issuer), including, without limitation, for purposes of Rules 164 and 433 under the Securities Act with respect to the offering of the Units as contemplated by the Registration Statement.

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

(g) No Material Misstatements or Omissions in the Registration Statement . The Registration Statement did not, as of the Effective Date, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided that no representation or warranty is made as to information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Partnership through the Representatives by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information is specified in Section 8(e).

(h) No Material Misstatements or Omissions in the Prospectus . The Prospectus will not, as of its date or as of the applicable Delivery Date, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not

 

8


misleading; provided that no representation or warranty is made as to information contained in or omitted from the Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Partnership through the Representatives by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information is specified in Section 8(e).

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

(j) No Material Misstatements or Omissions in Issuer Free Writing Prospectus . Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed in Schedule III hereto, when taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package, did not, as of the Applicable Time, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that no representation or warranty is made as to information contained in or omitted from such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed in Schedule III hereto in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Partnership through the Representatives by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information is specified in Section 8(e).

(k) No Material Misstatements or Omissions in Written Testing-the-Waters Communications . [Each Written Testing-the-Waters Communication did not, as of the Applicable Time, when taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that no representation or warranty is made as to information contained in or omitted from such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication listed on Schedule V hereto in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Partnership through the Representatives by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information is specified in Section 8(e); and] the Partnership has filed publicly on EDGAR at least 21 calendar days prior to any road show (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act), [any confidentially submitted registration statement and registration statement amendments relating to the offer and sale of the Units.]

(l) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses Conform to the Requirements of the Securities Act . Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conformed or will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder on the date of first use, and the Partnership has complied with all prospectus delivery and any filing requirements applicable to such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus

 

9


pursuant to the Securities Act and rules and regulations thereunder. The Partnership has not made any offer relating to the Units that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus without the prior written consent of the Representatives[, except as set forth on Schedule IV hereto]. The Partnership has retained in accordance with the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder all Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses that were not required to be filed pursuant to the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the Offering of the Units, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus not superseded or modified or the Prospectus. The Partnership has taken all actions necessary so that any road show (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act) in connection with the offering of the Units will not be required to be filed pursuant to the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.

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

(n) Formation and Qualification of NBL Midstream . NBL Midstream represents and warrants that it has been duly organized, is validly existing and in good standing as a limited liability company under the laws of the State of Delaware with limited liability company power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement. NBL Midstream is duly qualified as a foreign limited liability company to transact business and is in good standing in the each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify and be in good standing could not in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to (i) have a material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Partnership and the Subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business (a “ Material Adverse Effect ”), (ii) materially impair the ability of any of the Partnership Entities to consummate the Transactions or any other transactions provided for in this Agreement or the Transaction Documents or (iii) subject the limited partners of the Partnership to any material liability or disability. NBL Midstream has all power and authority necessary to enter into and perform its obligations under the Transaction Documents to which it is a party.

(o) Formation and Qualification of the Partnership, the General Partner and the Subsidiaries . Each of the Partnership, the General Partner and each of the

 

10


Subsidiaries has been duly organized, is validly existing and in good standing as a limited partnership, limited liability company, corporation or other business entity under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or formation, as applicable, and, after giving effect to the Transactions, has the power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Disclosure Package and is duly qualified to do business as a foreign limited partnership, limited liability company, corporation or other business entity in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify and be in good standing would not (i) result in a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) materially impair the ability of any of the Partnership Entities to consummate the Transactions or any other transactions provided for in this Agreement or the Transaction Documents or (iii) subject the limited partners of the Partnership to any material liability or disability. Each of the Partnership, the General Partner and each of the Subsidiaries has all power and authority necessary to enter into and perform its obligations under the Transaction Documents to which it is a party.

(p) General Partner . The General Partner has, and at each Delivery Date will have, full limited liability company power and authority to serve as general partner of the Partnership in all material respects as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.

(q) General Partner of the Development Companies. The GP Subsidiaries have, and at each Delivery Date will have, full limited liability company power and authority to serve as the general partners of the Development Companies in all material respects as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.

(r) Ownership of the General Partner . At each applicable Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, NBL Midstream will own a 100% membership interest in the General Partner; such membership interest will have been duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with the Limited Liability Company Agreement of the General Partner (such agreement, together with any amendments and/or restatements thereof on or prior to the applicable Delivery Date, the “ GP LLC Agreement ”) and will be fully paid (to the extent required under the GP LLC Agreement) and nonassessable (except as such nonassessability may be affected by Sections 18-607 and 18-804 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act (the “ Delaware LLC Act ”)); and such membership interest will be owned free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, security interests, equities, charges or other claims (“ Liens ”), except for restrictions on transferability that may be imposed by federal or state securities laws or contained in the GP LLC Agreement or as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.

(s) Ownership of the General Partner Interest in the Partnership . At each applicable Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, the General Partner will be the sole general partner of the Partnership, with a non-economic general partner interest in the Partnership (the “ General Partner Interest ”); such General Partner Interest

 

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will have been duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with the Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership (such agreement, together with any amendments and/or restatements thereof on or prior to the applicable Delivery Date, the “ Partnership Agreement ”); and the General Partner will own such General Partner Interest free and clear of all Liens, except for restrictions on transferability that may be imposed by federal or state securities laws or contained in the Partnership Agreement or as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.

(t) Ownership of the Incentive Distribution Rights . At each applicable Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, NBL Midstream will own all of the Incentive Distribution Rights; the Incentive Distribution Rights and the limited partner interests represented thereby will have been duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with the Partnership Agreement and will be fully paid (to the extent required under the Partnership Agreement) and nonassessable (except as such nonassessability may be affected by Sections 17-303, 17-607 and 17-804 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act (the “ Delaware LP Act ”)); and NBL Midstream will own such Incentive Distribution Rights free and clear of all Liens, except for restrictions on transferability that may be imposed by federal or state securities laws or contained in the Partnership Agreement or as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.

(u) Ownership of the Sponsor Units . At each applicable Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, NBL Midstream will own all of the Sponsor Units; the Sponsor Units and the limited partner interests represented thereby will have been duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with the Partnership Agreement and will be fully paid (to the extent required under the Partnership Agreement) and nonassessable (except as such nonassessability may be affected by Sections 17-303, 17-607 and 17-804 of the Delaware LP Act); and NBL Midstream will own such Sponsor Units free and clear of all Liens, except for restrictions on transferability that may be imposed by federal or state securities laws or contained in the Partnership Agreement or as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.

(v) Duly Authorized and Validly Issued Units . At each applicable Delivery Date, the Units to be sold by the Partnership to the Underwriters and the limited partner interests represented thereby will have been duly authorized in accordance with the Partnership Agreement and, when issued and delivered to the Underwriters against payment therefor in accordance with the terms hereof, will be validly issued, fully paid (to the extent required under the Partnership Agreement) and nonassessable (except as such nonassessability may be affected by Sections 17-303, 17-607 and 17-804 of the Delaware LP Act). Other than the Sponsor Units, the Incentive Distribution Rights [and any limited partner interests issued pursuant to the long-term incentive plan of the Partnership as described in the Registration Statement and the most recent Preliminary Prospectus], the Units will be the only limited partner interests of the Partnership issued or outstanding at the Initial Delivery Date and at each Option Unit Delivery Date, as applicable.

 

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(w) Ownership of Midstream Services . At each applicable Delivery Date, and after giving effect to the Transactions, the Partnership will own a 100% membership interest in Midstream Services; such membership interest has been duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with the limited liability company agreement of Midstream Services, as in effect at such time (the “ Midstream Services Limited Liability Company Agreement ”), and is fully paid (to the extent required by the Midstream Services Limited Liability Company Agreement) and nonassessable (except as such nonassessability may be affected by Sections 18-607 and 18-804 of the Delaware LLC Act); the Partnership will own all such membership interests free and clear of all Liens, other than those created or arising under the Midstream Services Limited Liability Company Agreement or the New Credit Agreement.

(x) Ownership of GP Subsidiaries . At each applicable Delivery Date, and after giving effect to the Transactions, Midstream Services will own a 100% membership interest in each of the GP Subsidiaries; such membership interests have been duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with the limited liability company agreements of the GP Subsidiaries, as in effect at such time (the “ GP Subsidiaries Limited Liability Company Agreements ”), and are fully paid (to the extent required by the GP Subsidiaries Limited Liability Company Agreements) and nonassessable (except as such nonassessability may be affected by Sections 18-607 and 18-804 of the Delaware LLC Act); the Partnership will own all such membership interests free and clear of all Liens, other than those created or arising under the GP Subsidiaries Limited Liability Company Agreements or the New Credit Agreement.

(y) Ownership of Development Companies . At each applicable Delivery Date, and after giving effect to the Transactions, (i) Colorado River DevCo GP will own a 75% general partner interest and NBL Midstream will own a 25% limited partner interest in Colorado River DevCo, (ii) Green River DevCo GP will own a 10% general partner interest and NBL Midstream will own a 90% limited partner interest in Colorado River DevCo, (iii) Gunnison River DevCo GP will own a 5% general partner interest and NBL Midstream will own a 95% limited partner interest in Gunnison River DevCo, (iv) Laramie River DevCo GP will own a 5% general partner interest and NBL Midstream will own a 95% limited partner interest in Laramie River DevCo and (v) San Juan River DevCo GP will own a 5% general partner interest and NBL Midstream will own a 95% limited partner interest in San Juan River DevCo; such membership interests will have been duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with the agreements of limited partnership of the Development Companies, as in effect at such time (the “ Development Company Agreements of Limited Partnership ”), and fully paid (to the extent required by the Development Company Agreements of Limited Partnership) and nonassessable (except as such nonassessability may be affected by Sections 17-303, 17-607 and 17-804 of the Delaware LP Act); the GP Subsidiaries and NBL Midstream will own all such membership interests free and clear of all Liens, other than those created or arising under federal or state securities laws, the Development Company Agreements of Limited Partnership or the New Credit Agreement.

(z) Ownership of White Cliffs . At each applicable Delivery Date, and after giving effect to the Transactions, Midstream Services will own a 3.33% membership

 

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interest in White Cliffs; to the knowledge of the Partnership, such membership interest has been duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with the limited liability company agreement of White Cliffs, as in effect at such time (the “ White Cliffs Limited Liability Company Agreement ”) the Partnership will own all such membership interests free and clear of all Liens, other than those created or arising under federal or state securities laws, the White Cliffs Limited Liability Company Agreement, as in effect at such time, or the New Credit Agreement.

(aa) No Other Subsidiaries . At each applicable Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Transaction, the General Partner will not own or control, directly or indirectly, any equity or long-term debt securities of any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, association or other entity, other than the Partnership, the Subsidiaries and White Cliffs. At each applicable Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, the Partnership will not own or control, directly or indirectly, any equity or long-term debt of any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, association or other entity, other than the Subsidiaries and White Cliffs.

(bb) Distribution Restrictions . After giving effect to the Transactions, Midstream Services will not be prohibited, directly or indirectly, under any agreement or other instrument to which it is a party or to which it is subject, from paying any distributions to the Partnership, from making any other distribution on its equity interests, from repaying to the Partnership any loans or advances to Midstream Services from the Partnership or from transferring any of its property or assets to the Partnership or any other subsidiary of the Partnership, except for (a) restrictions on distributions under the laws of the State of Delaware, (b) restrictions described in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or (c) as described in or contemplated by the New Credit Agreement.

(cc) Description of the Units . The Units, when issued and delivered in accordance with the terms of the Partnership Agreement and this Agreement against payment therefor as provided therein and herein, and the Sponsor Units, the General Partner Interest and the Incentive Distribution Rights, when issued and delivered in accordance with the terms of the Partnership Agreement and the Contribution Agreement, will conform in all material respects to the respective statements relating thereto contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus and will be substantially in the form filed as exhibit to the Registration Statement.

(dd) No Options, Preemptive Rights, Registration Rights or Other Rights . Except as set forth in the Partnership Agreement and the Omnibus Agreement, there are no profits interests or other equity interest, options, warrants, preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to subscribe for or to purchase, nor any restriction upon voting or transfer of, any equity securities of the Partnership, the General Partner or any of the Subsidiaries, in each case pursuant to the certificates of limited partnership or formation or any other organizational documents of any such person (“ Organizational Documents ”) or any agreement or instrument to which any of the Partnership Entities is a party or by which any of them may be bound. Neither the filing of the Registration Statement nor the offering or other sale of the Units as contemplated by this Agreement gives rise to any rights for or relating to the registration of any Common Units of the Partnership or other securities of the Partnership, the General Partner or any of the Subsidiaries.

 

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(ee) Authority and Authorization . Each of the Partnership Parties has all requisite power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its respective obligations hereunder. The Partnership has all requisite limited partnership power and authority to issue, sell and deliver (i) the Units to be sold by it, in accordance with and upon the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the Partnership Agreement, the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and (ii) the Sponsor Units and the Incentive Distribution Rights, in accordance with and upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Partnership Agreement and the Contribution Agreement. At each Delivery Date, all limited partnership, limited liability company and corporate action, as the case may be, required to be taken by (i) any of the Partnership Parties or any of their respective unitholders, members, partners or securityholders for the authorization, issuance, sale and delivery of the Units, the Sponsor Units and the Incentive Distribution Rights, or (ii) any of the Partnership Entities or any of their respective unitholders, members, partners or securityholders for the execution and delivery of the Transaction Documents that such Partnership Entity party thereto and the consummation of the Transactions and any other transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Transaction Documents, shall have been validly taken.

(ff) Authorization, Execution and Delivery of the Underwriting Agreement . This Agreement has been duly authorized and validly executed and delivered by or on behalf of each of the Partnership Parties.

(gg) Authorization, Execution, Delivery and Enforceability of Certain Agreements . At each applicable Delivery Date:

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

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

(iii) the GP LLC Agreement will have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by NBL Midstream and will be a valid and legally binding agreement of NBL Midstream, enforceable against NBL Midstream in accordance with its terms;

(iv) the Midstream Services Limited Liability Company Agreement will have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Partnership and will be valid and legally binding agreements of the Partnership, enforceable against the Partnership in accordance with its terms; and

 

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(v) each of the GP Subsidiaries Limited Liability Company Agreements and the Development Company Agreements of Limited Partnership will have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the parties thereto and will be valid and legally binding agreements of such parties, enforceable against such parties in accordance with their terms;

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

(hh) Legal Sufficiency of Contribution Agreement . The Contribution Agreement will be legally sufficient to transfer or convey all of the right, title and interest of the transferors stated therein and the ownership interests, assets and rights purported to be transferred thereby, as contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, subject to the conditions, reservations, encumbrances and limitations contained in the Contribution Agreement and described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. Upon execution and delivery of the Contribution Agreement and consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby, Midstream Services will directly or indirectly succeed in all material respects to the business, assets, properties, liabilities and operations reflected in the financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

(ii) No Conflicts . (i) None of the General Partner, the Partnership or any of the Subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its governing documents or (ii) is in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, loan agreement, note, lease or other instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of them or their properties may be bound (collectively, “ Agreements and Instruments ”), except in the case of clause (ii) where the consequences of such violation or default would result in a Material Adverse Effect or would not reasonably be expected to materially impair the ability of any of the Partnership Parties to consummate the Transactions or any other transactions provided for in this Agreement or the Transaction Documents; and (ii) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement or any Transaction Document and the consummation of the transactions (including the Transactions) contemplated in this Agreement, the Transaction Documents and in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (including the issuance and sale of the Units and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Units as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) and compliance by the Partnership Parties with their obligations hereunder (A) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate, limited partner and limited liability company action of the Partnership Parties (B) do not and will not conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any Liens (other than Liens arising under or in connection with

 

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New Credit Agreement) upon any property or assets of the Partnership or any Subsidiary (including the Contributed Assets) pursuant to, the Agreements and Instruments, (C) will not result in any violation of the provisions of the governing documents of the General Partner, the Partnership or any Subsidiary or (D) will not result in any violation of any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the General Partner, the Partnership or any Subsidiary or any of their assets, properties or operations, except in the case of clauses (ii)(A), (B), and (D) for any such conflicts, violations, breaches, defaults or Liens that, individually or in the aggregate, have not materially impaired and will not materially impair the ability of any of the Partnership Parties or any Subsidiary to consummate the Transactions or any other transactions provided for in this Agreement or the Transaction Documents. As used herein, a “Repayment Event” means any event or condition which gives the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Partnership Parties or any Subsidiary.

(jj) No Consents . No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency is necessary or required in connection with (i) the offering, issuance or sale of the Units hereunder or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, (ii) the consummation of the Transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, (iii) the due authorization, execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement or the Transaction Documents by the Partnership Entities party thereto, or (iv) the application of the proceeds from the sale of the Units as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the Pricing Disclosure Package, except for the registration of the Units under the Securities Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders, filings, registrations or qualifications as may be required under the Exchange Act, and applicable state securities laws and/or the bylaws and rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (the “ FINRA ”) in connection with the purchase and sale of the Units by the Underwriters.

(kk) Historical Financial Statements . The historical financial statements (including the related notes and supporting schedules) included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto) comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and present fairly the consolidated financial position of the entities purported to be shown thereby as of the dates indicated and the results of operations and cash flows of the entities purported to be shown therein for the periods specified. Said historical financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“ GAAP ”) applied on a consistent basis, except as described therein, throughout the periods specified. The summary historical financial and operating data included under the caption “Prospectus Summary—Summary Historical and Pro Forma Financial Data” in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto) and the selected historical financial and operating data set forth under the caption “Selected Historical and Pro Forma Financial Data” included

 

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in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto) is accurately presented in all material respects and prepared on a basis consistent with the audited and unaudited historical consolidated financial statements from which they have been derived, except as described therein. The other financial information of the Partnership (or its predecessor for accounting purposes), including non-GAAP financial measures contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus has been derived from the accounting records of the Partnership Entities or their predecessors for accounting purposes, fairly presents in all material respects the information purported to be shown thereby and complies with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K of the Securities Act, to the extent applicable. There are no financial statements (historical or pro forma) that are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus that are not so included as required and neither the Partnership Parties nor the Subsidiaries have any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent (including any off balance sheet obligations), not described in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto), the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.

(ll) Pro Forma Financial Statements . The pro forma financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus include assumptions that provide a reasonable basis for presenting the significant effects directly attributable to the transactions and events described therein, the related pro forma adjustments give appropriate effect to those assumptions, and the pro forma adjustments reflect an appropriate application of those adjustments to the historical financial statement amounts in the pro forma financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The pro forma financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act.

(mm) Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm . KPMG LLP, who has certified certain financial statements of the Partnership and its predecessor as part of the Registration Statement, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Partnership within the meaning of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations thereunder and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).

(nn) Internal Controls . The General Partner, the Partnership and the Subsidiaries maintain systems of “internal control over financial reporting” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act and have been designed by, or under the supervision of, their respective principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP, including, but not limited to, internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation

 

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of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. As of the date of the most recent balance sheet of the Partnership and its consolidated subsidiaries reviewed or audited by KPMG LLP, there were no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in the Partnership’s internal controls. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, none of the Partnership Parties is aware of (A) any material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting or (B) change in internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Partnership’s internal control over financial reporting. The Partnership’s auditors have been advised of: (i) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financial reporting which have adversely affected or are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Partnership’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and (ii) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Partnership’s internal controls over financial reporting.

(oo) Disclosure Controls and Procedures . To the extent required by Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act, the Partnership has established and maintains an effective system of “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act; the Partnership’s “disclosure controls and procedures” are reasonably designed to ensure that all information (both financial and non-financial) required to be disclosed by the Partnership in the reports to be filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Exchange Act, and that all such information is accumulated and communicated to the Partnership’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure and to make the certifications of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the General Partner required under the Exchange Act with respect to such reports.

(pp) Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 . Solely to the extent that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission and the New York Stock Exchange thereunder (the “ Sarbanes-Oxley Act ”) is applicable to the Partnership, there is and has been no failure on the part of the Partnership and any of the Partnership’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

(qq) No Material Changes . Since the respective dates of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except as may otherwise be stated in therein or contemplated thereby, none of the Partnership Entities or, to the Partnership Parties’ knowledge, White Cliffs has (i) sustained any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, (ii) issued or granted any securities, (iii) incurred any material liability or obligation, direct or contingent, other than liabilities and

 

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obligations that were incurred in the ordinary course of business, (iv) entered into any material transaction not in the ordinary course of business, or (v) declared or paid any distribution or dividend on its equity interests, and since such date, there has not been any change in the equity interests or long-term debt of any of the Partnership Entities or any of its subsidiaries or any adverse change, or any development involving a prospective adverse change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, partners’ equity, properties, management, business or prospects of the Partnership Entities taken as a whole, in each case except as could not, in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect

(rr) Title to Properties . Each of the Partnership, the General Partner and the Subsidiaries has, or at each Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, will have, legal, valid and defensible title to all of their interests in all real and personal property owned by them, in each case free and clear of all Liens and defects of any kind, except (a) such as are described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or (b) those that do not materially affect or interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such properties taken as a whole. Any property held under lease or sublease by the Partnership, the General Partner or any of the Subsidiaries is held, or at each Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, will be held, under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases or subleases with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such properties taken as a whole by the Partnership, the General Partner and the Subsidiaries or except such as are described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. None of the Partnership, the General Partner nor any of the Subsidiaries has any notice or knowledge of any claim of any sort that has been, or may be, asserted by anyone adverse to the Partnership’s, the General Partner’s or any of the Subsidiaries’ rights as lessee or sublessee under any lease or sublease described above, or affecting or questioning the Partnership’s, the General Partner’s or any of the Subsidiaries’ rights to the continued possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease in conflict with the terms thereof except for such claims that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(ss) Rights of Way . Each of the Partnership, the General Partner and the Subsidiaries has, or at each Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, will have, such consents, easements, rights-of-way, permits or licenses from each person (collectively, “ rights-of-way ”) as are necessary to conduct its business in the manner described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, subject to the limitations described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, if any, except for (i) qualifications, reservations and encumbrances with respect thereto that could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect and (ii) such rights-of-way that, if not obtained, could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and each of the Partnership, the General Partner and the Subsidiaries has, or at each Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, will have, fulfilled and performed, in all material respects, its obligations with respect to such rights-of-way and no event has occurred that allows, or after notice or lapse of time would allow, revocation or termination thereof or would result in any impairment of the

 

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rights of the holder of any such rights-of-way, except for such revocations, terminations and impairments that could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(tt) Permits . None the Partnership, the General Partner nor any of the Subsidiaries is in violation of any law, ordinance, governmental rule or regulation or court decree to which it may be subject or has failed to obtain any license, permit, franchise or other governmental authorization necessary to the ownership of its property or to the conduct of its business, which violation or failure would have a Material Adverse Effect; and the Partnership, the General Partner and the Subsidiaries own, or at each Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, will own, or possess or have obtained all governmental licenses, permits, consents, orders, approvals and other authorizations and have properly filed with the appropriate authorities all notices, applications and other documents necessary to lease or own their respective properties and to carry on their respective businesses as presently conducted, except where the failure to possess such licenses or authorizations or make such filings would not have a Material Adverse Effect. No event has occurred that would prevent the Permits from being renewed or reissued or which allows, or after notice or lapse of time would allow, revocation or termination thereof or results in any impairment of the rights of the holder of any such Permit. None of the Partnership Parties or any of the Subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such Permits or has any reason to believe that any such Permits will not be renewed in the ordinary course.

(uu) Intellectual Property . Each of the Partnership and the Subsidiaries own or possess, or can acquire on reasonable terms, adequate patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names or other intellectual property (collectively, “ Intellectual Property ”) necessary to carry on the business now operated by them, and none of NBL Midstream, the Partnership nor any of the Subsidiaries has received any notice or is otherwise aware of any infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property or of any facts or circumstances that would render any Intellectual Property invalid or inadequate to protect the interest of the Partnership or any of the Subsidiaries therein, and which infringement or conflict (if the subject of any unfavorable decision, ruling or finding) or invalidity or inadequacy, singly or in the aggregate, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(vv) Legal Proceedings . There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or brought by any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, now pending, or, to the knowledge of the Partnership Parties, threatened, against or affecting Noble, US Holdings, NBL Midstream, the General Partner, the Partnership Parties or any Subsidiary, which (1) could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (2) could reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect the properties or assets of the Partnership and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole or (3) could reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement, the Transactions contemplated in the

 

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Transaction Documents or the performance by the Partnership Parties of the obligations contemplated hereunder and thereunder. The aggregate of all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the General Partner, the Partnership or any Subsidiary is a party or of which any of their respective property or assets is the subject that are not described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

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

(xx) Summaries of Law or Agreements . The statements made in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus under the captions “Prospectus Summary—Ownership and Organizational Structure,” “Business—Regulation of Operations,” “Business—Environmental Matters” “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions,” “Description of Our Common Units,” “Units Eligible for Future Sale,” “Material Federal Income Tax Consequences” and “Investment in Noble Midstream Partners LP by Employee Benefit Plans,” insofar as they purport to constitute summaries of the terms of statutes, rules or regulations, legal or governmental proceedings or contracts and other documents, constitute accurate summaries of the terms of such statutes, rules and regulations, legal and governmental proceedings and contracts and other documents in all material respects.

(yy) Insurance . Each of the Partnership and the Subsidiaries has or is, or at each Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, will have or will be, covered by insurance from insurers that have (or whose reinsurers have) recognized financial responsibility and such insurance is in such amounts and covering such risks as is adequate for the conduct of their respective businesses and the value of their respective properties and as is customary for companies engaged in similar businesses in similar industries. All policies of insurance covering the Partnership and the Subsidiaries are, or at each Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, will be, in full force and effect; each of the Partnership and the Subsidiaries is, or at each Delivery Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, will be, in compliance with the terms of such policies in all material respects; and none of the Partnership or any of the Subsidiaries has received notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that capital improvements or other expenditures are required or necessary to be made in order to continue such insurance; there are no claims by any of the Partnership or any of the Subsidiaries under any such policy or instrument as to which any insurance company is denying liability or defending under a reservation of rights clause; and none of the Partnership or any of the

 

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Subsidiaries has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(zz) No Undisclosed Relationships . Except as described in Pricing Disclosure Package, no relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among any Partnership Entity, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, unitholders, stockholders, customers or suppliers of any Partnership Entity, on the other hand, that is required to be described in the Pricing Disclosure Package which is not so described. There are no outstanding personal loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees of indebtedness by any Partnership Entity to or for the benefit of any of the executive officers, directors or managers of any Partnership Entity or their respective family members.

(aaa) No Labor Dispute . No labor dispute with the employees of the Noble that are working on behalf of General Partner, the Partnership or any Subsidiary pursuant to the Omnibus Agreement, Operational Services and Secondment Agreement or otherwise, exists or, to the knowledge of the Partnership Parties, is imminent that would result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(bbb) Environmental Compliance . Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (A) neither the Partnership nor any of the Subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances or petroleum or petroleum products (collectively, “ Hazardous Materials ”) or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, “ Environmental Laws ”), (B) the Partnership and the Subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements, (C) there are no pending or threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Partnership or any of the Subsidiaries, other than such proceedings regarding which it is reasonably believed no monetary sanctions of $100,000 or more will be imposed, and (D) there are no events or circumstances that would reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or governmental body or agency, against or affecting the Partnership or any of the Subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws, except, in the case of (A), (B) or (D), as would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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(ccc) [ FERC. White Cliffs is operated as a “common carrier” subject to regulation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“ FERC ”) under the Interstate Commerce Act. To the knowledge of Noble and the Partnership Entities, there are no administrative or regulatory proceedings pending or threatened against White Cliffs the result of which are reasonable likely to materially change, alter or modify the rates, charges or fees for transportation services or any other terms or conditions of service currently in effect under any tariffs issued by White Cliffs.]

(ddd) Tax Returns . The Partnership Parties and the Subsidiaries have filed all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns required to be filed through the date hereof, subject to permitted extensions, and have paid all taxes due, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Partnership Parties or the Subsidiaries, nor do any of the Partnership Parties or the Subsidiaries have any knowledge of any tax deficiencies that have been, or could reasonably be expected to be asserted against the Partnership Parties or the Subsidiaries, that could, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(eee) ERISA . Each “employee benefit plan” (within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ ERISA ”)) for which the Partnership Parties or any Subsidiary or any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) which is considered a single employer with a Partnership Party or any Subsidiary within the meaning of Section 414 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “ Code ”) (such an entity, an “ ERISA Affiliate ”)) would have any actual or potential liability (each a “ Plan ”) has been maintained in material compliance with its terms and with the requirements of all applicable statutes, rules and regulations including ERISA and the Code; (ii) no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code or any similar applicable law, has occurred with respect to any Plan, excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption; (iii) no Partnership Party, any Subsidiary or any ERISA Affiliate of any of the foregoing (A) sponsors, maintains, contributes to or is required to contribute to any plan subject to Title IV of ERISA, Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code or a “multiemployer plan” within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA; or (B) would reasonably be expected to have any material liability with respect to any plan described in the preceding clause (A) that any such entity has sponsored, maintained, or contributed to or was required to contribute to during the past six (6) years; and (iv) each Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which could reasonably be expected to cause the loss of such qualification.

(fff) Statistical and Market-Related Data . The statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Partnership believes to be reliable and accurate in all material respects, and the Partnership has obtained written consent to the use of such data from such sources to the extent required.

(ggg) Investment Company . Neither the Partnership nor any of the Subsidiaries is, and as of the applicable Delivery Date and, after giving effect to the offer and sale of the Units and the application of the proceeds therefrom as described under “Use of

 

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Proceeds” in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, none of them will be, (i) an “investment company” or a company “controlled” by an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “ Investment Company Act ”), and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, or (ii) a “business development company” (as defined in Section 2(a)(48) of the Investment Company Act).

(hhh) No Brokers . Except as described in the Registration Statement and the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, none of the Partnership Parties or any Subsidiary is a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than this Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim against any of them or the Underwriters for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the Units.

(iii) Private Placement . The sale and issuance of the Sponsor Units and the Incentive Distribution Rights to NBL Midstream and the General Partner Interest to the General Partner are exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and securities laws of any state having jurisdiction with respect thereto, and none of the Partnership Parties has taken or will take any action that would cause the loss of such exemption. None of the Partnership Parties has sold or issued any securities that would be integrated with the offering of the Units contemplated by this Agreement pursuant to the Securities Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or the interpretations thereof by the Commission.

(jjj) Absence of Manipulation . Neither the Partnership nor any affiliate of the Partnership has taken, nor will the Partnership or any affiliate take, directly or indirectly, any action that is designed to or that has constituted or that would be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Partnership to facilitate the sale of the Units.

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

(lll) Distribution of Offering Materials . The Partnership has not distributed and, prior to the later to occur of any Delivery Date and completion of the distribution of the Units, will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Units other than any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to which the Representatives have consented in accordance with Section 1(l) or 5(a)(vi), and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus set forth on Schedule IV hereto and, in connection with the Directed Unit Program described in Section 3, the enrollment materials prepared by Barclays Capital Inc. (the “ DUP Underwriter ”) on behalf of the Partnership.

(mmm) No Employment Law Violations . None of the Partnership Parties or any of the Subsidiaries is in violation of or has received notice of any violation with respect to any federal or state law relating to discrimination in the hiring, promotion or pay of

 

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employees, nor any applicable federal or state wage and hour laws, nor any state law precluding the denial of credit due to the neighborhood in which a property is situated, the violation of any of which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(nnn) Anti-Corruption .

(i) None of the General Partner, the Partnership or the Subsidiaries nor, to the Partnership Parties’ knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the General Partner, the Partnership or the Subsidiaries has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “ FCPA ”), including, without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any “foreign official” (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA, or of the Bribery Act 2010 of the United Kingdom, and the General Partner, the Partnership or the Subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the Partnership Parties, their affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.

(ii) The operations of the General Partner, the Partnership and the Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance in all material respects with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any court, arbitrator, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body or other authority or agency that, in each case, are applicable to the business and operations of the Partnership and the Subsidiaries (collectively, the “ Money Laundering Laws ”). No action, suit or proceeding by or before any court, arbitrator, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body or other authority or agency involving the General Partner, the Partnership or the Subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the Partnership Parties’ knowledge, threatened

(ooo) OFAC . None of the General Partner, the Partnership or the Subsidiaries nor, to the Partnership Parties’ knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the General Partner, the Partnership or the Subsidiaries is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“ OFAC ”). The Partnership will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds from the sale of the Units, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds, to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity in any manner that, to the General Partner’s, the Partnership or the Subsidiaries’ knowledge, would result in a violation of any economic sanctions imposed by the United States (including

 

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any administered or enforced by OFAC, the U.S. Department of State, or the Bureau of Industry and Security of the U.S. Department of Commerce), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, or the United Kingdom (including sanctions administered or controlled by Her Majesty’s Treasury) (collectively, “ Sanctions ” and such persons, “ Sanctioned Persons ”).

(ppp) Sanctions . None of the General Partner, the Partnership or the Subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Partnership Parties, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the General Partner, the Partnership or any of the Subsidiaries, is a person that is, or is 50% or more owned or otherwise controlled by a person that is: (i) the subject of any Sanctions; or (ii) located, organized or resident in Burma (Myanmar), Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria (collectively, “ Sanctioned Countries ” and each, a “ Sanctioned Country ”). Except as has been disclosed to the Underwriters or is not material to the analysis under any Sanctions, none of the General Partner, the Partnership or any Subsidiary has engaged in any dealings or transactions with or for the benefit of a Sanctioned Person, or with or in a Sanctioned Country, in the preceding 3 years, nor does the General Partner, the Partnership or any of the Subsidiaries have any plans to initiate any dealings or transactions with Sanctioned Persons, or with or in Sanctioned Countries.

(qqq) Directed Unit Program . Each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus comply, and any further amendments or supplements thereto will comply, with any applicable laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions in which such Preliminary Prospectus, Prospectus or such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, are distributed in connection with the Directed Unit Program. No consent, approval, authorization or order of, or filing, registration or qualification with, any court or governmental agency or body, other than such as have been obtained, is required under the securities laws and regulations of any foreign jurisdiction in which the Directed Units are offered or sold outside the United States. The Partnership has not offered, or caused the DUP Underwriter to offer, Units to any person pursuant to the Directed Unit Program with the specific intent to unlawfully influence (i) a customer or supplier of the Partnership to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with the Partnership or (ii) a trade journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Partnership, its business or its products.

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

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

 

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In addition, the Partnership grants to the Underwriters an option to purchase up to [●] additional Option Units. Such option is exercisable in the event that the Underwriters sell more Common Units than the number of Firm Units in the offering and as set forth in Section 4 hereof. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Option Units (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional units as the Representatives may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number of Option Units to be sold on such Delivery Date as the number of Firm Units set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm Units.

The purchase price payable by the Underwriters for both the Firm Units and any Option Units is $[●] per Unit.

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

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

It is understood that up to [●] of the Firm Units (the “ Directed Units ”) will initially be reserved by the several Underwriters for offer and sale upon the terms and conditions to be set forth in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and in accordance with the rules and regulations of FINRA to the DUP Offerees who have heretofore delivered to the DUP Underwriter offers or indications of interest to purchase Firm Units in form satisfactory to the DUP Underwriter (such program, the “ Directed Unit Program ”) and that any allocation of such Firm Units among such persons will be made in accordance with timely directions received by the DUP Underwriter from the Partnership; provided that under no circumstances will the DUP Underwriter or any Underwriter be liable to the Partnership or to any such person for any action taken or omitted in good faith in connection with such Directed Unit Program. It is further understood that any Directed Units not affirmatively reconfirmed for purchase by any participant in the Directed Unit Program (“ Directed Unit Participant ”) by [8]:00 A.M., New York City time, on the date hereof or otherwise are not purchased by such persons will be offered by the Underwriters to the public upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus. As used herein, “ DUP Offeree ” means certain persons selected by Noble who have assisted in the establishment of the Partnership and who are intended to continue to support the Partnership after the Offering, the officers and directors of the General Partner, the directors of Noble and the officers on Noble that hold the title of Vice President or more senior.

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

 

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

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

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

5. Further Agreements of the Partnership Parties and the Underwriters . (a) Each of the Partnership Parties, jointly and severally, agrees:

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

 

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thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, of the suspension of the qualification of the Units for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding or examination for any such purpose or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or suspending any such qualification, to use promptly its best efforts to obtain its withdrawal.

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

(x) Lock-Up Period . For a period commencing on the date hereof and ending on the 180th day after the date of the Prospectus (the “ Lock-Up Period ”), not to, directly or indirectly, (A) offer for sale, sell, pledge, or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction or device that is designed to, or could be expected to, result in the disposition by any person at any time in the future of) any Common Units or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Units (other than (a) the Units, (b) Common Units issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified option plans or other employee compensation plans existing on the date hereof (including, without limitation,

 

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Common Units issued pursuant to the long-term incentive plan of the Partnership), or (c) the Sponsor Units and Incentive Distribution Rights in connection with the Transactions), or sell or grant options, rights or warrants with respect to any Common Units or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Common Units (other than the grant of such options, rights or warrants pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified option plans or other employee compensation plans existing on the date hereof), (B) enter into any swap or other derivatives transaction that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic benefits or risks of ownership of such Common Units, whether any such transaction described in clause (A) or (B) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Units or other securities, in cash or otherwise, (C) file or cause to be filed a registration statement, including any amendments thereto, with respect to the registration of any Common Units or securities convertible, exercisable or exchangeable into Common Units or any other securities of the Partnership (other than any registration statement on Form S-8), or (D) publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing, in each case without the prior written consent of Barclays Capital Inc. and [●], on behalf of the Underwriters.

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

(xii) Rule 463 . The Partnership agrees to file with the Commission such information on Form 10-Q or Form 10-K as may be required by Rule 463 under the Securities Act.

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

(xiv) Lock-Up Agreements . Each of the Partnership Parties, jointly and severally, agrees that the General Partner and the Partnership shall cause each officer and director of the General Partner that has been appointed to such role as of the date of this Agreement to deliver, on or prior to the date of this Agreement, a letter substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, providing for a lock-up period covering the Lock-Up Period, (the persons described in this Section (a)(xiv), the “ Restricted Personnel ”). The letters delivered by the Restricted Personnel are the “ Lock-Up Agreements ”.

(xv) Foreign Directed Units . To comply with all applicable securities and other applicable laws, rules and regulations in each foreign jurisdiction in which the Directed Units are offered in connection with the Directed Unit Program.

(xvi) Emerging Growth Company Status . The Partnership will promptly notify the Representatives if the Partnership ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (A) the time when a prospectus relating to the offering or sale of

 

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the Units or any other securities relating thereto is not required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) and (B) completion of the Lock-Up Period.

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

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

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

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

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

 

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Registration Statement (including any exhibits thereto), any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus[, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication], and any amendment or supplement thereto, all as provided in this Agreement; (d) the production and distribution of this Agreement, any supplemental agreement among Underwriters, and any other related documents in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Units; (e) any required review by the FINRA of the terms of sale of the Units (including related fees and expenses of one set of counsel to the Underwriters in an amount that is not greater than $20,000); (f) the listing of the Units on the New York Stock Exchange or any other exchange; (g) the qualification of the Units under the securities laws of the several jurisdictions as provided in Section 5(a)(ix) and the preparation, printing and distribution of a Blue Sky Memorandum (including related fees and expenses of one set of counsel to the Underwriters); (h) the preparation, printing and distribution of one or more versions of the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus for distribution in Canada, including in the form of a Canadian “wrapper” (including related fees and expenses of one set of Canadian counsel to the Underwriters); (i) the offer and sale of the Units by the Underwriters in connection with the Directed Unit Program, to the extent that such expenses arise solely from the Directed Unit Program, the costs and expenses of preparation, printing and distribution of the Directed Unit Program material and all stamp duties or other taxes incurred by the Underwriters in connection with the Directed Unit Program; (j) the costs and expenses of the Partnership and any of the General Partner’s officers, directors, counsel or other representatives in connection with the investor presentations on any road show [or any Testing-the-Waters Communication], undertaken in connection with the marketing of the Units, including, without limitation, expenses associated with any electronic road show, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives and officers of the General Partner and the cost of Noble operating the aircrafts that it owns (“ Noble Aircraft ”) in connection with the road show; provided that the Underwriters shall pay their own costs and expenses associated with the road show, including transportation (except to the extent of sharing a Noble Aircraft), lodging and other expenses incurred by the Underwriters on their own behalf in connection with the road show and other presentations to prospective purchasers of the Common Units; and (k) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Partnership under this Agreement; provided that, except as provided in this Section 6 and in Section 11, the Underwriters shall pay their own costs and expenses, including the costs and expenses of their counsel, any transfer taxes on the Units which they may sell and the expenses of advertising any offering of the Units made by the Underwriters.

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

(a) Filing of Prospectus; No Stop Order . The Prospectus shall have been timely filed with the Commission in accordance with Section 5(a)(i). The Partnership shall have complied with all filing requirements applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus used or referred to after the date hereof; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been issued and no proceeding or examination for such purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the

 

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Commission; and any request of the Commission for inclusion of additional information in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or otherwise shall have been complied with. If the Partnership has elected to rely upon Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have become effective by 10:00 P.M., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement.

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

(c) Authorization and Validity . All limited partnership, limited liability company, corporate or other proceedings and other legal matters incident to the authorization, form and validity of this Agreement, the Units, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and all other legal matters relating to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be reasonably satisfactory in all material respects to Underwriters’ Counsel, and the Partnership shall have furnished to Underwriters’ Counsel all documents and information that they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.

(d) Partnership Counsel Opinions . Andrews Kurth LLP and Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A. shall have furnished to the Representatives their written opinions, as counsel to the Partnership, addressed to the Underwriters and dated such Delivery Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, substantially in the forms attached hereto as Exhibit B-1 and Exhibit B-2 hereto.

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

(f) Comfort Letters . At the time of execution of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received from KPMG LLP a letter, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, addressed to the Underwriters and dated the date hereof (i) confirming that they are independent public accountants within the meaning of the Securities Act and are in compliance with the applicable requirements relating to the qualification of accountants under Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X of the Commission, and (ii) stating, as of the date hereof (or, with respect to matters involving changes or developments since the respective dates as of which specified financial information is

 

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given in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, as of a date not more than three days prior to the date hereof), the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters ordinarily covered by accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters in connection with registered public offerings.

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

(h) Officers’ Certificate . The Partnership shall have furnished to the Representatives a certificate, dated such Delivery Date, of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the General Partner as to such matters as the Representatives may reasonably request, including, without limitation, a statement:

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

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

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

 

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(iv) To the effect of Section 7(i) ( provided that no representation with respect to the judgment of the Representatives need be made).

(i) No Material Change . Except as described in the Pricing Disclosure Package, (i) none of the General Partner, the Partnership or the Subsidiaries shall have sustained, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the most recent Preliminary Prospectus, any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, or (ii) since such date there shall not have been any change in the equity interests or long-term debt of any of the General Partner, the Partnership, the Subsidiaries or any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, partners’ equity, properties, management, business or prospects of the General Partner, the Partnership or the Subsidiaries taken as a whole, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is, individually or in the aggregate, in the judgment of the Representatives, so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Units being delivered on such Delivery Date on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.

(j) Reserved .

(k) No Other Change . Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) (A) trading in securities generally on any securities exchange that has registered with the Commission under Section 6 of the Exchange Act (including the New York Stock Exchange, The NASDAQ Global Select Market, The NASDAQ Global Market or The NASDAQ Capital Market), or (B) trading in any securities of the Partnership on any exchange or in the over-the-counter market, shall have been suspended or materially limited or the settlement of such trading generally shall have been materially disrupted or minimum prices shall have been established on any such exchange or such market by the Commission, by such exchange or by any other regulatory body or governmental authority having jurisdiction, (ii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by federal or state authorities, (iii) the United States shall have become engaged in hostilities, there shall have been an escalation in hostilities involving the United States or there shall have been a declaration of a national emergency or war by the United States, or (iv) there shall have occurred such a material adverse change in general economic, political or financial conditions, including, without limitation, as a result of terrorist activities after the date hereof (or the effect of international conditions on the financial markets in the United States shall be such), as to make it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or delivery of the Units being delivered on such Delivery Date on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.

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

 

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

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

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

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

8. Indemnification and Contribution.

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

 

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Statement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto or in any Permitted Issuer Information, any Marketing Materials or any Blue Sky Application, any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (except in the case of the Registration Statement, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, and shall reimburse each Underwriter and each such affiliate, director, officer, employee, selling agent or controlling person promptly upon demand for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by that Underwriter, affiliate, director, officer, employee, selling agent or controlling person in connection with investigating or defending or preparing to defend against any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are incurred; provided , however , that none of the Partnership Parties shall be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action arises out of, or is based upon, any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any such amendment or supplement thereto or in any Permitted Issuer Information, any Marketing Materials or any Blue Sky Application, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Partnership through the Representatives by or on behalf of any Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information consists solely of the information specified in Section 8(e)). The foregoing indemnity agreement is in addition to any liability which any Partnership Party may otherwise have to any Underwriter or to any affiliate, director, officer, employee, selling agent or controlling person of that Underwriter.

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

 

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

 

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include a statement as to, or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party, or (y) be liable for any settlement of any such action effected without its written consent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), but if settled with the consent of the indemnifying party or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff in any such action, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify and hold harmless any indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by Section 8(a) or (b) hereof, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request or disputed in good faith the indemnified party’s entitlement to such reimbursement prior to the date of such settlement.

(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 8 shall for any reason be unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under Section 8(a), 8(b) or 8(f) in respect of any loss, claim, damage or liability, or any action in respect thereof, referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party, contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, (i) in such proportion as shall be appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Partnership, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, from the offering of the Units, or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Partnership, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, with respect to the statements or omissions that resulted in such loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Partnership, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, with respect to such offering shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Units purchased under this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Partnership, as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus, on the one hand, and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters with respect to the Units purchased under this Agreement, as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus, on the other hand. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Partnership Parties or the Underwriters, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Partnership Parties and the Underwriters agree that it would be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section 8(d) were to be determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to herein. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the loss, claim, damage or liability, or action in respect thereof, referred to

 

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above in this Section 8(d) shall be deemed to include, for purposes of this Section 8(d), any legal expenses of one set of counsel or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 8(d), in no event shall an Underwriter be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriter with respect to the offering of the Units exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute as provided in this Section 8(d) are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.

(e) The Underwriters severally confirm and the Partnership Parties acknowledge and agree that the statements regarding delivery of units by the Underwriters set forth on the cover page of, and the concession and reallowance figures and the paragraph relating to stabilization by the Underwriters appearing under the caption “Underwriting” and the section entitled “Industry” in, the most recent Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus 2 are correct and constitute the only information furnished in writing to the Partnership by or on behalf of the Underwriters specifically for inclusion in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto or in any Marketing Materials.

(f) The Partnership Parties shall indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter (including its affiliates, directors, officers, employees and selling agents) and each person, if any, who controls Barclays Capital Inc. within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (“ DUP Managers ”), from and against any loss, claim, damage or liability or any action in respect thereof to which DUP Managers may become subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or action (i) arises out of, or is based upon, any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any material prepared by or with the approval of the Partnership for distribution to Directed Unit Participants in connection with the Directed Unit Program or any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (ii) arises out of, or is based upon, the failure of the Directed Unit Participant to pay for and accept delivery of Directed Units that the Directed Unit Participant agreed to purchase and have been orally confirmed for purchase by such Directed Unit Participant by 8:00 a.m. New York City Time on the first business day after the date of this Agreement, or (iii) is otherwise related to the Directed Unit Program; provided that the Partnership Parties shall not be liable under this clause (iii) for

 

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Confirm no additional statements should be added before finalizing, including statements related to commissions and discretionary sales.

 

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any loss, claim, damage, liability or action that is determined in a final judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the DUP Managers.

9. Defaulting Underwriters .

(a) If, on any Delivery Date, any Underwriter defaults in its obligations to purchase the Units that it has agreed to purchase under this Agreement, the remaining non-defaulting Underwriters may in their discretion arrange for the purchase of such Units by the non-defaulting Underwriters or other persons satisfactory to the Partnership on the terms contained in this Agreement. If, within 36 hours after any such default by any Underwriter, the non-defaulting Underwriters do not arrange for the purchase of such Units, then the Partnership shall be entitled to a further period of 36 hours within which to procure other persons satisfactory to the non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase such Units on the terms specified in this Agreement. In the event that within the respective prescribed periods, the non-defaulting Underwriters notify the Partnership that they have so arranged for the purchase of such Units, or the Partnership notifies the non-defaulting Underwriters that it has so arranged for the purchase of such Units, either the non-defaulting Underwriters or the Partnership may postpone such Delivery Date for up to seven full business days in order to effect any changes that in the opinion of counsel for the Partnership or Underwriters’ Counsel may be necessary in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or in any other document or arrangement, and the Partnership agrees to promptly prepare any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or in any such other document or arrangement that effects any such changes. As used in this Agreement, the term “Underwriter” includes, for all purposes of this Agreement unless the context requires otherwise, any party not listed in Schedule I hereto that, pursuant to this Section 9, purchases Units that a defaulting Underwriter agreed but failed to purchase.

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

(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Units of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the non-defaulting Underwriters and the Partnership as provided in paragraph (a) above, the total number of Units that remains unpurchased exceeds one-eleventh of the total

 

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number of all the Units, or if the Partnership shall not exercise the right described in paragraph (b) above, then this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of the non-defaulting Underwriters. Any termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9 shall be without liability on the part of the Partnership, except that the Partnership will continue to be liable for the payment of expenses as set forth in Sections 6 and 11 and except that the provisions of Section 8 shall not terminate and shall remain in effect.

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

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

11. Reimbursement of Underwriters’ Expenses. If (a) the Partnership shall fail to tender the Units for delivery to the Underwriters for any reason, or (b) the Underwriters shall decline to purchase the Units for any reason permitted under this Agreement, the Partnership will reimburse the Underwriters for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including fees and disbursements of one set of counsel for the Underwriters) incurred by the Underwriters in connection with this Agreement and the proposed purchase of the Units, and upon demand the Partnership shall pay the full amount thereof to the Representatives. If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 9 by reason of the default of one or more Underwriters or the purchase of the Units is not consummated as a result of the occurrence of any of the events described in Section 7(k) (other than an event specified in Section 7(k)(i)(B)), the Partnership shall not be obligated to reimburse any defaulting Underwriter on account of those expenses.

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

 

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

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

(a) if to the Underwriters, shall be delivered or sent by mail or facsimile transmission to (i) Barclays Capital Inc., 745 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York 10019, Attention: Syndicate Registration (Fax: (646) 834-8133), with a copy, in the case of any notice pursuant to Section 8(c)), to the Director of Litigation, Office of the General Counsel, Barclays Capital Inc., 745 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York 10019 and (ii) [●];

(b) if to any of the Partnership Parties, shall be delivered or sent by mail or facsimile transmission to the address of the Partnership set forth in the Registration Statement, Attention: Terry Gerhart, Chief Executive Officer; and

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

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

 

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

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

18. Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

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

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

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

(Signature Page Follows)

 

46


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

 

Very truly yours,
NBL Midstream LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  
Noble Midstream Partners LP
By:   Noble Energy Midstream GP, LLC,
  its general partner
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  
Noble Energy Midstream GP LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  
Noble Midstream Services, LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

47


Accepted:

B ARCLAYS C APITAL I NC .

R OBERT W. B AIRD  & C O . I NCORPORATED

J.P. M ORGAN S ECURITIES LLC

For themselves and as Representatives

of the several Underwriters named

in Schedule I hereto

 

By B ARCLAYS C APITAL I NC .
By:  

 

  Authorized Representative
By R OBERT W. B AIRD & C O . I NCORPORATED
By:  

 

  Authorized Representative
By J.P. M ORGAN S ECURITIES LLC
By:  

 

  Authorized Representative

 

 

48


SCHEDULE I

 

Underwriters

   Number of Firm Units

Barclays Capital Inc.

  

Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated

  

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

  

[●]

  
  

 

Total

  
  

 


SCHEDULE II

ORALLY CONVEYED PRICING INFORMATION

1. [ Public offering price ]

$[●]

2. [ Number of units offered ]

[●]


SCHEDULE III

ISSUER FREE WRITING PROSPECTUSES – ROAD SHOW MATERIALS

[Insert list of certain road show materials]


SCHEDULE IV

ISSUER FREE WRITING PROSPECTUS

[Insert list of all “Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses”, if any]


SCHEDULE V

WRITTEN TESTING-THE-WATERS COMMUNICATIONS

[Insert list of all Written Testing-the-Waters Communications, if any]


EXHIBIT A

LOCK-UP LETTER AGREEMENT

B ARCLAYS C APITAL I NC .

R OBERT W. B AIRD  & C O . I NCORPORATED

J.P. M ORGAN S ECURITIES LLC

As Representatives of the several

    Underwriters named in Schedule I,

c/o Barclays Capital Inc.

745 Seventh Avenue

New York, New York 10019

Ladies and Gentlemen:

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

In consideration of the execution of the Underwriting Agreement by the Underwriters, and for other good and valuable consideration, the undersigned hereby irrevocably agrees that, without the prior written consent of Barclays Capital Inc., on behalf of the Underwriters, the undersigned will not, directly or indirectly, (1) offer for sale, sell, pledge, or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction or device that is designed to, or could be expected to, result in the disposition by any person at any time in the future of) any Common Units (including, without limitation, Common Units that may be deemed to be beneficially owned by the undersigned in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and Common Units that may be issued upon exercise of any options or warrants) or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Units, (2) enter into any swap or other derivatives transaction that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic benefits or risks of ownership of Common Units, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Units or other securities, in cash or otherwise, (3) make any demand for or exercise any right or cause to be filed a registration statement, including any amendments thereto, with respect to the registration of any Common Units or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Units or any other securities of the Partnership, or (4) publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing for a period commencing on the date hereof and ending on the 180th day after the date of the final prospectus relating to the Units, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, relating to the Offering (such period, the “ Lock-Up Period ”).

 

Exhibit A-1


The foregoing paragraph shall not apply to (a) bona fide gifts, sales or other dispositions of Common Units, in each case that are made exclusively between and among the undersigned or members of the undersigned’s family, or affiliates of the undersigned, including its partners (if a partnership) or members (if a limited liability company); provided that it shall be a condition to any transfer pursuant to this clause (a) that (i) the transferee/donee agrees to be bound by the terms of this Lock-Up Letter Agreement (including, without limitation, the restrictions set forth in the preceding sentence) to the same extent as if the transferee/donee were a party hereto, (ii) each party (donor, donee, transferor or transferee) shall not be required by law (including without limitation the disclosure requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “ Exchange Act ”) to make, and shall agree to not voluntarily make, any filing or public announcement of the transfer or disposition prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period, and (iii) the undersigned notifies Barclays Capital Inc. at least two business days prior to the proposed transfer or disposition, (b) the exercise of warrants or the exercise of options granted pursuant to the Partnership’s option/incentive plans or otherwise outstanding on the date hereof; provided , that the restrictions shall apply to Common Units issued upon such exercise or conversion, and (c) the establishment of any contract, instruction or plan that satisfies all of the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 (a “ Rule 10b5-1 Plan ”) under the Exchange Act; provided , however , that no sales of Common Units or securities convertible into, or exchangeable or exercisable for, Common Units, shall be made pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 Plan prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period (as the same may be extended pursuant to the provisions hereof); provided further , that the Partnership is not required to report the establishment of such Rule 10b5-1 Plan in any public report or filing with the Commission under the Exchange Act during the Lock-Up Period and does not otherwise voluntarily effect any such public filing or report regarding such Rule 10b5-1 Plan.

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

It is understood that, if the Partnership notifies the Underwriters that it does not intend to proceed with the Offering, if the Underwriting Agreement does not become effective on or before December 31, 2015, or if the Underwriting Agreement (other than the provisions thereof which survive termination) shall terminate or be terminated prior to payment for and delivery of the Units, the undersigned shall automatically and without further action be released from its obligations under this Lock-Up Letter Agreement concurrently with the Underwriter becoming aware of such event.

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

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

 

Exhibit A-2


[Signature page follows]

 

 

Exhibit A-3


The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to enter into this Lock-Up Letter Agreement. Any obligations of the undersigned shall be binding upon the heirs, personal representatives, successors and assigns of the undersigned.

 

Very truly yours,
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

Dated:                     

 

Exhibit A-4


EXHIBIT B-1

FORM OF OPINION OF PARTNERSHIP’S COUNSEL

 

Exhibit B-1-1

Exhibit 3.3

C ERTIFICATE OF A MENDMENT

TO

C ERTIFICATE OF L IMITED P ARTNERSHIP

OF

N OBLE M IDSTREAM P ARTNERS LP

This Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Limited Partnership of Noble Midstream Partners LP (the “Partnership”) is executed and filed pursuant to the provisions of Section 17-202 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, by Noble Midstream GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “General Partner”), as general partner of the Partnership, to amend the Certificate of Limited Partnership of the Partnership, as filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware on December 23, 2014 (as previously amended, the “Certificate of Limited Partnership”). The General Partner DOES HEREBY CERTIFY as follows:

1. The name of the limited partnership is Noble Midstream Partners LP.

2. The Certificate of Limited Partnership is hereby amended to reflect the change of the name of the general partner of the Partnership, by deleting Article 3 of the Certificate of Limited Partnership in its entirety and adding the following:

 

  “3. General Partner: The name and business address of the sole general partner of the Partnership is:

Noble Midstream GP LLC

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, Texas 77070”

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the General Partner has executed this Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Limited Partnership as of the 2nd day of October, 2015.

 

GENERAL PARTNER:
Noble Midstream GP LLC
By:  

/s/ Kirk A. Moore

Name:   Kirk A. Moore
Title:   Secretary

Exhibit 3.7

FORM OF NOBLE MIDSTREAM GP LLC

 

 

FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED

LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT

 

 

Dated Effective as of [            ], 2015


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Article I DEFINITIONS

     1   

Section 1.1

 

Definitions

     1   

Section 1.2

 

Construction

     3   

Article II ORGANIZATION

     3   

Section 2.1

 

Formation

     3   

Section 2.2

 

Name

     3   

Section 2.3

 

Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices

     3   

Section 2.4

 

Purpose and Business

     4   

Section 2.5

 

Powers

     4   

Section 2.6

 

Term

     4   

Section 2.7

 

Title to Company Property

     4   

Article III RIGHTS OF SOLE MEMBER

     4   

Section 3.1

 

Voting

     4   

Section 3.2

 

Distribution

     4   

Article IV CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS; NATURE OF MEMBERSHIP INTEREST

     5   

Section 4.1

 

Contributions

     5   

Section 4.2

 

Interest

     5   

Section 4.3

 

Loans

     5   

Section 4.4

 

Return of Contributions

     5   

Section 4.5

 

Fully Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Membership Interests

     5   

Article V MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS

     5   

Section 5.1

 

Establishment of the Board

     5   

Section 5.2

 

Responsibilities and Authority of Sole Member and Board

     5   

Section 5.3

 

Delegation of Board’s Authority

     7   

Section 5.4

 

Term of Office

     8   

Section 5.5

 

Meetings of the Board and Committees

     8   

Section 5.6

 

Voting

     9   

Section 5.7

 

Devotion of Time

     9   

Section 5.8

 

Certificate of Formation

     9   

Section 5.9

 

Benefit Plans

     10   

Section 5.10

 

Indemnification

     10   

Section 5.11

 

Liability of Indemnitees

     12   

Section 5.12

 

Reliance by Third Parties

     12   

Section 5.13

 

Other Business of Members

     13   

 

(i)


 

Article VI OFFICERS

     13   

Section 6.1

 

Officers

     13   

Section 6.2

 

Compensation

     16   

Article VII BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS

     16   

Section 7.1

 

Records and Accounting

     16   

Section 7.2

 

Reports

     17   

Section 7.3

 

Bank Accounts

     17   

Section 7.4

 

Taxation

     17   

Article VIII DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION

     17   

Section 8.1

 

Dissolution

     17   

Section 8.2

 

Effect of Dissolution

     17   

Section 8.3

 

Application of Proceeds

     18   

Article IX GENERAL PROVISIONS

     18   

Section 9.1

 

Addresses and Notices

     18   

Section 9.2

 

Creditors

     18   

Section 9.3

 

Applicable Law

     18   

Section 9.4

 

Invalidity of Provisions

     18   

Section 9.5

 

Third-Party Beneficiaries

     18   

 

(ii)


FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT

OF

NOBLE MIDSTREAM GP LLC

THIS FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT of NOBLE MIDSTREAM GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ Company ”), dated effective as of [            ], 2015, is entered into by NBL MIDSTREAM, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ Sole Member ”), as the sole member of the Company as of the date hereof.

RECITALS:

WHEREAS , the Company was formed as a limited liability company under the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act by filing a Certificate of Formation under the name Noble Energy Midstream GP LLC with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware effective as of December 23, 2014.

WHEREAS , effective as of May 6, 2015, the name of the Company was changed to Noble Midstream GP LLC by the filing of a Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Formation of the Company with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.

WHEREAS , the Company was previously governed by that certain Limited Liability Company Agreement, dated as of December 23, 2014, as amended by the First Amendment to Limited Liability Company Agreement of the Company, dated as of September 30, 2015 (as so amended, the “ Original LLC Agreement ”).

WHEREAS , the Sole Member now desires to amend and restate the Original LLC Agreement in its entirety by executing this First Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement.

NOW THEREFORE , in consideration of the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the Sole Member hereby enters into this Agreement:

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.

Agreement ” means this First Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Noble Midstream GP LLC, as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time. The Agreement constitutes the “ limited liability company agreement ” of the Company as such term is defined in the Delaware Act.

Board ” means the board of directors of the Company.

Capital Contribution ” means any cash, cash equivalents or the value of Contributed Property.


Certificate of Formation ” means the Certificate of Formation of the Company filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as referenced in Section 2.1 , as such Certificate of Formation may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Chairman of the Board ” has the meaning given such term in Section 5.3(c) .

Company ” has the meaning given such term in the introductory paragraph and shall include any successors thereto. For the avoidance of doubt, references in this Agreement to the Company shall not include the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries.

Conflicts Committee Independent Director ” means a Director who meets the requirements set forth in the definition of “Conflicts Committee” in the Partnership Agreement.

Contributed Property ” means each property or other asset, in such form as may be permitted by the Delaware Act, but excluding cash, contributed to the Company.

Delaware Act ” means the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, 6 Del. C. § 18-101, et seq ., as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time, and any successor to such statute.

Directors ” has the meaning given such term in Section 5.1 .

Indemnitee ” means (a) the Sole Member, (b) any Person who is or was an Affiliate of the Company, (c) any Person who is or was a member, manager, partner, director, officer, fiduciary or trustee of the Company or any Affiliate of the Company, (d) any Person who is or was serving at the request of the Company or any Affiliate of the Company as a member, manager, partner, director, officer, 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 because such Person’s status, service or relationship exposes such Person to potential claims, demands, suits or proceedings relating to the business and affairs of the Company and its Subsidiaries.

Independent Director ” has the meaning given such term in Section 5.3(b)(ii) .

Listing Date ” means the first day upon which the Common Units are listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange or another national securities exchange.

Membership Interest ” means all of the Sole Member’s rights and interest (including limited liability company interest) in the Company in the Sole Member’s capacity as the sole member of the Company, all as provided in this Agreement and the Delaware Act, including, without limitation, the Sole Member’s interest in the capital, income, gain, deductions, losses and credits of the Company.

Officer ” has the meaning given such term in Section 6.1(a) .

Original LLC Agreement ” has the meaning given such term in the Recitals to this Agreement.

 

2


Partnership ” means Noble Midstream Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership.

Partnership Agreement ” means the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Noble Midstream Partners LP, dated as of even date herewith, as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Sole Member ” has the meaning given such term in the introductory paragraph and shall include any successors thereto.

Section 1.2 Construction .

(a) Unless the context requires otherwise: (i) capitalized terms used herein but not otherwise defined shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Partnership Agreement; (ii) 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; (iii) references to Articles and Sections refer to Articles and Sections of this Agreement; (iv) the terms “include,” “includes,” “including” or words of like import shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation” and (v) 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.

(b) A reference to any Person includes such Person’s successors and permitted assigns.

ARTICLE II

ORGANIZATION

Section 2.1 Formation . On December 23, 2014, the Sole Member formed the Company as a limited liability company pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act by virtue of the filing of the Certificate of Formation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.

Section 2.2 Name . The name of the Company shall be “Noble Midstream GP LLC”. The Company’s business may be conducted under any other name or names deemed necessary or appropriate by the Board in its discretion, including, if consented to by the Board, the name of the Partnership. The words “Limited Liability Company,” “L.L.C.” or “LLC” or similar words or letters shall be included in the Company’s name where necessary for the purpose of complying with the laws of any jurisdiction that so requires. The Board in its discretion may change the name of the Company at any time and from time to time and shall promptly notify the Sole Member of such change.

Section 2.3 Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices . Unless and until changed by the Board, the registered office of the Company in the State of Delaware shall be located at 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801, and the registered agent for service of process on the Company in the State of Delaware at such registered office shall be The Corporation Trust Company. The principal office of the Company shall be located at 1001 Noble Energy Way, Houston, Texas 77070, or such other place as the Board may from time to time designate. The Company may maintain offices at such other place or places within or outside the State of Delaware as the Board deems necessary or appropriate.

 

3


Section 2.4 Purpose and Business . The purpose and nature of the business to be conducted by the Company shall be to (a) serve as the general partner of the Partnership and, in connection therewith, to exercise all rights conferred upon the Company as the general partner of the Partnership in accordance with the Partnership Agreement; and (b) engage directly or indirectly in any other lawful act or activity permitted for a limited liability company formed under the Delaware Act, including guaranteeing, mortgaging, pledging or encumbering any or all of its assets in connection with any indebtedness of any Affiliate or Subsidiary of the Company.

Section 2.5 Powers . The Company 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 Company.

Section 2.6 Term . The term of the Company commenced upon the filing of the Certificate of Formation in accordance with the Delaware Act and shall continue in existence in perpetuity or until the dissolution of the Company in accordance with the provisions of Article VIII . The existence of the Company as a separate legal entity shall continue until the cancellation of the Certificate of Formation as provided in the Delaware Act.

Section 2.7 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 the Sole Member shall not have any ownership of such property. All of the Company’s property shall be recorded as the property of the Company on its books and records.

ARTICLE III

RIGHTS OF SOLE MEMBER

Section 3.1 Voting . Unless otherwise granted to the Board by this Agreement (including pursuant to Section 5.2(a) ), the Directors shall not have any voting or management rights with respect to the Company and the Sole Member shall possess all voting rights in all matters relating to the Company, including, without limitation, matters relating to the amendment of this Agreement (except as provided in Section 2.2) , any merger, consolidation, recapitalization or conversion of the Company, any sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company and the termination, dissolution or liquidation of the Company. The Sole Member may act by written consent without a meeting with respect to any action it could act upon at a meeting.

Section 3.2 Distribution . Distributions by the Company of cash or other property shall be made to the Sole Member at such time as the Sole Member deems appropriate. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company shall not be required to make a distribution to the Sole Member in respect of its Membership Interest if such distribution would violate the Delaware Act or other applicable law.

 

4


ARTICLE IV

CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS;

NATURE OF MEMBERSHIP INTEREST

Section 4.1 Contributions . In connection with the formation of the Company, the Sole Member made a contribution to the capital of the Company in the amount of $1,000 in exchange for all of the Membership Interests and was admitted as a member of the Company. The Sole Member may, from time to time, make such contribution of cash or other property to the Company as the Sole Member may determine in its sole and absolute discretion; provided , that the Sole Member is under no obligation whatsoever, either express or implied, to make any such contribution to the Company.

Section 4.2 Interest . No interest shall be paid by the Company on Capital Contributions.

Section 4.3 Loans . If the Company does not have sufficient cash to pay its obligations or the Sole Member otherwise determines to do so, the Sole Member may advance funds to or on behalf of the Company; provided , that the Sole Member is under no obligation whatsoever, either express or implied, to make any such advance to the Company. In the absence of any written agreement to the contrary, any such advance described in this Section 4.3 will constitute a loan from the Sole Member to the Company, will bear interest at a lawful rate determined by the Sole Member from the date of the advance until the day of repayment and will not constitute a Capital Contribution.

Section 4.4 Return of Contributions . Except as expressly provided herein, the Sole Member is not entitled to the return of any portion of its Capital Contributions. An unreturned Capital Contribution is not a liability of the Company or the Sole Member.

Section 4.5 Fully Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Membership Interests . All Membership Interests issued pursuant to, and in accordance with, the requirements of this Article IV shall be fully paid and non-assessable Membership Interests, except as such non-assessability may be affected by Section 18-607 and 18-804 of the Delaware Act.

ARTICLE V

MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS

Section 5.1 Establishment of the Board . The number of directors (the “ Directors ”) constituting the Board shall be at least three and not more than twelve, unless otherwise fixed from time to time pursuant to action by the Sole Member. The Directors shall be elected or approved by the Sole Member. The Directors shall serve as Directors of the Company for their term of office established pursuant to Section 5.4 .

Section 5.2 Responsibilities and Authority of Sole Member and Board .

(a) Authority of Board . Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, including Section 5.2(b) and Section 5.2(c) , the Board shall have exclusive management authority over the business and affairs of the Company that relate to management and control of

 

5


the Partnership and its Subsidiaries. Each Director shall be a “manager” within the meaning of the Delaware Act. The Sole Member hereby consents to the exercise by the Board of all such powers and rights conferred on it by this Agreement, the Delaware Act or otherwise by applicable law with respect to the management and control of the Company in accordance with this Agreement.

(b) Member Consent Required for Extraordinary Matters . Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Board will not take any action without approval of the Sole Member with respect to an extraordinary matter that would have, or would reasonably be expected to have, a material effect, directly or indirectly, on the Sole Member’s interests in the Company. The type of extraordinary matter referred to in the prior sentence which requires approval of the Sole Member shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (i) a merger, consolidation, recapitalization, conversion or similar transaction involving the Partnership or a material Subsidiary thereof; (ii) a sale, exchange or other transfer not in the ordinary course of business of all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership or a material Subsidiary of the Partnership, viewed on a consolidated basis, in one or a series of related transactions; (iii) termination, dissolution or liquidation of the Partnership; (iv) a material amendment of the Partnership Agreement; (v) a general assignment for the benefit of the creditors of the Partnership; and (vi) the commencement of any action relating to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or relief of debtors by the Partnership. An extraordinary matter will be deemed approved by the Sole Member if the Board receives a written, facsimile or electronic instruction evidencing such approval from the Sole Member or if a majority of the Directors that do not qualify as Independent Directors because of their affiliation with the Sole Member, approve such matter. To the fullest extent permitted by law, a Director, acting as such, shall have no duty, responsibility or liability to the Company, the Sole Member or any other Person bound by this Agreement with respect to any action by the Board approved by the Sole Member.

(c) Member-Managed Decisions . Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Sole Member shall have exclusive management authority over the internal business and affairs of the Company that do not relate to management and control of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries. For illustrative purposes, the internal business and affairs of the Company where the Sole Member shall have exclusive management authority include the following: (i) the commencement of any action relating to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or relief of debtors by the Company or a material Subsidiary thereof; (ii) a merger, consolidation, recapitalization, conversion or similar transaction involving the Company; (iii) the termination, dissolution or liquidation of the Company; (iv) the amount and timing of distributions paid by the Company; (v) the issuance or repurchase of any equity interests in the Company; (vi) the prosecution, settlement or management of any claim made directly against the Company; (vii) the decision to sell, convey, transfer or pledge any asset of the Company; (viii) the decision to amend, modify or waive any rights relating to the assets of the Company (including its interests in the Partnership and its Subsidiaries); (ix) the making of, or the consent to, a general assignment for the benefit of the creditors of the Company; and (x) the decision to enter into any agreement to incur an obligation of the Company other than an agreement entered into for and on behalf of the Partnership or its Subsidiaries 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.

 

6


In addition, notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Sole Member shall have exclusive authority to cause the Company to 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) where (a) the Company makes a determination or takes or declines to take any other action in its individual capacity under the Partnership Agreement, as opposed to its capacity as the general partner of the Partnership or (b) where the Partnership Agreement permits the Company to make a determination or take or decline to take any other action in its sole discretion. For illustrative purposes, a list of provisions where the Company would be acting in its individual capacity or is permitted to act in its sole discretion under the Partnership Agreement is contained in Appendix A hereto.

Section 5.3 Delegation of Board’s Authority .

(a) Delegation by the Board .

(i) The Board shall have the power and authority to delegate to one or more other Persons the Board’s rights and powers to manage and control the business and affairs of the Company as set forth in Section 5.2(a) , including delegating such rights and powers of the Board to agents and employees of the Company (including Officers). The Board may authorize any Person (including, without limitation, the Sole Member, or any Director or Officer) to enter into any document on behalf of the Company and perform the obligations of the Company thereunder.

(ii) Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, the relative authority and functions of the Board, on the one hand, and the Officers, on the other hand, shall be identical to the relative authority and functions of the board of directors and officers, respectively, of a corporation organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware. The Officers shall be vested with such powers and duties as are set forth in Section 6.1 hereof and as are specified by the Board from time to time. Accordingly, except as otherwise specifically provided in this Agreement, 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) Committees .

(i) The Board may establish committees of the Board and may delegate any of its responsibilities to such committees.

(ii) On or before the Listing Date, the Board shall have an audit committee comprised of at least one Director as of such Listing Date, at least two Directors within 90 days of the Listing Date and at least three Directors within one year of the Listing Date, all of whom shall be Independent Directors. Such audit committee shall establish a written audit committee charter in accordance with the rules of the principal national securities exchange on which a class of Partnership Interests of the Partnership are listed or admitted to trading, as amended from time to time. “ Independent Director ” shall mean Directors meeting independence standards required of directors who serve on an audit committee of a board of directors established by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,

 

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as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder and by the national securities exchange on which any class of Partnership Interests of the Partnership are listed or admitted to trading.

(iii) The Board may establish a Conflicts Committee from time to time comprised exclusively of two or more Conflicts Committee Independent Directors. The Conflicts Committee shall function in the manner described in the Partnership Agreement. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement, the Partnership Agreement or any Group Member Agreement or any duty (including any fiduciary duty) otherwise existing under the Delaware Act or any other applicable law or in equity, any matter approved by the Conflicts Committee in accordance with the provisions, and subject to the limitations, of the Partnership Agreement, shall not be a breach of any duty (including any fiduciary duty) owed by the Board or any Director to the Company, the Sole Member or any other Person bound by this Agreement.

(c) Chairman of the Board . The Board may elect a chairman of the Board (the “ Chairman of the Board ”). The Chairman of the Board, if elected, shall be a member of the Board, shall preside at all meetings of the Board and of the partners of the Partnership, and shall perform such additional functions and duties as the Board may prescribe from time to time. 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 Board. No removal or resignation as Chairman of the Board shall affect such person’s status as a Director.

Section 5.4 Term of Office . Once designated pursuant to Section 5.1 , a Director shall continue in office until the removal of such Director in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement or until the earlier death or resignation of such Director. Any Director may resign at any time by giving written notice of such Director’s resignation to the Board. Any such resignation shall take effect at the time the Board receives such notice or at any later effective time specified in such notice. Unless otherwise specified in such notice, the acceptance by the Board of such Director’s resignation shall not be necessary to make such resignation 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 Sole Member. Notwithstanding anything herein or under applicable law to the contrary, any Director may be removed at any time with or without cause by the Sole Member.

Section 5.5 Meetings of the Board and Committees .

(a) 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. If no Chairman of the Board has been elected or is serving, the Board shall meet at such time and such place as a majority of the Directors 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 of the Board, a majority of the Directors (or a majority of the members of such committee) or the Sole Member upon at least two days (if the meeting is to be held in person) or

 

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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 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) 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 such member).

(b) Conduct of Meetings . Any meeting of the Board (or any committee of the Board) may be held in person or by telephone conference or similar communications 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.

(c) Quorum . Fifty percent or more of all Directors (or members of a committee of the Board), present in person or participating in accordance with Section 5.5(b), shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, but if at any meeting of the Board (or committee) there shall be less than a quorum present, a majority of the Directors (or members of a committee) present may adjourn the meeting without further notice. The Directors (or members of a committee) present at a duly organized meeting may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough Directors (or members of a committee) to leave less than a quorum; provided , however , that only the acts of the Directors (or members of a committee) meeting the requirements of Section 5.6 shall be deemed to be acts of the Board (or such committee).

Section 5.6 Voting . Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, the effectiveness of any vote, consent or other action of the Board (or any committee) in respect of any matter shall require either (i) the presence of a quorum and the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the Directors (or members of such committee) present or (ii) the written consent (in lieu of meeting) of the Directors (or members of such committee) having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting of the Board (or any committee) at which all Directors (or members of such committee) entitled to vote thereon were present and voted. Any Director may vote in person or by proxy (pursuant to a power of attorney) on any matter that is to be voted on by the Board at a meeting thereof.

Section 5.7 Devotion of Time . The Directors shall not be obligated and shall not be expected to devote all of their time or business efforts to the affairs of the Company (except, to the extent appropriate, in their capacity as employees of the Company).

Section 5.8 Certificate of Formation . The Sole Member caused the Certificate of Formation to be filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as required by the Delaware Act and certain other certificates or documents it determined in its discretion to be

 

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necessary or appropriate for the qualification and operation of the Company in certain other states. The Secretary shall use all reasonable efforts to cause to be filed such additional certificates or documents as may be determined by the Secretary to be necessary or appropriate for the formation, continuation, qualification and operation of a limited liability company in the State of Delaware or any other state in which the Company may elect to do business or own property. To the extent that such action is determined by the Secretary to be necessary or appropriate, the Secretary shall file or cause to be filed amendments to and restatements of the Certificate of Formation and do or cause to be done all things to maintain the Company as a limited liability company under the laws of the State of Delaware or of any other state in which the Company may elect to do business or own property.

Section 5.9 Benefit Plans . The Board may propose and adopt on behalf of the Company benefit plans (including equity incentive plans), programs and practices for its employees, directors and consultants, or cause the Company to exercise its authority to cause the Partnership to issue Partnership Interests, in connection with or pursuant to any benefit plan, program or practice maintained or sponsored by any Group Member or any Affiliate thereof, in each case for the benefit of employees, directors or consultants of the Company, any Group Member or any Affiliate thereof, or any of them, in respect of services performed, directly or indirectly, for the benefit of any Group Member.

Section 5.10 Indemnification .

(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law but subject to the limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, all Indemnitees shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other amounts arising from any and all threatened, pending or completed claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, and whether formal or informal and including appeals, in which any Indemnitee may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of its status as an Indemnitee and acting (or refraining to act) in such capacity on behalf of or for the benefit of the Company; 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 engaged in intentional fraud, willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful; provided, further , no indemnification pursuant to this Section 5.10 shall be available to any Affiliate of the Company, or to any other Indemnitee, with respect to any such Affiliate’s obligations pursuant to the Transaction Documents. Any indemnification or advancement of expenses pursuant to this Section 5.10 shall be made only out of the assets of the Company, it being agreed that the Sole Member shall not be personally liable for such indemnification or advancement of expenses and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Company to enable it to effectuate such indemnification or advancement of expenses.

(b) To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses (including legal fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnitee who is entitled to be indemnified pursuant to Section 5.10(a)

 

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in defending any claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding shall, from time to time, be advanced by the Company 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 5.10 , the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified upon receipt by the Company 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 5.10 .

(c) The indemnification provided by this Section 5.10 shall be in addition to any other rights to which an Indemnitee may be entitled under any agreement, 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, executors and administrators of the Indemnitee.

(d) The Company may purchase and maintain (or reimburse its Affiliates for the cost of) insurance, on behalf of the Indemnitees, the Company and its Affiliates and such other Persons as the Company 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.

(e) For purposes of this Section 5.10 , the Company 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 Company 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 5.10(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 on behalf of or for the benefit of the Company and in the best interests of the Company.

(f) In no event may an Indemnitee subject the Sole Member 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 5.10 solely because the Indemnitee had an interest in the transaction with respect to which the indemnification applies.

(h) The provisions of this Section 5.10 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 5.10 or any provision hereof shall in any manner terminate, reduce or impair the right of any past, present or future

 

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Indemnitee to be indemnified by the Company, nor the obligations of the Company to indemnify any such Indemnitee under and in accordance with the provisions of this Section 5.10 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 5.11 Liability of Indemnitees .

(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement or the Partnership Agreement, no Indemnitee shall be liable for monetary damages to the Company, the Sole Member or any other Persons who have acquired interests in the Company or are 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 engaged in fraud, willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct was criminal.

(b) To the extent that, at law or in equity, an Indemnitee has duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating thereto to the Partnership, to the Partners or to any other Person bound by this Agreement, such Indemnitee acting in connection with the Partnership’s business or affairs shall not be liable to the Partnership, to any Partner or to any other Person bound by this Agreement, for its good faith reliance on the provisions of this Agreement.

(c) Any amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 5.11 shall be prospective only and shall not in any way affect the limitations on the liability of the Indemnitees under this Section 5.11 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 5.12 Reliance by Third Parties . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, any Person dealing with the Company shall be entitled to assume that any Officer authorized by the Board to act for and on behalf of and in the name of the Company has full power and authority to encumber, sell or otherwise use in any manner any and all assets of the Company and to enter into any authorized contracts on behalf of the Company, and such Person shall be entitled to deal with any such Officer as if it were the Company’s sole party in interest, both legally and beneficially. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Sole Member hereby waives any and all defenses or other remedies that may be available against such Person to contest, negate or disaffirm any action of any such Officer in connection with any such dealing. In no event shall any Person dealing with any such Officer or its representatives be obligated to ascertain that the terms of the Agreement have been complied with or to inquire into the necessity or expedience of any act or action of any such Officer or its representatives. Each and every certificate, document or other instrument executed on behalf of the Company by any Officer authorized by the Board 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 and in the name of the Company 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 Company.

 

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Section 5.13 Other Business of Members .

(a) Existing Business Ventures . The Sole Member, each Director and their respective Affiliates may engage in or possess an interest in other business ventures of any nature or description, independently or with others, similar or dissimilar to the business of the Company or the Partnership or its Subsidiaries, and the Company, the Partnership, the Directors and the Sole Member shall have no rights by virtue of this Agreement in and to such independent ventures or the income or profits derived therefrom, and the pursuit of any such venture, even if competitive with the business of the Company or the Partnership, shall not be deemed wrongful or improper or a breach of any duty.

(b) Business Opportunities . None of the Sole Member, any Director or any of their respective Affiliates shall be obligated to present any particular investment opportunity to the Company or the Partnership or its Subsidiaries even if such opportunity is of a character that the Company, the Partnership or any of their respective Subsidiaries might reasonably be deemed to have pursued or had the ability or desire to pursue if granted the opportunity to do so, and the Sole Member, each Director or any of their respective Affiliates shall have the right to take for such Person’s own account (individually or as a partner or fiduciary) or to recommend to others any such particular investment opportunity, and any such action shall not constitute a breach of any duty existing at law in equity or otherwise.

ARTICLE VI

OFFICERS

Section 6.1 Officers .

(a) Generally . The Board shall appoint agents of the Company, referred to as “ Officers ” of the Company as described in this Section 6.1 , who shall be responsible for the day-to-day business affairs of the Company, subject to the overall direction and control of the Board. Unless provided otherwise by the Board, the Officers shall have the titles, power, authority and duties described below in this Section 6.1 .

(b) Titles and Number . The Officers of the Company may consist of a Chief Executive Officer, a President, one or more Vice Presidents, a Chief Financial Officer, a General Counsel, a Treasurer, one or more Assistant Treasurers, a Secretary, one or more Assistant Secretaries and such other Officers as the Board may elect or appoint from time to time. Officers are not “managers” as that term is used in the Delaware Act. Any number of Officer positions of the Company may be held by the same person. The Board may elect or appoint from among the members of the Board a person to act as Chairman of the Board, who shall not be deemed an Officer unless he or she has otherwise been elected or appointed as such. Each Officer shall serve until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified (or his or her earlier death, resignation or removal from office). Any Officer may resign at any time by delivering his or her written resignation to the Board.

 

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(i) Chief Executive Officer . The Chief Executive Officer shall have general supervision and control of the affairs, business, operations and properties of the Company and, subject to the control of the Board, shall see that all orders and resolutions of the Board and the Sole Member are carried into effect. The Chief Executive Officer shall have the power to appoint and remove all subordinate officers and agents of the Company to the extent such subordinate officers and agents have not been appointed by the Board. The Chief Executive Officer may sign deeds, mortgages, bonds, contracts or other instruments, except in cases where the signing and execution thereof shall be expressly delegated by the Board or by this Agreement to another Officer or agent of the Company, or shall be required by Applicable Law to be otherwise signed and executed. The Chief Executive Officer shall also perform all duties and have all powers incident to the office of Chief Executive Officer and perform such other duties and may exercise such other powers as may be assigned by this Agreement or as may be prescribed by the Board from time to time.

(ii) President . The President shall, subject to the control of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer, in general, supervise and control all of the business and affairs of the Company. The President may sign deeds, mortgages, bonds, contracts or other instruments, except in cases where the signing and execution thereof shall be expressly delegated by the Board or by this Agreement to another Officer or agent of the Company, or shall be required by Applicable Law to be otherwise signed and executed. The President shall also perform all duties and have all powers incident to the office of President and perform such other duties and may exercise such other powers as may be delegated by the Chief Executive Officer or as may be prescribed by the Board from time to time.

(iii) Vice Presidents . Any Executive Vice President, Senior Vice President and Vice President (in the order of their seniority as determined by the Board or, in the absence of such a determination, as determined by the length of time they have held the applicable office) unless otherwise determined by the Board, shall, in the absence or disability of the President, perform the duties and exercise the powers of the President. Such Vice Presidents shall, subject to the control of the Board and the authority of the Chief Executive Officer and/or the President, also perform all duties and have all powers incident to such office and generally assist the President by executing contracts and performing such other duties and exercising such other powers as may be delegated by the Chief Executive Officer or the President or as may be prescribed by the Board from time to time.

(iv) Chief Financial Officer . The Chief Financial Officer shall perform all duties and have all powers incident to the office of the Chief Financial Officer and, subject to the control of the Board and the authority of the Chief Executive Officer and/or the President and any restrictions listed herein, in general have overall supervision of the financial affairs of the Company. The Chief Financial Officer 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, as applicable, may from time to time determine. The Chief Financial

 

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Officer shall render to the Board, the Sole Member, the Chief Executive Officer and the President, whenever any of them so request, an account of all of his or her transactions as Chief Financial Officer and of the financial condition of the Company. The Chief Financial Officer shall also perform all duties and have all powers incident to the office of Chief Financial Officer and perform such other duties and may exercise such other powers as may be delegated by the Chief Executive Officer or the President or as may be prescribed by the Board from time to time.

(v) General Counsel . The General Counsel shall be the principal legal Officer of the Company. The General Counsel shall, subject to the control of the Board, have general direction of and supervision over the legal affairs of the Company and shall advise the Board or the Sole Member, as applicable, and the Officers on all legal matters. The General Counsel shall also perform all duties and have all powers incident to the office of General Counsel and perform such other duties and may exercise such other powers as may be delegated by the Chief Executive Officer or the President or as may be prescribed by the Board from time to time.

(vi) Treasurer . 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, the Chief Executive Officer or the President. The Treasurer, subject to the order of the Board, shall have the custody of all funds and securities of the Company. The Treasurer shall report to the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or the President, as appropriate. The Treasurer shall also perform all duties and have all powers incident to the office of Treasurer and perform such other duties and may exercise such other powers as may be delegated by the Chief Executive Officer or the President or as may be prescribed by the Board from time to time.

(vii) Assistant Treasurers . Each Assistant Treasurer (in the order of their seniority as determined by the Board or, in the absence of such a determination, as determined by the length of time they have held such office) unless otherwise determined by the Board, shall, in the absence or disability of the Treasurer, perform the duties and exercise the powers of the Treasurer. Any Assistant Treasurer shall, subject to the control of the Board and the authority of the Chief Executive Officer, the President and the Treasurer, also perform all duties and have all powers incident to the office of Assistant Treasurer and perform such other duties and may exercise such other powers as may be delegated by the Chief Executive Officer, the President or the Treasurer or as may be prescribed by the Board from time to time.

(viii) Secretary . The Secretary shall keep or cause to be kept, in one or more books provided for that purpose, the minutes of all meetings of the Board, the committees of the Board, the Sole Member and the Limited Partners. The Secretary shall see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement or the Partnership Agreement, as applicable, and as required by Applicable Law, shall be custodian of the records and the seal of the Company (if any) and affix and attest the seal (if any) to all documents to be executed on behalf of the Company under its seal, shall see that the books, reports, statements, certificates and other documents and records required

 

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by Applicable Law to be kept and filed are properly kept and filed and shall perform all duties and have all powers incident to the office of Secretary and perform such other duties and may exercise such other powers as may be delegated by the Chief Executive Officer or the President or as may be prescribed by the Board from time to time.

(ix) Assistant Secretaries . Each Assistant Secretary (in the order of their seniority as determined by the Board or, in the absence of such a determination, as determined by the length of time they have held such office) unless otherwise determined by the Board, shall, in the absence or disability of the Secretary, perform the duties and exercise the powers of the Secretary. Any Assistant Secretary shall, subject to the control of the Board and the authority of the Chief Executive Officer, the President and the Secretary, also perform all duties and have all powers incident to the office of Assistant Secretary and perform such other duties and may exercise such other powers as may be delegated by the Chief Executive Officer, the President or the Secretary or as may be prescribed by the Board from time to time.

(c) 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.

(d) 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.

(e) 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.

(f) 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.

Section 6.2 Compensation . The Officers shall receive such compensation for their services as may be designated by the Board or any committee thereof established for the purpose of setting compensation.

ARTICLE VII

BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS

Section 7.1 Records and Accounting . The Board shall keep or cause to be kept at the principal office of the Company appropriate books and records with respect to the Company’s business. 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 U.S. GAAP, consistently applied.

 

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Section 7.2 Reports . The Board shall cause to be prepared and delivered to the Sole Member such reports, forecasts, studies, budgets and other information as the Sole Member may reasonably request from time to time.

Section 7.3 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. All withdrawals from any such depository shall be made only as authorized by the Board and shall be made only by check, wire transfer, debit memorandum or other written instruction.

Section 7.4 Taxation . The Company and the Sole Member acknowledge that for federal, state and local income tax purposes, the Company will be disregarded as an entity separate from the Sole Member pursuant to Treasury Regulation §301.7701-3 or any corresponding provision of state or local law as long as all of the Membership Interests in the Company are owned by the Sole Member.

ARTICLE VIII

DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION

Section 8.1 Dissolution .

(a) The term of the Company shall be of perpetual duration; however, the Company shall dissolve, and its affairs shall be wound up:

(i) upon an election to dissolve the Company by the Sole Member;

(ii) upon the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Company pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act; or

(iii) at any time there are no members of the Company, unless the Company is continued without dissolution in a manner permitted by the Delaware Act.

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

(c) The bankruptcy (as defined in Sections 18-101(1) and 18-304 of the Delaware Act) of a member of the Company shall not cause such member to cease to be a member of the Company.

Section 8.2 Effect of Dissolution . Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, upon the dissolution of the Company, the Sole Member shall take such actions as may be required pursuant to the Delaware Act and shall proceed to wind up, liquidate and terminate the business and affairs of the Company. In connection with such winding up, the Sole Member shall have the authority to liquidate and reduce to cash (to the extent necessary or appropriate) the assets of the Company as promptly as is consistent with obtaining fair value therefor, to apply and distribute the proceeds of such liquidation and any remaining assets in accordance with the provisions of Section 8.3 , and to do any and all acts and things authorized by, and in accordance with, the Delaware Act and other applicable laws for the purpose of winding up and liquidation.

 

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Section 8.3 Application of Proceeds . Upon dissolution and liquidation of the Company, the assets of the Company shall be applied and distributed in the following order of priority:

(a) First, to the payment of debts and liabilities of the Company (including to the Sole Member to the extent permitted by applicable law) and the expenses of liquidation, including the setting up of such reserves as the Sole Member may reasonably deem necessary or appropriate for any disputed, contingent, conditional or unmatured liabilities or obligations of the Company; and

(b) Thereafter, the remainder to the Sole Member.

ARTICLE IX

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Section 9.1 Addresses and Notices . Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, all notices, demands, requests, or other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be given either (a) in person, (b) by United States mail or (c) by expedited delivery service (charges prepaid) with proof of delivery. The address for notices and other communications to each of the Sole Member and the Company shall be the principal office of the Company, as set forth in Section 2.3 . The addresses for notices and communications to the Sole Member or the Company hereunder may be changed by the Sole Member or the Company, respectively, giving notice in writing, stating its new address for notices, to the other. For purposes of the foregoing, any notice required or permitted to be given shall be deemed to be delivered and given on the date actually delivered to the address specified in this Section 9.1 .

Section 9.2 Creditors . None of the provisions of this Agreement shall be for the benefit of, or shall be enforceable by, any creditor of the Company.

Section 9.3 Applicable Law . This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law.

Section 9.4 Invalidity of Provisions . If any provision of this Agreement is or becomes invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein shall not be affected thereby.

Section 9.5 Third-Party Beneficiaries . Nothing in this Agreement, either express or implied, is intended to or shall confer upon any Person other than the parties hereto, and their respective successors and permitted assigns, any rights, benefits or remedies of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Sole Member agrees that 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.

[The Remainder of This Page is Intentionally Blank]

 

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

 

NBL MIDSTREAM, LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

Signature Page to

First Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement

of Noble Midstream GP LLC


Appendix A

The following are provisions of the Partnership Agreement where the Company is permitted to act in its sole discretion or would be acting in its individual capacity. Capitalized terms used but not defined in this Appendix A have the meanings assigned to them in the Partnership Agreement.

(a) Section 2.4 (“ Purpose and Business ”), with respect to decisions to propose or approve the conduct by the Partnership of any business;

(b) Sections 4.6(a ) and (b)  (“ Transfer of the General Partner’s Interest ”), solely with respect to the decision by the Company to transfer its General Partner Interest in the Partnership;

(c) Section 5.7 (“ Limited Preemptive Right ”);

(d) Section 6.9 (“ Entity -Level Taxation ”);

(e) Section 7.5(d) (relating to the right of the Company and its Affiliates to purchase Units or other Partnership Interests and exercise rights related thereto);

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

(g) Section 7.9(a) (determining whether to refer any potential conflict of interest to the Conflicts Committee);

(h) Section 7.12 (“ Registration Rights of the General Partner and its Affiliates ”), solely with respect to any decision to exercise registration rights of the Company;

(i) 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 give notices required thereunder;

(j) Section 11.3(a) and (b)  (“ Interest of Departing General Partner and Successor General Partner ”);

(k) Section 13.2 (“ Amendment Procedures ”);

(l) Section 13.3 (“ Amendment Requirements ”);

(m) Section 14.2 (determining whether to consent to any merger, consolidation or conversion of the Partnership); and

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

Exhibit 10.1

FORM OF CONTRIBUTION, CONVEYANCE AND ASSUMPTION AGREEMENT

This CONTRIBUTION , CONVEYANCE AND ASSUMPTION AGREEMENT , dated as of [●], 2015 (this “ Agreement ”), is by and among NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP , a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ”), NOBLE MIDSTREAM GP LLC , a Delaware limited liability company and the general partner of the Partnership (the “ General Partner ”), NOBLE ENERGY, INC. , a Delaware corporation (“ Noble ”), NOBLE MIDSTREAM SERVICES, LLC , a Delaware limited liability company (“ Opco ”), NBL MIDSTREAM, LLC , a Delaware limited liability company (“ NBL Midstream ”), COLORADO RIVER DEVCO LP , a Delaware limited partnership (“ Colorado River LP ”), GREEN RIVER DEVCO LP , a Delaware limited partnership (“ Green River LP ”), GUNNISON RIVER DEVCO LP , a Delaware limited partnership (“ Gunnison River LP ”), LARAMIE RIVER DEVCO LP , a Delaware limited partnership (“ Laramie River LP ”), and SAN JUAN RIVER DEVCO LP , a Delaware limited partnership (“ San Juan River LP ”), COLORADO RIVER DEVCO GP LLC , a Delaware limited liability company (“ Colorado River GP ”), GREEN RIVER DEVCO GP LLC , a Delaware limited liability company (“ Green River GP ”), GUNNISON RIVER DEVCO GP LLC , a Delaware limited liability company (“ Gunnison River GP ”), LARAMIE RIVER DEVCO GP LLC , a Delaware limited liability company (“ Laramie River GP ”), and SAN JUAN RIVER DEVCO GP LLC , a Delaware limited liability company (“ San Juan River GP ”) (each, a “ Party ” and collectively, the “ Parties ”).

RECITALS

WHEREAS , the General Partner and Opco have caused the formation of the Partnership pursuant to the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act (as amended from time to time, the “ Delaware Partnership Act ”) for the purpose of owning, operating, developing and acquiring domestic midstream infrastructure assets, as well as engaging in any business activity that is approved by the General Partner and that lawfully may be conducted by a limited partnership organized under the Delaware Partnership Act;

WHEREAS , in order to accomplish the objectives and purposes in the preceding recital, each of the following actions has been taken on or prior to the date hereof:

 

  1. Opco formed the General Partner under the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act (as amended from time to time, the “ Delaware LLC Act ”) and contributed $1,000 to the General Partner in exchange for all of the limited liability company interests in the General Partner.

 

  2. Opco, as the initial limited partner, and the General Partner, as the general partner, formed the Partnership under the Delaware Partnership Act and contributed an aggregate $1,000 to the Partnership in exchange for a 99% limited partner interest (the “ Organizational LP Interest ”) and a 1% general partner interest (the “ Organizational GP Interest ”), respectively, in the Partnership;

 

  3. Noble Energy US Holdings, LLC (“ NEUS ”), the sole member of Opco, contributed an approximate 3.33% limited liability company interest in White Cliffs Pipeline, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company (the “ White Cliffs Interest ”) to Opco in exchange for an additional limited liability company interest in Opco;


  4. NEUS formed NBL Midstream under the Delaware LLC Act and contributed all of the limited liability company interests in Opco (the “ Opco Interest ”) to NBL Midstream in exchange for all of the limited liability company interests in NBL Midstream;

 

  5. Opco and its wholly owned subsidiary Colorado River GP formed Colorado River LP and contributed an aggregate $1,000 to Colorado River LP in exchange for a 99% limited partner interest and 1% general partner interest in Colorado River LP, respectively;

 

  6. Opco and its wholly owned subsidiary Green River GP formed Green River LP and contributed an aggregate $1,000 to Green River LP in exchange for a 99% limited partner interest and 1% general partner interest in Green River LP, respectively;

 

  7. Opco and its wholly owned subsidiary Gunnison River GP formed Gunnison River LP and contributed an aggregate $1,000 to Gunnison River LP in exchange for a 99% limited partner interest and 1% general partner interest in Gunnison River LP, respectively;

 

  8. Opco and its wholly owned subsidiary Laramie River GP formed Laramie River LP and contributed an aggregate $1,000 to Laramie River LP in exchange for a 99% limited partner interest and 1% general partner interest in Laramie River LP, respectively; and

 

  9. Opco and its wholly owned subsidiary San Juan River GP formed San Juan River LP and contributed an aggregate $1,000 to San Juan River LP in exchange for a 99% limited partner interest and 1% general partner interest in San Juan River LP, respectively;

WHEREAS , concurrently with the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, Opco will enter into a $350 million secured revolving credit facility with JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., as the administrative agent, and several other commercial lending institutions in certain other roles and as lenders and letter of credit issuing banks;

WHEREAS , concurrently with the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, each of the matters provided for in Article II will occur in accordance with its respective terms;

WHEREAS , if the Over-Allotment Option (as defined herein) is exercised, each of the matters provided for in Article III will occur in accordance with its respective terms; and

WHEREAS , the boards of directors, members or partners of the Parties have taken or caused to be taken all corporate, limited liability company and partnership action, as the case may be, required to approve the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

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NOW, THEREFORE , in consideration of the mutual covenants, representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, the Parties agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the respective meanings ascribed to such terms below:

Affiliate ” has the meaning assigned to it in the Partnership Agreement.

Bronco IDP ” means the IDP as described on Exhibit A .

Closing Date ” means the date on which the closing of the Initial Public Offering occurs.

Closing Time ” means the time of closing on the Closing Date pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement.

Colorado River LP Agreement ” means the Amended and Restated Limited Partnership Agreement of Colorado River LP, dated as of the Closing Date.

Common Unit ” has the meaning assigned to it in the Partnership Agreement.

Deferred Issuance ” has the meaning assigned to it in the Partnership Agreement.

DevCo ” means each of Colorado River LP, Green River LP, Gunnison River LP, Laramie River LP and San Juan River LP.

DevCo Partnership Agreements ” means each of the Colorado River LP Agreement, Green River LP Agreement, Gunnison River LP Agreement, Laramie River LP Agreement and San Juan River LP Agreement.

East Pony IDP ” means the IDP as described on Exhibit A .

Effective Time ” means 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on the Closing Date.

General Partner LLC Agreement ” means the First Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of the General Partner, dated as of the Closing Date.

Greeley Crescent IDP ” means the IDP as described on Exhibit A .

Green River LP Agreement ” means the Amended and Restated Limited Partnership Agreement of Green River LP, dated as of the Closing Date.

Gunnison River LP Agreement ” means the Amended and Restated Limited Partnership Agreement of Gunnison River LP, dated as of the Closing Date.

IDP ” means integrated development plan area.

Incentive Distribution Right ” has the meaning assigned to it in the Partnership Agreement.

 

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Initial Public Offering ” means the purchase and sale of Common Units to the Underwriters pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement.

Laramie River LP Agreement ” means the Amended and Restated Limited Partnership Agreement of Laramie River LP, dated as of the Closing Date.

Mustang IDP ” means the IDP as described on Exhibit A .

Noble Entities ” means Noble and each of its Affiliates (other than the Partnership Group).

Non-System Pipelines ” means those pipelines that do not comprise a part of the assets to be contributed to the Partnership pursuant to this Agreement.

Northern Colorado ” means the area described as such on Exhibit A .

Offering ” means the initial public offering of the Partnership’s Common Units pursuant to the Registration Statement.

Omnibus Agreement ” means that certain Omnibus Agreement, dated as of the Closing Date, by and among Noble, the Partnership and the other parties named therein.

Opco LLC Agreement ” means that certain Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Opco, dated as of the Closing Date.

Option Period ” means the period from the Closing Date to the date that is thirty days after the Closing Date.

Original General Partner LLC Agreement ” means that certain Limited Liability Company Agreement of the General Partner, dated December 23, 2014.

Original Partnership Agreement ” means that certain Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership, dated as of December 23, 2014.

Over-Allotment Option ” has the meaning assigned to it in the Partnership Agreement.

Partnership Agreement ” means the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership, dated as of the Closing Date.

Partnership Group ” has the meaning assigned to it in the Partnership Agreement.

Real Estate Agreements ” means the easements, rights-of-way, permits, use by special review, surface use agreements, joint use agreements, licenses and other agreements (including agreements that may be in negotiation or in process by a Party and are ultimately executed by a Party) from landowners, lessors, easement holders, governmental authorities, or other parties controlling the surface or subsurface estates of such land.

Registration Statement ” means the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (Registration No. 333-207560), as amended.

 

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San Juan River LP Agreement ” means the Amended and Restated Limited Partnership Agreement of San Juan River LP, dated as of the Closing Date.

Subordinated Unit ” has the meaning assigned to it in the Partnership Agreement.

Underwriters ” means the members of the underwriting syndicate listed in the Underwriting Agreement.

Underwriting Agreement ” means the firm commitment underwriting agreement entered into by and among the Partnership, the underwriters named in the Registration Statement with respect to the Offering and the other parties thereto, dated concurrently with pricing of the Offering.

Wells Ranch IDP ” means the IDP described on Exhibit A .

ARTICLE II

PRE-EFFECTIVE TIME CONTRIBUTIONS, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

Each of the following transactions set forth in Sections 2.1 through 2.9 shall be completed as of the Effective Time in the order set forth herein:

2.1 Contribution of Assets to Colorado River LP . Opco hereby contributes to Colorado River LP all right, title and interest in and to all of Opco’s interest in and to (a) the crude oil, natural gas and produced water gathering system assets servicing the Wells Ranch IDP, (b) the central gathering facility servicing the Wells Ranch IDP, (c) the fresh water storage and delivery system assets servicing the Wells Ranch IDP, (d) the crude oil gathering system assets servicing the East Pony IDP, (e) the Platteville crude oil treating facility assets, (f) the Briggsdale crude oil treating facility assets, (g) certain Real Estate Agreements relating to (a)-(f) (with a portion of the assets listed in (a)-(g) being conveyed by Opco on behalf of Colorado River GP such that after giving effect to this Section 2.1 , Colorado River GP will hold a 75% general partner interest and Opco will hold a 25% limited partner interest in Colorado River LP), and Colorado River LP hereby accepts the rights, title and interest to the assets identified in (a)-(g) above as capital contributions. Notwithstanding any provision of the Colorado River LP Agreement to the contrary, in consideration of the foregoing capital contributions Colorado River LP hereby issues sufficient partnership interests in Colorado River LP to OpCo and Colorado River GP such that following such contributions and issuances, Colorado River GP holds a 75% general partner interest in Colorado River LP and Opco holds a 25% limited partner interest in Colorado River LP and Opco and Colorado River GP shall be bound by the Colorado River LP Agreement and continue as limited partner and general partner with respect to the portion of its respective interest in Colorado River LP.

2.2 Contribution of Mustang IDP Assets to Green River LP . Opco hereby contributes to Green River LP all right, title and interest in and to all of Opco’s interest in Real Estate Agreements related to fresh water systems that are being constructed and to crude oil, natural gas and additional water infrastructure that is planned in the Mustang IDP (collectively, the “ Mustang IDP Assets ”) (a portion of the Mustang IDP Assets are being conveyed by Opco on behalf of Green River GP such that after giving effect to this Section 2.2 , Green River GP will

 

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hold a 10% general partner interest and Opco will hold a 90% limited partner interest in Green River LP), and Green River LP hereby accepts the rights, title and interest to the Mustang IDP Assets as capital contributions. Notwithstanding any provision of the Green River LP Agreement to the contrary, in consideration of the foregoing capital contributions Green River LP hereby issues sufficient partnership interests in Green River LP to OpCo and Green River GP such that following such contributions and issuances, Green River GP holds a 10% general partner interest in Green River LP and Opco holds a 90% limited partner interest in Green River LP and Opco and Green River GP shall be bound by the Green River LP Agreement and continue as limited partner and general partner with respect to the portion of its respective interest in Green River LP.

2.3 Contribution of Bronco Interest to Gunnison River LP . Opco hereby contributes to Gunnison River GP all right, title and interest in and to a 4% limited partner interest in Gunnison River LP (the “ Bronco Interest ”) held by Opco, which is converted to a general partner interest in Gunnison River LP such that after giving effect to this Section 2.3 and the execution of the Gunnison River LP Agreement, Gunnison River GP will hold a 5% general partner interest and Opco will hold a 95% limited partner interest in Gunnison River LP, and Gunnison River GP hereby accepts the rights, title and interest to the Bronco Interest as a capital contribution.

2.4 Contribution of Greeley Crescent IDP Assets to Laramie River LP . Opco hereby contributes to Laramie River GP all right, title and interest in and to a 4% limited partner interest in Laramie River LP (the “ Greeley Interest ”) held by Opco, which is converted to a general partner interest in Laramie River LP such that after giving effect to this Section 2.4 and the execution of the Laramie River LP Agreement, Laramie River GP will hold a 5% general partner interest and Opco will hold a 95% limited partner interest in Laramie River LP, and Laramie River GP hereby accepts the rights, title and interest to the Greeley Interest as a capital contribution.

2.5 Contribution of East Pony IDP Assets to San Juan River LP . Opco hereby contributes to San Juan River LP all right, title and interest in and to (a) the fresh water storage and delivery system assets servicing the East Pony IDP and (b) all of Opco’s interest in certain Real Estate Agreements related to produced water facilities and a fresh water system, which are being constructed and that will consist of pipelines, ponds and storage capacity in the East Pony IDP (collectively, the “ East Pony IDP Assets ”) (a portion of the East Pony IDP Assets being conveyed by Opco on behalf of San Juan River GP such that after giving effect to this Section 2.5 , San Juan River GP will hold a 5% general partner interest and Opco will hold a 95% limited partner interest in San Juan River LP), and San Juan River LP hereby accepts the rights, title and interest to the East Pony IDP Assets as capital contributions. Notwithstanding any provision of the San Juan River LP Agreement to the contrary, in consideration of the foregoing capital contributions San Juan River LP hereby issues sufficient partnership interests in San Juan River LP to OpCo and San Juan River GP such that following such contributions and issuances, San Juan River GP holds a 5% general partner interest in San Juan River LP and Opco holds a 95% limited partner interest in San Juan River LP and Opco and San Juan River GP shall be bound by the San Juan River LP Agreement and continue as limited partner and general partner with respect to the portion of its respective interest in San Juan River LP.

 

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2.6 Distribution of the Limited Liability Company Interest in General Partner to NBL Midstream . Opco hereby distributes to NBL Midstream 100% of the limited liability company interests in the General Partner (“ General Partner Interest ”), and NBL Midstream hereby accepts such General Partner Interest. Notwithstanding any provision of the Original General Partner LLC Agreement to the contrary, (a) NBL Midstream is hereby admitted to the General Partner as a member of the General Partner and hereby agrees that it is bound by the Original General Partner LLC Agreement, (b) immediately following the distribution of the General Partner Interest, Opco shall and does hereby cease to be a member of the General Partner and shall thereupon cease to have or exercise any right or power as a member of the General Partner, and (c) the General Partner is hereby continued without dissolution.

2.7 Distribution of the Limited Partner Interest to NBL Midstream . Opco hereby distributes to NBL Midstream its 99% limited partner interest in the Partnership (“ MLP Interest ”), and NBL Midstream hereby accepts such MLP Interest. Notwithstanding any provision of the Original Partnership Agreement to the contrary, (a) NBL Midstream is hereby admitted to the Partnership as a limited partner of the Partnership and hereby agrees that it is bound by the Original Partnership Agreement, (b) immediately following the distribution of the MLP Interest to NBL Midstream, Opco shall and does hereby cease to be a limited partner of the Partnership and shall thereupon cease to have or exercise any right or power as a limited partner of the Partnership, and (c) the Partnership is hereby continued without dissolution.

2.8 Distribution of DevCo LP Interests to NBL Midstream . Opco hereby distributes to NBL Midstream (a) its 25% limited partner interest in Colorado River LP, (b) its 90% limited partner interest in Green River LP, (c) its 95% limited partner interest in Gunnison River LP, (d) its 95% limited partner interest in Laramie River LP and (e) its 95% limited partner interest in San Juan River LP (collectively, the “ DevCo LP Interests ”), and NBL Midstream hereby accepts such DevCo LP Interests. Notwithstanding any provision of any DevCo Partnership Agreement to the contrary, (a) NBL Midstream is hereby admitted to each DevCo as a limited partner of such entity and hereby agrees that it is bound by each DevCo Partnership Agreement, (b) immediately following the distribution of the DevCo LP Interests to NBL Midstream, Opco shall and does hereby cease to be a limited partner of each DevCo and shall thereupon cease to have or exercise any right or power as a limited partner of such entity, and (c) each such entity is hereby continued without dissolution.

2.9 Distribution of Gathering and Processing Assets to NBL Midstream Holdings, LLC . Opco hereby distributes to NBL Midstream, who immediately contributes down to its wholly owned subsidiary, NBL Midstream Holdings, LLC, all right, title and interest in and to all of Opco’s interest in (a) the natural gas gathering system servicing the East Pony IDP, (b) the Keota gas processing plant servicing the greater East Pony IDP, (c) the Keota LNG plant, (d) the Lilli gas processing plant servicing the greater East Pony IDP and (e) Non-System Pipelines located in Northern Colorado, and NBL Midstream hereby accepts the rights, title and interest to (a)-(e) above from Opco, and NBL Midstream Holdings, LLC hereby accepts the rights, title and interest to (a)-(e) above from NBL Midstream.

 

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ARTICLE III

CLOSING TIME CONTRIBUTIONS, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

Each of the following transactions set forth in Sections 3.1 through 3.7 shall be completed as of the Closing Time, and in any event only after completion of the transactions set forth in Sections 2.1 through 2.9 , in the order set forth herein:

3.1 Execution of the Partnership Agreement . The General Partner, as the general partner, and NBL Midstream, as a limited partner, shall amend and restate the Original Partnership Agreement by executing the Partnership Agreement in substantially the form included in Appendix A to the Registration Statement, with such changes as the General Partner and NBL Midstream may agree. Upon the execution of the Partnership Agreement, the General Partner will be issued a non-economic general partner interest in the Partnership (the “ GP Interest ”) and the General Partner continues without interruption as the general partner of the Partnership.

3.2 Redemption of the Organizational GP Interest from the Partnership and Return of Initial Capital Contribution . The Partnership hereby redeems the Organizational GP Interest held by the General Partner and hereby refunds and distributes to the General Partner the initial contribution, in the amount of $20, made by the General Partner in connection with the formation of the Partnership, along with any interest or other profit that resulted from the investment or other use of such initial contribution.

3.3 Contribution of the Opco Interest to the Partnership . NBL Midstream hereby grants, contributes, bargains, conveys, assigns, transfers, sets over and delivers to the Partnership the Opco Interest, and the Partnership hereby accepts such Opco Interest. Notwithstanding any provision of the Opco LLC Agreement to the contrary, (a) the Partnership is hereby admitted to Opco as a member of Opco and hereby agrees that it is bound by the Opco LLC Agreement, (b) immediately following such contribution of the Opco Interest to the Partnership, NBL Midstream shall and does hereby cease to be a member of Opco and shall thereupon cease to have or exercise any right or power as a member of Opco, and (c) Opco is hereby continued without dissolution.

3.4 Consideration for NBL Midstream Contributions . In consideration for the contribution described in Section 3.2 above, the Parties acknowledge NBL Midstream is entitled to receive (i) (a) [●] Common Units representing an approximate [●]% limited partner interest, (b) [●] Subordinated Units representing an approximate [●]% limited partner interest and (c) the Incentive Distribution Rights, (ii) the cash distribution described in Section 3.5(b) below, and (iii) a number of additional Common Units or an additional cash distribution, or a combination of both, after giving effect to any exercise of the Over-Allotment Option and the Deferred Issuance (any such additional Common Units, the “ Deferred Issuance Units ”).

3.5 Public Cash Contribution . The Parties acknowledge that, in connection with the Offering, public investors, through the Underwriters, shall make a capital contribution to the Partnership of $[●] million in cash in exchange for [●] Common Units (the “ Firm Units ”) representing a [●]% limited partner interest in the Partnership (such percentage assuming the Underwriters do not exercise the Over-Allotment Option), and new limited partners are being admitted to the Partnership in connection therewith.

 

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3.6 Payment of Transaction Expenses and Contribution of Proceeds by the Partnership . The Parties acknowledge (a) the payment by the Partnership, in connection with the closing of the Offering, of estimated transaction expenses of approximately $[●] million, excluding underwriting discounts of $[●] in the aggregate but including a structuring fee of [●]% of the gross proceeds of the Offering payable to certain of the Underwriters (the “ Structuring Fee ”), and (b) the distribution by the Partnership to NBL Midstream of $[●] million.

3.7 Redemption of the Organizational LP Interest from the Partnership and Return of Initial Capital Contribution . The Partnership hereby redeems the Organizational LP Interest held by NBL Midstream and hereby refunds and distributes to NBL Midstream the initial contribution, in the amount of $980, made by NBL Midstream in connection with the formation of the Partnership, along with any interest or other profit that resulted from the investment or other use of such initial contribution.

ARTICLE IV

EXERCISE OF OVER-ALLOTMENT OPTION

If the Over-Allotment Option is exercised in whole or in part, the Underwriters will contribute additional cash to the Partnership in exchange for up to an additional [●] Common Units representing an aggregate [●]% limited partner interest in the Partnership (the “ Option Units ”) at the Offering price per Common Unit set forth in the Registration Statement, net of underwriting discounts and the Structuring Fee. Upon any exercise of the Over-Allotment Option, the Partnership will distribute to NBL Midstream its portion of any net cash proceeds from the sale of such Option Units. Upon the expiration of the Option Period, any Option Units not purchased by the Underwriters pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement will be issued as a Deferred Issuance to NBL Midstream as part of the transactions described in Section 3.4(iii) .

ARTICLE V

FURTHER ASSURANCES

From time to time after the date hereof, and without any further consideration, each of the Parties shall execute, acknowledge and deliver all such additional instruments, notices and other documents, and will do all such other acts and things, all in accordance with applicable law, as may be necessary or appropriate to more fully and effectively carry out the purposes and intent of this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Parties acknowledge that the Parties have used their good faith efforts to identify all of the assets being contributed to the Partnership Group as required in connection with this Agreement. However, due to the age of some of the assets and the difficulties in locating appropriate data with respect to some of the assets, it is possible that assets intended to be contributed ultimately to the Partnership Group were not identified and therefore are not included in the assets contributed to the Partnership Group as of the Effective Time or the Closing Time, as applicable. It is the express intent of the Parties that the Partnership Group own all assets necessary to operate the assets that are identified in this Agreement and in the Registration Statement. To the extent that any assets were not identified but are necessary to the operation of the assets that are so identified in this Agreement and in the Registration Statement, then the intent of the Parties is that all such

 

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unidentified assets are intended to be conveyed to the Partnership Group pursuant to this Agreement. If any such assets are identified at a later date, the Parties shall take all appropriate action required in order to convey such assets to the Partnership or any applicable member of the Partnership Group. Further, to the extent that any assets that are conveyed to the Partnership Group hereunder are later identified by the Parties as assets that the Parties did not intend to convey to the Partnership Group as reflected in the Registration Statement, the Parties shall take all appropriate action required to convey such assets to the appropriate Noble Entity.

Without limiting any liabilities of the Noble Entities or other remedies of the Partnership Group applicable under this Agreement or any other agreements, if and to the extent that the valid, complete and perfected transfer or assignment of any assets by any Noble Entity to any member of the Partnership Group or the acquisition of any assets from any Noble Entity by any member of the Partnership Group would be a violation of applicable law or require any additional consents, approvals or notifications in connection with the transfer of such assets by any Noble Entity to any member of the Partnership Group that have not been obtained or made by the Effective Time, then, unless the Parties shall otherwise mutually determine, the transfer or assignment of such assets to such member of the Partnership Group or the assumption of such assets by such member of the Partnership Group, as the case may be, shall be automatically deemed deferred and any such purported transfer, assignment or assumption shall be null and void until such time as all legal impediments are removed or such consents, approvals and notifications have been obtained or made. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in such event the Noble Entities shall (a) hold such assets for the benefit of the Partnership Group, (b) not transfer or assign such assets, in whole or in part, other than with the prior consent of the Partnership, and (c) use their respective reasonable best efforts to assure that each member of the Partnership Group receives all of the benefits of the assets attempted to have been transferred to such member until such time as the attempted transfer is complete, and each member of the Partnership Group shall bear all costs associated with such assets (except costs associated with the attempted transfer or perfecting such transfer, and subject to offset of any benefits of the assets not received by the Partnership Group against associated costs incurred by the Noble Entities) as if the transfer had been valid and complete.

ARTICLE VI

ORDER OF COMPLETION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF TRANSACTIONS; LIMITATIONS

6.1 Order of Completion of Transactions . The transactions provided for in Articles II and III shall be completed in the order and at the times set forth in Articles II and III . Following the completion of the transactions set forth in Articles II and III , the transactions provided for in Article IV , if they occur, shall be completed.

6.2 Effectiveness of Transactions . Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, none of the provisions of Article II , III or Article IV shall be operative or have any effect until at least the Effective Time, at which respective time all such applicable provisions shall be effective and operative in accordance with Section 6.1 without further action by any Party.

 

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6.3 Limitations . Distributions and redemption payments made or to be made hereunder shall be subject to the Delaware Partnership Act and the Delaware LLC Act, as applicable, notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement.

ARTICLE VII

MISCELLANEOUS

7.1 Costs . Except for the transaction expenses set forth in Section 3.5 , Noble shall pay all expenses, fees and costs, including, but not limited to, all sales, use and similar taxes arising out of the contributions, distributions, conveyances and deliveries to be made under Article III and shall pay all documentary, filing, recording, transfer, deed and conveyance taxes and fees required in connection therewith. In addition, Noble shall be responsible for all costs, liabilities and expenses (including court costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with the implementation of any conveyance or delivery pursuant to Article V (to the extent related to any of the contributions, distributions, conveyances and deliveries to be made under Articles II or III ).

7.2 Headings; References; Interpretation . All Article and Section headings in this Agreement are for convenience only and shall not be deemed to control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions hereof. The words “hereof,” “herein” and “hereunder” and words of similar import, when used in this Agreement, shall refer to this Agreement as a whole, and not to any particular provision of this Agreement. All references herein to Articles and Sections shall, unless the context requires a different construction, be deemed to be references to the Articles and Sections of this Agreement. All personal pronouns used in this Agreement, whether used in the masculine, feminine or neuter gender, shall include all other genders, and the singular shall include the plural and vice versa. The use herein of the word “including” following any general statement, term or matter shall not be construed to limit such statement, term or matter to the specific items or matters set forth immediately following such word or to similar items or matters, whether or not non-limiting language (such as “without limitation,” “but not limited to” or other words of similar import) is used with reference thereto, but rather shall be deemed to refer to all other items or matters that could reasonably fall within the broadest possible scope of such general statement, term or matter.

7.3 Successors and Assigns . This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns.

7.4 No Third Party Rights . The provisions of this Agreement are intended to bind the Parties as to each other and are not intended to and do not create rights in any other person or confer upon any other person any benefits, rights or remedies, and no person is or is intended to be a third party beneficiary of any of the provisions of this Agreement.

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

7.6 Applicable Law . This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law. EACH OF

 

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THE PARTIES HERETO AGREES THAT THIS AGREEMENT INVOLVES AT LEAST U.S. $100,000.00 AND THAT THIS AGREEMENT HAS BEEN ENTERED INTO IN EXPRESS RELIANCE UPON 6 Del. C. § 2708. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY AGREES (i) TO BE SUBJECT TO THE JURISDICTION OF THE COURTS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE AND OF THE FEDERAL COURTS SITTING IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE, AND (ii) TO THE EXTENT SUCH PARTY IS NOT OTHERWISE SUBJECT TO SERVICE OF PROCESS IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE, TO APPOINT AND MAINTAIN AN AGENT IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE AS SUCH PARTY’S AGENT FOR ACCEPTANCE OF LEGAL PROCESS AND TO NOTIFY THE OTHER PARTIES OF THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF SUCH AGENT.

7.7 Severability . If any of the provisions of this Agreement are held by any court of competent jurisdiction to contravene, or to be invalid under, the laws of any political body having jurisdiction over the subject matter hereof, such contravention or invalidity shall not invalidate the entire Agreement. Instead, this Agreement shall be construed as if it did not contain the particular provision or provisions held to be invalid and an equitable adjustment shall be made and necessary provision added so as to give effect to the intention of the Parties as expressed in this Agreement at the time of execution of this Agreement.

7.8 Amendment or Modification . This Agreement may be amended or modified from time to time only by the written agreement of all the Parties. Each such instrument shall be reduced to writing and shall be designated on its face as an amendment to this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing to the contrary, any amendment executed by the Partnership or any of its subsidiaries shall not be effective unless and until the execution of such amendment has been approved by the conflicts committee of the General Partner’s board of directors.

7.9 Integration . This Agreement and the instruments referenced herein and in the exhibits attached hereto supersede all previous understandings or agreements among the parties, whether oral or written, with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement and such instruments. This Agreement and such instruments contain the entire understanding of the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof. There are no unwritten oral agreements between the parties. No understanding, representation, promise or agreement, whether oral or written, is intended to be or shall be included in or from part of this Agreement unless it is contained in a written amendment hereto executed by the parties hereto after the date of this Agreement.

7.10 Deed; Bill of Sale; Assignment . To the extent required and permitted by applicable law, this Agreement shall also constitute a “deed,” “bill of sale” or “assignment” of the assets and interests referenced herein.

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties to this Agreement have caused it to be duly executed as of the date first above written.

 

NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP
By:  

Noble Midstream GP LLC,

its general partner

By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  


NOBLE MIDSTREAM GP LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  


NOBLE ENERGY, INC.
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  


NOBLE MIDSTREAM SERVICES, LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  


NBL MIDSTREAM, LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  


COLORADO RIVER DEVCO LP
By:   Colorado River DevCo GP LLC, its general partner
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  


GREEN RIVER DEVCO LP
By:   Green River DevCo GP LLC, its general partner
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  


GUNNISON RIVER DEVCO LP
By:   Gunnison River DevCo GP LLC, its general partner
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  


LARAMIE RIVER DEVCO LP
By:   Laramie River DevCo GP LLC, its general partner
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  


SAN JUAN RIVER DEVCO LP
By:   San Juan River DevCo GP LLC, its general partner
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  


COLORADO RIVER DEVCO GP LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  


GREEN RIVER DEVCO GP LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  


GUNNISON RIVER DEVCO GP LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  


LARAMIE RIVER DEVCO GP LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  


SAN JUAN RIVER DEVCO GP LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

Exhibit 10.2

NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP

2015 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN

SECTION 1. Purpose of the Plan .

This Noble Midstream Partners LP 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “ Plan ”) has been adopted by Noble Midstream GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ Company ”), the general partner of Noble Midstream Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ”). The Plan is intended to promote the interests of the Partnership and the Company by providing incentive compensation awards denominated in or based on Units to Employees, Consultants and Directors to encourage superior performance. The Plan is also intended to enhance the ability of the Partnership, the Company and their Affiliates to attract and retain the services of individuals who are essential for the growth and profitability of the Partnership and to encourage them to devote their best efforts to advancing the business of the Partnership.

SECTION 2 . Definitions .

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

1934 Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Reference to a specific section of the 1934 Act or regulation thereunder shall include such section or regulation, any valid regulation promulgated under such section, and any comparable provision of any future legislation or regulation amending, supplementing or superseding such section or regulation.

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.

ASC Topic 718 ” means Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, Compensation – Stock Compensation , or any successor accounting standard.

Award ” means an Option, Restricted Unit, Phantom Unit, DER, Substitute Award, Unit Appreciation Right, Unit Award, Profits Interest Unit or Other Unit-Based Award granted under the Plan.

Award Agreement ” means either (1) the written or electronic agreement setting forth the terms and provisions applicable to each Award granted under the Plan or (2) a statement issued by the Company to a Participant describing the terms and provisions of such Award. The terms of any Plan or guideline adopted by the Board or the Committee and applicable to an Award shall be deemed incorporated into and a part of the related Award Agreement.

Board ” means the board of directors or board of managers, as the case may be, of the Company.


Cause ” means a Participant’s dishonesty, theft, embezzlement from the Company, willful violation of any rules of the Company, the Partnership or any of their Affiliates pertaining to the conduct of Employees or the commission of a willful felonious act while an Employee, or violation of any, agreement related to non-competing, non-solicitation of employees or customers or confidentiality between the Company, the Partnership or any of their Affiliates and the Participant.

Change in Control ” means, and shall be deemed to have occurred upon one or more of the following events:

 

  (i) any “person” or “group” within the meaning of Sections 13(d) and 14(d)(2) of the 1934 Act, other than the Company or an Affiliate of the Company (as determined immediately prior to such event), shall become the beneficial owner, by way of merger, acquisition, consolidation, recapitalization, reorganization or otherwise, of 50% or more of the combined voting power of the equity interests in the Company or the Partnership;

 

  (ii) the limited partners of the Partnership approve, in one or a series of transactions, a plan of complete liquidation of the Partnership;

 

  (iii) the sale or other disposition by either the Company or the Partnership of all or substantially all of the Company’s or the Partnership’s assets, respectively, in one or more transactions to any Person other than the Company, the Partnership or an Affiliate of the Company or of the Partnership; or

 

  (iv) a transaction resulting in a Person other than the Company or an Affiliate of the Company (as determined immediately prior to such event) being the sole 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 tax under Section 409A 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 tax under Section 409A, 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, except that it shall mean such committee of the Board as may be appointed by the Board to administer the Plan, or as necessary to comply with applicable legal requirements or listing standards.

 

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Consultant ” means an individual, other than an Employee or a Director, providing bona fide services to the Partnership or its Affiliates as a consultant or advisor, as applicable, provided that such individual is a natural person.

DER ” means a distribution equivalent right, representing a contingent right to receive an amount in cash, Units, Restricted Units and/or Phantom Units equal in value to the distributions made by the Partnership with respect to a Unit during the period such Award is outstanding.

Director ” means a member of the Board or member of board or directors or managers of the Partnership or of an Affiliate or the Company or the Partnership providing bona fide services to the Partnership or its Affiliates.

Disability ” means, unless otherwise set forth in an Award Agreement or other written agreement between the Company, the Partnership or one of their Affiliates and the applicable Participant, as determined by the Committee in its discretion exercised in good faith, a physical or mental condition of a Participant that would entitle him or her to payment of disability income payments under the Company’s, the Partnership’s or one of their Affiliates’ long-term disability insurance policy or plan, as applicable, for employees as then in effect; or in the event that a Participant is not covered, for whatever reason, under any such long-term disability insurance policy or plan for employees of the Company, the Partnership or one of their Affiliates or the Company, the Partnership or one of their Affiliates does not maintain such a long-term disability insurance policy, “Disability” means a total and permanent disability within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the Code; provided , however , that if a Disability constitutes a payment event with respect to any Award which provides for the deferral of compensation subject to Section 409A or such compensation otherwise would be subject to Section 409A if the foregoing definition of “Disability” applied, then, to the extent required to comply with Section 409A, the Participant must also be considered “disabled” within the meaning of Section 409A(a)(2)(C) of the Code. A determination of Disability may be made by a physician selected or approved by the Committee and, in this respect, Participants shall submit to an examination by such physician upon request by the Committee.

Employee ” means an employee of the Company, the Partnership or any of their Affiliates providing bona fide services to the Partnership or its Affiliates.

Fair Market Value ” means, as of any given date, the closing sales price on such date during normal trading hours (or, if there are no reported sales on such date, on the last date prior to such date on which there were sales) of the Units on the New York Stock Exchange or, if not listed on such exchange, on any other national securities exchange on which the Units are listed or on an inter-dealer quotation system, in any case, as reported in such source as the Committee shall select. If there is no regular public trading market for the Units, the Fair Market Value of the Units shall be determined by the Committee in good faith and, to the extent applicable, in compliance with the requirements of Section 409A.

Option ” means an option to purchase Units granted pursuant to Section 6(a) of the Plan.

 

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Other Unit-Based Award ” means an award granted pursuant to Section 6(f) of the Plan.

Participant ” means an Employee, Consultant or Director who has been granted and who holds an outstanding Award under the Plan.

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

Person ” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(a)(9) of the 1934 Act and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, including a “group” as defined in Section 13(d) thereof.

Phantom Unit ” means a notional interest granted under the Plan that, to the extent vested, entitles the Participant to receive a Unit or an amount of cash equal to the Fair Market Value of a Unit on, unless otherwise determined by the Committee, the vesting date, as determined by the Committee in its discretion.

Profits Interest Unit ” means, to the extent authorized by the Partnership Agreement, an interest in the Partnership that is intended to constitute a “profits interest” within the meaning of the Code, regulations promulgated thereunder, and any published guidance by the Internal Revenue Service with respect thereto.

Restricted Period ” means the period established by the Committee with respect to an Award during which the Award remains subject to forfeiture and is either not exercisable by or payable to the Participant, as the case may be.

Restricted Unit ” means a Unit granted pursuant to Section 6(b) of the Plan that is subject to a Restricted Period.

Securities Act ” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

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

Section 409A ” means Section 409A of the Code and the regulations and other interpretive guidance issued thereunder, including without limitation any such regulations or other guidance that may be amended or issued after the Effective Date (as defined in Section 9 below).

Service ” means an Employee’s, Consultant’s or Director’s service with the Company, the Partnership or any of their Affiliates. The Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine the effect of all matters and questions relating to terminations of Service, including, without limitation, the questions of whether and when a termination of Service occurred and/or resulted from a discharge for Cause, and all questions of whether particular changes in status or leaves of absence constitute a termination of Service. The Committee, in its sole discretion, subject to the terms of any applicable Award Agreement, may determine that a termination of Service has not occurred in the event of (a) a termination where there is simultaneous commencement by the Participant of a relationship with the Partnership, the Company or any of their Affiliates as an Employee, Director or Consultant or (b) a termination which results in a temporary severance of the service relationship.

 

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Substitute Award ” means an award granted pursuant to Section 6(g) of the Plan.

Unit ” means a common unit of the Partnership.

Unit Appreciation Right ” or “ UAR ” means a contingent right that entitles the holder to receive the excess of the Fair Market Value of a Unit on the exercise date of the UAR over the exercise price of the UAR.

Unit Award ” means an award granted pursuant to Section 6(d) of the Plan.

SECTION 3. Administration .

(a) The Plan shall be administered by the Committee, subject to subsection (b) below; provided , however , that in the event that the Board is not also serving as the Committee, the Board, in its sole discretion, may at any time and from time to time exercise any and all rights and duties of the Committee under the Plan. The governance of the Committee shall be subject to the charter, if any, of the Committee as approved by the Board. 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) designate Participants; (ii) determine the type or types of Awards to be granted to a Participant; (iii) determine the number of Units to be covered by Awards; (iv) determine the terms and conditions of any Award; (v) determine whether, to what extent, and under what circumstances Awards may be settled, exercised, canceled, or forfeited or vesting of Awards may be accelerated; (vi) interpret, construe and administer the Plan, Award Agreements and any other instrument or agreement relating to an Award made under the Plan; (vii) 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 (viii) make any other determination and take any other action that the Committee deems necessary or desirable for the administration of the Plan. The Committee may correct any defect or supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan or an Award Agreement in such manner and to such extent as the Committee deems necessary or appropriate. Unless otherwise expressly provided in the Plan, all designations, determinations, interpretations, and other decisions under or with respect to the Plan, any Award Agreement 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 Company, the Partnership, any of their Affiliates, any Participant and any beneficiary of any Participant.

(b) To the extent permitted by applicable law and the rules of any securities exchange on which the Units are listed, quoted or traded, the Board or Committee may from time to time delegate to a committee of one or more members of the Board or one or more officers of the Company the authority to grant or amend Awards or to take other administrative actions pursuant to Section 3(a) ; provided , however , that in no event shall an officer of the Company be delegated the authority to grant awards to, or amend awards held by, the following individuals: (i) individuals who are subject to Section 16 of the 1934 Act, or (ii) officers of the Company (or Directors) to whom authority to grant or amend Awards has been delegated hereunder; provided ,

 

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further , that any delegation of administrative authority shall only be permitted to the extent that it is permissible under applicable provisions of the Code and applicable securities laws and the rules of any securities exchange on which the Units are listed, quoted or traded. Any delegation hereunder shall be subject to such restrictions and limitations as the Board or Committee, as applicable, specifies at the time of such delegation, and the Board or Committee, as applicable, may at any time rescind the authority so delegated or appoint a new delegatee. At all times, the delegatee appointed under this Section 3(b) shall serve in such capacity at the pleasure of the Board and the Committee.

(c) In making the determination as to the persons to whom an Award shall be granted, the Committee or any delegate may take into account such individual’s salary and tenure, duties and responsibilities, their present and potential contributions to the success of the Partnership, the recommendation of supervisors, and such other factors as the Committee or any delegate may deem important in connection with accomplishing the purposes of the Plan.

SECTION 4 . Units .

(a) Limits on Units Deliverable . Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 4(c) , the number of Units that may be delivered with respect to Awards under the Plan is [                    ]. If any Award or portion thereof is forfeited, cancelled, exercised, paid, or otherwise terminates or expires without the actual delivery of Units pursuant to such Award (for the avoidance of doubt, except after the 10th anniversary of the Effective Date, the grant of Restricted Units is not a delivery of Units for this purpose unless and until such Restricted Units vest and any restrictions placed upon them under the Plan lapse), the Units subject to such Award that are not actually delivered pursuant to such Award shall again be available for Awards under the Plan. Units that are tendered by a Participant to the Company in connection with the exercise of an Award or withheld from issuance in connection with a Participant’s payment of tax withholding liability shall be available for Awards under the Plan. To the extent permitted by applicable law and securities exchange rules, Substitute Awards and Units issued in assumption of, or in substitution for, any outstanding awards of any entity (including an existing Affiliate of the Partnership) that is (or whose securities are) acquired in any form by the Partnership or any Affiliate thereof shall not be counted against the Units available for issuance pursuant to the Plan. There shall not be any limitation on the number of Awards that may be paid in cash.

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

(c) Anti-dilution Adjustments .

(i) Equity Restructuring . With respect to any “equity restructuring” event (within the meaning of ASC Topic 718) that could result in an additional compensation expense to the Company or the Partnership pursuant to the provisions of ASC Topic 718 if adjustments to Awards with respect to such event were discretionary, the Committee

 

6


shall equitably adjust the number and type of Units covered by each outstanding Award and the terms and conditions, including the exercise price and performance criteria (if any), of such Award to equitably reflect such event and shall adjust the number and type of Units (or other securities or property) with respect to which Awards may be granted under the Plan after such event. With respect to any other similar event that would not result in an ASC Topic 718 accounting charge if the adjustment to Awards with respect to such event were subject to discretionary action, the Committee shall have complete discretion to adjust Awards and the number and type of Units (or other securities or property) with respect to which Awards may be granted under the Plan in such manner as it deems appropriate with respect to such other event.

(ii) Other Changes in Capitalization . In the event of any non-cash distribution, Unit split, combination or exchange of Units, merger, consolidation or distribution (other than normal cash distributions) of Partnership assets to unitholders, or any other change affecting the Units of the Partnership, other than an “equity restructuring,” the Committee may make equitable adjustments, if any, to reflect such change with respect to (A) the aggregate number and kind of Units that may be issued under the Plan; (B) the number and kind of Units (or other securities or property) subject to outstanding Awards; (C) the terms and conditions of any outstanding Awards (including, without limitation, any applicable performance targets or criteria with respect thereto); and (D) the grant or exercise price per Unit for any outstanding Awards under the Plan.

SECTION 5. Eligibility .

Any Employee, Consultant or Director shall be eligible to be designated a Participant and receive an Award under the Plan.

SECTION 6. Awards .

(a) Options and UARs . The Committee shall have the authority to determine the Employees, Consultants and Directors to whom Options and/or UARs shall be granted, the number of Units to be covered by each Option or UAR, the exercise price therefor, the Restricted Period and other conditions and limitations applicable to the exercise of the Option or UAR, 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. Options that are intended to comply with Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(b)(5)(i)(A) and UARs that are intended to comply with Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(b)(5)(i)(B) or, in each case, any successor regulation, may be granted only to Employees, Consultants or Directors performing services on the date of grant 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 Employee, Consultant or Director performs services. For purposes of this Section 6(a) , “controlling interest” means (i) 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; (ii) in the case of a partnership, ownership of at least 50%

 

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of the profits interest or capital interest of such partnership; (iii) in the case of a sole proprietorship, ownership of the sole proprietorship; or (iv) in the case of a trust or estate, ownership of an actuarial interest (as defined in Treasury Regulation Section 1.414(c)-2(b)(2)(ii)) of at least 50% of such trust or estate. Options and UARs that are otherwise exempt from or compliant with Section 409A may be granted to any eligible Employee, Consultant or Director.

(i) Exercise Price . The exercise price per Unit purchasable under an Option or subject to a UAR shall be determined by the Committee at the time the Option or UAR is granted but, except with respect to a Substitute Award, may not be less than the Fair Market Value of a Unit as of the date of grant of the Option or UAR.

(ii) Time and Method of Exercise . The Committee shall determine the exercise terms and any applicable Restricted Period with respect to an Option or UAR, which may include, without limitation, provisions for accelerated vesting upon the achievement of specified performance goals and/or other events, and the method or methods by which payment of the exercise price with respect to an Option or UAR may be made or deemed to have been made, which may include, without limitation, cash, check acceptable to the Company, withholding Units having a Fair Market Value on the exercise date equal to the relevant exercise price from the Award, a “cashless” exercise through procedures approved by the Company, or any combination of the foregoing methods.

(iii) Exercise of Options and UARs on Termination of Service . Each Option and UAR Award Agreement shall set forth the extent to which the Participant shall have the right to exercise the Option or UAR following a termination of the Participant’s Service. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, if the Participant’s Service is terminated for Cause, the Participant’s right to exercise the Option or UAR shall terminate as of the start of business on the effective date of the Participant’s termination. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, to the extent the Option or UAR is not vested and exercisable as of the termination of Service, the Option or UAR shall terminate when the Participant’s Service terminates.

(iv) Term of Options and UARs . Each Option or UAR shall terminate upon the earlier to occur of: (A) the date(s) for termination of the Option or UAR set forth herein or in the Award Agreement; and (B) the date that is ten (10) years from the grant date of the Option or UAR.

(v) Committee Discretion . Subject to the limits of Section 6(a)(iv) , the Committee shall provide in each Award Agreement when each Option expires and becomes unexercisable.

(b) Restricted Units and Phantom Units . The Committee shall have the authority to determine the Employees, Consultants and Directors to whom Restricted Units and/or Phantom Units shall be granted, the number of Restricted Units or Phantom Units to be granted to each such Participant, the applicable Restricted Period, the conditions under which the Restricted Units or Phantom Units may become vested or forfeited and such other terms and conditions, including, without limitation, restrictions on transferability and distributions, as the Committee may establish with respect to such Awards.

 

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(i) Payment of Phantom Units . The Committee shall specify the conditions and dates or events upon which the cash or Units underlying an award of Phantom Units shall be issued, which dates or events shall not be earlier than the date on which the Phantom Units vest and become nonforfeitable and which conditions and dates or events shall be intended to be compliant with or otherwise exempt from Section 409A.

(ii) Vesting of Restricted Units . Upon or as soon as reasonably practicable following the vesting of each Restricted Unit, subject to satisfying the tax withholding obligations of Section 8(b) , the Participant shall be entitled to have the restrictions removed from his or her Unit certificate (or book-entry account, as applicable) so that the Participant then holds an unrestricted Unit.

(c) DERs . The Committee shall have the authority to determine the Employees, Consultants and Directors to whom DERs are granted, whether such DERs are tandem or separate Awards, whether the DERs shall be paid directly to the Participant, be credited to a bookkeeping account (with or without interest in the discretion of the Committee), any vesting restrictions and payment provisions applicable to the DERs, and such other provisions or restrictions as determined by the Committee in its discretion, all of which shall be specified in the applicable Award Agreements. Distributions in respect of DERs shall be credited as of the distribution dates during the period between the date an Award is granted to a Participant and the date such Award vests, is exercised, is distributed, is forfeited or expires, as determined by the Committee. Such DERs shall be converted to cash, Units, Restricted Units and/or Phantom Units by such formula and at such time and subject to such limitations as may be determined by the Committee. Tandem DERs may be subject to the same or different vesting restrictions as the tandem Award, or be subject to such other provisions or restrictions as determined by the Committee in its discretion. Notwithstanding the foregoing, DERs shall only be paid in a manner that is intended to be compliant with or otherwise exempt from Section 409A.

(d) Unit Awards . Awards of Units may be granted under the Plan (i) to such Employees, Consultants and Directors and in such amounts as the Committee, in its discretion, may select, and (ii) subject to such other terms and conditions, including, without limitation, restrictions on transferability, as the Committee may establish with respect to such Awards.

(e) Profits Interest Units . An Award consisting of Profits Interest Units may be granted to an Employee, Consultant or Director for the performance of services to or for the benefit of the Partnership (i) in the Participant’s capacity as a partner of the Partnership, (ii) in anticipation of the Participant becoming a partner of the Partnership, or (iii) as otherwise determined by the Committee. At the time of grant, the Committee shall specify the date or dates on which the Profits Interest Units shall, if subject to vesting, vest and become nonforfeitable, and may specify such conditions to vesting as it deems appropriate. Profits Interest Units shall be subject to such restrictions on transferability and other restrictions as the Committee may impose.

 

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(f) Other Unit-Based Awards . Other Unit-Based Awards may be granted under the Plan to such Employees, Consultants and Directors as the Committee, in its discretion, may select. An Other Unit-Based Award shall be an award denominated or payable in, valued in or otherwise based on or related to Units, in whole or in part. The Committee shall determine the terms and conditions of any Other Unit-Based Award. Upon vesting, an Other Unit-Based Award may be paid in cash, Units (including Restricted Units) or any combination thereof as provided in the Award Agreement.

(g) Substitute Awards . Awards may be granted under the Plan in substitution of similar awards held by individuals who are or who become Employees, Consultants or Directors in connection with a merger, consolidation or acquisition by the Partnership or an Affiliate of another entity or the securities or assets of another entity (including in connection with the acquisition by the Partnership or one of its Affiliates of additional securities of an entity that is an existing Affiliate of the Partnership). Such Substitute Awards that are Options or UARs may have exercise prices less than the Fair Market Value of a Unit on the date of the substitution if such substitution complies with Section 409A and other applicable laws and securities exchange rules.

(h) General .

(i) Award Agreements . Each Award shall be evidenced in writing in an Award Agreement that shall reflect any vesting conditions or restrictions imposed by the Committee covering a period of time specified by the Committee and shall also contain such other terms, conditions and limitations as shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion. Where signature or electronic acceptance of the Award Agreement by the Participant is required, any such Awards for which the Award Agreement is not signed or electronically accepted shall be forfeited.

(ii) Forfeitures . Except as otherwise provided in the terms of an Award Agreement, upon termination of a Participant’s Service for any reason during an applicable Restricted Period, all outstanding, unvested Awards held by such Participant shall be automatically forfeited by the Participant for no consideration. Notwithstanding the immediately preceding sentence, the Committee may, in its discretion, waive in whole or in part such forfeiture with respect to any such Award; provided , that any such waiver shall be effective only to the extent that such waiver is intended not to cause (i) any Award intended to satisfy the requirements of Section 409A to fail to satisfy such requirements or (ii) any Award intended to be exempt from Section 409A to become subject to and to fail to satisfy such requirements.

(iii) Awards May Be Granted Separately or Together . Awards may, in the discretion of the Committee, be granted 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 Company or any Affiliate thereof. Awards granted in addition to or in tandem with other Awards or awards granted under any other plan of the Company or any Affiliate thereof may be granted either at the same time as or at a different time from the grant of such other Awards or awards.

 

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(iv) Limits on Transfer of Awards .

(A) Except as provided in paragraph (C) below, each Option and UAR shall be exercisable only by the Participant (or the Participant’s legal representative in the case of the Participant’s Disability or incapacitation) during the Participant’s lifetime, or by the person to whom the Participant’s rights shall pass by will or the laws of descent and distribution.

(B) Except as provided in paragraph (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 other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution and any such purported assignment, alienation, pledge, attachment, sale, transfer or encumbrance shall be void and unenforceable against the Company, the Partnership or any Affiliate thereof.

(C) The Committee may provide in an Award Agreement or in its discretion that an Award may, on such terms and conditions as the Committee may from time to time establish, be transferred by a Participant without consideration to any “family member” of the Participant, as defined in the instructions to use of the Form S-8 Registration Statement under the Securities Act, as applicable, or any other transferee specifically approved by the Committee after taking into account any state, federal, local or foreign tax and securities laws applicable to transferable Awards. In addition, vested Units may be transferred to the extent permitted by the Partnership Agreement and not otherwise prohibited by the Award Agreement or any other agreement or policy restricting the transfer of such Units.

(v) Term of Awards . Subject to Section 6(a)(iv) above, the term of each Award, if any, shall be for such period as may be determined by the Committee.

(vi) Unit Certificates . Unless otherwise determined by the Committee or required by any applicable law, rule or regulation, neither the Company nor the Partnership shall deliver to any Participant certificates evidencing Units issued in connection with any Award and instead such Units shall be recorded in the books of the Partnership (or, as applicable, its transfer agent or equity plan administrator). All certificates for Units or other securities of the Partnership delivered under the Plan and all Units issued pursuant to book entry procedures 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/or other requirements of the SEC, any securities exchange upon which such Units or other securities are then listed, and any applicable federal or state laws, and the Committee may cause a legend or legends to be inscribed on any such certificates or book entry to make appropriate reference to such restrictions.

(vii) Consideration for Grants . To the extent permitted by applicable law, Awards may be granted for such consideration, including services, as the Committee shall determine.

 

11


(viii) Delivery of Units or other Securities and Payment by Participant of Consideration . Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or any Award Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall not be required to issue or deliver any certificates or make any book entries evidencing Units pursuant to the exercise or vesting of any Award, unless and until the Board or the Committee has determined, with advice of counsel, that the issuance of such Units is in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations of governmental authorities and, if applicable, the requirements of any securities exchange on which the Units are listed or traded, and the Units are covered by an effective registration statement or applicable exemption from registration. In addition to the terms and conditions provided herein, the Board or the Committee may require that a Participant make such reasonable covenants, agreements, and representations as the Board or the Committee, in its discretion, deems advisable in order to comply with any such laws, regulations, or requirements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the 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 Company is not reasonably able to obtain or deliver Units pursuant to such Award without violating applicable law or the applicable rules or regulations of any governmental agency or authority 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, without limitation, any exercise price or tax withholding) is received by the Company.

SECTION 7. Amendment and Termination; Certain Transactions .

Except to the extent prohibited by applicable law:

(a) Amendments to the Plan . Except as required by applicable law or the rules of the principal securities exchange, if any, on which the Units are traded and subject to Section 7(b) below, the Board or the Committee may amend, alter, suspend, discontinue, or terminate the Plan in any manner at any time for any reason or for no reason without the consent of any partner, Participant, other holder or beneficiary of an Award, or any other Person. The Board shall obtain securityholder of any Plan amendment to the extent necessary to comply with applicable law or securities exchange listing standards or rules.

(b) Amendments to Awards . Subject to Section 7(a) above, the Committee may waive any conditions or rights under, amend any terms of, or alter any Award or Award Agreement theretofore granted, provided that no change, other than pursuant to Section 7(c) below, in any Award shall materially reduce the rights or benefits of a Participant with respect to an Award without the consent of such Participant.

(c) Actions Upon the Occurrence of Certain Events . Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, any transaction or event described in Section 4(c) above, any change in applicable laws or regulations affecting the Plan or Awards hereunder, or any change in accounting principles affecting the financial statements of the Company or the Partnership, the Committee, in its sole discretion, without the consent of any Participant or holder of an Award,

 

12


and on such terms and conditions as it deems appropriate, which need not be uniform with respect to all Participants or all Awards, may take any one or more of the following actions:

(i) provide for either (A) the termination of any Award in exchange for a payment in an amount, if any, equal to the amount that would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Participant’s rights under such Award (and, for the avoidance of doubt, if as of the date of the occurrence of such transaction or event, the Committee determines in good faith that no amount would have been payable upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Participant’s rights, then such Award may be terminated by the Company without payment) or (B) the replacement of such Award with other rights or property selected by the Committee in its sole discretion having an aggregate value not exceeding the amount that could have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Participant’s rights had such Award been currently exercisable or payable or fully vested;

(ii) provide that such Award be assumed by the successor or survivor entity, or a parent or subsidiary thereof, or be exchanged for similar options, rights or awards covering the equity of the successor or survivor, or a parent or subsidiary thereof, with appropriate adjustments as to the number and kind of equity interests and prices;

(iii) make adjustments in the number and type of Units (or other securities or property) subject to outstanding Awards, the number and kind of outstanding Awards, the terms and conditions of (including the exercise price), and/or the vesting and performance criteria included in, outstanding Awards;

(iv) provide that such Award shall vest or become exercisable or payable, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan or the applicable Award Agreement; and

(v) provide that the Award cannot be exercised or become payable after such event and shall terminate upon such event.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) with respect to an above event that constitutes an “equity restructuring” that would be subject to a compensation expense pursuant to ASC Topic 718, the provisions in Section 4(c) above shall control to the extent they are in conflict with the discretionary provisions of this Section 7 , provided, however , that nothing in this Section 7(c) or Section 4(c) above shall be construed as providing any Participant or any beneficiary of an Award 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 in this Section 7 or in Section 4(c) above; and (ii) no action shall be taken under this Section 7 which shall cause an Award to result in taxation under Section 409A, to the extent applicable to such Award.

SECTION 8. General Provisions .

(a) No Rights to Award . No Person shall have any claim to be granted any Award under the Plan, and there is no obligation for uniformity of treatment of Participants, including the treatment upon termination of Service or pursuant to Section 7(c) . The terms and conditions of Awards need not be the same with respect to each recipient.

 

13


(b) Tax Withholding . Unless other arrangements have been made that are acceptable to the Company, the Company or any Affiliate thereof is authorized to deduct or withhold, or cause to be deducted or withheld, 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 or Units, including Units that would otherwise be issued pursuant to such Award or other property) of any applicable taxes payable in respect of an Award, including its grant, its exercise, the lapse of restrictions thereon, or any payment or transfer thereunder or under the Plan, and to take such other action as may be necessary in the opinion of the Company to satisfy its withholding obligations for the payment of such taxes. In the event that Units that would otherwise be issued pursuant to an Award are used to satisfy such withholding obligations, the number of Units which may be so withheld or surrendered shall be limited to the number of Units which have a Fair Market Value on the date of withholding equal to the aggregate amount of such liabilities based on the minimum statutory withholding rates for federal, state, local and foreign income tax and payroll tax purposes that are applicable to such supplemental taxable income.

(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 in the employ or service of the Company, the Partnership or any of their Affiliates. Furthermore, the Company, the Partnership and/or an Affiliate thereof may at any time dismiss a Participant from employment or consulting free from any liability or any claim under the Plan, unless otherwise expressly provided in the Plan, any Award Agreement or other written agreement between any such entity and the Participant.

(d) No Rights as Unitholder . Except as otherwise provided herein, a Participant shall have none of the rights of a unitholder with respect to Units covered by any Award unless and until the Participant becomes the record owner of such Units.

(e) Section 409A . To the extent applicable, the Plan and Award Agreements shall be construed and interpreted in accordance with Section 409A. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, in the event that following the Effective Date (as defined in Section 9 below), the Committee determines that any Award may be subject to Section 409A, the Committee may adopt such amendments to the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement, adopt other policies and procedures (including amendments, policies and procedures with retroactive effect), and/or take any other actions that the Committee determines are necessary or appropriate to preserve the intended tax treatment of the Award, including without limitation, actions intended to (i) exempt the Award from Section 409A, or (ii) comply with the requirements of Section 409A; provided, however , that nothing herein shall create any obligation on the part of the Committee, the Partnership, the Company or any of their Affiliates to adopt any such amendment, policy or procedure or take any such other action, nor shall the Committee, the Partnership, the Company or any of their Affiliates have any liability for failing to do so. If any termination of Service constitutes a vesting or payment event with respect to any Award, such termination of Service must also constitute a “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A. Notwithstanding any provision in the Plan to the contrary, the time of payment with respect to any Award that is subject to Section 409A shall not be accelerated, except as permitted under Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-3(j)(4). Notwithstanding any provision of this Plan to the contrary, if a Participant is a “specified employee” within the meaning of

 

14


Section 409A as of the date of such Participant’s termination of Service and the Company determines that immediate payment of any amounts or benefits under this Plan would cause a violation of Section 409A, then any amounts or benefits which are payable under this Plan upon the Participant’s “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A that: (i) are subject to the provisions of Section 409A; (ii) are not otherwise exempt under Section 409A; and (iii) would otherwise be payable during the first six-month period following such separation from service, shall be paid, without interest, on the first business day following the earlier of: (1) the date that is six months and one day following the date of termination; or (2) the date of the Participant’s death. Each payment or amount due to a Participant under this Plan shall be considered a separate payment, and a Participant’s entitlement to a series of payments under this Plan is to be treated as an entitlement to a series of separate payments.

(f) Lock-Up Agreement . Each Participant shall agree, if so requested by the Company or the Partnership and any underwriter in connection with any public offering of securities of the Partnership or any Affiliate, not to directly or indirectly offer, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant for the sale of or otherwise dispose of or transfer any Units held by it for such period, not to exceed one hundred eighty (180) days following the effective date of the relevant registration statement filed under the Securities Act in connection with such public offering, as such underwriter shall specify reasonably and in good faith. The Company or the Partnership may impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to securities subject to the foregoing restrictions until the end of such 180-day period. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the 180-day period may be extended for up to such number of additional days as is deemed necessary by such underwriter or the Company or Partnership to continue coverage by research analysts in accordance with FINRA Rule 2711 or any successor rule.

(g) Compliance with Laws . The Plan, the granting and vesting of Awards under the Plan and the issuance and delivery of Units and the payment of money under the Plan or under Awards granted or awarded hereunder are subject to compliance with all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, rules and regulations (including but not limited to state, federal and foreign securities law and margin requirements), the rules of any securities exchange or automated quotation system on which the Units are listed, quoted or traded, and to such approvals by any listing, regulatory or governmental authority as may, in the opinion of counsel for the Company or the Partnership, be necessary or advisable in connection therewith. Any securities delivered under the Plan shall be subject to such restrictions, and the Person acquiring such securities shall, if requested by the Company or the Partnership, provide such assurances and representations to the Company or the Partnership as the Company or the Partnership may deem necessary or desirable to assure compliance with all applicable legal requirements. To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Plan and Awards granted or awarded hereunder shall be deemed amended to the extent necessary to conform to such laws, rules and regulations. In the event an Award is granted to or held by a Participant who is employed or providing services outside the United States, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, modify the provisions of the Plan or of such Award as they pertain to such Participant to comply with applicable foreign law or to recognize differences in local law, currency or tax policy. The Committee may also impose conditions on the grant, issuance, exercise, vesting, settlement or retention of Awards in order to comply with such foreign law and/or to minimize the Company’s or the Partnership’s obligations with respect to tax equalization for Participants employed outside their home country.

 

15


(h) 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 conflicts of laws principles.

(i) 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 law 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.

(j) 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 Partnership or an Affiliate to recover the same under Section 16(b) of the 1934 Act, and any payment tendered to the Company 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.

(k) 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 Company, the Partnership or any of their Affiliates, on the one hand, and a Participant or any other Person, on the other hand. To the extent that any Person acquires a right to receive payments pursuant to an Award, such right shall be no greater than the right of any general unsecured creditor of the Partnership or any participating Affiliate of the Partnership.

(l) 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.

(m) 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 hereof.

(n) No Guarantee of Tax Consequences . None of the Board, the Committee, the Company or the Partnership provides or has provided any tax advice to any Participant or any other Person or makes or has made any assurance, commitment or guarantee that any federal, state, local or other tax treatment will (or will not) apply or be available to any Participant or other Person and assumes no liability with respect to any tax or associated liabilities to which any Participant or other Person may be subject.

(o) Clawback . To the extent required by applicable law or any applicable securities exchange listing standards, or as otherwise determined by the Committee, Awards and amounts

 

16


paid or payable pursuant to or with respect to Awards shall be subject to the provisions of any clawback policy implemented by the Company, the Partnership or any of their Affiliates, which clawback policy may provide for forfeiture, repurchase and/or recoupment of Awards and amounts paid or payable pursuant to or with respect to Awards. Notwithstanding any provision of this Plan or any Award Agreement to the contrary, the Company, the Partnership and their Affiliates reserve the right, without the consent of any Participant, to adopt any such clawback policies and procedures, including such policies and procedures applicable to this Plan or any Award Agreement with retroactive effect.

(p) Unit Retention Policy . The Committee may provide in its sole and absolute discretion, subject to applicable law, that any Units received by a Participant in connection with an Award granted hereunder shall be subject to a unit ownership, unit retention or other policy restricting the sale or transfer of units, as the Committee may determine to adopt, amend or terminate in its sole discretion from time to time.

(q) Limitation of Liability . No member of the Board or the Committee or employee to whom the Board or the Committee has delegated authority in accordance with the provisions of Section 3 of this Plan shall be liable for anything done or omitted to be done by him or her by any member of the Board or the Committee or by any employee in connection with the performance of any duties under this Plan, except for his or her own willful misconduct or as expressly provided by statute.

(r) Facility Payment . Any amounts payable hereunder to any Person under legal disability or who, in the judgment of the Committee, is unable to manage properly his or her 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 Partnership, the Company and all of their Affiliates shall be relieved of any further liability for payment of such amounts.

SECTION 9. Term of the Plan .

The Plan shall be effective on the date on which the Plan is adopted by the Board (the “ Effective Date ”) and shall continue until the date terminated by the Board. However, 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.

 

17

Exhibit 10.3

FORM OF OMNIBUS AGREEMENT

by and between

NOBLE ENERGY, INC.

NBL MIDSTREAM, LLC

NOBLE MIDSTREAM SERVICES, LLC

NOBLE MIDSTREAM GP LLC

and

NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP

dated as of

[            ], 2015


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS

     1   

1.1

 

Definitions

     1   

1.2

 

Rules of Construction

     7   

ARTICLE II INDEMNIFICATION

     8   

2.1

 

Environmental Indemnification

     8   

2.2

 

Right-of-Way Indemnification.

     9   

2.3

 

Additional Indemnification.

     10   

2.4

 

Indemnification Procedures

     11   

2.5

 

Limitations Regarding Indemnification

     12   

2.6

 

Exclusive Remedy

     13   

ARTICLE III SERVICES; REIMBURSEMENT

     13   

3.1

 

General and Administrative Services

     13   

3.2

 

Administrative Fee

     14   

3.3

 

Reimbursement of General and Administrative Expenses.

     15   

3.4

 

Transition Services.

     15   

ARTICLE IV RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL AND RIGHT OF FIRST OFFER

     15   

4.1

 

Right of First Refusal to Purchase Certain Assets

     15   

4.2

 

ROFR Procedures.

     16   

4.3

 

Right of First Offer.

     19   

4.4

 

ROFO Procedures.

     20   

ARTICLE V ACCESS RIGHTS

     21   

5.1

 

Access Rights.

     21   

ARTICLE VI MISCELLANEOUS

     21   

6.1

 

Confidentiality

     21   

6.2

 

Choice of Law; Mediation; Submission to Jurisdiction

     22   

6.3

 

Entire Agreement

     24   

6.4

 

Termination of Agreement

     24   

6.5

 

Amendment or Modification

     24   

6.6

 

Assignment

     24   

6.7

 

Counterparts

     24   

6.8

 

Severability

     24   

6.9

 

Further Assurances

     24   

6.10

 

Rights of Limited Partners

     24   

 

SCHEDULES :

 

Schedule A

 

[Reserved]

Schedule B

 

General and Administrative Services

Schedule C

 

[Reserved]

Schedule D

 

[Reserved]

Schedule E

 

Property Access Rights

 

i


OMNIBUS AGREEMENT

This OMNIBUS AGREEMENT (as amended, modified, supplemented or restated from time to time in accordance with the terms hereof, this “Agreement ”) is entered into on, and effective as of, the Closing Date (as defined herein) by and between Noble Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ Noble ”), NBL Midstream, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ NBL Midstream ”), Noble Midstream Services, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ OpCo ”), Noble Midstream GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ General Partner ”), and Noble Midstream Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ” and, together with Noble, NBL Midstream, OpCo and the General Partner, the “ Parties ” and each a “ Party ”).

RECITALS

1. Capitalized terms used in this Agreement are defined in Article I .

2. The Parties desire by their execution of this Agreement to evidence their understanding, as more fully set forth in Article II , with respect to certain indemnification obligations of the Parties to each other.

3. The Parties desire by their execution of this Agreement to evidence their understanding, as more fully set forth in Article III , with respect to (i) the amount to be paid by the Partnership for general and administrative services relating to operating the Partnership’s business to be performed by Noble and its Affiliates (including the General Partner) for and on behalf of the Partnership Group, (ii) the reimbursement of expenses incurred by Noble and its Affiliates on behalf of the Partnership Group and (iii) the reimbursement of costs incurred by Noble and its Affiliates on behalf of the Partnership Group for certain transition services.

4. The Parties desire by their execution of this Agreement to evidence their understanding, as more fully set forth in Article IV , with respect to the amendment and restatement of the Partnership Group’s right of first refusal to purchase the ROFR Assets and the right of first offer to purchase the ROFO Equity.

5. The Parties desire by their execution of this Agreement to evidence their understanding, as more fully set forth in Article V , with respect to the amendment and restatement of the Partnership Group’s right to access and use certain items of real and personal property owned by Noble.

In consideration of the premises and the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

1.1 Definitions . As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

Acceptance Deadline ” is defined in Section 4.2(b) .

 

1


Administrative Fee ” is defined in Section 3.2(a) .

Affiliate ” is defined in the Partnership Agreement; provided that, for the purposes of this Agreement, any Person that is a Partnership Group Member shall be deemed not an Affiliate of Noble and its Subsidiaries (other than the Partnership Group).

Agreement ” is defined in the introductory paragraph of this Agreement.

Closing Date ” means the closing date of the Partnership’s IPO.

Confidential Information ” means (1) all information contained in (and the existence of) each Services Notice and Disposition Notice and (2) any proprietary or confidential information that is competitively sensitive material or otherwise of value to a Party or its Affiliates and not generally known to the public, including trade secrets, scientific or technical information, design, invention, process, procedure, formula, improvements, product planning information, marketing strategies, financial information, information regarding operations, consumer and/or customer relationships, consumer and/or customer identities and profiles, sales estimates, business plans, and internal performance results relating to the past, present or future business activities of a Party or its Affiliates and the consumers, customers, clients and suppliers of any of the foregoing. Confidential Information includes such information as may be contained in or embodied by documents, substances, engineering and laboratory notebooks, reports, data, specifications, computer source code and object code, flow charts, databases, drawings, pilot plants or demonstration or operating facilities, diagrams, specifications, bills of material, equipment, prototypes and models, and any other tangible manifestation (including data in computer or other digital format) of the foregoing; provided, however, that Confidential Information does not include information that a Receiving Party can show (a) has been published or has otherwise become available to the general public as part of the public domain without breach of this Agreement, (b) has been furnished or made known to the Receiving Party without any obligation to keep it confidential by a third party under circumstances which are not known to the Receiving Party to involve a breach of the third party’s obligations to a Party or (c) was developed independently of information furnished or made available to the Receiving Party as contemplated under this Agreement.

Contribution Agreement ” means the Contribution, Conveyance and Assumption Agreement, dated as of the Closing Date, by and between the General Partner, the Partnership, Noble and the other Partnership Group Members party thereto, with the additional conveyance documents and instruments contemplated or referenced thereunder, as such may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Covered Environmental Losses ” is defined in Section 2.1(a) .

Covered Property Losses ” is defined in Section 2.2 .

Deductible ” is defined in Section 2.5(a)(i) .

Disclosing Party ” is defined in Section 6.1(a) .

 

2


Disposition Notice ” is defined in Section 4.2(a) .

Environmental Laws ” means all federal, state and local laws, statutes, rules, regulations, orders, judgments, ordinances, codes, injunctions, decrees, Environmental Permits and other legally enforceable requirements and rules of common law now or hereinafter in effect relating to (a) pollution or protection of human health, natural resources, wildlife and the environment or workplace health or safety, including the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§9601 et seq. , the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§6901 et seq. , the Clean Air Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§7401 et seq. , the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended, 33 U.S.C. §§1251 et seq. , the Toxic Substances Control Act, as amended, 15 U.S.C. §§2601 et seq. , the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, 33 U.S.C. §§2701 et seq. , the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§300f et seq. , the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act of 1994, as amended, 49 U.S.C. §§5101 et seq. , and other environmental conservation and protection laws and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, 29 U.S.C. §§651 et seq. , and the regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, and any state or local counterparts, each as amended from time to time and (b) the generation, manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, transport or handling of any Hazardous Substances.

Environmental Permit ” means any permit, approval, identification number, license, registration, certification, consent, exemption, variance or other authorization required under or issued pursuant to any applicable Environmental Law, including applications for renewal of such permits in which the application allows for continued operation under the terms of an expired permit.

First ROFR Asset Acceptance Deadline ” is defined in Section 4.2(a) .

General and Administrative Services ” is defined in Section 3.1(a) .

General Partner ” is defined in the introductory paragraph of this Agreement.

Governmental Authority ” means any federal, state, tribal, foreign or local governmental entity, authority, department, court or agency, including any political subdivision thereof, exercising, or entitled to exercise, any administrative, executive, judicial, legislative, police, regulatory or taxing authority or power of any nature, and including any arbitrating body, commission or quasi-governmental authority or self-regulating organization of competent authority exercising or enlisted to exercise similar power or authority.

Hazardous Substance ” means (a) any substance, whether solid, liquid, gaseous, semi-solid, or any combination thereof, that is designated, defined or classified as a hazardous waste, solid waste, hazardous material, pollutant, contaminant or toxic or hazardous substance, or terms of similar meaning, or that is otherwise regulated under any Environmental Law, including any hazardous substance as defined under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, as amended, and including asbestos and lead-containing paints or coatings, radioactive materials, polychlorinated biphenyls and greenhouse gases and (b) petroleum, oil, gasoline, natural gas, fuel oil, motor oil, waste oil, diesel fuel, jet fuel and other refined petroleum hydrocarbons.

 

3


Identification Deadline ” means the third anniversary of the Closing Date.

Indemnified Party ” means the Party entitled to indemnification in accordance with Article II .

Indemnifying Party ” means the Party from whom indemnification may be sought in accordance with Article II .

IPO ” means the initial public offering of common units representing limited partner interests in the Partnership.

Limited Partner ” is defined in the Partnership Agreement.

Losses ” means any losses, damages, liabilities, claims, demands, causes of action, judgments, settlements, fines, penalties, costs and expenses (including court costs and reasonable attorney’s and expert’s fees) of any and every kind or character, known or unknown, fixed or contingent.

Mediation Notice ” is defined in Section 6.2(b) .

NBL Midstream ” is defined in the introductory paragraph of this Agreement.

NEI Invoice Delivery Date ” is defined in Section 3.2(d)(i) .

Noble ” is defined in the introductory paragraph of this Agreement. The term “Noble” shall include any successor by merger to the ultimate parent company of Noble Energy Group.

Noble Energy Group ” means Noble and all of its Subsidiaries (other than the General Partner and the Partnership Group).

Noble Energy Group Member ” means any member of the Noble Energy Group.

Offer Price ” is defined in Section 4.2(a) .

OpCo ” is defined in the introductory paragraph of this Agreement.

Operational Services and Secondment Agreement ” means that certain Operational Services Agreement, dated as of the Closing Date, by and among the Partnership, the General Partner and Noble, as such may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Original Lease ” is defined in Section 2.3(c) .

Partnership ” is defined in the introductory paragraph of this Agreement.

Partnership Agreement ” means the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership, dated as of the Closing Date, as it may be amended, modified, supplemented or restated from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof.

 

4


Partnership Assets ” means all assets, or portions thereof, conveyed, contributed or otherwise Transferred or intended to be conveyed, contributed or otherwise Transferred pursuant to the Contribution Agreement to any Partnership Group Member, or owned by, leased by or necessary for the operation of the business, properties or assets of any Partnership Group Member as of the Closing Date.

Partnership Change of Control ” means Noble ceases to possess, directly or indirectly, the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of the General Partner, whether through ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.

Partnership Group ” means the Partnership and its consolidated Subsidiaries.

Partnership Group Member ” means any member of the Partnership Group.

Partnership Invoice Payment Date ” is defined in Section 3.2(d)(ii) .

Partnership Parties ” has the meaning given to such term in the Operational Services and Secondment Agreement.

Party ” and “ Parties ” are defined in the introductory paragraph of this Agreement.

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.

Property Access Rights ” means the access rights of the Partnership Group on certain real and personal property retained by Noble following the consummation of the IPO, such real and personal property set forth on Schedule E .

Proposed Provider ” is defined in Section 4.2(b) .

Proposed ROFO Transaction ” is defined in Section 4.4(a).

Proposed Service Acreage ” is defined in Section 4.2(b) .

Proposed Services ” is defined in Section 4.2(b) .

Proposed Transferee ” is defined in Section 4.2(a) .

Receiving Party ” is defined in Section 6.1(a) .

Registration Statement ” means the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-207560) filed by the Partnership and relating to the IPO.

Remaining Vendor Contracts ” means each contract between a Noble Energy Group Member and a third party vendor of goods or services that (i) is used or useful in connection with the Partnership Group’s assets and the services provided under the Revenue Agreements and (ii) has not prior to the Closing Date been amended, assigned or otherwise modified to cause a Partnership Group Member to be a party to such contract with the applicable vendor.

 

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Representative ” is defined in Section 6.1(a) .

Retained Assets ” means all assets, or portions thereof owned by any of the members of the Noble Energy Group that were not directly or indirectly conveyed, contributed or otherwise Transferred to the Partnership Group in connection with the IPO.

Revenue Agreement ” means each of those agreements substantially in the form filed as exhibits 10.6 through 10.28 to the Registration Statement.

Rights Termination Date ” means the earliest to occur of (a) fifteen years following the Closing Date, (b) a Partnership Change of Control or (c) a termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 6.4 .

ROFO Equity ” means any equity interests that a Noble Energy Group Member holds in a Subsidiary of the Partnership. For the avoidance of doubt, as of the date of this Agreement, all ROFO Equity is held by NBL Midstream.

ROFO Notice ” is defined in Section 4.4(a).

ROFO Response ” is defined in Section 4.4(a).

ROFR Acreage ” means, with respect to oil and gas assets, all leasehold acreage and fee acreage in the continental United States of America currently owned or in the future acquired by Noble Energy Group with respect to which a Noble Energy Group Member is the operator; provided that acreage located offshore of the United States of America (on the continental shelf or otherwise) and the portion of any acreage that grants a Noble Energy Group Member rights in the Marcellus formation are excluded from the definition of ROFR Acreage.

ROFR Assets ” means the ownership interests of a Noble Energy Group Member in any assets currently owned or in the future developed or acquired that satisfy all of the following criterion: such assets are (i) owned by a Noble Energy Group Member at the time of the proposed Transfer for the purpose of providing ROFR Services, (ii) are located onshore in the continental United States of America and (iii) not used by any Noble Energy Group Member at the time of the proposed Transfer to provide services to or with respect to production from the Marcellus formation.

ROFR Notice ” is defined in Section 4.2(b) .

ROFR Services ” means (1) those midstream services that are of the type covered by a Revenue Agreement, as of the Closing Date, which, for the avoidance of doubt, includes oil gathering, gas gathering, produced water gathering, fresh water services and oil treating and (2) services of a type provided at gas processing plants and LNG facilities.

ROFR Services Acceptance Deadline ” is defined in Section 4.2(b) .

 

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Sale Assets ” is defined in Section 4.2(a) .

Second ROFR Asset Acceptance Deadline ” is defined in Section 4.2(a) .

Service Rate ” is defined in Section 4.2(b) .

Services Contract ” is defined in Section 4.2(b) .

Services Notice ” is defined in Section 4.2(b) .

Subsidiary ” is defined in the Partnership Group.

Transfer ” including the correlative terms “ Transferring ” or “ Transferred ” means (i) any direct or indirect transfer, assignment, sale, gift, pledge, hypothecation or other encumbrance, or any other disposition (whether voluntary, involuntary or by operation of law) and (ii) any dedication of services and any commitment or similar contractual arrangement that would have the effect of excluding the Partnership from the opportunity to provide the applicable services. For the avoidance of doubt, a Transfer of equity interests in an entity that holds a ROFR Asset shall constitute a Transfer.

Wells Ranch CGF Indemnity ” is defined in Section 2.3(c) .

Wells Ranch CGF Surface Lease ” is defined in Section 2.3(c) .

1.2 Rules of Construction . Unless expressly provided for elsewhere in this Agreement, this Agreement shall be interpreted in accordance with the following provisions:

(a) If a word or phrase is defined, its other grammatical forms have a corresponding meaning.

(b) The headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

(c) A reference to any Party to this Agreement or another agreement or document includes such Party’s successors and assigns.

(d) The words “hereof,” “herein” and “hereunder” and words of similar import when used in this Agreement shall refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement, and article, section, subsection and schedule references are to this Agreement unless otherwise specified.

(e) The words “including,” “include,” “includes” and all variations thereof shall mean “including without limitation.”

(f) The word “or” shall have the inclusive meaning represented by the phrase “and/or.”

(g) The words “shall” and “will” have equal force and effect.

 

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(h) The schedules identified in this Agreement are incorporated herein by reference and made a part of this Agreement.

(i) References to “$” or to “dollars” shall mean the lawful currency of the United States of America.

ARTICLE II

INDEMNIFICATION

2.1 Environmental Indemnification .

(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law, Noble shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless each Partnership Group Member from and against any Losses suffered or incurred by such Partnership Group Member, directly or indirectly, by reason of or arising out of:

(i) any violation of Environmental Laws associated with or arising from the ownership or operation of the Partnership Assets prior to the Closing Date;

(ii) any environmental event, condition or matter associated with or arising from the ownership or operation of the Partnership Assets as in effect prior to the Closing Date (including the presence of Hazardous Substances on, under, about or migrating to or from the Partnership Assets or the disposal or the release of Hazardous Substances generated by operation of the Partnership Assets at locations not constituting Partnership Assets), including (A) the cost and expense of any investigation, assessment, evaluation, monitoring, containment, cleanup, repair, restoration, remediation, risk-based closure activities or other corrective action required or necessary under Environmental Laws and (B) the cost and expense of the preparation and implementation of any closure, remedial, corrective action or other plans required or necessary under Environmental Laws as in effect prior to the Closing Date; and

(iii) any environmental event, condition or matter associated with or arising from the Retained Assets, whether occurring before, on or after the Closing Date and whether occurring under Environmental Laws as in effect prior to, at or after the Closing Date;

provided ,  however , that with respect to any violation of Environmental Laws subject to Section 2.1(a)(i)  or any environmental event, condition or matter subject to  Section 2.1(a)(ii) , Noble will be obligated to indemnify such Partnership Group Member only to the extent that such violation or environmental event, condition or matter (x) was caused by the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Contribution Agreement or commenced, occurred or existed before the Closing Date under Environmental Laws as in effect prior to the Closing Date and (y) Noble is notified in writing of such violation or environmental event, condition or matter prior to the Identification Deadline. For the avoidance of doubt, Noble shall have no indemnification obligations under Sections 2.1(a)(i) and 2.1(a)(ii) with respect to any claims based on additions to or modifications of Environmental Laws enacted or promulgated after the Closing Date. Losses subject to indemnification in this Section 2.1(a)(i) are referred to collectively as “ Covered Environmental Losses .”

 

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(b) To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Partnership shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Noble Energy Group from and against any Losses suffered or incurred by such Partnership Group Member, directly or indirectly, by reason of or arising out of:

(i) any violation of Environmental Laws associated with or arising from the ownership or operation of the Partnership Assets occurring on or after the Closing Date; and

(ii) any environmental event, condition or matter associated with or arising from the ownership or operation of the Partnership Assets occurring on or after the Closing Date (including the presence of Hazardous Substances on, under, about or migrating to or from the Partnership Assets or the disposal or the release of Hazardous Substances generated by operation of the Partnership Assets at locations not constituting Partnership Assets), including (A) the cost and expense of any investigation, assessment, evaluation, monitoring, containment, cleanup, repair, restoration, remediation, risk-based closure activities or other corrective action required or necessary under Environmental Laws as in effect on or after the Closing Date and (B) the cost or expense of the preparation and implementation of any closure, remedial, corrective action or other plans required or necessary under Environmental Laws as in effect on or after the Closing Date;

and regardless of whether such violation included under  Section 2.1(b)(i)  or such environmental event, condition or matter included under Section 2.1(b)(ii)  occurred before or after the Closing Date, in each case, to the extent that any of the foregoing are not Covered Environmental Losses (without giving effect to the Deductible).

2.2 Right-of-Way Indemnification. Noble shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless each Partnership Group Member from and against any Losses suffered or incurred by such Partnership Group Member by reason of or arising out of the following (“ Covered Property Losses ”):

(a) the failure of such Partnership Group Member to hold valid and indefeasible rights granted under surface use agreements, rights-of-way, surface leases, other easement rights or other real property interests in and to the lands on which any of the Partnership Assets conveyed or contributed to such Partnership Group Member on the Closing Date is located as described in the Registration Statement, and such failure (i) renders such Partnership Group Member liable to a third party or unable to use or operate the Partnership Assets in substantially the same manner that the Partnership Assets were used and operated by Noble immediately prior to the Closing Date or (ii) renders such Partnership Group Member unable to use the applicable real property interest for its intended purpose;

(b) the failure of such Partnership Group Member to have the consents, licenses and permits necessary to allow (i) any pipeline included in the Partnership Assets to cross the roads, waterways, railroads and other areas upon which any such pipeline is located as of the Closing Date or (ii) the Transfer of any of the Partnership Assets to the Partnership Group, in each case, where such failure renders the Partnership Group liable to a third party or unable to use or operate the Partnership Assets in substantially the same manner that the Partnership Assets were used and operated as described in the Registration Statement; and

 

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(c) the cost of curing any condition set forth in  Section 2.2(a)  or  (b)  that does not allow any Partnership Assets to be operated in accordance with prudent industry practice;

provided, however , in each case, to the extent Noble is notified in writing of any of the foregoing prior to the Identification Deadline and in each case other than in respect of which the Partnership has indemnified Noble for the Wells Ranch CGF Indemnity.

2.3 Additional Indemnification.

(a) In addition to and not in limitation of the indemnification provided under Section 2.1(a) and Section 2.2, to the fullest extent permitted by law, Noble shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless each Partnership Group Member from and against any Losses suffered or incurred by such Partnership Group Member by reason of or arising out of:

(i) (A) the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Contribution Agreement or (B) events and conditions associated with the ownership or operation of the Partnership Assets and with respect to this subsection (B) only, occurring before the Closing Date (other than Covered Environmental Losses which are provided for under  Section 2.1 and Covered Property Losses which are provided for under Section 2.2 );

(ii) any litigation matters attributable to the ownership or operation of the Partnership Assets prior to the Closing Date and any obligations arising out of incidents or events related to fire, explosion or other similar extraordinary event on or near the Partnership Assets prior to the Closing Date;

(iii) events and conditions associated with the Retained Assets, whether occurring before, on or after the Closing Date;

(iv) all federal, state and local Tax liabilities attributable to the ownership or operation of the Partnership Assets on or prior to the Closing Date, including under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1502-6, as it may be amended (or any similar provision of state or local law), and any such Tax liabilities that may result from the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Contribution Agreement; and

(v) the failure of any Partnership Group Member to have on the Closing Date any consent, license, permit or approval necessary to allow such Partnership Group Member to own or operate the Partnership Assets in substantially the same manner that the Partnership Assets were owned or operated immediately prior to the Closing Date.

(b) The Partnership shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Noble Energy Group from and against any Losses suffered or incurred by any Noble Energy Group Member by reason of or arising out of events and conditions to the extent associated with the ownership or operation of the Partnership Assets and to the extent occurring after the Closing Date (other than Covered Environmental Losses which are provided for under  Section 2.2(a)  and Losses for which the Partnership is indemnifying Noble under  Section 2.1(b) ), unless such indemnification would not be permitted by any Partnership Group Member under the Partnership Agreement.

 

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(c) The Partnership shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Noble Energy Group from and against any Losses suffered or incurred by any Noble Energy Group Member by reason of or arising out of events and conditions, regardless of whether occurring prior to or following the Closing Date (the “ Wells Ranch CGF Indemnity ”), to the extent associated with the Surface Lease, dated as of May 18, 2012, by and between Noble, Wells Ranch, LLLP and the other persons named as “Owners” thereunder, covering approximately 61 acres in Weld County, Colorado (the “ Original Lease ”), as assigned, amended or otherwise modified by that certain Partial Assignment of Surface Lease with Wattenberg Holding, LLC, dated October 22, 2012, pursuant to which a portion of Noble’s interest in the Surface Lease was assigned to such assignee, as further assigned, amended or otherwise modified by that certain Amendment to Surface Lease, dated June 18, 2013, pursuant to which certain payment terms appearing in the Surface Lease were modified, as further assigned, amended or otherwise modified by that certain First Amendment to Surface Lease, dated July 3, 2013, pursuant to which certain terms of the Surface Lease were modified, as further assigned, amended or otherwise modified by that certain Amendment 03 to Surface Lease, dated effective as of January 1, 2015, pursuant to which OpCo became a party to the Original Lease (such Original Lease, and all amendments prior to the date hereof and as such Original Lease may be further assigned, amended or otherwise modified from time to time, the “ Wells Ranch CGF Surface Lease ”). In consideration of this Wells Ranch CGF Indemnity, Noble hereby agrees that it will not sell, assign, transfer or otherwise modify the Wells Ranch CGF Surface Lease from and after the date hereof without the prior written consent of OpCo.

(d) The Partnership shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Noble Energy Group from and against any Losses suffered or incurred by any Noble Energy Group Member by reason of or arising out of events and conditions associated with the Partnership’s exercise of the Property Access Rights.

2.4 Indemnification Procedures .

(a) The Indemnified Party agrees that within a reasonable period of time after it becomes aware of facts giving rise to a claim for indemnification under this Article II , it will provide notice thereof in writing to the Indemnifying Party, specifying the nature of and specific basis for such claim.

(b) The Indemnifying Party shall have the right to control all aspects of the defense of (and any counterclaims with respect to) any claims brought against the Indemnified Party that are covered by the indemnification under this Article II , including the selection of counsel, determination of whether to appeal any decision of any court and the settling of any such claim or any matter or any issues relating thereto; provided, however , that no such settlement for only the payment of money shall be entered into without the consent of the Indemnified Party unless it includes a full release of the Indemnified Party from such claim; provided, further , that no such settlement containing any form of injunctive or similar relief shall be entered into without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Party, which consent shall not be unreasonably delayed or withheld.

(c) The Indemnified Party agrees to cooperate in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner with the Indemnifying Party with respect to all aspects of the defense of and

 

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pursuit of any counterclaims relating to any claims covered by the indemnification under this Article II , including the prompt furnishing to the Indemnifying Party of any correspondence or other notice relating thereto that the Indemnified Party may receive, permitting the name of the Indemnified Party to be utilized in connection with such defense and counterclaims ( provided , that the Indemnified Party has an opportunity to review the use of its name and does not reasonably object to such use), the making available to the Indemnifying Party of any files, records or other information of the Indemnified Party that the Indemnifying Party considers relevant to such defense and counterclaims, the making available to the Indemnifying Party of any employees of the Indemnified Party and the granting to the Indemnifying Party of reasonable access rights to the properties and facilities of the Indemnified Party; provided, however , that in connection therewith the Indemnifying Party agrees to use reasonable efforts to minimize the impact thereof on the operations of the Indemnified Party and further agrees to maintain the confidentiality of all files, records and other information furnished by the Indemnified Party pursuant to this Section 2.4 . The obligation of the Indemnified Party to cooperate with the Indemnifying Party as set forth in the immediately preceding sentence shall not be construed as imposing upon the Indemnified Party an obligation to hire and pay for counsel in connection with the defense of any claims and pursuit of any counterclaims with respect to any claims covered by the indemnification set forth in this Article II ; provided, however , that the Indemnified Party may, at its own option, cost and expense, hire and pay for counsel in connection with any such defense and counterclaims. The Indemnifying Party agrees to keep any such counsel hired by the Indemnified Party informed as to the status of any such defense or counterclaim, but the Indemnifying Party shall have the right to retain sole control over such defense and counterclaims so long as the Indemnified Party is still seeking indemnification hereunder.

(d) In determining the amount of any loss, cost, damage or expense for which the Indemnified Party is entitled to indemnification under this Agreement, the gross amount of the indemnification will be reduced by (i) any insurance proceeds realized by the Indemnified Party, and such correlative insurance benefit shall be net of any incremental insurance premium that becomes due and payable by the Indemnified Party as a result of such claim and (ii) all amounts recovered by the Indemnified Party under contractual indemnities from third Persons.

2.5 Limitations Regarding Indemnification .

(a) Noble shall not be obligated to indemnify, defend and hold harmless any Partnership Group Member under this Agreement until such time as the total aggregate amount of Losses incurred by the Partnership Group exceeds $500,000 (the “ Deductible ”), in the aggregate for all types of Losses, at which time Noble shall be obligated to indemnify the Partnership Group for the amount of such Losses in excess of the Deductible.

(b) For the avoidance of doubt, (i) there is no monetary cap on the amount of indemnity coverage provided by any Indemnifying Party under this Article II , and (ii) the Partnership’s indemnification obligations under this agreement shall be reduced on a dollar for dollar basis pro rata relative to Noble’s direct or indirect ownership interest in the Partnership Group Member that owns or leases or otherwise controls the Partnership Assets with respect to which an indemnification obligation for Losses exists.

 

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(c) NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING HEREIN TO THE CONTRARY, IN NO EVENT SHALL ANY PARTY’S INDEMNIFICATION OBLIGATION HEREUNDER COVER OR INCLUDE CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, SPECIAL OR SIMILAR DAMAGES OR LOST PROFITS (INCLUDING ANY DIMINUTION IN VALUE OF ANY PARTY’S RESPECTIVE INVESTMENT IN THE PARTNERSHIP) SUFFERED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, BY ANY OTHER PARTY ENTITLED TO INDEMNIFICATION UNDER THIS AGREEMENT, EXCEPT AS A REIMBURSEMENT FOR ANY SUCH DAMAGES AS ARE PAID TO A GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY OR OTHER THIRD PARTY.

2.6 Exclusive Remedy . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, from and after the Closing Date, Section 2.1 , Section 2.2 and Section 2.3 contain the Parties’ exclusive remedy against each other with respect to breaches of the covenants of the Parties set forth in Article II . Except for (a) the remedies contained in Section 2.1 , Section 2.2 and Section 2.3 , (b) any other remedies available to the Parties at law or in equity for breaches of provisions of this Agreement other than Article II and (c) the remedies available at law or in equity in connection with any other document delivered by a Party in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby (including pursuant to the Contribution Agreement), from and after the Closing Date, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law each of the Parties releases, remises and forever discharges the other and its Affiliates and all such Persons’ equity holders, partners, members, officers, directors, employees, agents, advisors and representatives from any and all Losses in law or in equity, known or unknown, which such Parties might now or subsequently may have, based on, relating to or arising out of this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.

ARTICLE III

SERVICES; REIMBURSEMENT

3.1 General and Administrative Services .

(a) Noble agrees to provide, and agrees to cause its Affiliates to provide, to the General Partner, for the Partnership Group’s benefit, the centralized general and administrative services that Noble and its Affiliates have traditionally provided in connection with the ownership and operation of the Partnership Assets, which consist of the services set forth on Schedule B (the “ General and Administrative Services ”).

(b) Absent the written agreement of the Parties to the contrary, the Parties agree that the General and Administrative Services will be received by the General Partner, for the benefit of the Partnership Group, at the General Partner’s principal place of business.

(c) The Parties acknowledge that the Administrative Fee, together with the other costs and expenses of the General and Administrative Services described herein, will be allocated among the Partnership Group Members (which for the avoidance of doubt, includes each of the Subsidiaries of the Partnership that own the real property interests and physical assets of the Partnership Group Members) based on any reasonable allocation methodology as determined by the General Partner.

 

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(d) For the avoidance of doubt, the General and Administrative Services provided by Noble pursuant to this  Article III  will be in addition to, and not in duplication of, the services that will be provided to the Partnership Parties by Noble under the Operational Services and Secondment Agreement and the functions performed by the employees seconded to the Partnership Parties under the Operational Services and Secondment Agreement, and Noble shall not be entitled to reimbursement under this Agreement for any costs or expenses for which Noble is entitled to payment or reimbursement under the Operational Services and Secondment Agreement.

3.2 Administrative Fee .

(a) As consideration for Noble’s and its Affiliates’ provision of the General and Administrative Services, the Partnership Group will pay to Noble an annual flat fee that will initially be equal to $6,850,000 per year (and prorated for the portion of year following the consummation of the IPO) (the “ Administrative Fee ”), which will be payable in monthly installments. The Parties acknowledge that the fixed fee reflects the costs expected to be incurred by Noble and its Affiliates in providing the General and Administrative Services (other than those costs for which Noble and its Affiliates are entitled to reimbursement pursuant to Section 3.3 below). The Parties further acknowledge and agree that it is the intent of the Parties that the General and Administrative Services be provided based on an arm’s-length standard and that the Administrative Fee is intended to reflect such standard. For the avoidance of doubt, the Parties further acknowledge and agree that the Administrative Fee will cover the fully burdened cost of the General and Administrative Services provided by Noble and its Affiliates to the Partnership Group, as well as any third-party costs actually incurred by Noble and its Affiliates on behalf of the Partnership Group in providing such General and Administrative Services (other than those costs for which the Noble and its Affiliates are entitled to reimbursement pursuant to Section 3.3 ), including all sales, use, excise, value added or similar taxes, if any, that may be applicable from time to time with respect to the General and Administrative Services provided by Noble and its Affiliates to the Partnership Group pursuant to Section 3.1 .

(b) If any officer of the General Partner is not covered by the amount paid under the Operational Services and Secondment Agreement, then the Partnership Group shall be allocated an amount in consideration for the services of such employees of Noble Energy Group in their capacities as officers of the General Partner and the Partnership Group Members and such allocated amount shall be included in the Administrative Fee.

(c) Concurrently with the annual rate redetermination process under the Revenue Agreements, Noble shall submit to the Board of Directors of the General Partner its good faith estimate of the cost of the General and Administrative Services to be provided to the Partnership Group for the coming 12-month period, which may be adjusted to reflect, among other things, the contribution, acquisition or disposition of assets to or by the Partnership Group or to reflect any change in the cost of providing General and Administrative Services to the Partnership Group due to changes in any law, rule or regulation applicable to Noble and its Affiliates or the Partnership Group, including any interpretation of such laws, rules or regulations. The Board of Directors of the General Partner shall review the proposed Administrative Fee and shall submit any disputes to Noble as promptly as reasonably practicable. If Noble and the Board of Directors of the General Partner are unable to agree on the Administrative Fee for any year,

 

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Noble and the Partnership shall submit the proposed Administrative Fee and supporting documentation to an independent auditing firm for review, and the determination of the independent auditing firm with respect to all items included in the Administrative Fee shall be binding on Noble and the Partnership.

(d) The Administrative Fee shall be invoiced and paid as follows:

(i) Within 20 days following the end of each month (or the next succeeding business day) beginning with the first full month after the Closing Date and continuing through the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 6.4 (the “ NEI Invoice Delivery Date ”), Noble will submit to the Partnership Group an invoice of the amounts due for such month for the Administrative Fee. Each invoice will be as detailed as the General Partner may require, acting reasonably, including (if requested) support of amounts set forth in the invoice and such other supporting detail as requested.

(ii) The Partnership Group will pay the Administrative Fee within 10 days after the receipt of the invoice therefor (the “ Partnership Invoice Payment Date ”). The Partnership Group shall not offset any amounts owing to it by Noble or any of its Affiliates against the Administrative Fee payable hereunder.

3.3 Reimbursement of General and Administrative Expenses. In addition to the Administrative Fee payable under Section 3.2 , to the extent that Noble incurs direct third-party expenses for the exclusive benefit of the Partnership Group, the Partnership Group will reimburse Noble and its Affiliates for such additional out-of-pocket costs and expenses actually incurred (so long as such amounts are invoiced within three months of incurrence).

3.4 Transition Services. Following the consummation of the IPO, Noble shall use commercially reasonable efforts to amend, assign or otherwise modify the Remaining Vendor Contracts such that a Partnership Group Member is directly contracting with the applicable third party vendor under such Remaining Vendor Contracts. Until such time as Noble is able to enter into the amendments referenced in the foregoing sentence, Noble shall make payments to the vendors under the Remaining Vendor Contracts, and the Partnership shall reimburse Noble for any such payments made on its behalf. Noble shall provide an invoice to OpCo of all payments made pursuant to the Remaining Vendor Contracts by the NEI Invoice Delivery Date for the applicable month, and OpCo shall reimburse Noble for all such payments on or before the Partnership Invoice Payment Date for the applicable month.

ARTICLE IV

RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL AND RIGHT OF FIRST OFFER

4.1 Right of First Refusal to Purchase Certain Assets .

(a) Beginning on the date hereof and terminating on the Rights Termination Date, Noble Energy Group hereby grants to the Partnership a right of first refusal on (i) any proposed Transfer of ROFR Assets (other than a grant of a security interest to a bona fide third-party lender or a Transfer to the Noble Energy Group Member; provided that such Noble Energy Group Member shall remain bound by this Section 4.1(a) of the ROFR Assets); and (ii) the provision of ROFR Services on the ROFR Acreage.

 

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(b) The Parties acknowledge that all potential Transfers of ROFR Assets pursuant to this Section 4.1 are subject to obtaining any and all required written consents of Governmental Authorities.

(c) The Partnership shall have the right, in its sole discretion, to assign its rights under this Section 4.1 to any Affiliate of the Partnership.

4.2 ROFR Procedures.

(a) Asset Sale Procedures. The following sets forth the procedure for Noble to undertake to honor the right of first refusal with respect to the ROFR Assets. The actions described herein shall be taken by Noble or Noble shall cause the applicable Noble Energy Group Member to take such actions required by this Section 4.2(a) .

(i) If Noble proposes to Transfer one or more ROFR Assets to any third-party (other than a Partnership Group Member), then Noble shall promptly give written notice (a “ Disposition Notice ”) thereof to the Partnership. The Disposition Notice shall set forth the following information in respect of the proposed Transfer: (1) the name and address of any prospective acquirors (collectively, the “ Proposed Transferee ”), (2) the assets subject to the Disposition Notice (the “ Sale Assets ”), (3) the purchase price offered by such Proposed Transferee or, if no Proposed Transferee has been identified, a commercially reasonable price in the opinion of Noble (either price described in this clause (3), the “ Offer Price ”), (4) reasonable detail concerning any non-cash portion of the proposed consideration, if any, to allow the Partnership to reasonably determine the fair market value of such non-cash consideration and a statement of the estimate of the fair market value of any non-cash consideration in the opinion of Noble (such term in this Section 4.2 to refer, collectively, to both Noble and the Noble Energy Group Member Transferring the applicable ROFR Asset), and (5) all other material terms and conditions of the disposition that are then known to Noble and its Affiliates. To the extent a Proposed Transferee’s offer consists of consideration other than cash (or in addition to cash) the Offer Price shall be deemed equal to the amount of any such cash plus the fair market value of such non-cash consideration.

(ii) The Partnership will provide written notice of either (1) its intent to dispute the Offer Price, as provided in Section 4.2(a)(iii) below or (2) its decision regarding the exercise or non-exercise of its right of first refusal to purchase the Sale Assets within 60 days of its receipt of the Disposition Notice (the “ First ROFR Asset Acceptance Deadline ”). Failure to provide such notice on or prior to the First ROFR Asset Acceptance Deadline shall be deemed to constitute an affirmative decision not to purchase the Sale Assets.

(iii) In the event (1) the Offer Price is based upon an offer from a third-party and such Offer Price contains non-cash consideration and the Partnership’s determination of the fair market value of such non-cash consideration described in the Disposition Notice (to be determined by the Partnership on or prior to the First ROFR Asset Acceptance Deadline) is less than the fair market value of such consideration as determined by Noble in the Disposition Notice and (2) the Partnership and Noble are

 

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unable to mutually agree upon the fair market value of such non-cash consideration on or prior to the First ROFR Asset Acceptance Deadline, Noble and the Partnership shall engage a mutually agreed upon valuation firm to determine the fair market value of the non-cash consideration. Such valuation firm shall be instructed to notify the Partnership and Noble of its decision within 30 days after all material information is submitted thereto, which decision shall be final and binding. The fees of the valuation firm will be split equally between Noble and the Partnership. The Partnership will provide written notice of its decision regarding the exercise of its right of first refusal to purchase the Sale Assets to Noble within 15 days after the valuation firm has submitted its determination (the “ Second ROFR Asset Acceptance Deadline ”). Failure to provide such notice on or prior to the Second ROFR Asset Acceptance Deadline shall be deemed to constitute an affirmative decision by the Partnership not to purchase the Sale Assets.

(iv) If the Partnership fails to exercise a right during any applicable period set forth in this Section 4.2(a) , the Partnership shall be deemed to have waived its right with respect to such proposed disposition of the Sale Assets, but such waiver shall not extend to any ROFR Assets that were not Sale Assets.

(b) Services Procedures . The following sets forth the procedure for Noble to undertake to honor the right of first refusal with respect to ROFR Services. The actions described herein shall be taken by Noble or Noble shall cause the Noble Energy Group Member to take such actions required by this Section 4.2(b) .

(i) If a Noble Energy Group Member proposes to (x) contract with any third party (other than a Partnership Group Member) for the provision of ROFR Services on specified acreage that is ROFR Acreage or (y) continue, extend or renew any existing contract for ROFR Services on acreage that is ROFR Acreage (either contract described in clauses (x) or (y), a “ Services Contract ”), then Noble shall promptly give written notice (a “ Services Notice ” and, together with a Disposition Notice, a “ ROFR Notice ”) thereof to the Partnership. The Services Notice shall set forth the following information in respect of the Services Contract: (1) the name and address of any prospective provider of ROFR Services (collectively, the “ Proposed Provider ”), (2) a detailed description of the services subject to the Services Notice (the “ Proposed Services ”), (3) the rate proposed to be charged by such Proposed Provider or, if no Proposed Provider has been identified, a commercially reasonable price in the opinion of the Noble Energy Group (either price described in this clause (3), the “ Service Rate ”), (4) a description of the area in which the Proposed Services are required (the “ Proposed Service Acreage ”), (5) the in-service date required by Noble, (6) reasonable detail of any required capital commitments or the build costs to acquire or build any assets necessary to provide the Proposed Services and (7) all other material terms and conditions that Noble will require in connection with the Proposed Services.

(ii) The Partnership will provide written notice of its decision regarding the exercise or non-exercise of its right of first refusal to provide the Proposed Services within 60 days of its receipt of the Services Notice (the “ ROFR Services Acceptance Deadline ” and, together with the First ROFR Asset Acceptance Deadline and the Second ROFR Asset Acceptance Deadline, as applicable, the “ Acceptance Deadline ”). Failure

 

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to provide such notice prior to the ROFR Services Acceptance Deadline shall be deemed to constitute an affirmative decision not to provide the Proposed Services with respect to the Proposed Service Acreage.

(iii) If the Partnership fails to exercise a right during any applicable period set forth in this Section 4.2(b), the Partnership shall be deemed to have waived its rights to provide the Proposed Services on the Proposed Service Acreage, but such waiver shall not extend to ROFR Services that were not described in the Services Notice and shall not extend to ROFR Acreage that was not included in the Proposed Service Acreage.

(c) If the Partnership chooses to exercise its right of first refusal under Section 4.2(a) , the Partnership and Noble shall enter into a definitive agreement for the purchase of the Sale Assets, which shall include the following terms:

(i) with respect to any Sale Assets, the Partnership will agree to deliver cash for the Offer Price (unless the Partnership and Noble agree that consideration will be paid by means of non-cash consideration);

(ii) Noble will represent that it has good and indefeasible title to the Sale Assets, subject to all recorded matters and all physical conditions in existence on the closing date for the purchase of the Sale Assets, plus any other such matters as the Partnership may approve, which approval will not be unreasonably withheld. If the Partnership desires to obtain any title insurance with respect to the Sale Assets, the full cost and expense of obtaining the same (including the cost of title examination, document duplication and policy premium) shall be borne by the Partnership;

(iii) Noble will grant to the Partnership the right, exercisable at the Partnership’s risk and expense, to make such surveys, tests and inspections of the Sale Assets as the Partnership may deem desirable, so long as such surveys, tests or inspections do not damage the Sale Assets or interfere with the activities of Noble and its Affiliates (other than the Partnership Group) thereon and so long as the Partnership has furnished Noble with evidence that adequate liability insurance is in full force and effect;

(iv) The Partnership will have the right to terminate its obligation to purchase the Sale Assets under this Article if the results of any searches, surveys, tests or inspections conducted pursuant to Section 4.2(c)(ii) or Section 4.2(c)(iii) above are, in the reasonable opinion of the Partnership, unsatisfactory;

(v) the closing date for the purchase of the Sale Assets shall occur no later than 120 days following receipt by Noble of written notice by the Partnership of its intention to exercise its option to purchase the Sale Assets pursuant to Section 4.2(a) ;

(vi) Noble shall execute, have acknowledged and deliver to the Partnership a special warranty deed, assignment of easement, or comparable document, as appropriate, in the applicable jurisdiction, on the closing date for the purchase of the Sale Assets constituting real property interests, conveying the Sale Assets to the Partnership free and clear of all encumbrances created by Seller and its Affiliates other than those set forth in Section 4.2(c)(ii) above; and

 

18


(vii) neither Noble nor the Partnership shall have any obligation to sell or buy the Sale Assets if any of the material consents referred to in Section 4.1(b) have not been obtained.

(d) If the Partnership chooses to exercise its right of first refusal under Section 4.2(b) , the Partnership and Noble shall enter into a definitive agreement for the provision of the Proposed Services on the Proposed Service Acreage.

(e) Noble and the Partnership shall cooperate in good faith in obtaining all necessary governmental and other third party approvals, waivers and consents required in connection with the exercise of the Partnership’s rights under this Article IV .

(f) If (i) the Transfer to any third party (other than a Partnership Group Member) of any Sale Assets is not consummated on terms substantially similar to the terms set forth in the Disposition Notice or (ii) the entry into a definitive agreement providing for the provision of Proposed Services with a third party (other than a Partnership Group Member) has not occurred on terms substantially similar to the terms set forth in the Services Notice, in each case within the later of (A) 120 days after the later of the applicable Acceptance Deadline, and (B) 10 days after the satisfaction of all governmental approval or filing requirements, if any, the ROFR Notice shall be deemed to lapse, and Noble may not Transfer any of the Sale Assets or contract with a third party to provide the Proposed Services, as applicable, described in the ROFR Notice without complying again with the provisions of this Article IV .

(g) If, after the Partnership has waived its rights pursuant to this Article IV or has allowed an Acceptance Deadline to lapse without the exercise of its rights pursuant to this Article IV , any Noble Energy Group Member proposes to Transfer Sale Assets to a third party (other than a Partnership Group Member) or contract for the provision of Proposed Services with a third party (other than a Partnership Group Member), and such transaction is proposed on terms materially more favorable to such third party than those set forth in the applicable ROFR Notice, such ROFR Notice shall be deemed ineffective, and Noble may not effect such Transfer of Sale Assets or contract for such provision of Proposed Services, as applicable, without complying again with the provisions of this Article IV .

(h) Notwithstanding anything provided herein, the Noble Energy Group shall be allowed to comply with all preexisting dedications, preferential transfer rights, rights of first refusal (or similar encumbrance) and contracts for service that are in existence on the date that this Agreement becomes effective and on the date that the applicable acreage or asset is acquired by Noble Energy Group (so long as such dedication or contract was not entered into in contemplation of such acquisition).

4.3 Right of First Offer.

(a) Noble Energy Group hereby grants to the Partnership Group a right of first offer, exercisable at any time prior to the Rights Termination Date, to purchase all or any part of the ROFO Equity to the extent that Noble proposes to Transfer all or any part of any ROFO Equity; provided, however , that Noble may Transfer all or any part of any ROFO Equity to a Noble Energy Group Member that agrees in writing that such ROFO Equity remains subject to the

 

19


provisions of this Section 4.3 and such Noble Energy Group Member assumes the obligations of Noble under this Section 4.3 with respect to such ROFO Equity, and such Transfer shall not be subject to the Partnership Group’s right of first offer.

(b) The Parties acknowledge that any Transfer of all or any part of any ROFO Equity pursuant to the Partnership’s right of first offer is subject to the terms of all existing agreements with respect to the ROFO Equity and shall be subject to and conditioned on the obtaining of any and all necessary consents of securityholders, Governmental Authorities, lenders or other third parties; provided, however , that Noble hereby represents and warrants that, to its knowledge after reasonable investigation, there are no terms in such agreements that would materially impair the rights granted to the Partnership Group pursuant to this Section 4.3 with respect to any ROFO Equity.

4.4 ROFO Procedures. The following sets forth the procedure for Noble and NBL Midstream to undertake to honor the right of first offer on the ROFO Equity. The actions described herein shall be taken by Noble or NBL Midstream, or Noble shall cause the applicable Noble Energy Group Member to take such actions required by this Section 4.4 .

(a) If NBL Midstream proposes to Transfer all or any part of any ROFO Equity (other than to a Noble Energy Group member in accordance with Section 4.3(a) ) prior to the Rights Termination Date (a “ Proposed ROFO Transaction ”), NBL Midstream shall, prior to entering into any such Proposed ROFO Transaction, first give notice in writing to the Partnership (the “ ROFO Notice ”) of its intention to enter into such Proposed ROFO Transaction. The ROFO Notice shall include any material terms, conditions and details that would be necessary for the Partnership to make a responsive offer to enter into the Proposed ROFO Transaction with NBL Midstream, which terms, conditions and details shall at a minimum include any terms, conditions or details that NBL Midstream would propose to provide to non-Affiliates in connection with the Proposed ROFO Transaction. If the Partnership determines to purchase the ROFO Equity, the Partnership shall have 60 days following receipt of the ROFO Notice to propose an offer to enter into the Proposed ROFO Transaction with NBL Midstream (the “ ROFO Response ”). The ROFO Response shall set forth the terms and conditions (including the purchase price the Partnership proposes to pay for the ROFO Equity and the other terms of the purchase) pursuant to which the Partnership would be willing to enter into a binding agreement for the Proposed ROFO Transaction. If no ROFO Response is delivered by the Partnership within such 60-day period, then the Partnership shall be deemed to have waived its right of first offer with respect to such ROFO Equity subject to Section 4.3 .

(b) Unless the ROFO Response is rejected pursuant to written notice delivered by NBL Midstream to the Partnership within 60 days of the delivery to NBL Midstream of the ROFO Response, such ROFO Response shall be deemed to have been accepted by NBL Midstream, and NBL Midstream shall enter into a definitive agreement with the Partnership providing for the consummation of the Proposed ROFO Transaction upon the terms set forth in the ROFO Response. Unless NBL Midstream and the Partnership otherwise agree, the terms of the definitive agreement will include the following:

(i) the Partnership will deliver the agreed purchase price (in cash, Partnership Interests, an interest-bearing promissory note or any combination thereof);

 

20


(ii) the closing date for the purchase of the ROFO Equity shall occur no later than 120 days following receipt by NBL Midstream of the ROFO Response pursuant to Section 4.3(a) ;

(iii) each of NBL Midstream and the Partnership shall use commercially reasonable efforts to do or cause to be done all things that may be reasonably necessary or advisable to effectuate the consummation of any transactions contemplated by this Section 4.4 , including causing its respective Affiliates to execute, deliver and perform all documents, notices, amendments, certificates, instruments and consents required in connection therewith; and

(iv) neither NBL Midstream nor the Partnership shall have any obligation to consummate the Proposed ROFO Transaction if any consent referred to in Section 4.3(b) has not been obtained.

(c) If the Partnership has not timely delivered a ROFO Response as specified in this Section 4.4 with respect to a Proposed ROFO Transaction that is subject to a ROFO Notice, NBL Midstream shall be free to enter into a Proposed ROFO Transaction with any third party on terms and conditions no more favorable to such third party than those set forth in the ROFO Notice. If NBL Midstream rejects a ROFO Response with respect to any Proposed ROFO Transaction, NBL Midstream shall be free to enter into a Proposed ROFO Transaction with any third party (i) on terms and conditions (excluding those relating to price) that are not more favorable in the aggregate to such third party than those proposed in respect of the Partnership Group in the ROFO Response and (ii) at a price equal to no less than 100% of the price offered by the Partnership in the ROFO Response to NBL Midstream.

(d) The Partnership may assign its rights and obligations under this Article IV to any Partnership Group Member.

ARTICLE V

ACCESS RIGHTS

5.1 Access Rights. For the term of this Agreement, Noble hereby grants the Partnership Group access and use rights with respect to certain items of real and personal property related to the Retained Assets set forth on Schedule E , and such rights shall include automation services.

ARTICLE VI

MISCELLANEOUS

6.1 Confidentiality .

(a) From and after the Closing Date, each Party (each, a “ Receiving Party ”) in possession of another Party’s (each, a “ Disclosing Party ”) Confidential Information shall (i) hold, and shall cause its Subsidiaries and Affiliates and its and their directors, officers, employees, agents, consultants, advisors, and other representatives (each, a “ Representative ” and, collectively, “ Representatives ”) to hold, all Confidential Information of each Disclosing Party in strict confidence, with at least the same degree of care that applies to such Receiving

 

21


Party’s confidential and proprietary information, (ii) not use such Confidential Information, except as expressly permitted by such Disclosing Party and (iii) not release or disclose such Confidential Information to any other Person, except its Representatives or except as required by applicable law. Each Party shall be responsible for any Losses resulting from a breach of this Section 6.1 by any of its Representatives.

(b) Notwithstanding Section 6.1(a) , if a Receiving Party becomes legally compelled or obligated to disclose Confidential Information of a Disclosing Party by a Governmental Authority or applicable law, or is required to disclose such Confidential Information pursuant to the listing standards of any applicable national securities exchange on which the Receiving Party’s securities are listed or quoted, the Receiving Party shall promptly advise, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Disclosing Party of such requirement or obligation to disclose Confidential Information as soon as the Receiving Party becomes aware that such a requirement to disclose might become effective in order that, where possible, the Disclosing Party may seek a protective order or such other remedy as the Disclosing Party may consider appropriate in the circumstances. The Receiving Party shall disclose only that portion of the Disclosing Party’s Confidential Information that it is required or obligated to disclose and shall cooperate with the Disclosing Party in allowing the Disclosing Party to obtain such protective order or other relief.

(c) Each Party acknowledges that a Disclosing Party would not have an adequate remedy at law for the breach by a Receiving Party of any one or more of the covenants contained in this Section 6.1 and agrees that, in the event of such breach, the Disclosing Party may, in addition to the other remedies that may be available to it, apply to a court for an injunction to prevent breaches of this Section 6.1 and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of this Section 6.1 . Notwithstanding any other provision hereof, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the provisions of this Section 6.1 shall survive the termination of this Agreement for a period of two years.

6.2 Choice of Law; Mediation; Submission to Jurisdiction .

(a) This Agreement shall be subject to and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, excluding any conflicts-of-law rule or principle that might refer the construction or interpretation of this Agreement to the laws of another state. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO AGREES THAT THIS AGREEMENT INVOLVES AT LEAST U.S. $100,000.00 AND THAT THIS AGREEMENT HAS BEEN ENTERED INTO IN EXPRESS RELIANCE UPON 6 Del. C. § 2708. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY AGREES (i) TO BE SUBJECT TO THE JURISDICTION OF THE COURTS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE AND OF THE FEDERAL COURTS SITTING IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE AND (ii) TO THE EXTENT SUCH PARTY IS NOT OTHERWISE SUBJECT TO SERVICE OF PROCESS IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE, TO APPOINT AND MAINTAIN AN AGENT IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE AS SUCH PARTY’S AGENT FOR ACCEPTANCE OF LEGAL PROCESS AND TO NOTIFY THE OTHER PARTIES OF THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF SUCH AGENT.

(b) If the Parties cannot resolve any dispute or claim arising under this Agreement, then no earlier than 10 days nor more than 60 days following written notice to the other Parties, any Party may initiate mandatory, non-binding mediation hereunder by giving a notice of

 

22


mediation (a “ Mediation Notice ”) to the other Parties to the dispute or claim. In connection with any mediation pursuant to this Section 6.2 , the mediator shall be jointly appointed by the Parties to the dispute or claim and the mediation shall be conducted in Houston, Texas unless otherwise agreed by the Parties to the dispute or claim. All costs and expenses of the mediator appointed pursuant to this Section 6.2 shall be shared equally by the Parties to the dispute or claim. The then-current Model ADR Procedures for Mediation of Business Disputes of the Center for Public Resources, Inc., either as written or as modified by mutual agreement of the Parties to the dispute or claim, shall govern any mediation pursuant to this Section 6.2 . In the mediation, each Party to the dispute or claim shall be represented by one or more senior representatives who shall have authority to resolve any disputes. If a dispute or claim has not been resolved within 30 days after the receipt of the Mediation Notice by a Party, then any Party to the dispute or claim may refer the resolution of the dispute or claim to litigation.

(c) Subject to Section 6.2(b) , to the fullest extent permitted by law, each Party agrees that it shall bring any action or proceeding in respect of any claim arising out of or related to this Agreement, whether in tort or contract or at law or in equity, exclusively in any federal or state courts located in Delaware and (i) irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts, (ii) waives any objection to laying venue in any such action or proceeding in such courts, (iii) waives any objection that such courts are an inconvenient forum or do not have jurisdiction over it and (iv) agrees that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, service of process upon it may be effected by mailing a copy thereof by registered or certified mail (or any substantially similar form of mail), postage prepaid, to it at its address specified in Section 6.2(d) . The foregoing consents to jurisdiction and service of process shall not, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, constitute general consents to service of process in the State of Delaware for any purpose except as provided herein and shall not be deemed to confer rights on any Person other than the Parties.

(d) All notices or requests or consents provided for by, or permitted to be given pursuant to, this Agreement must be in writing and must be given by (a) United States mail, addressed to the Person to be notified, postage prepaid and registered or certified with return receipt requested or (b) delivering such notice in person. Notice given by personal delivery or mail shall be effective upon actual receipt. All notices to be sent to a Party pursuant to this Agreement shall be sent to or made at the address set forth below or at such other address as such Party may stipulate to the other Parties in the manner provided in this Section 6.2 . If to any Noble Energy Group Member:

Noble Energy, Inc.

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, Texas 77070

Attention:

If to any Partnership Group Member:

Noble Midstream Partners LP

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, Texas 77070

Attention:

 

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6.3 Entire Agreement . This Agreement and the Contribution Agreement constitute the entire agreement of the Parties relating to the matters contained herein, superseding all prior contracts or agreements, whether oral or written, relating to the matters contained herein.

6.4 Termination of Agreement . This Agreement, other than the provisions set forth in Section 2.1 hereof and this Article VI , may be terminated (a) by the written agreement of all of the Parties or (b) by Noble or the Partnership upon a Partnership Change of Control by written notice given to the other Parties to this Agreement, upon which termination shall be effective at the later of such Partnership Change of Control and the date specified in such written notice. For the avoidance of doubt, the Parties’ indemnification obligations under Article II and the terms of this Article VI shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, survive the termination of this Agreement in accordance with their respective terms.

6.5 Amendment or Modification . This Agreement may be amended or modified from time to time only by an agreement in writing, signed by (1) Noble, acting on behalf of itself and each other Noble Energy Group Member, (2) the Partnership, acting on behalf of itself and each other Partnership Group Member and (3) any other Party hereto directly impacted by such amendment or modification in a manner different from the other Parties.

6.6 Assignment . No Party shall have the right to assign its rights or obligations under this Agreement without the consent of the other Parties; provided, however , that the General Partner and any Partnership Group Member may make a collateral assignment of this Agreement solely to secure financing for the Partnership Group.

6.7 Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts with the same effect as if all signatory parties had signed the same document and shall be construed together and shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed signature page of this Agreement by facsimile transmission or in portable document format (.pdf) (or similar electronic format) shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart hereof.

6.8 Severability . If any provision of this Agreement shall be held invalid or unenforceable by a Governmental Authority of competent jurisdiction, the remainder of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

6.9 Further Assurances . In connection with this Agreement and all transactions contemplated by this Agreement, each Party hereto agrees to execute and deliver such additional documents and instruments and to perform such additional acts as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate, carry out and perform all of the terms, provisions and conditions of this Agreement and all such transactions.

6.10 Rights of Limited Partners . The provisions of this Agreement are enforceable solely by the Parties to this Agreement, and no Limited Partner or other interest holder of the Partnership shall have the right, separate and apart from the Partnership, to enforce any provision of this Agreement or to compel any Party to this Agreement to comply with the terms of this Agreement.

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the Parties have executed this Agreement on, and effective as of, the Closing Date.

 

NOBLE ENERGY, INC.
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

[Signature Page to Omnibus Agreement]


NBL MIDSTREAM, LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

[Signature Page to Omnibus Agreement]


NOBLE MIDSTREAM SERVICES, LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

[Signature Page to Omnibus Agreement]


NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP
By:   Noble Midstream GP LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

[Signature Page to Omnibus Agreement]


NOBLE MIDSTREAM GP LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

[Signature Page to Omnibus Agreement]


Schedule A

Reserved

 

Schedule A-1


Schedule B

General and Administrative Services

 

1. Management services of employees of the Noble Energy Group, including Noble stock based compensation expense (as distinguished from General Partner stock based compensation expense, which remains an obligation of the Partnership and not included in the Administrative Fee).

 

2. Financial and administrative (including treasury, accounting and internal audit)

 

3. Preparing and submitting invoices

 

4. Information technology

 

5. In-house legal services (for the avoidance of doubt, external counsel hired by the Partnership directly shall be paid by the Partnership directly and therefore such amounts shall not be included in the Administrative Fee)

 

6. Health, environmental, safety and security (including third-party security services)

 

7. Human resources

 

8. Tax

 

9. Payroll

 

10. Procurement, inventory and other vendor contracts

 

11. Real property/land rights (provided that to the extent possible, the Partnership Group shall obtain the rights of way and use agreements directly from third parties who hold the surface rights to the applicable real property)

 

12. Investor relations

 

13. Government relations, governmental compliance and public affairs

 

14. Analytical & engineering (including asset integrity and regulatory services)

 

15. Business development

 

16. Risk management

 

17. Executive services

 

18. Facility services

 

19. Logistical services

 

20. Asset oversight, such as operational management and supervision

 

21. Public company reporting services

 

Schedule B-1


Schedule C

Reserved.

 

Schedule C-1


Schedule D

Reserved

 

Schedule D-1


Schedule E

Property Access Rights

 

Schedule E-1

Exhibit 10.4

FORM OF OPERATIONAL SERVICES AND SECONDMENT AGREEMENT

This Operational Services and Secondment Agreement (this “ Agreement ”), dated as of [●], 2015 (the “ Effective Date ”), is entered into among Noble Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ Noble ”), Noble Midstream GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “General Partner ”), and Noble Midstream Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership ”). Noble, the General Partner, and the Partnership are sometimes herein referred to individually as a “ Party ” and collectively as the “ Parties .”

RECITALS:

WHEREAS, the General Partner is the general partner of the Partnership, which through its Subsidiaries is engaged in the business of crude oil gathering and treating; natural gas gathering; fresh water distribution and storage; and produced water collection, cleaning, recycling and disposal; and other related assets and businesses;

WHEREAS, Noble has expertise in the management, maintenance and operation of midstream infrastructure assets, including crude oil gathering pipelines, crude oil treating facilities, natural gas gathering pipelines, centralized gathering facilities, fresh water distribution and storage systems, and produced water pipelines and cleaning, recycling and disposal facilities, and can make available to the Partnership Parties the personnel necessary to perform such management, maintenance and operational functions with respect to assets owned by the Partnership Group; and

WHEREAS, the Parties desire that Noble provide the Partnership Parties personnel necessary to manage, maintain and operate the Partnership Parties’ assets and, in connection therewith, that Noble second certain personnel to the Partnership Parties.

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE 1

DEFINITIONS

1.1 Definitions . Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall have the following respective meanings, unless context clearly requires otherwise:

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 this Agreement, none of the Partnership Group shall be deemed to be an Affiliate of Noble nor shall Noble be deemed to be an Affiliate of any of the Partnership Group.

Agreement ” shall mean this Operational Services and Secondment Agreement, together with all Exhibits attached hereto, as the same may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time in accordance with the provisions hereof.

 

1


Allocation Percentage ” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.3 .

Benefit Plans ” means the following employee benefit plans: deferred compensation, profit sharing, retirement, retiree medical, 401(k), cafeteria, medical, and disability plans and any insurance programs which benefit the Seconded Employees or their dependents, including workers’ compensation insurance, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, long-term disability insurance, business travel and accident insurance, and EAP.

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, the State of Colorado or the State of Texas shall not be regarded as a Business Day.

EAP ” means Employee Assistance Program.

Effective Date ” has the meaning set forth in the introductory paragraph to this Agreement.

ERISA ” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.

ERISA Affiliate ” means any entity that would be treated as a single employer with Noble under Sections 414(b), (c) or (m) of the Code or Section 4001(b)(1) of ERISA.

General Partner ” has the meaning set forth in the introductory paragraph to this Agreement; provided that such term shall include its successors and permitted assigns that are admitted to the Partnership as general partner of the Partnership, in its capacity as general partner of the Partnership (except as the context otherwise requires).

Losses ” means any and all costs, expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees), claims, demands, losses, liabilities, obligations, actions, lawsuits and other proceedings, judgments and awards.

Noble ” has the meaning set forth in the introductory paragraph to this Agreement.

Noble Entities ” means Noble and all of its direct and indirect subsidiaries, other than any of the Partnership Parties.

“Omnibus Agreement” means that certain Omnibus Agreement, dated effective as of the Effective Date, among Noble, the General Partner, the Partnership and the other Persons party thereto from time to time, as such agreement may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Partnership ” has the meaning set forth in the introductory paragraph to this Agreement.

Partnership Agreement ” means the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership, dated as of the Effective Date, as the same may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

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

Partnership Parties ” means the General Partner and the Partnership Group.

Party ” has the meaning set forth in the introductory paragraph to this Agreement.

Period of Secondment ” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.4 .

 

2


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

Seconded Contractors ” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.5 .

Seconded Contractor Expenses ” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.2(b) .

Seconded Employee Expenses ” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.2(a) .

Seconded Employees ” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.4 .

Seconded Person Expenses ” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.2(b) .

Seconded Persons ” means, collectively, the Seconded Employees and the Seconded Contractors.

Secondment ” means each assignment of any Seconded Persons to the Partnership Parties from Noble in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

Services ” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.1 .

Services Reimbursement ” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1 .

Subsidiary ” means, with respect to any Person, (a) a corporation of which more than 50% of the voting power of shares entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors or other governing body of such corporation is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof, (b) a partnership (whether general or limited) in which such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of determination, a general or limited partner of such partnership, but only if more than 50% of the general partner interests of such partnership is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof or (c) any other Person (other than a corporation or a partnership) in which such Person, one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, has (i) at least a majority ownership interest or (ii) the power to elect or direct the election of a majority of the directors or other governing body of such Person. For purposes of this Agreement, none of the Partnership Group shall be deemed to be a Subsidiary of Noble nor shall Noble be deemed to be a Subsidiary of any of the Partnership Group.

ARTICLE 2

SECONDMENT

2.1 Noble shall provide, or cause to be provided, to the Partnership Parties the Seconded Persons to (a) perform the activities related to the Partnership Parties’ respective obligations under each of the agreements listed in Exhibit A and (b) otherwise perform the day-to-day management of the business conducted, or to be conducted, by the Partnership Parties, as described in Exhibit A ((a) and (b) collectively referred to herein as the “ Services ”).

2.2 Subject to Noble’s right to be reimbursed for such expenses in accordance with this Agreement, Noble shall pay all expenses incurred by it in connection with the retention of the Seconded

 

3


Persons, including, but not limited to, Seconded Employee compensation, salaries, wages and overhead and administrative expenses, charged to or incurred by Noble, and, if applicable, social security taxes, workers compensation insurance, retirement and insurance benefits and other such expenses. Any Seconded Employees retained by Noble may be union or non-union employees, and Noble shall have the sole right to negotiate the terms and provisions of any labor or other agreements with the unions to which such employees belong.

2.3 Noble shall provide, or cause to be provided, such suitably qualified and experienced Seconded Persons as Noble is able to make available to the Partnership Parties, and the Partnership Parties shall have the right to approve such Seconded Persons.

2.4 During the term of this Agreement, Noble shall second employees of the Noble Entities that provide the Services to the Partnership Parties. Each employee who Noble seconds to the Partnership Parties shall, during the time that such employee is seconded to the Partnership Parties under this Agreement (the “ Period of Secondment ”), be referred to individually herein as a “ Seconded Employee ” and, collectively, as the “ Seconded Employees .”

2.5 During the term of this Agreement, Noble shall second contractors of the Noble Entities that provide the Services to the Partnership Parties. Each such contractor who Noble seconds to the Partnership Parties shall, during the Period of Secondment, be referred to individually herein as a “ Seconded Contractor ” and, collectively, as the “ Seconded Contractors ,” and together with the Seconded Employees, the “ Seconded Persons .”

2.6 The Seconded Employees will remain at all times employees of the Noble Entities, but, in addition, during the Period of Secondment, they will also be joint employees of the Partnership Parties. For the avoidance of doubt, the Parties acknowledge that Seconded Persons may, during the Period of Secondment, be called upon to perform services for both the Partnership Parties and Noble. Noble retains the right to terminate the Secondment of any Seconded Persons for any reason at any time or to discharge the Seconded Employees with respect to their employment with Noble. The Partnership Parties will have the right to terminate the Secondment to it of any Seconded Persons for any reason at any time, upon prior written notice to Noble, but at no time will the Partnership Parties have the right to terminate any Seconded Employee’s employment by a Noble Entity or a Seconded Contractor’s independent contractor relationship with a Noble Entity. Upon the termination of the Secondment of any Seconded Persons, such Seconded Persons will cease performing Services for the Partnership Parties.

2.7 In the course and scope of performing any job functions for the Partnership Parties, each Seconded Employee will report into the Partnership Parties’ management structure, and will be under the direct management, supervision and control of the Partnership Parties with respect to such Seconded Employee’s performance of the Services, with Seconded Contractors remaining at the direction of the respective contractor. No Seconded Persons shall have the authority or apparent authority to act on behalf of Noble in connection with the performance of the Services during any Period of Secondment.

2.8 Those Seconded Employees who serve as supervisors or managers and who are called upon to oversee the work of other Seconded Employees providing or to otherwise provide management support on behalf of the Parties are designated by the Partnership Parties as supervisors to act on the behalf of the Partnership Parties in supervising the Seconded Employees pursuant to Section 2.7 above. Any such Seconded Employee will be acting on the behalf of the Partnership Parties when supervising the work of the Seconded Employees or when they are otherwise providing management or executive support on behalf of the Partnership Parties.

 

4


2.9 Noble shall obtain workers’ compensation coverage as defined and required by law on behalf of both Noble and the Partnership Parties.

2.10 The Partnership Parties may terminate any of the Services performed by Seconded Persons on thirty (30) days’ prior written notice to Noble. In the event the Partnership Parties, or any of them, terminates such Services, the Partnership Parties shall pay Noble the Services Reimbursement (as defined below) for the last month (or portion thereof) in which it received such terminated Services. Upon payment thereof, the Partnership Parties shall have no further Services payment obligations to Noble pursuant to this Agreement with respect to such terminated Services.

2.11 No member of the Partnership Parties shall be deemed to be a participating employer in any Benefit Plans during the Period of Secondment. Subject to the Partnership Parties’ reimbursement obligations hereunder, Noble shall remain solely responsible for all obligations and liabilities arising under the express terms of the Benefit Plans, and the Seconded Employees will be covered under the Benefit Plans subject to and in accordance with their respective terms and conditions, as they may be amended from time to time. Noble and its ERISA Affiliates may amend or terminate any Benefit Plans in whole or in part at any time (subject to the applicable provisions of any collective bargaining agreement covering Seconded Employees, if any). During the Period of Secondment, no member of the Partnership Parties shall assume any Benefit Plans or have any obligations, liabilities or rights arising under the express terms of the Benefit Plans, in each case except for cost reimbursement pursuant to this Agreement.

ARTICLE 3

EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT

3.1 The Partnership Parties shall reimburse Noble for all reimbursable expenses under Section 3.2 incurred by Noble with respect to Seconded Persons (including, where applicable, former Seconded Employees) in connection with the performance of the Services during the preceding period (the “ Services Reimbursement ”). The Services Reimbursement shall be made on a monthly basis or at such other intervals as the Parties may agree from time to time.

3.2 (a) The Services Reimbursement with respect to Seconded Employees for each period during the Period of Secondment shall include all reasonable costs and expenses (including administrative costs) incurred for such period by Noble for the Seconded Employees (including, where applicable, former Seconded Employees), including but not limited to the following costs and expenses set forth below:

 

  (i) salary, wages and cash bonuses (including payroll and withholding taxes associated therewith);

 

  (ii) amounts paid with respect any Seconded Employee’s paid leave of absence;

 

  (iii) contributions made by Noble towards any Benefit Plans;

 

  (iv) the value of equity-related compensation granted to Seconded Employees during the Period of Secondment;

 

  (v) any other employee benefit or compensation arrangement customarily provided to all employees by Noble for which Noble incurs costs with respect to Seconded Employees; and

 

5


  (vi) business travel expenses and other business expenses reimbursed in the normal course by Noble, such as subscriptions to business-related periodicals and dues to professional business organizations.

The costs and expenses described in this Section 3.2(a) are referred to as “ Seconded Employee Expenses .” Where it is not reasonably practicable to determine the amount of such a cost or expense, the Partnership Parties and Noble shall mutually agree on the method of determining or estimating such cost or expense. If the actual amount of any cost or expense, once known, varies from the estimate used for billing purposes hereunder, the difference, once determined, shall be reflected as either a credit or additional charge in the next monthly invoice issued by Noble, or in such manner as may be otherwise agreed between Noble and the GP. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Parties agree that to determine the value of a Second Employee’s non-wage benefits described in subsections (iii) and (v) of this Section 3.2(a), they will apply an agreed percentage benefit load, based on the value of employee benefits provided to all Noble employees.

(b) The Services Reimbursement with respect to Seconded Contractors for each period during the Period of Secondment shall include, on a pass-through basis, all costs and expenses attributable to the performance of the Services incurred for such period by Noble with respect to the Seconded Contractors. The costs and expenses described in this Section 3.2(b) are referred to as “ Seconded Contractor Expenses, ” and together with the Seconded Employee Expenses, the “ Seconded Person Expenses .”

3.3 With respect to those Seconded Persons who perform services for both Noble and the Partnership Parties, the Parties will determine in good faith the percentage of such Seconded Person’s time spent providing services to the Partnership Parties (the “ Allocation Percentage ”). For each month, or other time interval agreed to by the Parties, during the Period of Secondment, the amount of the Services Reimbursement payable by the Partnership Parties with respect to each Seconded Person shall be calculated by multiplying the Seconded Person Expenses for such Seconded Person times the Allocation Percentage for such Seconded Person; provided, however, that travel expenses and other expenses incurred with respect to and/or reimbursable to a Seconded Person shall be paid by the Party for whom the Seconded Person was working at the time they were incurred, except that expenses related to activities that benefit both the Partnership Parties and Noble (e.g. some types of training) shall be shared by the affected Parties in accordance with the Allocation Percentage (or such other allocation as may be agreed between the affected Parties).

3.4 The Partnership Parties and Noble acknowledge and agree that Noble shall be responsible for paying the Seconded Employee Expenses (or providing the employee benefits with respect thereto, as applicable) to the Seconded Employees and that Noble may be responsible for paying the Seconded Contractor Expenses to the respective contractor, but that the Partnership Parties shall be responsible for reimbursing Noble for the Seconded Person Expenses (as part of the Services Reimbursement) to the extent provided under Section 3.2 of this Agreement.

3.5 This Agreement does not address the reimbursement of any costs or expenses associated with Services other than the Services Reimbursement. To the extent that Noble or any Affiliate of Noble incurs any out-of-pocket expenses (other than the Services Reimbursement) in connection with the provision of Services, Noble or such Affiliate may be entitled to reimbursement therefor under the terms of the Partnership Agreement or the Omnibus Agreement.

 

6


ARTICLE 4

ALLOCATION; RECORDS

Noble will use commercially reasonable efforts to (i) establish the Allocation Percentage and to the document the basis for such allocation and (ii) maintain a schedule reflecting the direct and indirect costs of the Seconded Person Expenses based on the Services that the Seconded Persons have provided to the Partnership Parties. The Partnership Parties will use commercially reasonable efforts to keep and maintain books/records reflecting the hours worked in connection with each of the Seconded Persons. Each Party will have the right to audit such records maintained by the other during regular business hours and on reasonable prior notice.

ARTICLE 5

TERM

The term of this Agreement will commence on the Effective Date and will continue for an initial period of fifteen (15) years (the “ Initial Term ”). Upon the expiration of the Initial Term, the term of this Agreement shall automatically extend for successive one year extension terms, unless either Party provides at least thirty (30) days’ prior written notice to the other Party prior to the expiration of the Initial Term or any extension term that the Party wishes for this Agreement to expire at the end of the Initial Term or the then-current extension term, as applicable. Upon proper notice by a Party to the other Party, in accordance with this Article 5 , that the Party wishes for this Agreement to expire on the expiration of the applicable period, this Agreement shall not automatically extend, but shall instead expire upon the expiration of the applicable period and only those provisions that, by their terms, expressly survive this Agreement shall so survive. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Partnership Parties may terminate this Agreement at any time upon thirty (30) days prior written notice to Noble and only those provisions that, by their terms, expressly survive this Agreement shall so survive.

ARTICLE 6

GENERAL PROVISIONS

6.1 Entire Agreement . This Agreement constitutes and expresses the entire agreement between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof. All previous discussions, promises, representations and understandings relative thereto are hereby merged in and superseded by this Agreement.

6.2 Choice of Law . This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas without regard to principles of conflict of laws.

6.3 Amendment . Any actions or agreement by the Parties to amend, modify or supplement this Agreement, in whole or in part, shall be binding upon the Parties, so long as such modification shall be in writing and shall be executed by all Parties with the same formality with which this Agreement was executed.

6.4 Waiver . Any term or provision of this Agreement may be waived, or the time for its performance may be extended, by the Party or Parties entitled to the benefit thereof. Any such waiver shall be validly and sufficiently given for the purposes of this Agreement if, as to any Party, it is in writing signed by an authorized representative of such Party. The failure of any Party to enforce at any time any provision of this Agreement shall not be construed to be a waiver of such provision, or in any way to affect the validity of this Agreement or any part hereof or the right of any Party thereafter to enforce each and every such provision. No waiver of any breach of this Agreement shall be held to constitute a waiver of any other or subsequent breach.

 

7


6.5 Partial Invalidity . Wherever possible, each provision hereof shall be interpreted in such a manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but in case any one or more of the provisions contained herein shall, for any reason, be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such provision or provisions shall be ineffective to the extent, but only to the extent, of such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability without invalidating the remainder of such provision or provisions or any other provisions hereof, unless such a construction would be unreasonable.

6.6 Binding Effect . This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Parties and their successors and permitted assigns. The successors and permitted assigns hereunder shall include any permitted assignee under Section 6.10 as well as the successors in interest to such permitted assignee (whether by merger, liquidation (including successive mergers or liquidations) or otherwise).

6.7 Third Party Beneficiaries . The provisions of this Agreement are solely for the benefit of the Parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns and shall not confer upon any third party any remedy, claim, liability, reimbursement or other right. In furtherance but not in limitation of the foregoing: (i) nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to provide any Seconded Employee or Seconded Contractor with a right to continued Secondment or employment; and (ii) nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to constitute an amendment to any Benefit Plans or limit in any way the right of Noble and/or its ERISA Affiliates to amend, modify or terminate, in whole or in part, any Benefit Plans which may be in effect from time to time.

6.8 Notices . All notices, requests and other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed duly given or delivered (i) when delivered personally, (ii) if sent by first class United States mail, when sent or (iii) if sent by private courier when received; and shall be addressed as follows:

if to Noble:

Noble Energy, Inc.

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, TX 77070

Attention: General Counsel

if to a member of the Partnership Parties:

Noble Midstream Partners GP LLC

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, TX 77070

Attention: Chief Executive Officer

if to Noble or a member of the Partnership Parties, with a copy to:

Noble Energy, Inc.

Finance Manager, NBLX

1625 Broadway, Suite 2000

Denver, CO 80202

A Party may change its address for the purposes of notices hereunder by giving notice to the other Party specifying such changed address in the manner specified in this Section 6.8 .

 

8


6.9 Relationship of the Parties . Nothing in this Agreement will constitute the Partnership Group, Noble or their respective Affiliates as members of any partnership, joint venture, association, syndicate or other entity.

6.10 Assignment . Neither Party will, without the prior written consent of the other Party, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, assign, mortgage, pledge or otherwise convey this Agreement or any of its rights or duties hereunder; provided , however , that either Party may assign or convey this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other Party to an Affiliate. Collateral assignment of this Agreement shall be an assignment for all purposes, requiring the consent of the other Party.

6.11 Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which will be deemed to be an original, and all of which together shall constitute one and the same Agreement. Each Party may execute this Agreement by signing any such counterpart.

6.12 Time of the Essence . Time is of the essence in the performance of this Agreement.

6.13 Signatories Duly Authorized . Each of the signatories to this Agreement represents that he is duly authorized to execute this Agreement on behalf of the Party for which he is signing, and that such signature is sufficient to bind the Party purportedly represented.

(Signature pages follow)

 

9


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused this Agreement to be signed by their authorized representatives as of the date first above written.

 

NOBLE ENERGY, INC.
By:  

 

 

Signature Page to Operational Services and Secondment Agreement


NOBLE MIDSTREAM GP LLC
By:  

 

 

Signature Page to Operational Services and Secondment Agreement


NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP
By:   Noble Midstream GP LLC, its general partner
By:  

 

 

Signature Page to Operational Services and Secondment Agreement


EXHIBIT A

Services

The Services include, but are not limited to:

 

    Operation of the assets of the Partnership Group members in accordance with prudent industry practice pursuant to each of the following agreements:

 

    Amended and Restated Crude Oil Gathering Agreement(s) by and between Noble and the respective Partnership Group member.

 

    Amended and Restated Gas Gathering Agreement(s) by and between Noble and the respective Partnership Group member.

 

    Second Amended and Restated Crude Oil Treating Agreement(s) by and between Noble the respective Partnership Group member.

 

    Amended and Restated Produced Water Services Agreement(s) by and between Noble the respective Partnership Group member.

 

    Amended and Restated Fresh Water Services Agreement(s) by and between Noble the respective Partnership Group member.

 

    such other operational functions that are necessary to develop and execute the operational aspects of the business of the Partnership Parties.

Exhibit 10.5

FORM OF

$350,000,000

CREDIT AGREEMENT

dated as of November [    ], 2015

among

NOBLE MIDSTREAM SERVICES, LLC,

as Borrower,

NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP,

as Parent,

[                                 ],

as Administrative Agent, a Swing Line Lender and an L/C Issuer,

and

The Other Lenders and L/C Issuers Party Hereto

 

 

[                                 ],

as Syndication Agent

[                                 ] ,

[                                 ] ,

and

[                                 ] ,

as Documentation Agents

[                                 ],

[                                 ],

[                                 ],

[                                 ],

and

[                                 ]

as Joint Lead Arrangers and Joint Book Runners


Table of Contents

 

         Page  

ARTICLE I

 

DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS

     1   

1.01

 

Defined Terms

     1   

1.02

 

Other Interpretive Provisions

     21   

1.03

 

Accounting Terms

     21   

1.04

 

Rounding

     22   

1.05

 

References to Agreements and Laws

     22   

1.06

 

Times of Day

     22   

1.07

 

Letter of Credit Amounts

     22   

ARTICLE II

 

THE COMMITMENTS AND BORROWINGS

     23   

2.01

 

The Loans

     23   

2.02

 

Borrowings, Conversions and Continuations of Loans

     23   

2.03

 

Letters of Credit

     24   

2.04

 

Swing Line Loans

     30   

2.05

 

Prepayments

     32   

2.06

 

Termination or Reduction of Commitments

     32   

2.07

 

Repayment of Loans

     33   

2.08

 

Interest

     33   

2.09

 

Fees

     33   

2.10

 

Computation of Interest and Fees; Retroactive Adjustments of Applicable Rate

     34   

2.11

 

Evidence of Debt

     34   

2.12

 

Payments Generally

     35   

2.13

 

Sharing of Payments

     36   

2.14

 

Cash Collateral

     36   

2.15

 

Increase in Aggregate Commitment

     37   

2.16

 

Defaulting Lenders

     38   

ARTICLE III

 

TAXES, YIELD PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY

     40   

3.01

 

Taxes

     40   

3.02

 

Illegality

     44   

3.03

 

Inability to Determine Rates

     44   

3.04

 

Increased Cost and Reduced Return; Capital Adequacy

     44   

3.05

 

Funding Losses

     45   

3.06

 

Mitigation Obligations; Designation of a Different Lending Office

     46   

3.07

 

Matters Applicable to all Requests for Compensation

     46   

3.08

 

Survival

     46   

ARTICLE IV

 

CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO CLOSING DATE AND TO CREDIT EXTENSIONS

     46   

4.01

 

Conditions of Closing and Initial Credit Extension

     46   

4.02

 

Conditions to all Credit Extensions

     48   

ARTICLE V

 

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

     48   

5.01

 

Corporate Existence and Power

     48   

5.02

 

Corporate and Governmental Authorization; No Contravention; No Default

     48   

5.03

 

Binding Effect

     49   

5.04

 

Financial Information

     49   

5.05

 

Litigation

     49   

5.06

 

Compliance with ERISA

     49   

5.07

 

Environmental Matters

     50   

5.08

 

Taxes

     50   

5.09

 

Subsidiaries

     50   

 

i


5.10

 

Regulatory Restrictions on Borrowing; Margin Regulations

     50   

5.11

 

Full Disclosure

     50   

5.12

 

Compliance with Laws

     50   

5.13

 

Contribution and IPO

     51   

5.14

 

Ownership of Property; No Liens; Insurance

     51   

5.15

 

Solvency

     51   

5.16

 

Patriot Act

     51   

5.17

 

Anti-Corruption Laws and Sanctions

     51   

5.18

 

Compliance with Material Agreements

     51   

ARTICLE VI

 

AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS

     52   

6.01

 

Information; Notices of Material Events

     52   

6.02

 

Payment of Taxes and Obligations

     54   

6.03

 

Maintenance of Property; Insurance

     54   

6.04

 

Conduct of Business and Maintenance of Existence

     54   

6.05

 

Compliance with Laws

     54   

6.06

 

Inspection of Property, Books and Records

     54   

6.07

 

Use of Proceeds

     55   

6.08

 

Governmental Approvals and Filings

     55   

6.09

 

Material Contracts

     55   

6.10

 

Guarantee Matters

     55   

6.11

 

Subsidiaries

     56   

ARTICLE VII

 

NEGATIVE COVENANTS

     56   

7.01

 

Liens

     56   

7.02

 

Financial Covenants

     58   

7.03

 

Transactions with Affiliates

     58   

7.04

 

Restricted Payments

     59   

7.05

 

Mergers and Fundamental Changes

     59   

7.06

 

Change in Nature of Business

     59   

7.07

 

Use of Proceeds

     59   

7.08

 

Dispositions

     59   

7.09

 

Debt

     60   

7.10

 

Investments

     61   

7.11

 

Changes in Fiscal Year; Organization Documents

     62   

7.12

 

Subsidiaries

     62   

7.13

 

Swap Contracts

     63   

ARTICLE VIII

 

EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES

     63   

8.01

 

Events of Default

     63   

8.02

 

Remedies Upon Event of Default

     64   

8.03

 

Application of Funds

     65   

ARTICLE IX

 

ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT

     66   

9.01

 

Appointment and Authorization of Administrative Agent

     66   

9.02

 

Rights as a Lender

     66   

9.03

 

Exculpatory Provisions

     66   

9.04

 

Reliance by Administrative Agent

     67   

9.05

 

Indemnification of Administrative Agent

     67   

9.06

 

Delegation of Duties

     67   

9.07

 

Resignation of Administrative Agent

     68   

9.08

 

Non-Reliance on Administrative Agent and Other Lenders

     68   

9.09

 

No Other Duties, Etc.

     68   

9.10

 

Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim

     68   

 

ii


ARTICLE X

 

MISCELLANEOUS

     69   

10.01

 

Amendments, Etc.

     69   

10.02

 

Notices; Effectiveness; Electronic Communication

     70   

10.03

 

No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies

     71   

10.04

 

Attorney Costs, Expenses and Taxes

     72   

10.05

 

Indemnification; Damage Waiver

     72   

10.06

 

Payments Set Aside

     73   

10.07

 

Successors and Assigns

     73   

10.08

 

Confidentiality

     77   

10.09

 

Set-off

     78   

10.10

 

Interest Rate Limitation

     78   

10.11

 

Counterparts

     78   

10.12

 

Integration

     78   

10.13

 

Survival of Representations and Warranties

     79   

10.14

 

Severability

     79   

10.15

 

Reserved

     79   

10.16

 

Replacement of Lenders

     79   

10.17

 

Governing Law; Jurisdiction

     80   

10.18

 

No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility

     80   

10.19

 

Waiver of Right to Trial by Jury

     81   

10.20

 

USA PATRIOT Act Notice

     81   

10.21

 

Entire Agreement

     81   

10.22

 

No General Partner’s Liability for Revolving Facility

     81   

 

iii


SCHEDULES   

2.01

    

Commitments and Pro Rata Shares

  

5.09

    

Subsidiaries as of the Closing Date

  

7.03

    

Affiliate Contracts as of the Closing Date

  

7.10

    

Investments as of the Closing Date

  

7.12

    

Certain Agreements as of the Closing Date

  

10.02

    

Administrative Agent’s Office, Certain Addresses for Notices

  
EXHIBITS   

Form of

  

A-1

    

Loan Notice

  

A-2

    

Swing Line Loan Notice

  

B-1

    

Revolving Note

  

B-2

    

Swing Line Note

  

C

    

Compliance Certificate

  

D

    

Assignment and Assumption

  

E

    

Guarantee Agreement

  

F-1

    

U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate (Form 1)

  

F-2

    

U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate (Form 2)

  

F-3

    

U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate (Form 3)

  

F-4

    

U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate (Form 4)

  

 

iv


CREDIT AGREEMENT

This CREDIT AGREEMENT (“ Agreement ”) is entered into as of November [     ], 2015, among Noble Midstream Services, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ Borrower ”), Noble Midstream Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Parent ”), each Lender from time to time party hereto, [                    ], as Administrative Agent, a Swing Line Lender and an L/C Issuer, and the other L/C Issuers and Swingline Lenders named herein.

The Borrower has requested that the Lenders extend certain credit to the Borrower, and the Administrative Agent, the Swing Line Lenders, the L/C Issuers and the Lenders are willing to do so on the terms and conditions set forth herein.

In consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements herein contained, the parties hereto covenant and agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS

1.01 Defined Terms . As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

Acquisition ” by any Person, means (a) the acquisition by such Person, in a single transaction or in a series of related transactions, of (i) property or assets (other than capital expenditures or acquisitions of inventory or supplies in the ordinary course of business) constituting a business unit or division of another Person or (ii) the Capital Stock of another Person resulting in such other Person becoming a Subsidiary, in each case whether or not involving a merger or consolidation with such other Person and whether for cash, property, services, assumption of Debt, securities or otherwise and (b) any Midstream Drop Down Acquisition.

Adjusted Eurodollar Rate ” means, with respect to any Eurodollar Rate Loan for any Interest Period, an interest rate per annum (rounded upwards, if necessary, to the next 1/16 of 1%) equal to (a) the Eurodollar Rate for such Interest Period multiplied by (b) the Statutory Reserve Rate.

Administrative Agent ” means [                    ] in its capacity as administrative agent under any of the Loan Documents, or any successor administrative agent.

Administrative Agent’s Office ” means the Administrative Agent’s address and, as appropriate, account as set forth on Schedule 10.02 , or such other address or account as the Administrative Agent may from time to time notify the Borrower and the Lenders.

Administrative Questionnaire ” means an Administrative Questionnaire in a form supplied by the Administrative Agent.

Affiliate ” means, with respect to any Person, another Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls or is Controlled by or is under common Control with the Person specified. “Control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or otherwise. “Controlling” and “Controlled” have meanings correlative thereto. For the avoidance of doubt, in no event shall the Administrative Agent, any L/C Issuer or any Lender be deemed an Affiliate of the Parent or any of its Subsidiaries.

Agent-Related Persons ” means each of the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuers, together with its respective Affiliates, and the officers, directors, employees, agents and attorneys-in-fact of such Persons and Affiliates.

Aggregate Commitment ” means the aggregate Commitments of all the Lenders.

 

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Agreement ” has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph hereto.

Anti-Corruption Laws ” means all Laws, rules, and regulations of any jurisdiction applicable to the Parent and its Subsidiaries from time to time concerning or relating to bribery or corruption.

Applicable Rate ” means, (a) until the Parent or Borrower has obtained a Public Debt Rating from either S&P or Moody’s, the percentages per annum set forth in the Leverage Based Pricing Grid below, based upon the Consolidated Leverage Ratio of the Parent:

LEVERAGE BASED PRICING GRID

 

Pricing
Level

  

Consolidated Leverage

Ratio

   Commitment
Fee Rate
    Eurodollar
Rate
    Letters of
Credit
    Base
Rate
 

1

  

Less than 2.75 to 1.00

     0.200     1.250     1.250     0.250

2

  

Greater than or equal to 2.75 to 1.00 but less than 3.50 to 1.00

     0.225     1.375     1.375     0.375

3

  

Greater than or equal to 3.50 to 1.00 but less than 4.25 to 1.00

     0.275     1.500     1.500     0.500

4

  

Greater than or equal to 4.25 to 1.00

     0.325     1.750     1.750     0.750

and (b) on the date and at all times after the Parent or the Borrower obtains a Public Debt Rating from either S&P or Moody’s, the percentages per annum set forth in the Ratings Based Pricing Grid below, based upon the Public Debt Ratings of the Parent:

RATINGS BASED PRICING GRID

 

Pricing
Level

  

Public Debt Ratings

S&P/Moody’s

   Commitment
Fee Rate
    Eurodollar
Rate
    Letters of
Credit
    Base
Rate
 

1

  

BBB+/Baa1 or higher

     0.125     1.125     1.125     0.125

2

  

BBB/Baa2

     0.175     1.250     1.250     0.250

3

  

BBB-/Baa3

     0.200     1.500     1.500     0.500

4

  

BB+/Ba1or lower

     0.250     1.750     1.750     0.750

From the Closing Date until the earlier of (i) the date the first Compliance Certificate is delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(c) or (ii) the date on which the Parent or Borrower obtains a Public Debt Rating from either S&P or Moody’s, the Applicable Rate in effect shall be determined based upon Pricing Level 1 of the Leverage Based Pricing Grid (subject to the proviso below if such Compliance Certificate is not delivered when due). Thereafter, to the extent neither the Parent nor the Borrower has obtained a Public Debt Rating from either S&P or Moody’s, the Applicable Rate shall be determined based upon the Compliance Certificate to be delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(c) , until the date that the Parent or Borrower shall have obtained a Public Debt Rating from either S&P or Moody’s, on which date the Applicable Rate shall be determined as set forth in the Ratings Based Pricing Grid. Any increase or decrease in the Applicable Rate resulting from a change in the Consolidated Leverage Ratio shall become effective as of the first Business Day immediately following the date that the Compliance Certificate is required to be delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(c) ; provided , however, that if a Compliance Certificate is not delivered when due in accordance with such Section, then the Applicable Rate shall be determined based upon Pricing Level 4 of the Leverage Based Pricing Grid and shall continue to apply until the first Business Day immediately following the date a Compliance Certificate is delivered in accordance with Section 6.01(c) , whereupon the Applicable Rate shall be adjusted based upon the calculation of the Consolidated Leverage Ratio contained in such Compliance Certificate.

Each change in the Applicable Rate resulting from a publicly announced change in the Public Debt Ratings shall be effective during the period commencing on the date of the public announcement thereof and ending on the date immediately preceding the effective date of the next such change. If the Public Debt Ratings from both S&P and Moody’s cease to be available, then the Applicable Rate shall be determined based upon Pricing Level 4 of the Rating Based Pricing Grid and shall continue to apply until the date that the Parent shall have obtained a Public Debt Rating from S&P and/or Moody’s, whereupon the Applicable Rate shall be adjusted based on the Public Debt

 

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Rating from S&P and/or Moody’s as set forth in the Rating Based Pricing Grid. If the Public Debt Ratings from S&P and Moody’s reflect different Pricing Levels, then (i) in the event of a single level split, the higher Public Debt Rating will apply or (ii) in the event of a multiple level split, the Pricing Level will be based on the Public Debt Rating one level lower than the higher of the two Public Debt Ratings.

Approved Fund ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(h) .

Arrangers ” means [                    ],[                     ],[                    ],[                    ] and [                    ], in their capacity as joint lead arrangers and joint book runners.

Assignee Group ” means two or more Eligible Assignees that are Affiliates of one another or two or more Approved Funds managed by the same investment advisor.

Assignment and Assumption ” means an Assignment and Assumption substantially in the form of Exhibit D .

Attorney Costs ” means and includes all reasonable fees, expenses and disbursements of any law firm or other external counsel.

Authorizations ” means all filings, recordings, and registrations with, and all validations or exemptions, approvals, orders, authorizations, consents, franchises, licenses, certificates, and permits from, any Governmental Authority.

Availability Period ” means the period from and including the Closing Date to the Maturity Date.

Base Rate ” means, for any day, a fluctuating rate per annum equal to the highest of (a) the Federal Funds Effective Rate plus  1 2 of 1%, (b) the rate of interest in effect for such day as publicly announced from time to time by the Administrative Agent as its “prime rate” in effect at is principal office in New York City and (c) the Adjusted Eurodollar Rate for a one-month Interest Period on such day (or if such day is not a Business Day, the immediately preceding Business Day) plus 1.0%; provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, for purposes of calculating the Adjusted Eurodollar Rate pursuant to clause (c)  above, the Adjusted Eurodollar Rate for any day shall be based on the rate per annum determined by the Administrative Agent at approximately 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such day, subject to the interest rate floor set forth therein. Any change in the Base Rate due to a change in the “prime rate”, in the Federal Funds Effective Rate or in the one-month Adjusted Eurodollar Rate shall be effective from and including the effective date of such change in the “prime rate”, the Federal Funds Effective Rate or the Adjusted Eurodollar Rate, respectively.

Base Rate Loan ” means a Loan that bears interest based on the Base Rate. All Base Rate Loans shall be denominated in Dollars.

Benefit Arrangement ” means, at any time, an employee benefit plan within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA which is not a Plan or a Multiemployer Plan and which is maintained or otherwise contributed to by any member of the ERISA Group.

Borrower ” has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph hereto.

Borrowing ” means Loans of the same Type and, in the case of Eurodollar Rate Loans, having the same Interest Period made by each of the Lenders pursuant to Section 2.01 .

Business Day ” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks are authorized to close under the Laws of, or are in fact closed in, New York City or the state where the Administrative Agent’s Office is located and, if such day relates to any Eurodollar Rate Loan, means any such day on which dealings in Dollar deposits are conducted by and between banks in the London interbank eurodollar market.

 

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Capital Lease ” means any lease of any property by the Parent or any of its Subsidiaries, as lessee, that should, in accordance with GAAP (subject to Section 1.03(b) ), be classified and accounted for as a capital lease on a consolidated balance sheet of the Parent and its Subsidiaries.

Capital Stock ” means shares of capital stock in a corporation, partnership interests in a partnership, membership interests in a limited liability company, beneficial interests in a trust or other equity ownership interests in a Person, and any warrants, options or other rights entitling the holder thereof to purchase or acquire any such equity interest (other than any debt security which by its terms is convertible at the option of the holder into Capital Stock, to the extent such holder has not so converted such debt security).

Cash Collateralize ” means to pledge and deposit with or deliver to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of one or more of the L/C Issuers or the Lenders, as collateral for L/C Obligations or obligations of the Lenders to fund participations in respect of L/C Obligations, cash or deposit account balances or, if the Administrative Agent and the applicable L/C Issuer or L/C Issuers shall agree, in their sole discretion, other credit support, in each case pursuant to documentation in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the applicable L/C Issuer or L/C Issuers.

Cash Collateral ”, in such context, shall have a meaning correlative to the foregoing and shall include the proceeds of such Cash Collateral and other credit support.

Cash Equivalents ” means, collectively, (a) marketable direct obligations issued or unconditionally guaranteed by the United States or any agency thereof maturing within twelve (12) months from the date of acquisition thereof, (b) commercial paper maturing no more than one hundred eighty (180) days from the date of creation thereof and currently having the highest rating obtainable from either S&P or Moody’s, (c) certificates of deposit maturing no more than one hundred eighty (180) days from the date of creation thereof issued by commercial banks incorporated under the Laws of the United States, each having combined capital, surplus and undivided profits of not less than $500,000,000 and having a rating of “A” or better by a nationally recognized rating agency; provided that the aggregate amount invested in such certificates of deposit shall not at any time exceed $5,000,000 for any one such certificate of deposit and $10,000,000 for any one such bank, (d) time deposits maturing no more than thirty (30) days from the date of creation thereof with commercial banks or savings banks or savings and loan associations each having membership either in the FDIC or the deposits of which are insured by the FDIC and in amounts not exceeding the maximum amounts of insurance thereunder and (e) money market investments, classified in accordance with GAAP as current assets, in money market investment programs registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 which are administered by reputable financial institutions having capital of at least $500,000,000 or having portfolio assets of at least $5,000,000,000 and the portfolios of which are limited to investments of the character described in the foregoing subdivisions (a) through (d).

Change in Law ” means the occurrence, after the date of this Agreement (or with respect to any Lender, if later, the date on which such Lender becomes a Lender), of any of the following: (a) the adoption or taking effect of any law, rule, regulation or treaty, (b) any change in any law, rule, regulation or treaty or in the administration, interpretation or application thereof by any Governmental Authority, or (c) the making or issuance of any request, guideline or directive (whether or not having the force of law) by any Governmental Authority; provided that notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (i) the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and all requests, rules, guidelines or directives thereunder or issued in connection therewith and (ii) all requests, rules, guidelines or directives promulgated by the Bank for International Settlements, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (or any successor or similar authority) or the United States or foreign regulatory authorities, in each case pursuant to Basel III, shall in each case be deemed to be a “Change in Law”, regardless of the date enacted, adopted or issued.

Change of Control ” means the failure of (i) the Parent to own and control 100% of the Capital Stock of the Borrower, (ii) the General Partner to be the sole general partner of, and to Control, the Parent or (iii) Noble to own and control, directly or indirectly, at least 51% of the Voting Stock of the General Partner.

Closing Date ” means November     , 2015, which is the first date all the conditions precedent in Section 4.01 are satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section 10.03 ).

 

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Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

Commercial Operation Date ” means the date on which a Qualified Project is substantially complete and commercially operable.

Commitment ” means, (a) with respect to each Lender listed on Schedule 2.01 , the amount set forth opposite such Lender’s name on such Schedule, (b) with respect to any financial institution which becomes a Lender pursuant to Section 2.15 , the amount of the Commitment extended by it as of the applicable Increase Effective Date and (c) with respect to any assignee which becomes a Lender pursuant to Section 10.07(b) , the amount of the transferor Lender’s Commitment assigned to it pursuant to Section 10.07(b) , in each case as such amount may be adjusted from time to time pursuant to this Agreement; provided that, if the context so requires, the term “ Commitment ” means the obligation of a Lender to extend credit up to such amount to the Borrower hereunder.

Compliance Certificate ” means a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit C .

Consolidated EBITDA ” means, for any period, subject to Section 1.03(c) , an amount equal to (a) Consolidated Net Income for such period plus (b) to the extent deducted in determining Consolidated Net Income for such period and without duplication, the aggregate amount of (i) Consolidated Interest Charges, (ii) Taxes based on or measured by income, (iii) depreciation and amortization expense, (iv) goodwill or other impairment charges and other non-cash charges, (v) non-recurring expenses, (vi) non-cash losses resulting from mark to market accounting of Swap Agreements, (vii) reasonable and customary out-of-pocket cash fees and expenses incurred in connection with the proposed or consummated incurrence or repayment of any Debt, Disposition, Investment or issuance of Capital Stock in a public offering (in each case in a transaction not prohibited by this Agreement), in an aggregate annual amount for all such transactions not to exceed $15,000,000 and (viii) one-time transaction expenses related to execution and delivery of this Agreement and the Transactions in an aggregate amount not to exceed $35,000,000, which will be added back in the fiscal year incurred, minus (c) to the extent included in calculating such Consolidated Net Income for such period and without duplication, the aggregate amount of all non-cash items and non-recurring gains. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of calculating compliance for the first three periods for which the financial covenants are tested, Consolidated EBITDA will be annualized by multiplying Consolidated EBITDA (x) for the fiscal quarter ending March 31, 2016, times four, (y) for the two fiscal quarters ending June 30, 2016, times two and (z) for the three fiscal quarters ending September 30, 2015, times four-thirds. For the purposes of calculating Consolidated EBITDA, Consolidated Net Income and the expenses and other items described above shall be adjusted with respect to the portion of Consolidated Net Income and the portion of such expenses and other items which are attributable to any non-wholly owned Subsidiaries of the Parent, to reflect only the Parent’s pro rata ownership interest in such Subsidiaries. The calculation of Consolidated EBITDA may be subject from time to time to the pro forma adjustments described in Section 1.03(c) .

Consolidated Funded Debt ” means, as of any date of determination, the outstanding Debt of the Parent and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, excluding Debt described in clauses (d) and (g) (but only to the extent the Debt being Guaranteed does not constitute Consolidated Funded Debt) of the definition thereof and to the extent of undrawn letters of credit, clause (b) of the definition thereof.

Consolidated Interest Charges ” means, for any period determined on a consolidated basis for the Parent and its Subsidiaries, all cash interest expense (including, without limitation, interest expense attributable to Capital Leases and all net payment obligations pursuant to interest rate Swap Contracts) for such period, in accordance with GAAP. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of calculating compliance for the first three periods for which the financial covenants are tested, Consolidated Interest Charges will be annualized by multiplying Consolidated Interest Charges (x) for the fiscal quarter ending March 31, 2016 times four, (y) for the two fiscal quarters ending June 30, 2016 times two and (z) for the three fiscal quarters ending September 30, 2016 times four-thirds.

Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio ” means, as of the last day of each fiscal quarter of the Parent, the ratio of (a) Consolidated EBITDA for the period of four consecutive fiscal quarters ending on such day to (b) Consolidated Interest Charges for the period of four consecutive fiscal quarters ending on such day.

 

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Consolidated Leverage Ratio ” means, as of the last day of each fiscal quarter of the Parent, the ratio of (a) Consolidated Funded Debt on such day to (b) Consolidated EBITDA for the period of four consecutive fiscal quarters ending on such day.

Consolidated Net Income ” means, for any period, the net income of the Parent and its Subsidiaries for such period determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP; provided that Consolidated Net Income shall not include (a) extraordinary gains or extraordinary losses, (b) net gains and losses in respect of dispositions of assets other than in the ordinary course of business, (c) gains or losses attributable to write-ups or write-downs of assets, including hedging and derivative activities in the ordinary course of business, (d) the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principles, all as reported in the Parent’s consolidated statement(s) of operations for the relevant period(s) prepared in accordance with GAAP, (e) the income or loss of any Person other than a Subsidiary in which the Parent or any Subsidiary has an ownership interest, except to the extent that any such income has been actually received by the Parent or such Subsidiary in the form of cash dividends or similar cash distributions, or (f) any undistributed net income of a Subsidiary to the extent that the ability of such Subsidiary to make Restricted Payments to the Parent or another Subsidiary is, as of the date of determination of Consolidated Net Income, restricted by its Organizational Documents, any contractual obligation (other than this Agreement) or any applicable Law.

Consolidated Net Tangible Assets ” means, at any date of determination, the total amount of consolidated assets of the Parent and its Subsidiaries minus the value (net of any applicable reserves) of all goodwill, trade names, trademarks, patents and other like intangible assets, all as set forth, or on a pro forma basis would be set forth, on the consolidated balance sheet of the Parent and its Subsidiaries for the most recently completed fiscal quarter, in accordance with GAAP.

Contributed Business ” means the assets, liabilities and operations to be contributed to the Parent or its Subsidiaries by Noble or its Subsidiaries, as applicable, in connection with the consummation of the IPO, as described in the Registration Statement.

Contribution ” means the direct or indirect transfer, in one or more transactions, by Noble and its Subsidiaries to the Parent of the Contributed Business.

Control ” has the meaning specified in the definition of “Affiliate.”

Credit Extension ” means each of the following: (a) a Borrowing and (b) an L/C Credit Extension.

Debt ” means, as to any Person at a particular time, without duplication, all of the following, whether or not included as Debt or liabilities in accordance with GAAP:

(a) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money and all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes, loan agreements or other similar instruments;

(b) the amount available to be drawn under all letters of credit (including standby and commercial) (other than letter of credit obligations relating to indebtedness included in Debt pursuant to another clause of this definition) and, without duplication, the unreimbursed amount of all drafts drawn thereunder;

(c) all obligations of such Person to pay the deferred purchase price of property or services (other than current liabilities and trade payables incurred in the ordinary course of business in connection with the purchase of goods and services which are not greater than ninety (90) days past the due date therefor or which are being contested in good faith by appropriate action and for which adequate reserves have been established in accordance with GAAP);

(d) debt (excluding prepaid interest thereon) of another Person secured by a Lien on property owned or being purchased by such Person (including debt arising under conditional sales or other title retention agreements), whether or not such debt shall have been assumed by such Person or is limited in recourse;

 

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(e) Capital Leases;

(f) to the extent required to be included on the Parent’s consolidated balance sheet as debt or liabilities in accordance with GAAP, Synthetic Lease Obligations; and

(g) all Guarantees of such Person in respect of any of the foregoing.

For all purposes hereof, the Debt of the Parent shall include the Debt of any partnership or joint venture (other than a joint venture that is itself a corporation or limited liability company) in which the Parent or any Subsidiary of the Parent is a general partner or a joint venturer (provided, however, for the avoidance of doubt, as used in this sentence “joint venturer” shall not include a limited partner in a limited partnership), unless such Debt is expressly made non-recourse to the Parent or Subsidiary, as applicable.

Debtor Relief Laws ” means the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, and all other liquidation, conservatorship, bankruptcy, assignment for the benefit of creditors, moratorium, rearrangement, receivership, insolvency, reorganization, or similar debtor relief Laws of the United States or other applicable jurisdictions from time to time in effect and affecting the rights of creditors generally.

Default ” means any event or condition that constitutes an Event of Default or that, with the giving of any notice, the passage of time, or both, would be an Event of Default.

Default Rate ” means, at any time, an interest rate equal to the interest rate applicable to the outstanding Obligations (inclusive of the Applicable Margin with respect thereto) plus two percent (2.00%).

Defaulting Lender ” means, subject to Section 2.16(b) , any Lender that (a) has failed to (i) fund all or any portion of the Loans required to be funded by it hereunder within two Business Days following the date such Loans were required to be funded hereunder unless such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent and the Borrower in writing that such failure is the result of such Lender’s determination that one or more conditions precedent to funding (each of which conditions precedent, together with any applicable default, shall be specifically identified in such writing) has not been satisfied, or (ii) pay to the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuers, the Swing Line Lenders or any other Lender any other amount required to be paid by it hereunder (including in respect of its participation in L/C Obligations or Swing Line Loans) within two Business Days following the date when due, (b) has notified the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuers, the Swing Line Lenders or any other Lender in writing or has made a public statement to the effect, that it does not intend to comply with its funding obligations hereunder, (unless such writing or public statement relates to such Lender’s obligation to fund a Loan hereunder and states that such position is based on such Lender’s determination that a condition precedent to funding (which condition precedent, together with any applicable default, shall be specifically identified in such writing or public statement) cannot be satisfied), (c) has failed, within three Business Days after request by the Administrative Agent or the Borrower, to confirm in writing to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower that it will comply with its prospective funding obligations hereunder (provided that such Lender shall cease to be a Defaulting Lender pursuant to this clause (c)  upon receipt of such written confirmation by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower), or (d) has, or has a direct or indirect parent company that has, (i) become the subject of a proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law, or (ii) had appointed for it a receiver, custodian, conservator, trustee, administrator, assignee for the benefit of creditors or similar Person charged with reorganization or liquidation of its business or assets, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other state or federal regulatory authority acting in such a capacity; provided that a Lender shall not be a Defaulting Lender solely by virtue of the ownership or acquisition of any equity interest in that Lender or any direct or indirect parent company thereof by a Governmental Authority so long as such ownership interest does not result in or provide such Lender with immunity from the jurisdiction of courts within the United States or from the enforcement of judgments or writs of attachment on its assets or permit such Lender (or such Governmental Authority) to reject, repudiate, disavow or disaffirm any contracts or agreements made with such Lender. Any determination by the Administrative Agent that a Lender is a Defaulting Lender under any one or more of clauses (a)  through (d) above shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error, and such Lender shall be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender (subject to Section 2.16(b) ) upon delivery of written notice of such determination to the Borrower, the L/C Issuers, the Swing Line Lenders and each Lender.

 

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Disposition ” or “ Dispose ” means the sale, transfer, license, lease or other disposition (including any sale and leaseback transaction) of any property by a Loan Party (including the Capital Stock of any Subsidiary), including any sale, assignment, transfer or other disposal, with or without recourse, of any notes or accounts receivable or any rights and claims associated therewith.

Dollar ” and “ $ ” mean lawful money of the United States.

Eligible Assignee ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(h) .

Environmental Laws ” means any and all Federal, state, local, and foreign statutes, laws, regulations, ordinances, rules, judgments, orders, decrees, permits, concessions, grants, franchises, licenses, agreements or governmental restrictions relating to pollution and the protection of the environment or the release of any materials into the environment, including those related to hazardous substances or wastes, air emissions and discharges to waste or public systems.

Environmental Liability ” means any liability, contingent or otherwise (including any liability for damages, costs of environmental remediation, fines, penalties or indemnities), of the Parent or any of its Subsidiaries directly or indirectly resulting from or based upon (a) violation of any Environmental Law, (b) the generation, use, handling, transportation, storage, treatment or disposal of any Hazardous Substances, (c) exposure to any Hazardous Substances, (d) the release or threatened release of any Hazardous Substances into the environment or (e) any contract, agreement or other consensual arrangement pursuant to which liability is assumed or imposed with respect to any of the foregoing.

ERISA ” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.

ERISA Group ” means the Parent, any Subsidiary of the Parent and all members of a controlled group of corporations and all trades or businesses (whether or not incorporated) under common control which, together with the Parent or any Subsidiary, are treated as a single employer under Section 414 of the Code or Section 4001(b)(i) of ERISA.

Eurodollar Rate ” means, for any Interest Period for each Eurodollar Loan, the London interbank offered rate as administered by Intercontinental Exchange Benchmark Administration Ltd. (or any other Person that takes over the administration of such rate for dollars) for a period equal in length to such Interest Period as displayed on pages LIBOR01 or LIBOR02 of the Reuters screen that displays such rate (or, in the event such rate does not appear on a Reuters page or screen, on any successor or substitute page on such screen that displays such rate, or on the appropriate page of such other information service that publishes such rate from time to time as selected by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion; in each case the “ LIBOR Screen Rate ”) at approximately 11:00 A.M. (London time) two (2) Business Days prior to the first day of such Interest Period; provided that, if the LIBOR Screen Rate shall be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for the purposes of this Agreement and provided , further, if the LIBOR Screen Rate shall not be available at such time for such Interest Period (an “ Impacted Interest Period ”) with respect to dollars then the Eurodollar Rate shall be the Interpolated Rate ( provided , that, if any Interpolated Rate shall be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for purposes of this Agreement).

Eurodollar Rate Loan ” means a Loan that bears interest at a rate of interest based on the Adjusted Eurodollar Rate (excluding a Base Rate Loan bearing interest by reference to the Adjusted Eurodollar Rate by virtue of clause (c) of the definition of Base Rate).

Event of Default ” has the meaning specified in Section 8.01 .

Excluded Taxes ” means any of the following Taxes imposed on or with respect to a Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to a Recipient, (a) Taxes imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated), franchise Taxes and branch profits Taxes, in each case, (i) imposed as a result of such Recipient being organized under the Laws of, or having its principal office or, in the case of any Lender, its applicable lending office located in, the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (or any political subdivision thereof) or (ii)

 

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that are Other Connection Taxes, (b) in the case of a Lender, U.S. federal withholding Taxes imposed on amounts payable to or for the account of such Lender with respect to an applicable interest in a Loan or Commitment or otherwise under a Loan Document pursuant to a law in effect on the date on which (i) such Lender acquires such interest in the Loan or Commitment or becomes a Lender hereunder (other than pursuant to an assignment request by the Borrower under Section 10.16 ) or (ii) such Lender changes its lending office, except in each case to the extent that, pursuant to Section 3.01(b) , amounts with respect to such Taxes were payable either to such Lender’s assignor immediately before such Lender became a party hereto or to such Lender immediately before it changed its lending office, (c) Taxes attributable to such Recipient’s failure to comply with Section 3.01(f) and (d) any U.S. federal withholding Taxes imposed under FATCA.

FATCA ” means Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, as of the date of this Agreement (or any amended or successor version that is substantively comparable and not materially more onerous to comply with) and any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof, any agreements entered into pursuant to Section 1471(b)(1) of the Code and any intergovernmental agreement entered into in connection with implementation of the foregoing.

Federal Funds Effective Rate ” shall mean, for any day, the weighted average (rounded upwards, if necessary, to the next 1/100 of 1%) of the per annum rates on overnight federal funds transactions with members of the Federal Reserve System arranged by federal funds brokers on such day, as published on the next succeeding Business Day by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or, if such rate is not so published for any date that is a Business Day, the Federal Funds Effective Rate for such day shall be the average rate (rounded upward, if necessary, to a whole multiple of 1/100 of 1%) of the quotations for such day for such transactions received by the Administrative Agent from three Federal Funds brokers of recognized standing selected by it; provided, that, if the Federal Funds Effective Rate shall be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for purposes of this Agreement.

Fee Letters ” means each Fee Letter, dated as of October 28, 2015, between the Administrative Agent and/or an Arranger, on the one hand, and Noble, on the other hand.

Foreign Lender ” means a Lender that is not a U.S. Person.

FRB ” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States.

Fresh Water Services Agreements ” means those certain Amended and Restated Fresh Water Services Agreements, dated effective as of October 1, 2015, consisting of the Agreement Terms and Conditions Relating to Fresh Water Services and updated as of October 9, 2015, and each Agreement Addendum thereto executed from time to time by Noble or its Affiliates, the Borrower and one or more of its Subsidiaries.

Fronting Exposure ” means, at any time there is a Defaulting Lender, (a) with respect to the L/C Issuers, such Defaulting Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the outstanding L/C Obligations other than L/C Obligations as to which such Defaulting Lender’s participation obligation has been reallocated to other Lenders or Cash Collateralized in accordance with the terms hereof and (b) with respect to the Swing Line Lenders, such Defaulting Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the outstanding Swing Line Loans other than Swing Line Loans as to which such Defaulting Lender’s participation obligation has been reallocated to other Lenders.

Fund ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(h) .

GAAP ” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or such other principles as may be approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession in the United States, that are applicable to the circumstances as of the date of determination, consistently applied.

Gas Gathering Agreements ” means those certain Amended and Restated Gas Gathering Agreements, dated effective as of October 1, 2015, consisting of the Agreement Terms and Conditions Relating to Gas Gathering Services and updated as of October 9, 2015, and each Agreement Addendum thereto executed from time to time by Noble or its Affiliates, the Borrower and one or more of its Subsidiaries.

 

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General Partner ” means Noble Midstream GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.

Governmental Authority ” means any nation or government, any state or other political subdivision thereof, any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory body, court, administrative tribunal, central bank or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative powers or functions of or pertaining to government (including any supra-national bodies such as the European Union or the European Central Bank).

Guarantee ” means, as to any Person, (a) any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of such Person guaranteeing or having the economic effect of guaranteeing any Debt or other obligation payable or performable by another Person (the “ primary obligor ”) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, and including any obligation of such Person, direct or indirect, (i) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment of) such Debt or other obligation, (ii) to purchase or lease property, securities or services for the purpose of assuring the obligee in respect of such Debt or other obligation of the payment or performance of such Debt or other obligation, (iii) to maintain working capital, equity capital or any other financial statement condition or liquidity or level of income or cash flow of the primary obligor so as to enable the primary obligor to pay such Debt or other obligation, or (iv) entered into for the purpose of assuring in any other manner the obligee in respect of such Debt or other obligation of the payment or performance thereof or to protect such obligee against loss in respect thereof (in whole or in part), or (b) any Lien on any assets of such Person securing any Debt or other obligation of any other Person, whether or not such Debt or other obligation is assumed by such Person. The amount of any Guarantee shall be deemed to be an amount equal to the stated or determinable amount of the related primary obligation, or portion thereof, in respect of which such Guarantee is made or, if not stated or determinable, the maximum reasonably anticipated liability in respect thereof as determined by the guaranteeing Person in good faith. The term “Guarantee” as a verb has a corresponding meaning.

Guarantee Release Condition ” means the requirement that either (i) four-quarter Consolidated EBITDA for each of the four mostly recently ended fiscal quarters (for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) ) exceeds $250,000,000 or (ii) the Parent or the Borrower has received at least one Investment Grade Rating with a stable outlook or better.

Guarantee Release Condition Date ” means the date on which the Guarantee Release Condition has been satisfied. If clause (i) of the Guarantee Release Condition is satisfied, the Guarantee Release Condition Date shall be the date on which the applicable financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b)  and if clause (ii) of the Guarantee Release Condition is satisfied, the Guarantee Release Condition Date shall be the date on which the Borrower delivers the applicable notice required by Section 6.01(h).

Guarantors ” means, collectively, the Parent, each direct or indirect wholly-owned Material Subsidiary existing on the Closing Date, any other direct or indirect wholly-owned Material Subsidiary that becomes a Guarantor pursuant to Section 6.10 , and any other Subsidiary of the Borrower that is a party to the Guarantee Agreement.

Guarantee Agreement ” means the Guarantee Agreement executed by each Guarantor on the Closing Date, as amended, supplemented, restated or other modified form time to time.

Hazardous Substances ” means all explosive or radioactive substances or wastes and all hazardous or toxic substances, wastes or other pollutants, including petroleum or petroleum distillates, asbestos or asbestos-containing materials, polychlorinated biphenyls, radon gas, infectious or medical wastes and all other substances or wastes of any nature regulated pursuant to any Environmental Law.

Increase Effective Date ” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.15(b) .

Indemnified Liabilities ” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.05(a) .

 

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Indemnified Taxes ” means (a) Taxes, other than Excluded Taxes, imposed on or with respect to any payment made by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party under any Loan Document and (b) to the extent not otherwise described in (a), Other Taxes.

Indemnitees ” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.05(a) .

Information ” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.08 .

Initial Financial Statements ” means (i) the audited combined financial statements of the Parent’s predecessor and its Subsidiaries for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2013 and December 31, 2014 and (ii) the unaudited combined financial statements of the Parent’s predecessor and its Subsidiaries for the nine months ended September 30, 2015, in each case as presented in the Registration Statement.

Interest Payment Date ” means, (a) as to any Eurodollar Rate Loan, the last day of each Interest Period applicable to such Loan and the Maturity Date; provided, however, that if any Interest Period for a Eurodollar Rate Loan exceeds three months, the respective dates that fall every three months after the beginning of such Interest Period shall also be Interest Payment Dates; (b) as to any Base Rate Loan (other than a Swing Line Loan), the first Business Day of each January, April, July and October and the Maturity Date; and (c) with respect to any Swing Line Loan, the day that such Loan is required to be repaid.

Interest Period ” means, with respect to any Eurodollar Rate Loan, the period commencing on the date such Eurodollar Rate Loan is disbursed or converted to or continued as a Eurodollar Rate Loan and ending on the date one, two, three or six months or one week thereafter, or such other periods as agreed to by all of the relevant Lenders, as selected by the Borrower in its Loan Notice; provided that:

(a) any Interest Period applicable to any Eurodollar Rate Loan which would otherwise end on a day that is not a Business Day shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless such Business Day falls in another calendar month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the immediately preceding Business Day;

(b) any Interest Period (other than one week) applicable to any Eurodollar Rate Loan that begins on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period) shall, subject to the provisions of clause (a)  above, end on the last Business Day of the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period; and

(c) no Interest Period shall extend beyond the Maturity Date.

Interpolated Rate ” shall mean, at any time, for any Interest Period, the rate per annum (rounded to the same number of decimal places as the LIBOR Screen Rate) determined by the Administrative Agent (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) to be equal to the rate that results from interpolating on a linear basis between: (a) the LIBOR Screen Rate for the longest period for which the LIBOR Screen Rate is available for Dollars) that is shorter than the Impacted Interest Period; and (b) the LIBOR Screen Rate for the shortest period (for which that Screen Rate is available for dollars) that exceeds the Impacted Interest Period, in each case, at such time.

Investment ” means, as to any Person, any direct or indirect acquisition or investment by such Person, whether by means of (a) the purchase or other acquisition of the Capital Stock of another Person, (b) an Acquisition or (c) a loan, advance or capital contribution to, guarantee or assumption of debt of, or purchase or other acquisition of any other debt or equity participation or interest in, another Person, including any partnership or joint venture interest in such other Person and any arrangement pursuant to which the investor guarantees Debt of such other Person.

Investment Grade Rating ” means a Public Debt Rating of (a) a BBB- rating or higher from S&P or (b) a Baa3 rating or higher from Moody’s.

 

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IPO ” means an initial registered public offering of common units representing limited partner interests in the Parent to the public pursuant to the Registration Statement which results in the common units representing limited partner interests in the Parent being traded on a national securities exchange.

IRS ” means the United States Internal Revenue Service.

ISP ” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.03(g) .

Laws ” means, collectively, all international, foreign, Federal, state and local statutes, treaties, rules, guidelines, regulations, ordinances, codes and administrative or judicial precedents or authorities, including the interpretation or administration thereof by any Governmental Authority charged with the enforcement, interpretation or administration thereof, and all applicable administrative orders, directed duties, requests, licenses, authorizations and permits of, and agreements with, any Governmental Authority, in each case whether or not having the force of law.

L/C Advance ” means, with respect to each Lender, such Lender’s funding of its participation in any L/C Borrowing in accordance with its Pro Rata Share.

L/C Borrowing ” means an extension of credit from an L/C Issuer resulting from a drawing under any Letter of Credit which has not been reimbursed by the Borrower on the date when made or refinanced as a Borrowing.

L/C Credit Extension ” means, with respect to any Letter of Credit, the issuance thereof or extension of the expiry date thereof, or the increase of the amount thereof.

L/C Issuers ” means [                    ], [                    ], [                    ], [                    ] and [                    ], each in its capacity as an issuer of Letters of Credit hereunder, and any successor issuer of Letters of Credit hereunder.

L/C Obligations ” means, as at any date of determination, the aggregate undrawn amount of all outstanding Letters of Credit plus the aggregate of all Unreimbursed Amounts (including all L/C Borrowings). For purposes of computing the amount available to be drawn under any Letter of Credit, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall be determined in accordance with Section 1.07 . For all purposes of this Agreement, if on any date of determination a Letter of Credit has expired by its terms but any amount may still be drawn thereunder by reason of the operation of Rule 3.14 of the ISP, such Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be “outstanding” in the amount so remaining available to be drawn.

Lenders ” means those Lenders with a Commitment, or if the Commitments have been terminated pursuant to Section 8.02 , Lenders holding the outstanding Loans, if any, and as the context requires, the Swing Line Lenders.

Lending Office ” means, as to any Lender, the office or offices of such Lender described as such in such Lender’s Administrative Questionnaire, or such other office or offices as a Lender may from time to time notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent.

Letter of Credit ” means any standby letter of credit issued on or after the Closing Date hereunder.

Letter of Credit Application ” means an application, an application and agreement, or other similar document in the nature of an application required by the applicable L/C Issuer, for the issuance or amendment of a Letter of Credit, in the form from time to time in use by such L/C Issuer.

Letter of Credit Expiration Date ” means the day that is seven days prior to the Stated Maturity Date (or, if such day is not a Business Day, the next preceding Business Day).

 

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Letter of Credit Sublimit ” means an amount equal to $100,000,000, as such amount may be reduced pursuant to Section 2.06 . The Letter of Credit Sublimit is part of, and not in addition to, the Aggregate Commitment.

Lien ” means any mortgage, pledge, hypothecation, assignment, deposit arrangement, encumbrance, lien (statutory or other), charge, or preference, priority or other security interest or preferential arrangement of any kind or nature whatsoever (including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, and any financing lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing).

Loan ” means an extension of credit by a Lender to the Borrower under Article II in the form of a Loan (including a Swing Line Loan).

Loan Documents ” means this Agreement, each Note, the Guarantee Agreement, the Fee Letters, each agreement creating or perfecting rights in Cash Collateral, and each other document executed by a Loan Party which contains a provision stating that it is a “Loan Document”.

Loan Notice ” means a notice of (a) a Borrowing of Loans, (b) a conversion of Loans from one Type to the other or (c) a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans, pursuant to Section 2.02(a) , which shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A-1 .

Loan Parties ” means, collectively, the Borrower, the Parent and the other Guarantors from time to time party to the Guarantee Agreement.

Master Agreement ” has the meaning set forth in the definition of Swap Contract.

Material Adverse Effect ” means (a) a material adverse change in the operations, business or financial condition of the Parent and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (b) a material impairment of the ability of the Loan Parties, taken as a whole, to perform their payment obligations under the Loan Documents or (c) a material adverse effect upon the legality, validity, binding effect or enforceability against the Loan Parties of the Loan Documents, taken as a whole.

Material Contracts ” means (a) the Omnibus Agreement, (b) the Gas Gathering Agreements, (c) the Oil Gathering Agreements, (d) the Oil Treating Agreements, (e) the Produced Water Services Agreements (f) the Fresh Water Services Agreements, and (g) any other documents, agreements or instruments entered into between Noble or its Affiliates and any Loan Party or Subsidiary, which, if breached, terminated or cancelled, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Material Debt ” means Debt (other than the Loans) of the Parent and its Subsidiaries, arising in one or more related or unrelated transactions, in an aggregate principal or face amount exceeding the Threshold Amount.

Material Disposition ” means the Disposition by any Person, in a single transaction or in a series of related transactions, of either (a) property or assets constituting a business unit or division of such Person to another Person or (b) a majority or greater of the securities having ordinary voting power for the election of directors, managing general partners or the equivalent of a Subsidiary of such Person to another Person, in each case whether or not involving a merger or consolidation with such other Person.

Material Plan ” means, at any time, a Plan or Plans having aggregate Unfunded Liabilities in excess of the Threshold Amount.

Material Subsidiary ” means any direct or indirect domestic Subsidiary of the Parent for which (a) its assets and the assets of its consolidated Subsidiaries comprise more than 5% of the assets of the Parent and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, or (b) its revenue and the revenue of its consolidated Subsidiaries comprise more than 5% of the revenue of the Parent and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, in each case determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP as of the end of the most recent fiscal year.

 

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Materials ” has the meaning specified in Section 6.01 .

Maturity Date ” means the earlier of (a) the Stated Maturity Date and (b) the effective date of any other termination, cancellation, or acceleration of all Commitments under this Agreement.

Midstream Drop Down Acquisition ” means the acquisition by any Loan Party or one or more of its Subsidiaries, in a single transaction or in a series of related transactions, of property or assets from Noble or its Subsidiaries so long as the property or assets being acquired are engaged or used (or intended to be used), as applicable, primarily in an activity that would generate qualifying income within the meaning of Section 7704(d) of the Code.

Minimum Collateral Amount ” means, at any time, an amount equal to 102% of the Fronting Exposure applicable to any Defaulting Lender with respect to Letters of Credit issued and outstanding at such time.

Moody’s ” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and any successor thereto.

Multiemployer Plan ” means, at any time, an employee pension benefit plan within the meaning of Section 3(37) or Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA to which any member of the ERISA Group is then making or accruing an obligation to make contributions, or has within the preceding five plan years made contributions, including for these purposes any Person which ceased to be a member of the ERISA Group during such five year period.

Multiple Employer Plan ” means a Plan which has two or more contributing sponsors (including any member of the ERISA Group) at least two of whom are not under common control, as such a plan is described in Section 4064 of ERISA.

Noble ” means Noble Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Non-Consenting Lender ” means any Lender that does not approve any consent, waiver or amendment that (a) requires the approval of each Lender or all directly affected Lenders in accordance with the terms of Section 10.01 and (b) has been approved by the Required Lenders.

Non-Defaulting Lender ” means, at any time, each Lender that is not a Defaulting Lender at such time.

Note ” means a Revolving Note or a Swing Line Note.

Obligations ” means all advances to, and debts, liabilities, obligations, covenants and duties of, the Loan Parties arising under any Loan Document or otherwise with respect to any Loan or Letter of Credit, whether direct or indirect (including those acquired by assumption), absolute or contingent, due or to become due, now existing or hereafter arising and including interest and fees that accrue after the commencement by or against any Loan Party or any Affiliate of such Loan Party of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Laws naming such Person as the debtor in such proceeding, regardless of whether such interest and fees are allowed claims in such proceeding.

Oil Gathering Agreements ” means those certain Amended and Restated Crude Oil Gathering Agreements, dated effective as of October 1, 2015, consisting of the Agreement Terms and Conditions Relating to Crude Oil Gathering Services and updated as of October 9, 2015, and each Agreement Addendum thereto executed from time to time by Noble or its Affiliates, the Borrower and one or more of its Subsidiaries.

Oil Treating Agreements ” means those certain Second Amended and Restated Crude Oil Treating Agreements, dated effective as of October 1, 2015, consisting of the Agreement Terms and Conditions Relating to Crude Oil Treating Services and updated as of October 9, 2015, and each Agreement Addendum thereto executed from time to time by Noble or its Affiliates, the Borrower and one or more of its Subsidiaries.

Omnibus Agreement ” means the Omnibus Agreement dated as of the date of this Agreement, by and between Noble, Borrower and the other parties named therein.

 

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Organization Documents ” means (a) with respect to any corporation, the certificate or articles of incorporation and the bylaws (or equivalent or comparable constitutive documents with respect to any non-U.S. jurisdiction); (b) with respect to any limited liability company, the certificate or articles of formation or organization and operating agreement; and (c) with respect to any partnership, joint venture, trust or other form of business entity, the partnership, joint venture or other applicable agreement of formation or organization and, if applicable, any certificate or articles of formation or organization of such entity.

Other Connection Taxes ” means, with respect to any Recipient, Taxes imposed as a result of a present or former connection between such Recipient (or an agent or affiliate thereof) and the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (other than connections arising from such Recipient having executed, delivered, become a party to, performed its obligations under, received payments under, received or perfected a security interest under, engaged in any other transaction pursuant to or enforced any Loan Document, or sold or assigned an interest in any Loan or Loan Document).

Other Taxes ” means all present or future stamp, court, documentary, intangible, recording, filing or similar Taxes that arise from any payment made under, from the execution, delivery, performance, enforcement or registration of, from the receipt or perfection of a security interest under, or otherwise with respect to, any Loan Document except any such Taxes that are Other Connection Taxes imposed with respect to an assignment (other than an assignment made pursuant to Section 10.16) .

Outstanding Amount ” means (a) with respect to Loans on any date, the aggregate outstanding principal amount thereof after giving effect to any borrowings and prepayments or repayments of such Loans occurring on such date; (b) with respect to Swing Line Loans on any date, the aggregate outstanding principal amount thereof after giving effect to any borrowings and prepayments or repayments of such Swing Line Loans occurring on such date; and (c) with respect to any L/C Obligations on any date, the amount of such L/C Obligations on such date after giving effect to any L/C Credit Extension occurring on such date and any other changes in the aggregate amount of the L/C Obligations as of such date, including as a result of any reimbursements of outstanding unpaid drawings under any Letters of Credit or any reductions in the maximum amount available for drawing under Letters of Credit taking effect on such date.

Parent ” has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph hereto.

Participant ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(d) .

Participant Register ” has the meaning specified in Section 10.07(d) .

Partnership Agreement ” means the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Parent, in substantially the form attached to the Registration Statement on the Closing Date, as modified from time to time in a manner not prohibited by this Agreement.

Patriot Act ” has the meaning set specified in Section 10.20 .

PBGC ” means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation or any entity succeeding to any or all of its functions under ERISA.

Pension Act ” means the Pension Protection Act of 2006.

Pension Funding Rules ” means the rules of the Code and ERISA regarding minimum required contributions (including any installment payment thereof) to Pension Plans and set forth in, with respect to plan years ending prior to the effective date of the Pension Act, Section 412 of the Code and Section 302 of ERISA, each as in effect prior to the Pension Act and, thereafter, Section 412, 430, 431, 432 and 436 of the Code and Sections 302, 303, 304 and 305 of ERISA.

 

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Pension Plan ” means any employee pension benefit plan (including a Multiple Employer Plan or a Multiemployer Plan) that is maintained or is contributed to by any member of the ERISA Group and is either covered by Title IV of ERISA or is subject to the minimum funding standards under Section 412 of the Code.

Person ” means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority or other entity.

Plan ” means at any time an employee pension benefit plan (other than a Multiemployer Plan) which is covered by Title IV of ERISA or subject to the minimum funding standards under Section 412 of the Code and either (i) is maintained, or contributed to, by any member of the ERISA Group for employees of any member of the ERISA Group or (ii) has at any time within the preceding five years been maintained, or contributed to, by any Person which was at such time a member of the ERISA Group for employees of any Person which was at such time a member of the ERISA Group.

Platform ” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.01 .

Pro Forma Financial Statements ” means the pro forma unaudited condensed combined financial statements of the Parent and its Subsidiaries as of September 30, 2015 as presented in the Registration Statement.

Pro Rata Share ” means, with respect to each Lender at any time, a fraction (expressed as a percentage, carried out to the ninth decimal place), the numerator of which is the amount of the Commitment of such Lender at such time and the denominator of which is the amount of the Aggregate Commitment at such time; provided that, if the commitment of each Lender to make Loans has been terminated pursuant to Section 8.02 , then the Pro Rata Share of each Lender shall be determined based on the Pro Rata Share of such Lender immediately prior to such termination and after giving effect to any subsequent assignments made pursuant to the terms hereof. When a Defaulting Lender shall exist, “Pro Rata Share” shall be calculated without including any Defaulting Lender’s Commitment. The initial Pro Rata Shares of each Lender are set forth opposite the name of such Lender on Schedule 2.01 or, if such Lender becomes a Lender pursuant to Section 2.15 , then in the applicable amendment to this Agreement giving effect to the applicable Increase Effective Date, or in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender becomes a party hereto, as applicable.

Produced Water Services Agreements ” means those certain Amended and Restated Produced Water Services Agreements, dated effective as of October 1, 2015, consisting of the Agreement Terms and Conditions Relating to Produced Water Services and updated as of October 9, 2015, and each Agreement Addendum thereto executed from time to time by Noble or its Affiliates, the Borrower and one or more of its Subsidiaries.

Public Debt Ratings ” means a rating to be based on the Parent’s or Borrower’s long-term senior unsecured non-credit enhanced debt ratings established by S&P and/or Moody’s.

Qualified Acquisition ” means an Acquisition or an Investment in any Subsidiary pursuant to Section 7.10 by the Parent or any Subsidiary, the aggregate purchase price for which, when combined with the aggregate purchase price for all other Acquisitions or such Investments by the Parent or any Subsidiary over the trailing twelve (12) month period, is greater than or equal to $25,000,000.

Qualified Acquisition Period ” means the period beginning on the date the Parent or any Subsidiary consummates a Qualified Acquisition and ending on the last day of the second full fiscal quarter following the fiscal quarter in which such Qualified Acquisition occurred.

Qualified Project ” means the construction or expansion of any capital project of the Parent or any of its Subsidiaries, the aggregate capital cost of which exceeds $20,000,000.

Qualified Project EBITDA Adjustments ” shall mean, with respect to each Qualified Project:

(a) prior to the Commercial Operation Date of a Qualified Project (but including the fiscal quarter in which such Commercial Operation Date occurs), a percentage (based on the then-current completion

 

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percentage of such Qualified Project) of an amount (determined by the Parent in good faith in a commercially reasonable manner and certified by the chief financial officer of the General Partner, on behalf of the Parent) to be approved by the Administrative Agent as the projected Consolidated EBITDA of the Parent and its Subsidiaries attributable to such Qualified Project for the first twelve (12) month period following the scheduled Commercial Operation Date of such Qualified Project (such amount to be determined based on customer commitments and related contracts in connection with such Qualified Project, the creditworthiness of the other parties to such contracts, and projected revenues from such contracts, capital costs and expenses, scheduled Commercial Operation Date and other reasonable factors deemed appropriate by the Administrative Agent), which may, at the Parent’s option, be added to actual Consolidated EBITDA for the Parent and its Subsidiaries for the fiscal quarter in which construction of such Qualified Project commences and for each fiscal quarter thereafter until the Commercial Operation Date of such Qualified Project (including the fiscal quarter in which such Commercial Operation Date occurs, but net of any actual Consolidated EBITDA of the Parent and its Subsidiaries attributable to such Qualified Project following such Commercial Operation Date); provided that if the actual Commercial Operation Date does not occur by the scheduled Commercial Operation Date, then the foregoing amount shall be reduced, for quarters ending after the scheduled Commercial Operation Date to (but excluding) the first full quarter after its actual Commercial Operation Date, by the following percentage amounts depending on the period of delay (based on the period of actual delay or then-estimated delay, whichever is longer): (i) 90 days or less, 0%, (ii) longer than 90 days, but not more than 180 days, 25%, (iii) longer than 180 days but not more than 270 days, 50%, and (iv) longer than 270 days, 100%; and

(b) thereafter, actual Consolidated EBITDA of the Parent and its Subsidiaries attributable to such Qualified Project for each full fiscal quarter after the Commercial Operation Date, plus the amount approved by Administrative Agent pursuant to paragraph (a) above as the projected Consolidated EBITDA of Parent and its Subsidiaries attributable to such Qualified Project for the fiscal quarters constituting the balance of the full four fiscal quarter period following such Commercial Operation Date; provided , in the event the actual Consolidated EBITDA of the Parent and its Subsidiaries attributable to such Qualified Project for any full fiscal quarter after the Commercial Operation Date shall materially differ from the projected Consolidated EBITDA approved by Administrative Agent pursuant to paragraph (a) above for such fiscal quarter, the projected Consolidated EBITDA of Parent and its Subsidiaries attributable to such Qualified Project for any remaining fiscal quarters included in the foregoing calculation shall be redetermined in the same manner as set forth in paragraph (a) above, such amount to be approved by the Administrative Agent, which may, at the Parent’s option, be added to actual Consolidated EBITDA for the Parent and its Subsidiaries for such fiscal quarters.

Notwithstanding the foregoing:

(A) no such additions shall be allowed with respect to any Qualified Project unless:

(1) not later than 30 days (or such shorter time as the Administrative Agent may agree in its sole discretion) prior to the delivery of any certificate required by the terms and provisions of Section 6.01(c) to the extent Qualified Project EBITDA Adjustments will be made to Consolidated EBITDA in determining compliance with Section 7.02 , the Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent written pro forma projections of Consolidated EBITDA of the Parent and its Subsidiaries attributable to such Qualified Project; and

(2) prior to the date such certificate is required to be delivered, the Administrative Agent shall have approved (such approval not to be unreasonably withheld) such projections and shall have received such other information and documentation as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request, all in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent;

(B) the aggregate amount of all Qualified Project EBITDA Adjustments during any period shall be limited to 15% of the total actual Consolidated EBITDA of the Parent and its Subsidiaries for such period (which total actual Consolidated EBITDA shall be determined without including any Qualified Project EBITDA Adjustments); and

(C) for the avoidance of doubt the foregoing Consolidated EBITDA adjustments, shall be adjusted with respect to the portion of Consolidated EBITDA which would be attributable to any non-wholly owned Subsidiaries of the Parent, to reflect only the Parent’s pro rata ownership interest in such Subsidiaries.

 

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Recipient ” means (a) the Administrative Agent, (b) any Lender and (c) any L/C Issuer, as applicable.

Register ” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.07(c) .

Registration Statement ” means the Parent’s Form S-1 Registration Statement No. 333-207560, including the prospectus forming a part thereof and the exhibits filed therewith, initially filed publicly by the Parent with the SEC on October 22, 2015, as amended from time to time.

Reimbursement Date ” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.03(c)(i) .

Related Parties ” means, with respect to any Person, such Person’s Affiliates and the partners, directors, officers, employees, agents, trustees and advisors of such Person and of such Person’s Affiliates.

Request for Credit Extension ” means (a) with respect to a Borrowing, conversion or continuation of Loans, a Loan Notice, (b) with respect to an L/C Credit Extension, a Letter of Credit Application, and (c) with respect to a Swing Line Loan, a Swing Line Loan Notice.

Required Lenders ” means, as of any date of determination, Lenders having greater than 50% of the Aggregate Commitment or, if the commitment of each Lender to make Loans and the obligation of each L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions have been terminated pursuant to Section 8.02 , Lenders holding in the aggregate greater than 50% of the Total Outstandings (with the aggregate amount of each Lender’s risk participation and funded participation in L/C Obligations and Swing Line Loans being deemed “held” by such Lender for purposes of this definition); provided that the Commitment of, and the portion of the Total Outstandings held or deemed held by, any Defaulting Lender shall be excluded for purposes of making a determination of Required Lenders.

Responsible Officer ” means, with respect to any Person, the chief executive officer, president, executive vice president, senior vice president, chief financial officer, principal accounting officer, treasurer or assistant treasurer of such Person. Any document delivered hereunder that is signed by a Responsible Officer of the General Partner, on behalf of the Parent, shall be conclusively presumed to have been authorized by all necessary corporate, partnership and/or other action on the part of the Parent and such Responsible Officer shall be conclusively presumed to have acted on behalf of the Parent.

Restricted Payment ” means any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property) with respect to Capital Stock of a Loan Party or any Subsidiary, or any payment (whether in cash, securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any such Capital Stock or on account of any return of capital to a Loan Party’s stockholders, partners or members (or the equivalent Person thereof), or any setting apart of funds or assets for any of the foregoing.

Revolving Note ” means a promissory note made by the Borrower in favor of a Lender evidencing Loans made by such Lender, substantially in the form of Exhibit B-1 .

S&P ” means Standard & Poor’s Financial Services, LLC, a subsidiary of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and any successor thereto.

Sanctioned Country ” means, at any time, a country, region or territory which is, or whose government is, the subject or target of any Sanctions (as of the date hereof, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria).

Sanctioned Person ” means, at any time, (a) any Person listed in any Sanctions-related list of designated Persons maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Department of State or by the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, any EU member state or Her Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom, (b) any Person operating, organized or resident in a Sanctioned Country or (c) any Person controlled by any such Person or Persons, in each case, to the extent dealings are prohibited or restricted with such Person under Sanctions.

 

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Sanctions ” means economic or financial sanctions or trade embargoes imposed, administered or enforced from time to time by (a) the U.S. government, including those administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury or the U.S. Department of State, or (b) the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, any EU member state or Her Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom.

Solvent ” means, with respect to any Person as of a particular date, that on such date (a) such Person is able to pay its debts and other liabilities, contingent obligations and other commitments as they mature in the normal course of business, (b) such Person does not intend to, and does not believe that it will, incur debts or liabilities beyond such Person’s ability to pay as such debts and liabilities mature in their ordinary course, (c) such Person is not engaged in a business or a transaction, and is not about to engage in a business or a transaction, for which such Person’s assets would constitute unreasonably small capital after giving due consideration to the prevailing practice in the industry in which such Person is engaged or is to engage, (d) the fair value of the assets of such Person is greater than the total amount of liabilities, including, without limitation, contingent liabilities, of such Person and (e) the present fair saleable value of the assets of such Person is not less than the amount that will be required to pay the probable liability of such Person on its debts as they become absolute and matured. In computing the amount of contingent liabilities at any time, it is intended that such liabilities will be computed as the amount which, in light of all the facts and circumstances existing at such time, represents the amount that can reasonably be expected to become an actual or matured liability.

Stated Maturity Date ” means the date that is the five year anniversary of the Closing Date.

Statutory Reserve Rate ” means a fraction (expressed as a decimal), the numerator of which is the number one and the denominator of which is the number one minus the aggregate of the maximum reserve percentage (including any marginal, special, emergency or supplemental reserves) expressed as a decimal established by the Board to which the Administrative Agent is subject with respect to the Adjusted Eurodollar Rate, for eurocurrency funding (currently referred to as “Eurocurrency Liabilities” in Regulation D of the FRB). Such reserve percentage shall include those imposed pursuant to such Regulation D. Eurodollar Loans shall be deemed to constitute eurocurrency funding and to be subject to such reserve requirements without benefit of or credit for proration, exemptions or offsets that may be available from time to time to any Lender under such Regulation D or any comparable regulation. The Statutory Reserve Rate shall be adjusted automatically on and as of the effective date of any change in any reserve percentage.

Subsidiary ” of a Person means a corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other business entity of which a majority of the shares of securities or other interests having ordinary voting power for the election of directors or other governing body (other than securities or interests having such power only by reason of the happening of a contingency) are at the time beneficially owned, or the management of which is otherwise controlled, directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, or both, by such Person. Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to a “Subsidiary” or to “Subsidiaries” shall refer to a Subsidiary or Subsidiaries of the Parent.

Swap Contract ” means (a) any and all rate swap transactions, basis swaps, credit derivative transactions, forward rate transactions, commodity swaps, commodity options, forward commodity contracts, equity or equity index swaps or options, bond or bond price or bond index swaps or options or forward bond or forward bond price or forward bond index transactions, interest rate options, forward foreign exchange transactions, cap transactions, floor transactions, collar transactions, currency swap transactions, cross-currency rate swap transactions, currency options, spot contracts, futures contracts traded on or subject to the rules of a designated contract market, or any other similar transactions or any combination of any of the foregoing (including any options to enter into any of the foregoing), whether or not any such transaction is governed by or subject to any master agreement, and (b) any and all transactions of any kind, and the related confirmations, which are subject to the terms and conditions of, or governed by, any form of master agreement published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc., any International Foreign Exchange Master Agreement, any North American Energy Standard Board Master Agreement, or any other master agreement (any such master agreement, together with any related schedules, a “ Master Agreement ”), including any such obligations or liabilities under any Master Agreement.

 

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Swap Termination Value ” means, in respect of any one or more Swap Contracts, after taking into account the effect of any legally enforceable netting agreement relating to such Swap Contracts, (a) for any date on or after the date such Swap Contracts have been closed out and termination value(s) determined in accordance therewith, such termination value(s) and (b) for any date prior to the date referenced in clause (a) , the amount(s) determined as the mark-to-market value(s) for such Swap Contracts, as determined based upon the average of at least two mid-market or other readily available commercially reasonable quotations provided by any leading dealer in such Swap Contracts (one of which may be a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender).

Swing Line ” means the revolving credit facility made available by the Swing Line Lenders pursuant to Section 2.04 .

Swing Line Borrowing ” means a Borrowing of a Swing Line Loan pursuant to Section 2.04 .

Swing Line Lenders ” means [                    ], [                    ] and [                    ], each in its capacity as provider of Swing Line Loans, or any successor swing line lender hereunder.

Swing Line Loan ” has the meaning specified in Section 2.04(a) .

Swing Line Loan Notice ” means a notice of a Borrowing of Swing Line Loans, which, if in writing, shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A-2 .

Swing Line Note ” means a promissory note made by the Borrower in favor of a Swing Line Lender evidencing Swing Line Loans made by such Swing Line Lender, substantially in the form of Exhibit B-2 .

Swing Line Sublimit ” means an amount equal to $60,000,000, as such amount may be reduced pursuant to Section 2.06 . The Swing Line Sublimit is part of, and not in addition to, the Aggregate Commitment.

Synthetic Lease Obligation ” means the monetary obligation of a Person under (a) a so-called synthetic, off-balance sheet or tax retention lease, or (b) an agreement for the use or possession of property creating obligations that do not appear on the balance sheet of such Person but which, upon the insolvency or bankruptcy of such Person, would be characterized as the indebtedness of such Person (without regard to accounting treatment).

Taxes ” means all present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, deductions, withholdings (including backup withholding), assessments, fees or other charges imposed by any Governmental Authority, including any interest, fines, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto.

Threshold Amount ” means the greater of (a) $35,000,000 or (b) 10% of the Aggregate Commitment; provided , such amount shall not exceed $50,000,000.

Total Outstandings ” means the aggregate Outstanding Amount of all Loans (including Swing Line Loans) and all L/C Obligations.

Transactions ” means, collectively, (i) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, the borrowing of Loans, the use of the proceeds thereof and the issuance of Letters of Credit hereunder, (ii) the consummation of the IPO and (iii) the payment of fees and expenses in connection with the foregoing.

Type ” means, with respect to a Loan, its character as a Base Rate Loan or a Eurodollar Rate Loan.

Unfunded Liabilities ” means, with respect to any Plan at any time, the amount (if any) by which (a) the value of all benefit liabilities under such Plan, determined on a plan termination basis using the assumptions prescribed by the PBGC for purposes of Section 4044 of ERISA, exceeds (b) the fair market value of all Plan assets allocable to such liabilities under Title IV of ERISA (excluding any accrued but unpaid contributions), all determined as of the then most recent valuation date for such Plan, but only to the extent that such excess represents a potential liability of a member of the ERISA Group to the PBGC or any other Person under Title IV of ERISA.

 

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United States ” and “ U.S. ” mean the United States of America.

Unreimbursed Amount ” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.03(c)(i) .

U.S. Person ” means any Person that is a “United States person” as defined in Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.

U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate ” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.01(f) .

Voting Stock ” of any Person as of any date means the Capital Stock of such Person that is at the time entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of the Board of Directors (or similar governing body) of such Person.

Withholding Agent ” means any Loan Party and the Administrative Agent.

1.02 Other Interpretive Provisions . With reference to this Agreement and each other Loan Document, unless otherwise specified herein or in such other Loan Document:

(a) The meanings of defined terms are equally applicable to the singular and plural forms of the defined terms.

(b) (i) The words “herein,” “hereto,” “hereof” and “hereunder” and words of similar import when used in any Loan Document shall refer to such Loan Document as a whole and not to any particular provision thereof.

(ii) Article, Section, Exhibit and Schedule references are to the Loan Document in which such reference appears.

(iii) The term “including” is by way of example and not limitation.

(iv) The term “documents” includes any and all instruments, documents, agreements, certificates, notices, reports, financial statements and other writings, however evidenced, whether in physical or electronic form.

(v) The word “will” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect as the word “shall.”

(vi) Unless the context requires otherwise, any reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such Person’s successors and assigns.

(vii) The words “asset” and “property” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible assets and properties, including cash, securities, accounts and contract rights.

(c) In the computation of periods of time from a specified date to a later specified date, the word “from” means “from and including”; the words “to” and “until” each mean “to but excluding”; and the word “through” means “to and including.”

(d) Section headings herein and in the other Loan Documents are included for convenience of reference only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Agreement or any other Loan Document.

1.03 Accounting Terms .

(a) All accounting terms not specifically or completely defined herein shall be construed in conformity with, and all financial data (including financial ratios and other financial calculations) required to be submitted pursuant to this Agreement shall be prepared in conformity with, GAAP applied on a consistent basis, as in effect from time to time.

 

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(b) If at any time any change in GAAP would affect the computation of any financial ratio or requirement set forth in any Loan Document, and either the Parent, the Borrower or the Required Lenders shall so request, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, the Parent and the Borrower shall negotiate in good faith to amend such ratio or requirement to preserve the original intent thereof in light of such change in GAAP (subject to the approval of the Required Lenders); provided that, until so amended, (i) such ratio or requirement shall continue to be computed in accordance with GAAP prior to such change therein and (ii) the Borrower shall provide to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders financial statements and other documents required under this Agreement or as reasonably requested hereunder setting forth a reconciliation between calculations of such ratio or requirement made before and after giving effect to such change in GAAP. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement or any other Loan Document, for purposes of calculations made pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, GAAP will be deemed to treat leases that would have been classified as operating leases in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States as in effect on December 31, 2014 in a manner consistent with the treatment of such leases under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States as in effect on December 31, 2014, notwithstanding any modifications or interpretive changes thereto that may occur thereafter.

(c) Calculations . Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary:

(i) For purposes of calculating compliance with the financial covenants set forth in Section 7.02 , with respect to all Acquisitions, Investments in Subsidiaries permitted pursuant to Section 7.10 and Material Dispositions, Consolidated EBITDA, Consolidated Interest Charges and Consolidated Funded Debt with respect to such newly acquired or Disposed assets shall be calculated on a pro forma basis as if such Acquisition, Investment or Material Disposition had occurred at the beginning of the applicable twelve month period of determination.

(ii) For purposes of calculating compliance with the financial covenants set forth in Section 7.02 , Consolidated EBITDA may include, at Parent’s option, any Qualified Project EBITDA Adjustments as provided in the definition thereof.

1.04 Rounding . Any financial ratios required to be maintained by the Parent pursuant to this Agreement shall be calculated by dividing the appropriate component by the other component, carrying the result to one place more than the number of places by which such ratio is expressed herein and rounding the result up or down to the nearest number (with a rounding-up if there is no nearest number).

1.05 References to Agreements and Laws . Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, (a) references to Organization Documents, agreements (including the Loan Documents) and other contractual instruments shall be deemed to include all subsequent amendments, restatements, extensions, supplements and other modifications thereto, but only to the extent that such amendments, restatements, extensions, supplements and other modifications are not prohibited by any Loan Document; and (b) references to any Law shall include all statutory and regulatory provisions consolidating, amending, replacing, supplementing or interpreting such Law.

1.06 Times of Day . Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to times of day shall be references to Eastern time (daylight or standard, as applicable).

1.07 Letter of Credit Amounts . Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to the amount of a Letter of Credit at any time shall be deemed to mean the maximum face amount of such Letter of Credit after giving effect to all increases thereof contemplated by such Letter of Credit or the Letter of Credit Application therefor, whether or not such maximum face amount is in effect at such time.

 

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ARTICLE II

THE COMMITMENTS AND BORROWINGS

2.01 The Loans . Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Lender severally agrees to make loans to the Borrower from time to time, in Dollars, on any Business Day during the Availability Period, in an aggregate amount not to exceed at any time outstanding the amount of such Lender’s Commitment; provided, however, that after giving effect to any Borrowing, (i) the Total Outstandings shall not exceed the Aggregate Commitment, and (ii) the aggregate Outstanding Amount of the Loans of any Lender, plus such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations, plus such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Outstanding Amount of all Swing Line Loans shall not exceed such Lender’s Commitment. Within the limits of each Lender’s Commitment, and subject to the other terms and conditions hereof, the Borrower may borrow under this Section 2.01 , prepay under Section 2.05 , and reborrow under this Section 2.01 . Loans may be Base Rate Loans or Eurodollar Rate Loans, as further provided herein.

2.02 Borrowings, Conversions and Continuations of Loans .

(a) Each Borrowing, each conversion of Loans from one Type to the other, and each continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be made upon the Borrower’s delivery to the Administrative Agent of an irrevocable written Loan Notice, appropriately completed and signed by or on behalf of the Borrower, which may be delivered via facsimile. Each such notice must be received by the Administrative Agent not later than 12:00 noon (i) three Business Days prior to the requested date of any Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans or of any conversion of Eurodollar Rate Loans to Base Rate Loans, and (ii) on the requested date of any Borrowing of Base Rate Loans. Each Borrowing of, conversion or continuation of Loans shall be in a principal amount of $2,000,000 or a whole multiple of $500,000 in excess thereof. Each Loan Notice shall specify (iii) whether the Borrower is requesting a Borrowing, a conversion of Loans from one Type to the other, or a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans, (iv) the requested date of the Borrowing, conversion or continuation, as the case may be (which shall be a Business Day), (v) the principal amount of Loans to be borrowed, converted or continued, (vi) the Type of Loans to be borrowed or to which existing Loans are to be converted and (vii) if applicable, the duration of the Interest Period with respect thereto. If the Borrower fails to specify a Type of Loan in a Loan Notice or if the Borrower fails to give a timely notice requesting a conversion or continuation, then the applicable Loans shall be made as, or converted to, Base Rate Loans. Any such automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans shall be effective as of the last day of the Interest Period then in effect with respect to the applicable Eurodollar Rate Loans. If the Borrower requests a Borrowing of, conversion to, or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans in any such Loan Notice, but fails to specify an Interest Period, it will be deemed to have specified an Interest Period of one month.

(b) Following receipt of a Loan Notice, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify, each Lender of the amount of its Pro Rata Share of the applicable Borrowing, and if no timely notice of a conversion or continuation is provided by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent shall notify each applicable Lender of the details of any automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans described in the preceding Section. Each Lender shall make the amount of the applicable Loan available to the Administrative Agent in immediately available funds at the Administrative Agent’s Office not later than 1:00 p.m. on the Business Day specified in the applicable Loan Notice. Upon satisfaction of the applicable conditions set forth in Section 4.02 (and, if such Borrowing is the initial Credit Extension, Sections 4.01 and 4.02 ), the Administrative Agent shall make all funds so received available to the Borrower in like funds as received by the Administrative Agent either by (i) crediting the account of the Borrower on the books of [                    ] with the amount of such funds or (ii) wire transfer of such funds, in each case in accordance with instructions provided to (and reasonably acceptable to) the Administrative Agent by the Borrower; provided, however, that if, on the date the Loan Notice with respect a Borrowing is given by the Borrower, there are L/C Borrowings outstanding, then the proceeds of such Borrowing shall be applied, first, to the payment in full of any such L/C Borrowings and second, to the Borrower as provided above.

(c) Except as otherwise provided herein, a Eurodollar Rate Loan may be continued or converted only on the last day of an Interest Period for such Eurodollar Rate Loan. During the existence of a Default, no Loans may be requested as, converted to or continued as Eurodollar Rate Loans without the consent of the Required Lenders.

 

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(d) The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Borrower and the Lenders of the interest rate applicable to any Interest Period for Eurodollar Rate Loans upon determination of such interest rate. The determination of the Adjusted Eurodollar Rate by the Administrative Agent shall be conclusive in the absence of manifest error. At any time that Base Rate Loans are outstanding, the Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders of any change in [                    ]’s prime rate used in determining the Base Rate promptly following the public announcement of such change.

(e) After giving effect to all Borrowings, all conversions of Loans from one Type to the other, and all continuations of Loans as the same Type, there shall not be more than ten Interest Periods in effect with respect to Loans.

2.03 Letters of Credit .

(a) The Letter of Credit Commitment .

(i) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, (A) each L/C Issuer agrees, in reliance upon the agreements of the other Lenders set forth in this Section 2.03 , from time to time on any Business Day during the period from the Closing Date until the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, to issue Letters of Credit for the account of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, and to amend or extend Letters of Credit previously issued by it, in accordance with Section 2.03(b) below; and (B) the Lenders severally agree to participate in Letters of Credit issued for the account of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries; provided that (i) no L/C Issuer shall be obligated to make any L/C Credit Extension that would (i) result in the Outstanding Amount of the L/C Obligations with respect to Letters of Credit issued by it to exceed $20,000,000 or (ii) result in the Outstanding Amount of the L/C Obligations with respect to Letters of Credit issued by the L/C Issuers to exceed the Letter of Credit Sublimit; and provided further that no L/C Issuer shall be obligated to make any L/C Credit Extension with respect to any Letter of Credit, and no Lender shall be obligated to participate in any Letter of Credit if as of the date of such L/C Credit Extension (x) the Total Outstandings would exceed the Aggregate Commitment and (y) the aggregate Outstanding Amount of the Loans of any Lender, plus such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations, plus such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Outstanding Amount of all Swing Line Loans, would exceed such Lender’s Commitment. Within the foregoing limits, and subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Borrower’s ability to obtain Letters of Credit shall be fully revolving, and accordingly the Borrower may, during the foregoing period, obtain Letters of Credit to replace Letters of Credit that have expired or that have been drawn upon and reimbursed.

(ii) No L/C Issuer shall be under any obligation to issue any Letter of Credit and, in the case of clauses (B)  and (C)  below no L/C Issuer shall issue any Letter of Credit, if:

(A) any order, judgment or decree of any Governmental Authority or arbitrator shall by its terms purport to enjoin or restrain such L/C Issuer from issuing such Letter of Credit, or any Law applicable to such L/C Issuer or any request or directive (whether or not having the force of law) from any Governmental Authority with jurisdiction over such L/C Issuer shall prohibit, or request that such L/C Issuer refrain from, the issuance of Letters of Credit generally or such Letter of Credit in particular or shall impose upon such L/C Issuer with respect to such Letter of Credit any restriction, reserve or capital requirement (for which such L/C Issuer is not otherwise compensated hereunder) not in effect on the Closing Date, or shall impose upon such L/C Issuer any unreimbursed loss, cost or expense which was not applicable on the Closing Date and which such L/C Issuer in good faith deems material to it;

(B) subject to Section 2.03(b)(iii) , the expiry date of such requested Letter of Credit would occur more than twelve months after the date of issuance or last renewal, unless the Required Lenders have approved such expiry date;

 

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(C) the expiry date of such requested Letter of Credit would occur after the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, unless all the Lenders have approved such expiry date;

(D) the issuance of such Letter of Credit would violate one or more policies of such L/C Issuer; or

(E) such Letter of Credit is (1) in an initial amount less than $100,000, (2) is to be denominated in a currency other than Dollars, or (3) is to be issued for a purpose other than to support surety bonds (including appeal bonds), worker’s compensation requirements and other general corporate purposes.

(iii) No L/C Issuer shall amend any Letter of Credit if such L/C Issuer would have no obligation at such time to issue such Letter of Credit in its amended form under any of Sections 2.03(a)(ii)(B) , (C)  or (E)(2) or (3) .

(iv) No L/C Issuer shall be under any obligation to amend any Letter of Credit if the beneficiary of such Letter of Credit does not accept the proposed amendment to such Letter of Credit.

(b) Procedures for Issuance and Amendment of Letters of Credit; Auto-Renewal Letters of Credit .

(i) Each Letter of Credit shall be issued or amended, as the case may be, upon the request of the Borrower delivered to an L/C Issuer (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) in the form of a Letter of Credit Application, appropriately completed and signed by or on behalf of the Borrower. Such Letter of Credit Application must be received by such L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent not later than 12:00 noon at least two Business Days (or such later date and time as such L/C Issuer may agree in a particular instance in its sole discretion) prior to the proposed issuance date or date of amendment, as the case may be. In the case of a request for an initial issuance of a Letter of Credit, such Letter of Credit Application shall specify in form and detail satisfactory to such L/C Issuer: (A) the proposed issuance date of the requested Letter of Credit (which shall be a Business Day); (B) the amount thereof; (C) the expiry date thereof; (D) the name and address of the beneficiary thereof; (E) the documents to be presented by such beneficiary in case of any drawing thereunder; (F) the full text of any certificate to be presented by such beneficiary in case of any drawing thereunder; and (G) such other matters as such L/C Issuer may require. In the case of a request for an amendment of any outstanding Letter of Credit, such Letter of Credit Application shall specify in form and detail satisfactory to the an L/C Issuer (A) the Letter of Credit to be amended; (B) the proposed date of amendment thereof (which shall be a Business Day); (C) the nature of the proposed amendment; and (D) such other matters as such L/C Issuer may require.

(ii) Promptly after receipt of any Letter of Credit Application, the applicable L/C Issuer will confirm with the Administrative Agent (by telephone or in writing) that the Administrative Agent has received a copy of such Letter of Credit Application from the Borrower and, if not, the Borrower will provide the Administrative Agent with a copy thereof upon the Administrative Agent’s request therefor. Unless such L/C Issuer has received written notice from any Lender, the Administrative Agent or the Borrower, at least one Business Day prior to the requested date of issuance or amendment of the applicable Letter of Credit, that one or more applicable conditions contained in Article IV shall not be satisfied, then, upon receipt by such L/C Issuer of confirmation from the Administrative Agent that the requested issuance or amendment is permitted in accordance with the terms hereof, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, such L/C Issuer shall, on the requested date, issue a Letter of Credit for the account of the Borrower or enter into the applicable amendment, as the case may be, in each case in accordance with such L/C Issuer’s usual and customary business practices. Immediately upon the issuance of each Letter of Credit, each Lender shall be deemed to, and hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees to, purchase from such L/C Issuer a risk participation in such Letter of Credit in an amount equal to the product of such Lender’s Pro Rata Share times the amount of such Letter of Credit.

 

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(iii) If the Borrower so requests in any applicable Letter of Credit Application, the applicable L/C Issuer may, in its sole and absolute discretion, agree to issue a Letter of Credit that has automatic extension provisions (each, an “ Auto-Extension Letter of Credit ”); provided that any such Auto-Extension Letter of Credit must permit such L/C Issuer to prevent any such extension at least once in each twelve-month period (commencing with the date of issuance of such Letter of Credit) by giving prior notice to the beneficiary thereof not later than a day (the “ Non-Extension Notice Date ”) in each such twelve-month period to be agreed upon at the time such Letter of Credit is issued. Unless otherwise directed by such L/C Issuer, the Borrower shall not be required to make a specific request to such L/C Issuer for any such extension. Once an Auto-Extension Letter of Credit has been issued, the Lenders shall be deemed to have authorized (but may not require) the applicable L/C Issuer to permit the extension of such Letter of Credit at any time to an expiry date not later than the Letter of Credit Expiration Date; provided, however, that such L/C Issuer shall not permit any such extension if (A) such L/C Issuer has determined that it would not be permitted, or would have no obligation, at such time to issue such Letter of Credit in its revised form (as extended) under the terms hereof (by reason of the provisions of Section 2.03(a) or otherwise), or (B) it has received notice (which may be by telephone or in writing) on or before the day that is seven Business Days before the Non-Extension Notice Date (1) from the Administrative Agent that the Required Lenders have elected not to permit such extension or (2) from the Administrative Agent, any Lender or the Borrower that one or more of the applicable conditions specified in Section 4.02 is not then satisfied and in each such case directing such L/C Issuer not to permit such extension.

(iv) Promptly after its delivery of any Letter of Credit or any amendment to a Letter of Credit to an advising bank with respect thereto or to the beneficiary thereof, the applicable L/C Issuer will also deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent a true and complete copy of such Letter of Credit or amendment or a report containing information with respect thereto including the face amount of such Letter of Credit, the date of issuance or amendment and such other information as may be required by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall give the Lenders notice of the issuance of any Letter of Credit and any amendment thereto.

(c) Drawings and Reimbursements; Funding of Participations .

(i) Upon receipt from the beneficiary of any Letter of Credit of any notice of a drawing under such Letter of Credit, the applicable L/C Issuer shall notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent thereof. The Borrower shall reimburse such L/C Issuer through the Administrative Agent by paying an amount equal to the amount of any drawing under a Letter of Credit not later than (A) if the Borrower shall have received notice of such drawing prior to 10:00 a.m. on any Business Day, then 2:00 p.m. on such Business Day or (B) otherwise, 11:00 a.m. on the Business Day immediately following the day that the Borrower receives such notice (each such date for reimbursement, a “ Reimbursement Date ”). If the Borrower fails to so reimburse such L/C Issuer by such time, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Lender of the Reimbursement Date, the amount of the unreimbursed drawing (the “ Unreimbursed Amount ”), and the amount of such Lender’s Pro Rata Share thereof. In such event, the Borrower shall be deemed to have requested a Borrowing of Base Rate Loans to be disbursed on the Reimbursement Date in an amount equal to the Unreimbursed Amount, without regard to the minimum and multiples specified in Section 2.02 for the principal amount of Base Rate Loans, but subject to the amount of the unutilized portion of the Aggregate Commitment and the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 (other than the delivery of a Loan Notice). Any notice given by an L/C Issuer or the Administrative Agent pursuant to this Section 2.03(c)(i) may be given by telephone if immediately confirmed in writing; provided that the lack of such an immediate confirmation shall not affect the conclusiveness or binding effect of such notice.

 

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(ii) Each Lender (including the Lender acting as the applicable L/C Issuer) shall upon any notice pursuant to Section 2.03(c)(i) make funds available to the Administrative Agent for the account of such L/C Issuer at the Administrative Agent’s Office in an amount equal to its Pro Rata Share of the Unreimbursed Amount not later than 1:00 p.m. on the Business Day specified in such notice by the Administrative Agent, whereupon, subject to the provisions of Section 2.03(c)(iii) , each Lender that so makes funds available shall be deemed to have made a Base Rate Loan to the Borrower in such amount. The Administrative Agent shall remit the funds so received to such L/C Issuer.

(iii) With respect to any Unreimbursed Amount that is not fully refinanced by a Borrowing of Base Rate Loans because the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 cannot be satisfied or for any other reason, the Borrower shall be deemed to have incurred from the applicable L/C Issuer an L/C Borrowing in the amount of the Unreimbursed Amount that is not so refinanced, which L/C Borrowing shall be due and payable on demand (together with interest) and shall bear interest at the Default Rate. In such event, each Lender’s payment to the Administrative Agent for the account of such L/C Issuer pursuant to Section 2.03(c)(ii) shall be deemed payment in respect of its participation in such L/C Borrowing and shall constitute an L/C Advance from such Lender in satisfaction of its participation obligation under this Section 2.03 .

(iv) Until each Lender funds its Loan or L/C Advance pursuant to this Section 2.03(c) to reimburse the applicable L/C Issuer for any amount drawn under any Letter of Credit, interest in respect of such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of such amount shall be solely for the account of such L/C Issuer.

(v) Each Lender’s obligation to make Loans or L/C Advances to reimburse an L/C Issuer for amounts drawn under Letters of Credit, as contemplated by this Section 2.03(c) , shall be absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance, including (A) any set-off, counterclaim, recoupment, defense or other right which such Lender may have against such L/C Issuer, the Borrower or any other Person for any reason whatsoever; (B) the occurrence or continuance of a Default; (C) any lack of validity or enforceability of such Letter of Credit, this Agreement, or any other agreement or instrument relating thereto; (D) the existence of any claim, counterclaim, set-off, defense or other right that such Lender may have at any time against any beneficiary or any transferee of such Letter of Credit (or any Person for whom any such beneficiary or any such transferee may be acting), such L/C Issuer or any other Person, whether in connection with this Agreement, the transactions contemplated hereby or by such Letter of Credit or any agreement or instrument relating thereto, or any unrelated transaction; (E) any draft, demand, certificate or other document presented under such Letter of Credit proving to be forged, fraudulent, invalid or insufficient in any respect or any statement therein being untrue or inaccurate in any respect; or any loss or delay in the transmission or otherwise of any document required in order to make a drawing under such Letter of Credit; (F) any payment by such L/C Issuer under such Letter of Credit against presentation of a draft or certificate that does not comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit; or any payment made by such L/C Issuer under such Letter of Credit to any Person purporting to be a trustee in bankruptcy, debtor-in-possession, assignee for the benefit of creditors, liquidator, receiver or other representative of or successor to any beneficiary or any transferee of such Letter of Credit, including any arising in connection with any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law; or (G) any other occurrence, event or condition, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing; provided , however , that each Lender’s obligation to make Loans pursuant to this Section 2.03(c) is subject to the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 (other than delivery by the Borrower of a Loan Notice). No such making of an L/C Advance shall relieve or otherwise impair the obligation of the Borrower to reimburse an L/C Issuer for the amount of any payment made by such L/C Issuer under any Letter of Credit, together with interest as provided herein.

(vi) If any Lender fails to make available to the Administrative Agent for the account of any L/C Issuer any amount required to be paid by such Lender pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.03(c) by the time specified in Section 2.03(c)(ii) , such L/C

 

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Issuer shall be entitled to recover from such Lender (acting through the Administrative Agent), on demand, such amount with interest thereon for the period from the date such payment is required to the date on which such payment is immediately available to such L/C Issuer at a rate per annum equal to the greater of the Federal Funds Effective Rate and a rate determined by such L/C Issuer in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation, plus any administrative, processing or similar fees customarily charged by such L/C Issuer in connection with the foregoing. If such Lender pays such amount (with interest and fees as aforesaid), the amount so paid shall constitute such Lender’s Loan included in the relevant Borrowing or L/C Advance in respect of the relevant L/C Borrowing, as the case may be. A certificate of any L/C Issuer submitted to any Lender (through the Administrative Agent) with respect to any amounts owing under this clause (vi) shall be conclusive absent manifest error.

(d) Repayment of Participations .

(i) At any time after an L/C Issuer has made a payment under any Letter of Credit and has received from any Lender such Lender’s L/C Advance in respect of such payment in accordance with Section 2.03(c) , if the Administrative Agent receives for the account of such L/C Issuer any payment in respect of the related Unreimbursed Amount or interest thereon (whether directly from the Borrower or otherwise, including proceeds of Cash Collateral applied thereto by the Administrative Agent), the Administrative Agent will distribute to such Lender its Pro Rata Share thereof (appropriately adjusted, in the case of interest payments, to reflect the period of time during which such Lender’s L/C Advance was outstanding) in the same funds as those received by the Administrative Agent.

(ii) If any payment received by the Administrative Agent for the account of an L/C Issuer pursuant to Section 2.03(c)(i)  is required to be returned under any of the circumstances described in Section 10.06 (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by such L/C Issuer in its discretion), each Lender shall pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of such L/C Issuer its Pro Rata Share thereof on demand of the Administrative Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such amount is paid by such Lender, at a rate per annum equal to the Federal Funds Effective Rate from time to time in effect.

(e) Obligations Absolute . The obligation of the Borrower to reimburse each L/C Issuer for each drawing under each Letter of Credit and to repay each L/C Borrowing shall be absolute, unconditional and irrevocable, and shall be paid strictly in accordance with the terms of this Agreement under all circumstances, including the following:

(i) any lack of validity or enforceability of such Letter of Credit, this Agreement, or any other agreement or instrument relating thereto;

(ii) the existence of any claim, counterclaim, set-off, defense or other right that the Borrower may have at any time against any beneficiary or any transferee of such Letter of Credit (or any Person for whom any such beneficiary or any such transferee may be acting), such L/C Issuer or any other Person, whether in connection with this Agreement, the transactions contemplated hereby or by such Letter of Credit or any agreement or instrument relating thereto, or any unrelated transaction;

(iii) any draft, demand, certificate or other document presented under such Letter of Credit proving to be forged, fraudulent, invalid or insufficient in any respect or any statement therein being untrue or inaccurate in any respect; or any loss or delay in the transmission or otherwise of any document required in order to make a drawing under such Letter of Credit;

(iv) any payment by such L/C Issuer under such Letter of Credit against presentation of a draft or certificate that does not comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit; or any payment made by such L/C Issuer under such Letter of Credit to any Person purporting to be a trustee in bankruptcy, debtor-in-possession, assignee for the benefit of creditors, liquidator, receiver or other representative of or successor to any beneficiary or any transferee of such Letter of Credit, including any arising in connection with any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law; or

 

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(v) any other circumstance or happening whatsoever, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing, including any other circumstance that might otherwise constitute a defense available to, or a discharge of, the Borrower.

The Borrower shall promptly examine a copy of each Letter of Credit and each amendment thereto that is delivered to it and, in the event of any claim of noncompliance with the Borrower’s instructions or other irregularity, the Borrower will immediately notify the applicable L/C Issuer. The Borrower shall be conclusively deemed to have waived any such claim against such L/C Issuer and its correspondents unless such notice is given as aforesaid.

(f) Role of L/C Issuers . Each Lender and the Borrower agree that, in paying any drawing under a Letter of Credit, the applicable L/C Issuer shall not have any responsibility to obtain any document (other than any sight draft, certificates and documents expressly required by the Letter of Credit) or to ascertain or inquire as to the validity or accuracy of any such document or the authority of the Person executing or delivering any such document. None of any L/C Issuer, any Agent-Related Person, nor any of the respective correspondents, participants or assignees of any L/C Issuer shall be liable to any Lender for (i) any action taken or omitted in connection herewith at the request or with the approval of the Lenders or the Required Lenders, as applicable; (ii) any action taken or omitted in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct; or (iii) the due execution, effectiveness, validity or enforceability of any document or instrument related to any Letter of Credit or Letter of Credit Application. The Borrower hereby assumes all risks of the acts or omissions of any beneficiary or transferee with respect to its use of any Letter of Credit; provided , however , that this assumption is not intended to, and shall not, preclude the Borrower’s pursuing such rights and remedies as it may have against the beneficiary or transferee at law or under any other agreement. None of any L/C Issuer, any Agent-Related Person, any Lender, nor any of the respective correspondents, participants or assignees of any L/C Issuer, shall be liable or responsible to the Borrower for any of the matters described in clauses (i)  through (v)  of Section 2.03(e) ; provided, however, that anything in such clauses to the contrary notwithstanding, the Borrower may have a claim against an L/C Issuer, and such L/C Issuer may be liable to the Borrower, to the extent, but only to the extent, of any direct, as opposed to special, indirect, consequential, punitive or exemplary, damages suffered by the Borrower which damages have been determined by a final non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction to have been caused by such L/C Issuer’s willful misconduct or gross negligence. In furtherance and not in limitation of the foregoing, each L/C Issuer may accept documents that appear on their face to be in order, without responsibility for further investigation, regardless of any notice or information to the contrary, and such L/C Issuer shall not be responsible for the validity or sufficiency of any instrument transferring or assigning or purporting to transfer or assign a Letter of Credit or the rights or benefits thereunder or proceeds thereof, in whole or in part, which may prove to be invalid or ineffective for any reason.

(g) Applicability of ISP . Unless otherwise expressly agreed by the applicable L/C Issuer and the Borrower when a Letter of Credit is issued (including any such agreement applicable to an Existing Letter of Credit), the rules of the “International Standby Practices 1998” published by the Institute of International Banking Law & Practice (or such later version thereof as may be in effect at the time of issuance) (the “ ISP ”) shall apply to each standby Letter of Credit.

(h) Letter of Credit Fees . The Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Lender in accordance with its Pro Rata Share a Letter of Credit fee for each Letter of Credit equal to the Applicable Rate times the daily maximum amount available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit (whether or not such maximum amount is then in effect under such Letter of Credit). Such Letter of Credit fees shall be computed on a quarterly basis in arrears. Such Letter of Credit fees shall be due and payable quarterly in arrears on the first Business Day of each January, April, July and October, commencing with the first such date to occur after the issuance of such Letter of Credit, on the Letter of Credit Expiration Date and thereafter on demand. If there is any change in the Applicable Rate during any quarter, the daily maximum amount of each Letter of Credit shall be computed and multiplied by the Applicable Rate separately for each period during such quarter that such Applicable Rate was in effect.

 

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(i) Fronting Fee and Documentary and Processing Charges Payable to L/C Issuers . The Borrower shall pay directly to each L/C Issuer for its own account (A) a fronting fee with respect to each Letter of Credit issued by such L/C Issuer equal to 0.125% per annum times the daily maximum amount available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit (whether or not such maximum amount is then in effect under such Letter of Credit); provided that in no event shall such fee be less than $500 during any quarter, and (B) customary fees for the issuance, presentation, amendment and other processing of Letters of Credit, and other standard costs and charges of such L/C Issuer relating to Letters of Credit as from time to time in effect. The fees pursuant to clause (A) shall be computed on a quarterly basis in arrears and shall be due and payable quarterly in arrears on the first Business Day of each January, April, July and October, commencing with the first such date to occur after the issuance of such Letter of Credit, on the Letter of Credit Expiration Date and thereafter on demand. The fees pursuant to clause (B) are due and payable on demand and are nonrefundable.

(j) Conflict with Letter of Credit Application . In the event of any conflict between the terms hereof and the terms of any Letter of Credit Application, the terms hereof shall control.

2.04 Swing Line Loans .

(a) The Swing Line . Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Swing Line Lender agrees, in reliance upon the agreements of the other Lenders set forth in this Section 2.04 , to make loans (each such loan, a “ Swing Line Loan ”) to the Borrower from time to time on any Business Day during the Availability Period in an aggregate amount not to exceed at any time outstanding the amount of the Swing Line Sublimit; provided , however, that after giving effect to any Swing Line Loan, (i) the Outstanding Amount of all Swing Line Loans made by each Swing Line Lender shall not exceed $20,000,000, (ii) the Outstanding Amount of all outstanding Swing Line Loans shall not exceed the Swing Line Sublimit, (iii) the Total Outstandings shall not exceed the Aggregate Commitment, and (iv) the aggregate Outstanding Amount of the Loans of any Lender, plus such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations, plus such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Outstanding Amount of all Swing Line Loans shall not exceed such Lender’s Commitment, and provided , further , that the Borrower shall not use the proceeds of any Swing Line Loan to refinance any outstanding Swing Line Loan. Within the foregoing limits, and subject to the other terms and conditions hereof, the Borrower may borrow under this Section 2.04 , prepay under Section 2.05 , and reborrow under this Section 2.04 . Each Swing Line Loan will be a Base Rate Loan. Immediately upon the making of a Swing Line Loan, each Lender shall be deemed to, and hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees to, purchase from the applicable Swing Line Lender a risk participation in such Swing Line Loan in an amount equal to the product of such Lender’s Pro Rata Share times the amount of such Swing Line Loan.

(b) Borrowing Procedures . Each Swing Line Borrowing shall be made upon the Borrower’s irrevocable notice to each applicable Swing Line Lender and the Administrative Agent, which may be given by telephone. Each such notice must be received by each such Swing Line Lender and the Administrative Agent not later than 2:00 p.m. on the requested borrowing date, and shall specify (i) the Swing Line Lender or the Swing Line Lenders that are requested to provide the requested Swing Line Borrowing, (ii) the amount to be borrowed from each such Swing Line Lender, which, in each case, shall be a minimum of $100,000 and (iii) the requested borrowing date, which shall be a Business Day. Each such telephonic notice must be confirmed promptly by delivery to each such Swing Line Lender and the Administrative Agent of a written Swing Line Loan Notice, appropriately completed and signed by or on behalf of the Borrower. Promptly after receipt by each such Swing Line Lender of any telephonic Swing Line Loan Notice, each such Swing Line Lender will confirm with the Administrative Agent (by telephone or in writing) that the Administrative Agent has also received such Swing Line Loan Notice and, if not, each such Swing Line Lender will notify the Administrative Agent (by telephone or in writing) of the contents thereof. Unless a Swing Line Lender has received notice (by telephone or in writing) from the Administrative Agent (including at the request of any Lender) prior to 3:00 p.m. on the date of the proposed Swing Line Borrowing (A) directing such Swing Line Lender not to make such Swing Line Loan as a result of the limitations set forth in the proviso to the first sentence of Section 2.04(a) , or (B) that one or more of the applicable conditions specified in Section 4.02 is not then satisfied, then, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, such Swing Line Lender will, not later than 4:00 p.m. on the borrowing date specified in such Swing Line Loan Notice, make the amount of its Swing Line Loan available to the Borrower.

 

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(c) Refinancing of Swing Line Loans .

(i) Each Swing Line Lender at any time in its sole and absolute discretion may request, on behalf of the Borrower (which hereby irrevocably authorizes the Swing Line Lender to so request on its behalf), that each Lender make a Base Rate Loan in an amount equal to such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the amount of Swing Line Loans made by such Swing Line Lender then outstanding. Such request shall be made in writing (which written request shall be deemed to be a Loan Notice for a Loan for purposes hereof) and in accordance with the requirements of Section 2.02 , without regard to the minimum and multiples specified therein for the principal amount of Base Rate Loans, but subject to the unutilized portion of the Aggregate Commitment and the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 . Such Swing Line Lender shall furnish the Borrower with a copy of the applicable Loan Notice promptly after delivering such notice to the Administrative Agent. Each Lender shall make an amount equal to its Pro Rata Share of the amount specified in such Loan Notice available to the Administrative Agent in immediately available funds for the account of such Swing Line Lender at the Administrative Agent’s Office for Dollar-denominated payments not later than 1:00 p.m. on the day specified in such Loan Notice, whereupon, subject to Section 2.04(c)(ii) , each Lender that so makes funds available shall be deemed to have made a Base Rate Loan to the Borrower in such amount. The Administrative Agent shall remit the funds so received to such Swing Line Lender.

(ii) If for any reason any Swing Line Loan cannot be refinanced by such a Borrowing in accordance with  Section 2.04(c)(i) , the request for Base Rate Loans submitted by a Swing Line Lender as set forth herein shall be deemed to be a request by such Swing Line Lender that each of the Lenders fund its risk participation in the relevant Swing Line Loan and each Lender’s payment to the Administrative Agent for the account of such Swing Line Lender pursuant to  Section 2.04(c)(i) shall be deemed payment in respect of such participation.

(iii) If any Lender fails to make available to the Administrative Agent for the account of a Swing Line Lender any amount required to be paid by such Lender pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.04(c) by the time specified in Section 2.04(c)(i) , such Swing Line Lender shall be entitled to recover from such Lender (acting through the Administrative Agent), on demand, such amount with interest thereon for the period from the date such payment is required to the date on which such payment is immediately available to such Swing Line Lender at a rate per annum equal to the greater of the Federal Funds Effective Rate and a rate determined by such Swing Line Lender in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation. A certificate of a Swing Line Lender submitted to any Lender (through the Administrative Agent) with respect to any amounts owing under this clause (iii)  shall be conclusive absent manifest error.

(iv) Each Lender’s obligation to make Loans or to purchase and fund risk participations in Swing Line Loans pursuant to this Section 2.04(c) shall be absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance, including (A) any setoff, counterclaim, recoupment, defense or other right which such Lender may have against any Swing Line Lender, the Borrower or any other Person for any reason whatsoever, (B) the occurrence or continuance of a Default, or (C) any other occurrence, event or condition, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing; provided , however , that each Lender’s obligation to make Loans pursuant to this Section 2.04(c) is subject to the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 . No such funding of risk participations shall relieve or otherwise impair the obligation of the Borrower to repay Swing Line Loans, together with interest as provided herein.

(d) Repayment of Participations .

(i) At any time after any Lender has purchased and funded a risk participation in a Swing Line Loan, if the applicable Swing Line Lender receives any payment on account of such Swing Line Loan, such Swing Line Lender will distribute to such Lender its Pro Rata Share thereof in the same funds as those received by such Swing Line Lender.

(ii) If any payment received by a Swing Line Lender in respect of principal or interest on any Swing Line Loan is required to be returned by such Swing Line Lender under any

 

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of the circumstances described in Section 10.06 (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by such Swing Line Lender in its discretion), each Lender shall pay to such Swing Line Lender its Pro Rata Share thereof on demand of the Administrative Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such amount is returned, at a rate per annum equal to the Federal Funds Effective Rate. The Administrative Agent will make such demand upon the request of a Swing Line Lender. The obligations of the Lenders under this clause shall survive the payment in full of the Obligations and the termination of this Agreement.

(e) Interest for Account of Swing Line Lender . Each Swing Line Lender shall be responsible for invoicing the Borrower for interest on the Swing Line Loans made by such Swing Line Lender. Until each Lender funds its Loan or risk participation pursuant to this Section 2.04 to refinance such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of any Swing Line Loan, interest in respect of such Pro Rata Share shall be solely for the account of the applicable Swing Line Lender.

(f) Payments Directly to Swing Line Lender . The Borrower shall make all payments of principal and interest in respect of Swing Line Loans made by each Swing Line Lender directly to such Swing Line Lender.

2.05 Prepayments .

(a) The Borrower may, upon notice to the Administrative Agent, at any time or from time to time voluntarily prepay Loans in whole or in part without premium or penalty; provided that (i) such notice must be received by the Administrative Agent not later than 12:00 noon (A) three Business Days prior to any date of prepayment of Eurodollar Rate Loans and (B) on the date of prepayment of Base Rate Loans; (ii) any prepayment of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $500,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof, and (iii) any prepayment of Base Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $500,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof or, in each case, if less, the entire principal amount thereof then outstanding. Each such notice shall specify (x) the date and amount of such prepayment and (y) the Type(s) of Loans to be prepaid. The Administrative Agent will promptly notify each Lender, as the case may be, of its receipt of each such notice, and of the amount of such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of such prepayment. If such notice is given by the Borrower, the Borrower shall make such prepayment and the payment amount specified in such notice shall be due and payable on the date specified therein; provided that, a notice of prepayment of all outstanding Loans may state that such notice is conditioned upon the effectiveness of other credit facilities or any incurrence or issuance of debt or equity or the occurrence of any other transaction, in which case such notice may be revoked, subject to Section 3.05 , by the Borrower (by notice to the Administrative Agent on or prior to the specified effective date) if such condition is not satisfied. Any prepayment of Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be accompanied by all accrued interest thereon, together with any additional amounts required pursuant to Section 3.05 . Each such prepayment shall be applied to the Loans in accordance with the Lenders’ Pro Rata Shares.

(b) The Borrower may, upon notice to the applicable Swing Line Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), at any time or from time to time, voluntarily prepay Swing Line Loans made by such Swing Line Lender in whole or in part without premium or penalty; provided that (i) such notice must be received by such Swing Line Lender and the Administrative Agent not later than 2:00 p.m. on the date of the prepayment, and (ii) any such prepayment shall be in a minimum principal amount of $100,000. Each such notice shall specify the date and amount of such prepayment. If such notice is given by the Borrower, the Borrower shall make such prepayment and the payment amount specified in such notice shall be due and payable on the date specified therein.

(c) If for any reason the Total Outstandings at any time exceed the Aggregate Commitment then in effect, the Borrower shall immediately prepay Loans and/or Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations in an aggregate amount equal to such excess; provided, however, that the Borrower shall not be required to Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations pursuant to this Section 2.05(c) unless after the prepayment in full of the Loans, the Total Outstandings exceed the Aggregate Commitment then in effect.

2.06 Termination or Reduction of Commitments . The Borrower may, upon notice to the Administrative Agent, terminate the Aggregate Commitment, or from time to time permanently reduce the Aggregate Commitments; provided that (i) any such notice shall be received by the Administrative Agent not later

 

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than 12:00 noon three Business Days prior to the date of termination or reduction, (ii) any such partial reduction shall be in an aggregate amount of $10,000,000 or any whole multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof, (iii) the Borrower shall not terminate or reduce the Aggregate Commitment if, after giving effect thereto and to any concurrent prepayments hereunder, the Total Outstandings would exceed the Aggregate Commitment, and (iv) if, after giving effect to any reduction of the Aggregate Commitment, the Letter of Credit Sublimit or the Swing Line Sublimit exceeds the amount of the Aggregate Commitment, such Letter of Credit Sublimit or such Swing Line Sublimit shall be automatically reduced by the amount of such excess; provided further that, a notice of termination of the Aggregate Commitment may state that such notice is conditioned upon the effectiveness of other credit facilities or any incurrence or issuance of debt or equity or the occurrence of any other transaction, in which case such notice may be revoked, subject to Section 3.05 , by the Borrower (by notice to the Administrative Agent on or prior to the specified effective date) if such condition is not satisfied. The Administrative Agent will promptly notify the Lenders of any such notice of termination or reduction of the Aggregate Commitment. Any reduction of the Aggregate Commitment shall be applied to the Commitment of each Lender according to its Pro Rata Share. All commitment fees accrued until the effective date of any termination of the Aggregate Commitment shall be paid on the effective date of such termination.

2.07 Repayment of Loans .

(a) The Borrower shall repay to the Lenders on the Maturity Date the aggregate principal amount of Loans outstanding on such date.

(b) The Borrower shall repay each Swing Line Loan on the earlier to occur of (i) the date ten Business Days after such Swing Line Loan is made and (ii) the Maturity Date; provided that on each date that a Borrowing (other than a Swing Line Borrowing) is made, the Borrower shall repay all Swing Line Loans then outstanding and the proceeds of any such Borrowing shall be applied by the Administrative Agent to prepay all Swing Line Loans then outstanding on a pro rata basis.

2.08 Interest .

(a) Subject to the provisions of Section 2.08(b) below, (i) each Eurodollar Rate Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof for each Interest Period at a rate per annum equal to the Adjusted Eurodollar Rate for such Interest Period plus the Applicable Rate; (ii) each Base Rate Loan (other than Swing Line Loans) shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof from the applicable borrowing date at a rate per annum equal to the Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate and (iii) each Swing Line Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof from the applicable borrowing date at a rate per annum equal to the Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate.

(b) While any Event of Default exists, the Borrower shall (i) automatically, in the case of an Event of Default under any of Sections 8.01(a) , (f)  or (g)  or (ii) upon the request of the Required Lenders, in the case of any other Event of Default, pay interest on the principal amount of all outstanding Obligations hereunder at a fluctuating interest rate per annum equal to the Default Rate, in each case to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws. Accrued and unpaid interest on past due amounts (including interest on past due interest) shall be due and payable upon demand.

(c) Interest on each Loan shall be due and payable in arrears on each Interest Payment Date applicable thereto and at such other times as may be specified herein. Interest hereunder shall be due and payable in accordance with the terms hereof before and after judgment, and before and after the commencement of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law.

2.09 Fees .

(a) Commitment Fee . The Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Lender in accordance with its Pro Rata Share, a commitment fee equal to the Applicable Rate times the actual daily amount by which the Aggregate Commitment exceeds the sum of (y) the Outstanding Amount of Loans and (z) the Outstanding Amount of L/C Obligations, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 2.16 . For the

 

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avoidance of doubt, the Outstanding Amount of Swing Line Loans shall not be counted towards or considered usage of the Aggregate Commitment for purposes of determining the commitment fee. The commitment fee shall accrue at all times during the Availability Period, including at any time during which one or more of the conditions in Section 4.02 is not met, and shall be due and payable quarterly in arrears on the first Business Day of each January, April, July and October, commencing with the first such date to occur after the Closing Date, and on the Maturity Date (and, if applicable, thereafter on demand). The commitment fee shall be calculated quarterly in arrears, and if there is any change in the Applicable Rate during any quarter, the actual daily amount shall be computed and multiplied by the Applicable Rate separately (but not invoiced separately) for each period during such quarter that such Applicable Rate was in effect.

(b) Other Fees . The Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent and/or the Lenders, as applicable, such other fees as may be set forth herein (including those set forth in Section 2.03(h) and 2.03(i) ) or as shall have been separately agreed upon in writing (including pursuant to the Fee Letters) in the amounts and at the times so specified. Such fees shall be fully earned when paid and shall not be refundable for any reason whatsoever.

2.10 Computation of Interest and Fees; Retroactive Adjustments of Applicable Rate .

(a) All computations of interest for Base Rate Loans based on the prime commercial lending rate of the Administrative Agent shall be made on the basis of a year of 365 or 366 days, as the case may be, and actual days elapsed. All other computations of fees and interest shall be made on the basis of a 360-day year and actual days elapsed (which results in more fees or interest, as applicable, being paid than if computed on the basis of a 365-day year). Interest shall accrue on each Loan for the day on which the Loan is made, and shall not accrue on a Loan, or any portion thereof, for the day on which the Loan or such portion is paid, provided that any Loan that is repaid on the same day on which it is made shall, subject to Section 2.12(a) , bear interest for one day.

(b) If, as a result of any restatement of or other adjustment to the financial statements of the Parent or for any other reason, the Parent or the Required Lenders determine that (i) the Consolidated Leverage Ratio as calculated by the Parent as of any applicable date was inaccurate and (ii) a proper calculation of the Consolidated Leverage Ratio would have resulted in higher pricing for such period, the Borrower shall immediately and retroactively be obligated to pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of the applicable Lenders (or former Lenders), promptly on demand by the Administrative Agent (or, after the occurrence of an actual or deemed entry of an order for relief with respect to the Borrower under the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, automatically and without further action by the Administrative Agent or any Lender), an amount equal to the excess of the amount of interest and fees that should have been paid for such period over the amount of interest and fees actually paid for such period. This paragraph shall not limit the rights of the Administrative Agent or any Lender, as the case may be, under Section 2.08(b) or under Article VIII . The Borrower’s obligations under this paragraph shall survive the termination of the Aggregate Commitment and the repayment of all other Obligations hereunder. The failure of any Swing Line Lender to make any Swing Line Loan required to be made by it shall not relieve any other Swing Line Lender of its obligations hereunder; provided that the commitments of the Swing Line Lenders are several and no Swing Line Lender shall be responsible for any other Swing Line Lender’s failure to make Swing Line Loans as required.

2.11 Evidence of Debt .

(a) The Credit Extensions made by each Lender, each L/C Issuer and each Swing Line Lender shall be evidenced by one or more accounts or records maintained by such Lender, such L/C Issuer or such Swing Line Lender and by the Administrative Agent in the ordinary course of business. The accounts or records maintained by the Administrative Agent, each Swing Line Lender, each L/C Issuer and each Lender shall be prima facie evidence of the amount of the Credit Extensions made by the Lenders, the L/C Issuers and the Swing Line Lenders to the Borrower and the interest and payments thereon. Any failure to so record or any error in doing so shall not, however, limit or otherwise affect the obligation of the Borrower hereunder to pay any amount owing with respect to the Obligations. In the event of any conflict between the accounts and records maintained by any Lender and the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent in respect of such matters, the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent shall control in the absence of manifest error. Upon the request of any Lender made through the Administrative Agent, the Borrower shall execute and deliver to such Lender (through the Administrative Agent) a Revolving Note which shall evidence such Lender’s Loans in addition to such accounts or records. Upon the

 

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request of any Swing Line Lender to the Borrower, the Borrower shall execute and deliver to such Swing Line Lender a Swing Line Note, which shall evidence the applicable Swing Line Loans made by such Swing Line Lender to the Borrower in addition to such accounts or records. Each Lender and each Swing Line Lender may attach schedules to its Revolving Note or its Swing Line Note, as applicable, and endorse thereon the date, Type (if applicable), amount and maturity of its Loans and payments with respect thereto.

(b) In addition to the accounts and records referred to in Section 2.11(a) , each Lender and the Administrative Agent shall maintain in accordance with its usual practice accounts or records evidencing the purchases and sales by such Lender of participations in Letters of Credit and Swing Line Loans. In the event of any conflict between the accounts and records maintained by the Administrative Agent and the accounts and records of any Lender in respect of such matters, the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent shall control in the absence of manifest error.

2.12 Payments Generally .

(a) All payments to be made by the Borrower shall be made without condition or deduction for any counterclaim, defense, recoupment or setoff. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all payments by the Borrower hereunder shall be made to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the respective Lenders to which such payment is owed, at the Administrative Agent’s Office in Dollars and in immediately available funds not later than 2:00 p.m. on the date specified herein. The Administrative Agent will promptly distribute to each Lender its Pro Rata Share (or other applicable share as provided herein) of such payment in like funds as received by wire transfer to such Lender’s Lending Office. All payments received by the Administrative Agent after 2:00 p.m. shall be deemed received on the next succeeding Business Day and any applicable interest or fee shall continue to accrue.

(b) If any payment to be made by the Borrower shall come due on a day other than a Business Day, payment shall be made on the next following Business Day, and such extension of time shall be reflected in computing interest or fees, as the case may be.

(c) (i) Unless the Borrower has notified the Administrative Agent, prior to the date any payment is required to be made by it to the Administrative Agent or any L/C Issuer hereunder, that the Borrower will not make such payment, the Administrative Agent may assume that the Borrower has timely made such payment and may (but shall not be so required to), in reliance thereon, make available a corresponding amount to the Person entitled thereto. If and to the extent that such payment was not in fact made to the Administrative Agent in immediately available funds, then each of the Lenders or such L/C Issuer, as the case may be, shall forthwith on demand repay to the Administrative Agent the portion of such assumed payment that was made available to such Lender or such L/C Issuer in immediately available funds, together with interest thereon in respect of each day from and including the date such amount was made available by the Administrative Agent to such Lender or such L/C Issuer to the date such amount is repaid to the Administrative Agent in immediately available funds at the greater of the Federal Funds Effective Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation.

(ii) Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the proposed date of any Borrowing of Eurodollar Rate Loans (or, in the case of any Borrowing of Loans accruing interest at the Base Rate, prior to 1:00 p.m. on the date of such Borrowing) that such Lender will not make available to the Administrative Agent such Lender’s share of such Borrowing, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such share available on such date in accordance with Section 2.02 (or, in the case of a Borrowing of Base Rate Loans, that such Lender has made such share available in accordance with and at the time required by Section 2.02 ) and may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to the Borrower a corresponding amount. In such event, if a Lender has not in fact made its share of the applicable Borrowing available to the Administrative Agent, then the applicable Lender and the Borrower severally agree to pay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount in immediately available funds with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is made available to the Borrower to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at (A) in the case of a payment to be made by such Lender, the greater of the Federal Funds Effective Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance

 

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with banking industry rules on interbank compensation plus any administrative, processing or similar fees customarily charged by the Administrative Agent in connection with the foregoing, and (B) in the case of a payment to be made by the Borrower, the interest rate applicable to Base Rate Loans. If the Borrower and such Lender shall pay such interest to the Administrative Agent for the same or an overlapping period, the Administrative Agent shall promptly remit to the Borrower the amount of such interest paid by the Borrower for such period. If such Lender pays its share of the applicable Borrowing to the Administrative Agent, then the amount so paid shall constitute such Lender’s Loan included in such Borrowing. Any payment by the Borrower shall be without prejudice to any claim the Borrower may have against a Lender that shall have failed to make such payment to the Administrative Agent.

A notice of the Administrative Agent to any Lender or the Borrower with respect to any amount owing under this Section 2.12(c)  shall be conclusive, absent manifest error.

(d) If any Lender makes available to the Administrative Agent funds for any Loan to be made by such Lender as provided in the foregoing provisions of this Article II , and such funds are not made available to the Borrower by the Administrative Agent because the conditions to the applicable Credit Extension set forth in Article IV are not satisfied or waived in accordance with the terms hereof, the Administrative Agent shall return such funds (in like funds as received from such Lender) to such Lender, without interest.

(e) The obligations of the Lenders hereunder to make Loans and to fund participations in Letters of Credit and Swing Line Loans are several and not joint. The failure of any Lender to make any Loan, to fund any such participation or to make any payment under Section 9.05 on any date required hereunder shall not relieve any other Lender of its corresponding obligation to do so on such date, and no Lender shall be responsible for the failure of any other Lender to so make its Loan, purchase its participation or make its payment under Section 9.05 .

(f) Nothing herein shall be deemed to obligate any Lender to obtain the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner or to constitute a representation by any Lender that it has obtained or will obtain the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner.

2.13 Sharing of Payments . If, other than as expressly provided elsewhere herein, any Lender shall obtain on account of the Loans made by it, or the participations in L/C Obligations or in Swing Line Loans held by it, any payment (whether voluntary, involuntary, through the exercise of any right of set-off, or otherwise) in excess of its ratable share (or other share contemplated hereunder) thereof, such Lender shall immediately (i) notify the Administrative Agent of such fact, and (ii) purchase from the other Lenders such participations in the Loans made by them, and/or such subparticipations in the participations in L/C Obligations and Swing Line Loans held by them, as the case may be, as shall be necessary to cause such purchasing Lender to share the excess payment in respect of such Loans or such participations, as the case may be, pro rata with each of them; provided, however, that if all or any portion of such excess payment is thereafter recovered from the purchasing Lender under any of the circumstances described in Section 10.06 (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the purchasing Lender in its discretion), such purchase shall to that extent be rescinded and each other applicable Lender shall repay to the purchasing Lender the purchase price paid therefor, without interest thereon. The Borrower agrees that any Lender so purchasing a participation from another Lender may, to the fullest extent permitted by law, exercise all its rights of payment (including the right of set-off, but subject to Section 10.09 ) with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were the direct creditor of the Borrower in the amount of such participation. The Administrative Agent will keep records (which shall be conclusive and binding in the absence of manifest error) of participations purchased under this Section and will in each case notify the Lenders following any such purchases or repayments. Each Lender that purchases a participation pursuant to this Section shall from and after such purchase have the right to give all notices, requests, demands, directions and other communications under this Agreement with respect to the portion of the Obligations purchased to the same extent as though the purchasing Lender were the original owner of the Obligations purchased.

2.14 Cash Collateral . At any time that there shall exist a Defaulting Lender, within one Business Day following the written request of the Administrative Agent, any L/C Issuer or any Swing Line Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), the Borrower shall Cash Collateralize the Fronting Exposure of the L/C Issuers and/or

 

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the Swing Line Lenders, as applicable, with respect to such Defaulting Lender (determined after giving effect to Section 2.16(a)(iv) and any Cash Collateral provided by such Defaulting Lender) in an amount not less than the Minimum Collateral Amount.

(a) Grant of Security Interest . The Borrower, and to the extent provided by any Defaulting Lender, such Defaulting Lender, hereby grants to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the L/C Issuers and the Lenders (including the Swing Line Lenders), a first priority security interest in all such Cash Collateral as security for the Defaulting Lender’s obligation to fund participations in respect of the applicable L/C Obligations and Swing Line Loans, to be applied pursuant to Section 2.14(b) below. If at any time the Administrative Agent determines that Cash Collateral is subject to any right or claim of any Person other than the Administrative Agent, any L/C Issuer and any Swing Line Lender as herein provided, or that the total amount of such Cash Collateral is less than the Minimum Collateral Amount, the Borrower will, promptly upon demand by the Administrative Agent, deliver to the Administrative Agent additional Cash Collateral in an amount sufficient to eliminate such deficiency (after giving effect to any Cash Collateral provided by the Defaulting Lender).

(b) Application . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, Cash Collateral provided under this Section 2.14 or Section 2.16 in respect of Letters of Credit and Swing Line Loans shall be applied to the satisfaction of the Defaulting Lender’s obligation to fund participations in respect of L/C Obligations and Swing Line Loans (including, as to Cash Collateral provided by a Defaulting Lender, any interest accrued on such obligation) for which the Cash Collateral was so provided, prior to any other application of such property as may otherwise be provided for herein.

(c) Termination of Requirement . Cash Collateral (or the appropriate portion thereof) provided to reduce the Fronting Exposure of the L/C Issuers and/or the Swing Line Lenders, as applicable, shall no longer be required to be held as Cash Collateral pursuant to this Section 2.14 following (i) the elimination of the applicable Fronting Exposure (including by the termination of Defaulting Lender status of the applicable Lender), or (ii) the good faith determination by the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuers and the Swing Line Lenders that there exists excess Cash Collateral; provided that, subject to Section 2.16 , the Person providing Cash Collateral, the L/C Issuers and the Swing Line Lenders may agree that Cash Collateral shall be held to support future anticipated Fronting Exposure or other obligations; and provided further that to the extent such Cash Collateral was provided by the Borrower, such Cash Collateral shall remain subject to the security interest granted pursuant to the Loan Documents.

2.15 Increase in Aggregate Commitment .

(a) Upon notice to the Administrative Agent (which shall promptly notify the Lenders identified by the Borrower), the Borrower may from time to time during the term of this Agreement request an increase in the Aggregate Commitment to an amount not exceeding $700,000,000 (after giving effect to any such increase) at any time; provided that (i) any such request for an increase shall be in a minimum amount of $5,000,000 or a whole multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof; (ii) immediately before and after giving effect to such increase in the Aggregate Commitment, no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing and (iii) after giving to such increase in the Aggregate Commitment (including any Borrowings to be made on the Increase Effective Date), the Borrower shall be in compliance on a pro forma basis with the financial covenants set forth in Section 7.02 . At the time of sending such notice, the Borrower (in consultation with the Administrative Agent) shall specify the time period within which each applicable Lender is requested to respond (which shall in no event be less than ten Business Days from the date of delivery of such notice to the Lenders). Each Lender shall notify the Administrative Agent within such time period whether or not it agrees, in its sole discretion, to increase its Commitment and, if so, whether by an amount equal to, greater than, or less than its Pro Rata Share of such requested increase. Any Lender not responding within such time period shall be deemed to have declined to increase its Commitment. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower of the Lenders’ responses to each request made hereunder. To achieve the full amount of a requested increase, the Borrower may also invite additional Eligible Assignees (including prior to, and in lieu of, inviting Lenders) to become Lenders pursuant to a joinder agreement in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and its counsel.

(b) If the Aggregate Commitment is increased in accordance with this Section, the Administrative Agent and the Borrower shall determine the effective date (the “ Increase Effective Date ”) and the

 

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final allocation of such increase. The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Borrower and the Lenders of the final allocation of such increase and the Increase Effective Date. As a condition precedent to such increase, the Borrower shall have provided to the Administrative Agent the following, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent:

(i) copies of corporate resolutions certified by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower, or such other evidence as may be satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, demonstrating that Borrower’s incurrence of indebtedness hereunder in the amount of the Aggregate Commitment as increased pursuant to this Section 2.15 and with a maturity date of the Stated Maturity Date, has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action, together with, upon request of the Administrative Agent, an opinion of counsel to the Borrower (which, as to certain matters as agreed by the Administrative Agent, may be internal counsel) to such effect and as to such other customary matters regarding the transactions contemplated by this Section 2.15 as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request, and

(ii) a certificate dated as of the Increase Effective Date (in sufficient copies for each Lender) signed by a Responsible Officer of the General Partner, on behalf of the Parent and a Responsible Officer of the Borrower, certifying that, before and after giving effect to such increase, (A) the representations and warranties contained in Article V and the other Loan Documents are true and correct in all material respects (or, if qualified by materiality or Material Adverse Effect, in all respects) on and as of the Increase Effective Date, (or, if such representation speaks as of an earlier date, as of such earlier date), (B) no Default or Event of Default exists and (C) the Parent is in compliance, on a pro forma basis, with the financial covenants set forth in Section 7.02 hereof.

(c) The Borrower shall prepay any Loans outstanding on the Increase Effective Date (and pay any additional amounts required pursuant to Section 3.05 ) to the extent necessary to keep the outstanding Loans ratable with any revised Pro Rata Shares arising from any nonratable increase in the Aggregate Commitment under this Section.

(d) This Section shall supersede any provisions in Sections 2.12 or 10.01 to the contrary.

2.16 Defaulting Lenders .

(a) Defaulting Lender Adjustments . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then, until such time as such Lender is no longer a Defaulting Lender:

(i) Waivers and Amendments . Such Defaulting Lender’s right to approve or disapprove any amendment, waiver or consent with respect to this Agreement shall be restricted as set forth in the definition of Required Lenders.

(ii) Defaulting Lender Waterfall . Any payment of principal, interest, fees or other amounts received by the Administrative Agent for the account of such Defaulting Lender (whether voluntary or mandatory, at maturity, pursuant to Article VIII or otherwise) or received by the Administrative Agent from a Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 10.09 shall be applied at such time or times as may be determined by the Administrative Agent as follows: first , to the payment of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to the Administrative Agent hereunder; second , to the payment on a pro rata basis of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to the L/C Issuers or the Swing Line Lenders hereunder; third , to Cash Collateralize the Fronting Exposure of the L/C Issuers and the Swing Line Lenders with respect to such Defaulting Lender in accordance with Section 2.14 ; fourth , as the Borrower may request (so long as no Default or Event of Default exists), to the funding of any Loan or funded participation in respect of which such Defaulting Lender has failed to fund its portion thereof as required by this Agreement, as determined by the Administrative Agent; fifth , if so determined by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, to be held in a deposit account and released pro rata in order to (A) satisfy such Defaulting Lender’s

 

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potential future funding obligations with respect to Loans and funded participations under this Agreement and (B) Cash Collateralize the L/C Issuers’ and the Swing Line Lenders’ future Fronting Exposure with respect to such Defaulting Lender with respect to future Letters of Credit and Swing Line Loans issued under this Agreement, in accordance with Section 2.14 ; sixth , to the payment of any amounts owing to the Lenders, the L/C Issuers or the Swing Line Lenders as a result of any final and non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by any Lender, any L/C Issuer or any Swing Line Lender against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lender’s breach of its obligations under this Agreement; seventh , so long as no Default or Event of Default exists, to the payment of any amounts owing to the Borrower as a result of any final and non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by the Borrower against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lender’s breach of its obligations under this Agreement; and eighth , to such Defaulting Lender or as otherwise directed by a court of competent jurisdiction; provided that if (1) such payment is a payment of the principal amount of any Loans or funded participations in Letters of Credit or Swing Line Loans in respect of which such Defaulting Lender has not fully funded its appropriate share, and (2) such Loans were made or the related Letters of Credit or Swing Line Loans were issued at a time when the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 were satisfied or waived, such payment shall be applied solely to pay the Loans of, and funded participations in Letters of Credit or Swing Line Loans owed to, all Non-Defaulting Lenders on a pro rata basis prior to being applied to the payment of any Loans of, or funded participations in Letters of Credit or Swing Line Loans owed to, such Defaulting Lender until such time as all Loans and funded and unfunded participations in L/C Obligations and Swing Line Loans are held by the Lenders pro rata in accordance with the Commitments without giving effect to Section 2.16(a)(iv) . Any payments, prepayments or other amounts paid or payable to a Defaulting Lender that are applied (or held) to pay amounts owed by a Defaulting Lender or to post Cash Collateral pursuant to this Section 2.16(a)(ii) shall be deemed paid to and redirected by such Defaulting Lender, and each Lender irrevocably consents hereto.

(iii) Certain Fees.

(A) No Defaulting Lender shall be entitled to receive any commitment fee payable under Section 2.09(a) for any period during which that Lender is a Defaulting Lender (and the Borrower shall not be required to pay any such fee that otherwise would have been required to have been paid to that Defaulting Lender except as set forth in clause (C)  below).

(B) Each Defaulting Lender shall be entitled to receive Letter of Credit fees pursuant to Section 2.03(h) for any period during which that Lender is a Defaulting Lender only to the extent allocable to its Pro Rata Share of the stated amount of Letters of Credit for which it has provided Cash Collateral pursuant to Section 2.14 .

(C) With respect to any fee payable under Section 2.09 or Letter of Credit fee that would otherwise have been paid to any Defaulting Lender if it were not a Defaulting Lender, the Borrower shall (1) pay to each Non-Defaulting Lender that portion of any such fee otherwise payable to such Defaulting Lender with respect to such Defaulting Lender’s participation in L/C Obligations or Swing Line Loans that has been reallocated to such Non-Defaulting Lender pursuant to clause (iv)  below, (2) pay to the L/C Issuers and Swing Line Lenders, as applicable, the amount of any such fee otherwise payable to such Defaulting Lender to the extent that the Defaulting Lender’s Fronting Exposure has been reallocated to the L/C Issuers’ or Swing Line Lenders’ Fronting Exposure to such Defaulting Lender, and (3) not be required to pay the remaining amount of any such fee.

(iv) Reallocation of Participations to Reduce Fronting Exposure . All or any part of such Defaulting Lender’s participation in L/C Obligations and Swing Line Loans shall be reallocated among the Non-Defaulting Lenders in accordance with their respective Pro Rata Shares of the Commitments (calculated without regard to such Defaulting Lender’s Commitment)

 

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but only to the extent that (x) the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 are satisfied at the time of such reallocation (and, unless the Borrower shall have otherwise notified the Administrative Agent at such time, the Borrower shall be deemed to have represented and warranted that such conditions are satisfied at such time), and (y) such reallocation does not cause the aggregate Outstanding Amount of the Loans of any Lender, plus such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations, plus such Lender’s Pro Rata Share of the Outstanding Amount of all Swing Line Loans to exceed such Non-Defaulting Lender’s Commitment. No reallocation hereunder shall constitute a waiver or release of any claim of any party hereunder against a Defaulting Lender arising from that Lender having become a Defaulting Lender, including any claim of the Borrower or a Non-Defaulting Lender as a result of such Non-Defaulting Lender’s increased exposure following such reallocation.

(v) Cash Collateral, Repayment of Swing Line Loans . If the reallocation described in clause (iv)  above cannot, or can only partially, be effected, the Borrower shall, without prejudice to any right or remedy available to it hereunder or under Law, within one Business Day following the Borrower’s receipt of notice from the Administrative Agent, (x) as to Swing Line Loans, repay Swing Line Loans in an amount equal to the Fronting Exposure applicable to the Defaulting Lender or, if such Swing Line Loans cannot be repaid, Cash Collateralize the Borrower’s obligations corresponding to the Fronting Exposure applicable to the Defaulting Lender in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 2.14 and (y) as to Letters of Credit, Cash Collateralize the L/C Issuer’s Fronting Exposure with respect to the Defaulting Lender in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 2.14 .

(b) Defaulting Lender Cure . If the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuers and the Swing Line Lenders agree in writing that a Lender is no longer a Defaulting Lender, the Administrative Agent will so notify the parties hereto, whereupon as of the effective date specified in such notice and subject to any conditions set forth therein (which may include arrangements with respect to any Cash Collateral), such Lender will, to the extent applicable, purchase at par that portion of outstanding Loans of the other Lenders or take such other actions as the Administrative Agent may determine to be necessary to cause the Loans and funded and unfunded participations in Letters of Credit and Swing Line Loans to be held by the Lenders in accordance with their Pro Rata Shares of their respective Commitments (without giving effect to Section 2.16(a)(iv) ), whereupon such Lender will cease to be a Defaulting Lender; provided that no adjustments will be made retroactively with respect to fees accrued or payments made by or on behalf of the Borrower while that Lender was a Defaulting Lender; and provided , further , that except to the extent otherwise expressly agreed by the affected parties, no change hereunder from Defaulting Lender to Lender will constitute a waiver or release of any claim of any party hereunder arising from that Lender’s having been a Defaulting Lender.

(c) New Swing Line Loans/Letters of Credit . So long as any Lender is a Defaulting Lender, the Swing Line Lenders shall not be required to fund any Swing Line Loans and L/C Issuers shall not be required to issue, extend, renew or increase any Letter of Credit, unless the applicable Swing Line Lender or the applicable L/C Issuer, as applicable, is satisfied that the related Fronting Exposure and the then outstanding Fronting Exposure applicable to the Defaulting Lender (x) will be 100% covered by the Commitments of the Non-Defaulting Lenders and/or (y) Cash Collateral will be provided by the Borrower in accordance with Section 2.14 , and participating interests in any newly made Swing Line Loan or any newly issued or increased Letter of Credit shall be allocated among non-Defaulting Lenders in a manner consistent with Section 2.16(a)(iv) (and such Defaulting Lender shall not participate therein).

ARTICLE III

TAXES, YIELD PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY

3.01 Taxes .

(a) L/C Issuers . For purposes of this Section 3.01 , the term “Lender” includes any L/C Issuer and the term “Law” includes FATCA.

 

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(b) Payments Free of Taxes . Any and all payments by or on account of any obligation of a Loan Party under any Loan Document shall be made without deduction or withholding for any Taxes, except as required by Law. If any Law (as determined in the good faith discretion of an applicable Withholding Agent) requires the deduction or withholding of any Tax from any such payment by a Withholding Agent, then the applicable Withholding Agent shall be entitled to make such deduction or withholding and shall timely pay the full amount deducted or withheld to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable Law and, if such Tax is an Indemnified Tax, then the sum payable by the applicable Loan Party shall be increased as necessary so that after such deduction or withholding has been made (including such deductions and withholdings applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 3.01(b) ), the applicable Recipient receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such deduction or withholding for Indemnified Tax been made.

(c) Payment of Other Taxes by the Loan Parties . The Loan Parties shall timely pay to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable Law, or at the option of the Administrative Agent timely reimburse it for the payment of, any Other Taxes.

(d) Indemnification by the Loan Parties . The Loan Parties shall indemnify each Recipient, within ten (10) days after receipt by the Borrower of demand therefor, for the full amount of any Indemnified Taxes (including Indemnified Taxes imposed or asserted on or attributable to amounts payable under this Section 3.01 ) payable or paid by such Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to such Recipient and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Indemnified Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to the Borrower by a Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), or by the Administrative Agent on its own behalf or on behalf of a Lender, accompanied by the calculations by which such determination was made by such Lender, shall be conclusive absent manifest error.

(e) Evidence of Payments . As soon as practicable after any payment of Taxes by any Loan Party to a Governmental Authority pursuant to this Section 3.01 , such Loan Party shall deliver to the Administrative Agent the original or a certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a copy of the return reporting such payment or other evidence of such payment reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.

(f) Status of Lenders .

(i) Any Lender (which solely for purposes of this Section 3.01(f) shall include the Administrative Agent) that is entitled to an exemption from or reduction of withholding Tax with respect to payments made under any Loan Document shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, at the time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, such properly completed and executed documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will permit such payments to be made without withholding or at a reduced rate of withholding. In addition, any Lender, if reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, shall deliver such other documentation prescribed by Law or reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will enable the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine whether or not such Lender is subject to backup withholding or information reporting requirements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the preceding two sentences, the completion, execution and submission of such documentation (other than such documentation set forth in Sections 3.01(f)(ii) , (B)  and (D)  below) shall not be required if in the Lender’s reasonable judgment such completion, execution or submission would subject such Lender to any material unreimbursed cost or expense or would materially prejudice the legal or commercial position of such Lender.

(ii) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing,

(A) any Lender that is a U.S. Person shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent on or prior to the date on which such Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), executed originals of IRS Form W-9 certifying that such Lender is exempt from U.S. federal backup withholding tax;

 

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(B) any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), whichever of the following is applicable:

(1) in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of an income tax treaty to which the United States is a party (x) with respect to payments of interest under any Loan Document, properly completed and executed originals of IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E (or applicable successor form) establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “interest” article of such tax treaty and (y) with respect to any other applicable payments under any Loan Document, properly completed and executed originals of IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E (or applicable successor form) establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “business profits” or “other income” article of such tax treaty;

(2) properly completed and executed originals of IRS Form W-8ECI;

(3) in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the Code, (x) a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit F-1 to the effect that such Foreign Lender is neither a “bank” within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, a “10-percent shareholder” of the Borrower within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(B) of the Code, nor a “controlled foreign corporation” described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code (a “ U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate ”) and (y) properly completed and executed originals of IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E (or applicable successor form);

(4) properly completed and executed originals of IRS Form W-8EXP claiming an exemption from withholding Tax; or

(5) to the extent a Foreign Lender is not the beneficial owner, properly completed and executed originals of IRS Form W-8IMY, accompanied by IRS Form W-8ECI, IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E (or applicable successor form), a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit F-2 or Exhibit F-3 , IRS Form W-9, and/or other certification documents from each beneficial owner, as applicable; provided that if the Foreign Lender is a partnership and one or more direct or indirect partners of such Foreign Lender are claiming the portfolio interest exemption, such Foreign Lender may provide a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit F-4 on behalf of each such direct and indirect partner;

(C) any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), executed originals of any other form prescribed by applicable Law as a basis for claiming exemption from or a reduction in U.S. federal withholding Tax, duly completed, together with such

 

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supplementary documentation as may be prescribed by applicable Law to permit the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine the withholding or deduction required to be made; and

(D) if a payment made to a Lender under any Loan Document would be subject to U.S. federal withholding Tax imposed by FATCA if such Lender were to fail to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of FATCA (including those contained in Section 1471(b) or 1472(b) of the Code, as applicable), such Lender shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent at the time or times prescribed by law and at such time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent such documentation prescribed by Law (including as prescribed by Section 1471(b)(3)(C)(i) of the Code) and such additional documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as may be necessary for the Borrower and the Administrative Agent to comply with their obligations under FATCA and to determine that such Lender has complied with such Lender’s obligations under FATCA or to determine the amount to deduct and withhold from such payment. Solely for purposes of this clause (D) , “FATCA” shall include any amendments made to FATCA after the date of this Agreement.

Each Lender agrees that if any form or certification it previously delivered expires or becomes obsolete or inaccurate in any respect, it shall update such form or certification or promptly notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent in writing of its legal inability to do so.

(g) Treatment of Certain Refunds . If any party determines, in its sole discretion exercised in good faith, that it has received a refund of any Taxes as to which it has been indemnified pursuant to this Section 3.01 (including by the payment of additional amounts pursuant to this Section 3.01 ), it shall pay to the indemnifying party an amount equal to such refund (but only to the extent of indemnity payments made under this Section 3.01 with respect to the Taxes giving rise to such refund), net of all out-of-pocket expenses (including Taxes) of such indemnified party and without interest (other than any interest paid by the relevant Governmental Authority with respect to such refund). Such indemnifying party, upon the request of such indemnified party, shall repay to such indemnified party the amount paid over pursuant to this Section 3.01(g) (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Governmental Authority) in the event that such indemnified party is required to repay such refund to such Governmental Authority. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 3.01(g) , in no event will the indemnified party be required to pay any amount to an indemnifying party pursuant to this Section 3.01(g) the payment of which would place the indemnified party in a less favorable net after-Tax position than the indemnified party would have been in if the Tax subject to indemnification and giving rise to such refund had not been deducted, withheld or otherwise imposed and the indemnification payments or additional amounts giving rise to such refund had never been paid. This Section 3.01(g) shall not be construed to require any indemnified party to make available its Tax returns (or any other information relating to its Taxes that it deems confidential) to the indemnifying party or any other Person.

(h) Indemnification of the Administrative Agent . Each Lender and each L/C Issuer shall severally indemnify the Administrative Agent within ten (10) days after demand therefor, for (i) any Indemnified Taxes attributable to such Lender (but only to the extent that the Loan Parties have not already indemnified the Administrative Agent for such Indemnified Taxes and without limiting the obligation of the Borrower to do so), (ii) any Taxes attributable to such Lender’s failure to comply with the provisions of Section 10.07(d) relating to the maintenance of a Participant Register and (iii) any Excluded Taxes attributable to such Lender, in each case, that are payable or paid by the Administrative Agent in connection with any Loan Document, and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to any Lender by the Administrative Agent shall be conclusive absent manifest error. Each Lender hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to set off and apply any and all amounts at any time owing to such Lender under any Loan Document or otherwise payable by the Administrative Agent to the Lender from any other source against any amount due to the Administrative Agent under this Section 3.01(h) . The agreements in this Section 3.01(h) shall survive the resignation and/or replacement of the Administrative Agent.

 

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(i) Survival . Each party’s obligations under this Section 3.01 shall survive the resignation or replacement of the Administrative Agent or any assignment of rights by, or the replacement of, a Lender, the termination of the Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all obligations under any Loan Document.

3.02 Illegality . If any Lender determines that any Change in Law has made it unlawful, or that any Governmental Authority has asserted that it is unlawful, for any Lender or its applicable Lending Office to make, maintain or fund Eurodollar Rate Loans, or to determine or charge interest rates based upon the Eurodollar Rate, then, on notice thereof by such Lender to the Borrower through the Administrative Agent, any obligation of such Lender to make or continue Eurodollar Rate Loans or to convert Base Rate Loans to Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be suspended until such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent and the Borrower that the circumstances giving rise to such determination no longer exist. Upon receipt of such notice, the Borrower shall, upon demand from such Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), prepay or, if applicable, convert all Eurodollar Rate Loans of such Lender to Base Rate Loans, either on the last day of the Interest Period therefor, if such Lender may lawfully continue to maintain such Eurodollar Rate Loans to such day, or immediately, if such Lender may not lawfully continue to maintain such Eurodollar Rate Loans. Upon any such prepayment or conversion, the Borrower shall also pay accrued interest on the amount so prepaid or converted. Each Lender agrees to designate a different Lending Office if such designation will avoid the need for such notice and will not, in the good faith judgment of such Lender, otherwise be materially disadvantageous to such Lender.

3.03 Inability to Determine Rates . In connection with any request for a Eurodollar Rate Loan or a conversion to or continuation thereof, if for any reason (i) the Administrative Agent shall determine (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) that Dollar deposits are not being offered to banks in the London interbank Eurodollar market for the applicable amount and Interest Period of such Loan, (ii) the Administrative Agent shall determine (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) that reasonable and adequate means do not exist for the ascertaining the Adjusted Eurodollar Rate for such Interest Period with respect to a proposed Eurodollar Rate Loan or (iii) the Required Lenders shall determine (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) that the Adjusted Eurodollar Rate does not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders of making or maintaining such Loans during such Interest Period, then the Administrative Agent shall promptly give notice thereof to the Borrower and each Lender. Thereafter, the obligation of the Lenders to make or maintain Eurodollar Rate Loans shall be suspended until the Administrative Agent (upon the instruction of the Required Lenders) revokes such notice. Upon receipt of such notice, the Borrower may revoke any pending request for a Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans or, failing that, will be deemed to have converted such request into a request for a Borrowing of Base Rate Loans in the amount specified therein.

3.04 Increased Cost and Reduced Return; Capital Adequacy .

(a) If any Change in Law shall:

(i) impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve, special deposit, compulsory loan, insurance charge or similar requirement against assets of, deposits with or for the account of, or credit extended or participated in by, any Lender (except any reserve requirement reflected in the Adjusted Eurodollar Rate) or any L/C Issuer;

(ii) subject any Recipient to any Taxes (other than (A) Indemnified Taxes and (B) Excluded Taxes) on its loans, loan principal, letters of credit, commitments, or other obligations, or its deposits, reserves, other liabilities or capital attributable thereto; or

(iii) impose on any Lender or any L/C Issuer or the London interbank market any other condition, cost or expense (other than Taxes) affecting this Agreement or Loans made by such Lender or any Letter of Credit or participation therein;

and the result of any of the foregoing shall be to increase the cost to such Lender of making, converting to, continuing or maintaining any Loan the interest on which is determined by reference to the Adjusted Eurodollar Rate (or of maintaining its obligation to make any such Loan), or to increase the cost to such

 

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Lender or such L/C Issuer of participating in, issuing or maintaining any Letter of Credit (or of maintaining its obligation to participate in or to issue any Letter of Credit), or to reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by such Lender or such L/C Issuer hereunder (whether of principal, interest or any other amount) then, upon request of such Lender or such L/C Issuer, the Borrower will pay to such Lender or such L/C Issuer, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or such L/C Issuer, as the case may be, for such additional costs incurred or reduction suffered.

(b) If any Lender determines that any Change in Law regarding capital adequacy or liquidity, or compliance by such Lender (or its Lending Office) therewith, has the effect of reducing the rate of return on the capital of such Lender or any corporation controlling such Lender as a consequence of such Lender’s obligations hereunder (taking into consideration its policies with respect to capital adequacy or liquidity and such Lender’s desired return on capital), then from time to time upon demand of such Lender (with a copy of such demand to the Administrative Agent), the Borrower shall pay to such Lender such additional amounts as will compensate such Lender for such reduction.

(c) A certificate of a Lender, an L/C Issuer or such other Recipient setting forth the Change in Law giving rise to a claim for compensation under paragraph (a)  or (b)  of this Section, the amount or amounts necessary to compensate such Lender, the Issuing Lender, such other Recipient or any of their respective holding companies, as the case may be, as specified in paragraph (a)  or (b)  of this Section (including an explanation in reasonable detail of the manner in which such amount or amounts was determined) and delivered to the Borrower, shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender, such L/C Issuer or such other Recipient, as the case may be, the amount shown as due on any such certificate within ten (10) days after receipt thereof.

(d) Failure or delay on the part of any Lender to demand compensation pursuant to this Section 3.04 shall not constitute a waiver of such Lender’s right to demand such compensation; provided that the Borrower shall not be required to compensate a Lender pursuant to this Section 3.04 for any increased costs incurred or reductions suffered more than 180 days prior to the date that such Lender notifies the Borrower of the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions, and of such Lender’s intention to claim compensation therefor (except that, if the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions is retroactive, then the 180-day period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof).

3.05 Funding Losses . Upon demand of any Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) from time to time, the Borrower shall promptly compensate such Lender for and hold such Lender harmless from any loss, cost or expense incurred by it as a result of:

(a) any continuation, conversion, payment of principal or prepayment of any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan on a day other than the last day of the Interest Period for such Loan (whether voluntary, mandatory, automatic, by reason of acceleration, or otherwise);

(b) any failure by the Borrower (for a reason other than the failure of such Lender to make a Loan) to prepay, borrow, continue or convert any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan on the date or in the amount notified by the Borrower (even if permitted to revoke such notice); or

(c) any assignment of a Eurodollar Rate Loan on a day other than the last day of the Interest Period therefor as a result of a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 10.16 ;

including any loss or expense arising from the liquidation or reemployment of funds obtained by it to maintain such Loan (excluding loss of anticipated profits) or from fees payable to terminate the deposits from which such funds were obtained. The Borrower shall also pay any customary administrative fees charged by such Lender in connection with the foregoing.

For purposes of calculating amounts payable by the Borrower to the Lenders under this Section 3.05 , each Lender shall be deemed to have funded each Eurodollar Rate Loan made by it at the Adjusted Eurodollar Rate for such Loan by a matching deposit or other borrowing in the London interbank eurodollar market for a comparable amount and for a comparable period, whether or not such Eurodollar Rate Loan was in fact so funded.

 

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3.06 Mitigation Obligations; Designation of a Different Lending Office . If any Lender requests compensation under Section 3.04 , or if the Borrower is required to pay any Indemnified Taxes or additional amount to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 3.01 , then such Lender shall (at the request of the Borrower) use reasonable efforts to designate a different Lending Office for funding or booking its Loans hereunder or to assign its rights and obligations hereunder to another of its offices, branches or affiliates, if, in the good faith judgment of such Lender, such designation or assignment (i) would eliminate or reduce amounts payable pursuant to Section 3.01 or 3.04 , as the case may be, in the future, and (ii) would not subject such Lender to any unreimbursed cost or expense and would not otherwise be materially disadvantageous to such Lender. The Borrower hereby agrees to pay all reasonable costs and expenses incurred by any Lender in connection with any such designation or assignment.

3.07 Matters Applicable to all Requests for Compensation . A certificate of the Administrative Agent or any Lender claiming compensation under this Article III and setting forth the additional amount or amounts to be paid to it hereunder (including, if requested by the Borrower, an explanation in reasonable detail of the manner in which such amount or amounts was determined) shall be conclusive in the absence of manifest error. In determining such amount, the Administrative Agent or such Lender may use any reasonable averaging and attribution methods.

3.08 Survival . All of the Borrower’s obligations under this Article III shall survive termination of the Aggregate Commitment and repayment of all other Obligations hereunder.

ARTICLE IV

CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO CLOSING DATE AND TO CREDIT EXTENSIONS

4.01 Conditions of Closing and Initial Credit Extension . The obligation of each Lender to enter into this Agreement and make its initial Credit Extension hereunder is subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions precedent:

(a) The Administrative Agent’s receipt of the following, each properly executed by a Responsible Officer of the applicable Loan Party (or of the general partner, board of directors or other governing body, as applicable, of such Loan Party), each dated the Closing Date (unless otherwise specified) and each in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent:

(i) counterparts of this Agreement and the Guarantee Agreement, in such number as may be requested by counsel to the Administrative Agent;

(ii) for each Lender so requesting, (A) a Revolving Note executed by the Borrower in favor of such Lender and (B) a Swing Line Note executed by the Borrower in favor of such Swing Line Lender;

(iii) a certificate of a Responsible Officer of (A) each Loan Party (or of the general partner of such Loan Party) certifying as to the incumbency and genuineness of the signature of each Responsible Officer of such Loan Party (or the general partner of such Loan Party) executing the Loan Documents to which such Loan Party is a party and certifying that attached thereto is a true, correct and complete copy of (1) the certificate or articles of limited partnership, formation or incorporation, as applicable, of such Loan Party and all amendments thereto, certified as of a recent date by the appropriate Governmental Authority in its jurisdiction of organization, (2) the limited partnership agreement, operating agreement, bylaws or other governing document, as applicable, of such Loan Party as in effect on the Closing Date and (3) resolutions duly adopted by the general partner, board of directors, or other governing body, as applicable, of such Loan Party authorizing and approving the transactions contemplated hereunder and the execution, delivery

 

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and performance of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which it is a party and (B) the General Partner, certifying that attached thereto is a true, correct and complete copy of (1) the certificate of organization of the General Partner and all amendments thereto, certified as of a recent date by the appropriate Governmental Authority in its jurisdiction of organization and (2) the limited liability company agreement of the Parent as in effect on the Closing Date;

(iv) certificates as of a recent date setting forth the good standing of each Loan Party under the Laws of (A) its jurisdiction of organization and (B) each other jurisdiction in which the failure to be qualified to do business in such jurisdiction would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;

(v) (A) an opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP, counsel to the Loan Parties, addressed to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, in each case as to such customary matters regarding the transactions contemplated herein as the Administrative Agent or its counsel may reasonably request, which opinion shall permit reliance thereon by assignees permitted by Section 10.07(b) , subject to customary conditions;

(vi) a certificate of a Responsible Officer of the Borrower, certifying (A) that the representations and warranties of the Borrower contained in Article V are true and correct in all material respects (or, if qualified by materiality or Material Adverse Effect, in all respects) on and as of the Closing Date, (B) that no Default exists or would result from the execution of this Agreement, (C) since December 31, 2014, there has not occurred any event or condition that has had or would be reasonably expected, either individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect and (D) as to the matters set forth in Section 4.02 ;

(vii) a certificate signed by the chief financial officer of the General Partner or another Responsible Officer of the General Partner primarily responsible for the financial affairs of the Parent, on behalf of the Parent, certifying that on and as of the Closing Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, the Parent and its Subsidiaries are Solvent on a consolidated basis;

(viii) UCC search certificates in each jurisdiction reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent or its counsel, in each case reflecting no Liens on the property of the Parent and its Subsidiaries other than Liens permitted pursuant to Section 7.01 ;

(ix) the Initial Financial Statements and the Pro Forma Financial Statements.

(x) such other assurances, certificates, documents, consents or opinions as the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuers, the Swing Line Lenders or the Required Lenders reasonably may require; and

(b) The Parent shall have received all material governmental, partner and third party consents and approvals necessary (or any other material consents as determined in the reasonable discretion of the Administrative Agent) in connection with the Transactions and the other transactions contemplated hereby, and such consents and approvals shall be in full force and effect and all applicable waiting periods and appeal periods shall have expired.

(c) There shall not have occurred any event, change, occurrence or circumstance since December 31, 2014 that, either individually or in the aggregate, has had or could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(d) The IPO shall have been consummated in accordance with the Registration Statement as in effect on the Closing Date in all material respects, without any amendment, supplement or modification thereto that is materially adverse to the interest of the Lenders, and shall have resulted in the Parent receiving gross cash proceeds of at least $225,000,000.

 

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(e) Any fees and expenses (including Attorney Costs) required to be paid in connection with the Loan Documents and for which invoices have been presented at least one Business Day prior to the Closing Date shall have been paid.

(f) The Borrower shall have provided to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders evidence that the Parent and its Subsidiaries are carrying the insurance required to be maintained under Section 6.03(b) .

(g) After giving effect to the Transactions on the Closing Date, neither the Parent nor any of its Subsidiaries shall have any material Debt for borrowed money other than Debt under this Agreement.

(h) The Parent and the Borrower shall have provided to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, to the extent requested at least five Business Days prior to the Closing Date, with respect to the Parent, the Borrower and the other Guarantors, (i) the documentation and other information requested by the Administrative Agent and any Lender in order to comply with the requirements of the Patriot Act, (ii) the documentation and other information requested by the Administrative Agent in order to comply with all “know your customer” requirements and (iii) all anti-money laundering documentation reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent or any Lender.

4.02 Conditions to all Credit Extensions . The obligation of each Lender to honor any Request for Credit Extension (other than (i) a Loan Notice requesting only a conversion of Loans to the other Type or (ii) a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans) is subject to the following conditions precedent:

(a) The representations and warranties of each Loan Party in any other Loan Document, or which are contained in any document furnished at any time under or in connection herewith or therewith, shall be true and correct in all material respects (or if qualified by materiality or Material Adverse Effect, in all respects) on and as of the date of such Credit Extension (or, if such representation speaks as of an earlier date, as of such earlier date).

(b) No Default or Event of Default shall exist, or would result from such proposed Credit Extension.

(c) The Administrative Agent and, if applicable, the applicable L/C Issuer or applicable Swing Line Lender shall have received a Request for Credit Extension in accordance with the requirements hereof.

Each Request for Credit Extension (other than (i) a Loan Notice requesting only a conversion of Loans to the other Type or (ii) a continuation of Eurodollar Rate Loans) submitted by the Borrower shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty that the conditions specified in Sections 4.02(a) and (b)  have been satisfied on and as of the date of the applicable Credit Extension.

ARTICLE V

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

The Loan Parties represent and warrant to the Lenders as of the Closing Date and thereafter as of each date required by Section 4.02 and as of any other date as agreed by a Loan Party:

5.01 Corporate Existence and Power . The General Partner is the sole general partner of the Parent. Each Loan Party and each Subsidiary is a corporation, partnership or limited liability company duly incorporated or formed, as applicable, validly existing and in good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or formation, as applicable, and has all organizational powers and all material Authorizations required to carry on its business as now conducted.

5.02 Corporate and Governmental Authorization; No Contravention; No Default . The Transactions, including the Borrower’s incurrence of Debt hereunder, and the execution, delivery and performance by the Loan Parties of each Loan Document to which such Person is a party, (a) are within the corporate or other organizational powers of such Person, (b) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other

 

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organizational action, (c) require no action by or in respect of, or filing with, any Governmental Authority (except such as has been obtained and any reports required to be filed by such Person with the SEC), (d) do not contravene, or constitute a default under, (i) any provision of applicable law or regulation or of any Organization Documents of such Person or (ii) any material agreement, judgment, injunction, order, decree or other instrument binding upon the Parent or any of its Subsidiaries, or result in the creation or imposition of any Lien on any asset of such Person or any of its Subsidiaries that is not permitted hereunder. No Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would result from the consummation of the Transactions, the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any other Loan Document.

5.03 Binding Effect . Each Loan Document has been duly executed and delivered by each Loan Party that is party thereto. This Agreement and each other Loan Document constitutes a valid and binding obligation of each Loan Party that is party thereto, in each case, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as such enforcement may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or similar Laws of general application relating to the enforcement of creditors’ rights.

5.04 Financial Information .

(a) The Initial Financial Statements (i) present fairly, in all material respects, the combined financial position and results of operations and cash flows of the Parent’s predecessor and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis as of such dates and for such periods in conformity with GAAP and (ii) show, to the extent required by GAAP and together with all footnotes to such financial statements, all material indebtedness and other liabilities, direct or contingent, of the Parent’s predecessor and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof, including liabilities for taxes, material commitments and Debt.

(b) The Pro Forma Financial Statements were prepared in good faith on the basis of assumptions, data, information, tests or conditions believed to be reasonable at the time such Pro Forma Financial Statements were furnished. The Pro Forma Financial Statements fairly present in all material respects the financial position of the Parent and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis as of date thereof and after giving effect to the Transactions and were prepared in a manner consistent with GAAP (except as otherwise noted therein) consistently applied.

(c) The financial information delivered to the Lenders pursuant to Sections 6.01(a) and (b)  (i) fairly presents, in all material respects, in conformity with GAAP, the financial position of the Parent and its Subsidiaries as of such date and their consolidated results of operations and cash flows as of such date (subject, in the case of interim statements, to normal year-end adjustments and the absence of footnotes), and (ii) shows, to the extent required by GAAP and together with all footnotes to such financial statements, all material indebtedness and other liabilities, direct or contingent, of the Parent and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof, including liabilities for taxes, material commitments and Debt.

(d) Since the later of the date of (i) December 31, 2014 or (ii) the most recent audited financial statements delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a)(i) , there has been no event or circumstance, either individually or in the aggregate, that has had or could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

5.05 Litigation . There is no action, suit, proceeding or investigation pending against, or, to the knowledge of the Parent or the Borrower, threatened against or affecting, the Parent or any of its Subsidiaries before any Governmental Authority (a) relating to this Agreement or the Transactions or (b) which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

5.06 Compliance with ERISA . Each member of the ERISA Group has fulfilled its obligations under the minimum funding standards of ERISA and the Code with respect to each Plan and is in compliance in all material respects with the presently applicable provisions of ERISA and the Code with respect to each Plan. No member of the ERISA Group has (i) sought a waiver of the minimum funding standards under the Pension Funding Rules, (ii) failed to make any contribution or payment to any Plan or Multiemployer Plan or in respect of any Benefit Arrangement, or made any amendment to any Plan or Benefit Arrangement, which has resulted or could result in the imposition of a Lien or the posting of a bond or other security under ERISA or the Code, or (iii) incurred any liability under Title IV of ERISA other than a liability to the PBGC for premiums under Section 4007 of ERISA.

 

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5.07 Environmental Matters . In the ordinary course of its business, the Parent conducts an ongoing review of the effect of Environmental Laws on the business, operations and properties of the Parent or any of its Subsidiaries, in the course of which it identifies and evaluates associated liabilities and costs (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up or closure of properties presently or previously owned, any capital or operating expenditures required to achieve or maintain compliance with environmental protection standards imposed by law or as a condition of any Authorizations, any related constraints on operating activities, including any periodic or permanent shutdown of any facility or reduction in the level of or change in the nature of operations conducted thereat, any costs or liabilities in connection with off-site disposal of wastes or Hazardous Substances, and any actual or potential liabilities to third parties, including employees, and any related costs and expenses). On the basis of this review, the Parent has concluded that such associated liabilities and costs, including the costs of compliance with Environmental Laws, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Parent nor any of its Subsidiaries has failed to comply with any Environmental Laws or to obtain any obtain, maintain or comply with any Authorization under any Environmental Laws, except for matters that, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

5.08 Taxes . The Parent and its Subsidiaries have properly and timely filed all United States Federal and state income tax returns and all other material tax returns which are required to have been filed by them, and have paid all taxes due and payable by them pursuant to such returns or pursuant to any material assessment received by the Parent and its Subsidiaries (other than those not yet delinquent and payable without premium or penalty, and except for those being diligently contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, and in each case, for which adequate reserves and provisions for taxes have been made on the books of the applicable Person). The charges, accruals and reserves on the books of the Parent and its Subsidiaries in respect of taxes or other governmental charges are, in the reasonable opinion of the Parent, adequate.

5.09 Subsidiaries . Set forth on Schedule 5.09 is a complete and accurate list as of the Closing Date each of the Parent’s Subsidiaries (other than the Borrower), together with its jurisdiction of formation and the Parent’s direct or indirect percentage ownership therein.

5.10 Regulatory Restrictions on Borrowing; Margin Regulations .

(a) None of the Parent, any Person Controlling the Parent, the Borrower or any Subsidiary of the Parent is an “ investment company ” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

(b) The Borrower is not engaged and will not engage, principally or as one of its important activities, in the business of purchasing or carrying margin stock (within the meaning of Regulation U issued by the FRB), or extending credit for the purpose, whether immediate, incidental or ultimate, of purchasing or carrying margin stock. No part of the proceeds of any Credit Extension will be used for any purpose which violates the provisions of Regulations T, U or X of the FRB.

5.11 Full Disclosure . No statement, information, report, representation, or warranty (collectively, the “ Information ”) made by any Loan Party in any Loan Document or furnished to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in writing by or on behalf of any Loan Party in connection with any Loan Document (as modified or supplemented by other Information so furnished), taken as a whole, contains, as of the date such Information was furnished (or, if such Information expressly relates to a specific date, as of such specific date) any untrue statement of a material fact or omits, as of the date such Information was furnished (or, if such Information expressly related to a specific date, as of such specific date), any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, provided, that with respect to projected financial information, each Loan Party represents only that such information was prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed by it to be reasonable at the time.

5.12 Compliance with Laws . The Parent and each of its Subsidiaries is in compliance with all laws, rules, regulations, orders, decrees and requirements of Governmental Authorities applicable to it or to its properties (including, without limitation, the Code), except where (a) such failure to comply could not have or be reasonably

 

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expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or (b) the necessity or fact of compliance therewith is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and the failure to comply during such time could not have or be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect .

5.13 Contribution and IPO . Each of the Material Contracts and each other material agreement and document (including schedules and exhibits thereto) relating to the Contribution and the IPO (i) is consistent in all material respects with the description thereof in the Registration Statement and (ii) has been duly executed and delivered by each Loan Party and each Subsidiary party thereto and constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of each Loan Party and each Subsidiary party thereto, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by general principles of equity and bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and by moratorium laws from time to time in effect.

5.14 Ownership of Property; No Liens; Insurance . Each of the Parent and its Subsidiaries have good record and indefeasible title in fee simple to, or valid leasehold interests in, or a valid easement estate in, all real property, and good title to all material personal property, in each case necessary or used in the ordinary conduct of its business, except for defects that, individually or in the aggregate, (i) do not materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of its business or (ii) could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. None of such property is subject to any Lien, except for Liens permitted by Section 7.01 . The Parent and each of its Subsidiaries are insured in the manner required pursuant to Section 6.03(b) .

5.15 Solvency . The Parent and its Subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis, are, and after giving effect to the Transactions will be, Solvent.

5.16 Patriot Act . Each of the Parent, the Borrower and their respective Subsidiaries are in compliance in all material respects with the material provisions of the Patriot Act, and each such Person has provided to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders all information related to it (including but not limited to its name, address and tax identification numbers (if applicable)) reasonably requested in writing by the Administrative Agent that is required by the Patriot Act to be obtained by the Administrative Agent or any Lender.

5.17 Anti-Corruption Laws and Sanctions . The Parent has implemented and maintains in effect policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by the Parent, the Borrower, their respective Subsidiaries and each such Person’s directors, officers, employees and agents with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions (and such policies and procedures are applicable to such directors, officers, employees and agents of Noble that serve as the directors, officers, employees and agents of the Parent, the Borrower and their respective Subsidiaries), and the Parent, the Borrower, their respective Subsidiaries and each such Person’s officers and employees (or, as applicable, the officers and employees of Noble that serve as the officers and employees of the Parent, the Borrower and their respective Subsidiaries), and to the knowledge of the Parent and the Borrower, any director and agent of the Parent, the Borrower and their respective Subsidiaries (or, as applicable, the directors and agents of Noble that serve as the directors and agents of the Parent, the Borrower and their respective Subsidiaries), are in compliance with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions in all material respects. None of (a) the Parent, the Borrower or their respective Subsidiaries, or to the knowledge of the Parent or the Borrower, any of their respective directors, officers or employees (or, as applicable, the directors, officers and employees of Noble that serve as the directors, officers and employees of the Parent, the Borrower and their respective subsidiaries) or (b) to the knowledge of the Parent or the Borrower, any agent of the Parent, the Borrower and their respective Subsidiaries (or, as applicable, any agent of Noble that serves as an agent of the Parent, the Borrower and their respective subsidiaries) that will act in any capacity in connection with or benefit from the credit facility established hereby, is a Sanctioned Person. No Loan or Letter of Credit or use of proceeds therefrom will violate Anti-Corruption Laws or applicable Sanctions.

5.18 Compliance with Material Agreements . The Parent and each of its Subsidiaries is, and, to the knowledge of the Parent, Noble and its Subsidiaries are, in compliance with each Material Contract and no defaults exist thereunder, except where such non-compliance or such defaults, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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ARTICLE VI

AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS

The Loan Parties agree and covenant that, so long as any Lender has any Commitment hereunder, any Letter of Credit remains outstanding (unless such Letter of Credit has been cash collateralized in a manner acceptable to the Administrative Agent and the applicable L/C Issuer or other arrangements with respect thereto have been made that are satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and such L/C Issuer) or any Obligation payable hereunder remains unpaid:

6.01 Information; Notices of Material Events . The Parent and/or Borrower, as applicable, will deliver to the Administrative Agent and each Lender:

(a) as soon as available, and in any event within the earlier of (i) ninety (90) days after the end of each fiscal year of the Parent and (ii) five (5) days after such information is required to be filed with the SEC, a consolidated balance sheet of the Parent and its Subsidiaries as of the end of such fiscal year and the related consolidated statements of operations, cash flows and changes in partners’ capital for such fiscal year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous fiscal year, all in reasonable detail (and which shall include, for the avoidance of doubt, a reconciliation of the net income and EBITDA attributable to the non-controlling interest in any Subsidiary that is not wholly-owned by the Loan Parties, in each case in the same or similar manner as set forth in the Registration Statement or otherwise reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent) and prepared in accordance with GAAP, audited and accompanied by a report and opinion of an independent certified public accountant of nationally recognized standing selected by the Parent, which report and opinion shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and shall not be subject to any “going concern” or like qualification or exception or any qualification or exception as to the scope of such audit;

(b) as soon as available, and in any event within the earlier of (i) forty-five (45) days after the end of each of the first three quarters of each fiscal year of the Parent and (ii) five (5) days after such information is required to be filed with the SEC, a consolidated balance sheet of the Parent and its Subsidiaries as of the end of such quarter and the related consolidated statements of operations and cash flows for such quarter and for the portion of the Parent’s fiscal year ended at the end of such quarter, setting forth in the case of such statements of operations and cash flows, in comparative form the figures for the corresponding quarter and the corresponding portion of the Parent’s previous fiscal year (and which shall include, for the avoidance of doubt, a reconciliation of the net income and EBITDA attributable to the non-controlling interest in any Subsidiary that is not wholly-owned by the Loan Parties, in each case in the same or similar manner as set forth in the Registration Statement or otherwise reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent), all certified (subject to normal year-end adjustments and the absence of footnotes) as to fairness of presentation, conformity to GAAP and consistency by the chief financial officer or the chief accounting officer of the General Partner, on behalf of the Parent;

(c) on or before the applicable date on which the related financial certificates are required to be delivered pursuant to clause (a) or (b)  above, as applicable, a certificate of a Responsible Officer of the General Partner, on behalf of the Parent, substantially in the form of the Compliance Certificate attached hereto, including a complete and accurate list, as of the last day of the period covered by such financial statements, of each of the Parent’s Subsidiaries, together with its jurisdiction of formation and the Parent’s direct or indirect percentage ownership therein and, until the Guarantee Release Condition Date, whether it is a Material Subsidiary;

(d) promptly (and in any event within five Business Days) after any officer of the General Partner, on behalf of the Parent, or of the Borrower or any other Loan Party, obtains actual knowledge thereof (i) of any Default, if such Default is then continuing, a certificate of a Responsible Officer of the Borrower setting forth the details thereof and the action which the Parent and/or the Borrower is taking or proposes to take with respect thereto and (ii) of any other event, circumstance or development (including any environmental matters and/or litigation or governmental proceedings pending against the Parent and its Subsidiaries) that would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect;

(e) promptly upon the mailing thereof to the unitholders of the Parent generally, copies of all financial statements, reports and proxy statements so mailed;

 

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(f) promptly upon the filing thereof, copies of all registration statements (other than the exhibits thereto and any registration statements on Form S-8 or its equivalent) and reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K (or their equivalents) which the Parent shall have filed with the SEC;

(g) if and when any member of the ERISA Group (i) gives or is required to give notice to the PBGC of any “reportable event” (as defined in Section 4043 of ERISA) with respect to any Plan which might constitute grounds for a termination of such Plan under Title IV of ERISA, or knows that the plan administrator of any Plan has given or is required to give notice of any such reportable event, a copy of the notice of such reportable event given or required to be given to the PBGC; (ii) receives notice of complete or partial withdrawal liability under Title IV of ERISA or notice that any Multiemployer Plan is in reorganization, is insolvent or has been terminated, a copy of such notice; (iii) receives notice from the PBGC under Title IV of ERISA of an intent to terminate, impose liability (other than for premiums under Section 4007 of ERISA) in respect of, or appoint a trustee to administer any Plan, a copy of such notice; (iv) applies for a waiver of the minimum funding standard under the Pension Funding Rules, a copy of such application; (v) gives notice of intent to terminate any Plan under Section 4041(c) of ERISA, a copy of such notice and other information filed with the PBGC; (vi) gives notice of withdrawal from any Plan pursuant to Section 4063 of ERISA, a copy of such notice; (vii) fails to make any payment or contribution to any Plan or Multiemployer Plan or in respect of any Benefit Arrangement or makes any amendment to any Plan or Benefit Arrangement which has resulted or could result in the imposition of a Lien or the posting of a bond or other security, a certificate of the chief financial officer or the chief accounting officer of the General Partner, on behalf of the Parent, setting forth details as to such occurrence and action, if any, which the Parent or applicable member of the ERISA Group is required or proposes to take; or (viii) determines that any Pension Plan is considered an at-risk plan or a plan in endangered or critical status within the meaning of Sections 430, 431 and 432 of the Code or Sections 303, 304 and 305 of ERISA, a certification of funding status from the enrolled actuary for the Pension Plan, which in the case of each of clauses (i) , (ii) , (iii)  and (viii)  above, could cause one or more members of the ERISA Group to incur liability;

(h) promptly upon any announcement by S&P or Moody’s of any issuance of or change in a Public Debt Rating of the Parent, notice of such issuance or change;

(i) promptly following a request therefor, any documentation or other information that a Lender reasonably requests in order to comply with its ongoing obligations under applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the Patriot Act; and

(j) from time to time, such additional information regarding the financial position or business of the Parent and its Subsidiaries as the Administrative Agent, at the request of any Lender, may reasonably request.

Documents required to be delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) , (b) , (e)  or (f)  (to the extent any such documents are included in materials otherwise filed with the SEC) may be delivered electronically and if so delivered, shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date (i) (A) on which the Parent posts such documents, or provides a link thereto on the Parent’s website on the Internet at the website address listed on Schedule 10.02 ; or (B) on which such documents are posted on the Parent’s or Borrower’s behalf on IntraLinks/IntraAgency or another relevant website, if any, to which each Lender and the Administrative Agent have access (whether a commercial, third-party website or whether sponsored by the Administrative Agent), and (ii) on which the Borrower notifies (which may be by facsimile or electronic mail) the Administrative Agent and each Lender of the posting of any such documents; provided that the Borrower shall deliver paper copies or soft copies (by electronic mail) of such documents to the Administrative Agent or any Lender that requests the Borrower to deliver such paper copies or soft copies. Information required to be delivered pursuant to this Section 6.01 may also be delivered by facsimile or electronic mail pursuant to procedures approved by the Administrative Agent. Except for Compliance Certificates required by Section 6.01(c) , the Administrative Agent shall have no obligation to maintain copies of the documents referred to above, and in any event shall have no responsibility to monitor compliance by the Borrower with any request for delivery of such documents, and each Lender shall be solely responsible for requesting delivery to it or maintaining its copies of such documents.

The Parent and the Borrower hereby acknowledge that (a) the Administrative Agent and/or the Arrangers will make available to the Lenders and the L/C Issuers materials and/or information provided by or on behalf of the

 

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Borrower or the Parent hereunder (collectively, “ Materials ”) by posting the Materials on IntraLinks or another similar electronic system (the “ Platform ”) and (b) certain of the Lenders may be “public-side” Lenders (i.e., Lenders that do not wish to receive material non-public information with respect to the Parent or its securities) (each, a “ Public Lender ”). The Parent and the Borrower hereby agree that (w) all Materials that are to be made available to Public Lenders shall be clearly and conspicuously marked “PUBLIC” which, at a minimum, shall mean that the word “PUBLIC” shall appear prominently on the first page thereof; (x) by marking Materials “PUBLIC,” the Parent and the Borrower shall be deemed to have authorized the Administrative Agent, the Arranger, the L/C Issuers and the Lenders to treat such Materials as not containing any material non-public information with respect to the Parent or its securities for purposes of United States Federal and state securities Laws ( provided , however , that to the extent such Materials constitute Information, they shall be treated as set forth in Section 10.08 ); (y) all Materials marked “PUBLIC” are permitted to be made available through a portion of the Platform designated “Public Investor;” and (z) the Administrative Agent and the Arrangers shall be entitled to treat any Materials that are not marked “PUBLIC” as being suitable only for posting on a portion of the Platform not designated “Public Investor.”

6.02 Payment of Taxes and Obligations . Each Loan Party will, and will cause each of its respective Subsidiaries to, pay or discharge its material obligations, including material Tax liabilities, before the same shall become delinquent, except where the validity or amount thereof is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, and such Loan Party or such Subsidiary has set aside on its books adequate reserves with respect thereto in accordance with GAAP.

6.03 Maintenance of Property; Insurance .

(a) Each Loan Party will keep, and will cause each of its respective Subsidiaries to keep, all material property useful and necessary in its business in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted.

(b) Parent will, and will cause each of its respective Subsidiaries to, maintain or caused to be maintained with insurance companies that are rated (or whose reinsurers are rated) “A-VII” or better by A.M. Best Company or “BBB-” or better by Standard & Poors or an equivalent rating from another recognized rating agency, insurance with respect to their respective properties and business in at least such amounts, against at least such risks and with such risk retention as are customarily maintained, insured against or retained, as the case may be, by companies engaged in a similar business, to the extent available at the time in question on commercially reasonable terms; and will furnish to the Lenders, upon request from the Administrative Agent, information presented in reasonable detail as to the insurance so carried.

6.04 Conduct of Business and Maintenance of Existence . Each Loan Party will preserve, renew and keep in full force and effect, and will cause each of its respective Subsidiaries to preserve, renew and keep in full force and effect their respective legal existence and good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its organization and their respective rights, privileges and franchises necessary or desirable in the normal conduct of business; provided that nothing in this Section 6.04 shall prohibit a transaction permitted pursuant to Section 7.05 .

6.05 Compliance with Laws . Each of the Loan Parties will comply, and cause each of its respective Subsidiaries to comply, in all material respects with all applicable material Laws and requirements of Governmental Authorities (including, without limitation, Environmental Laws, the Patriot Act and ERISA and the rules and regulations thereunder) except where the necessity or fact of compliance therewith is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings or could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. The Parent will maintain in effect and enforce policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by the Parent, its Subsidiaries, and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions (and such policies and procedures will be applicable to such directors, officers, employees and agents of Noble that serve as the directors, officers, employees and agents of the Parent and its Subsidiaries).

6.06 Inspection of Property, Books and Records . Each Loan Party will keep, and will cause its respective Subsidiaries to keep, proper books of record and account in which full, true and correct, in all material respects, entries shall be made of all dealings and transactions in relation to its business and activities to the extent required by GAAP or applicable Law; and will permit, and will cause each of its respective Subsidiaries to permit, representatives of any Lender at such Lender’s expense to visit and inspect any of their respective properties, to

 

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examine and make abstracts from any of their respective books and records, and to discuss their respective affairs, finances and accounts with their respective officers, employees and independent public accountants, all at such reasonable times and as often as may reasonably be desired; provided , however, that if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, any visit and inspection by a Lender shall be at the sole expense of the Borrower.

6.07 Use of Proceeds . The proceeds of the Loans made under this Agreement will be used by the Loan Parties (i) to pay fees and expenses in connection with the Transactions and (ii) for working capital, capital expenditures, Acquisitions, dividends, distributions, unit repurchases, and other lawful corporate, limited liability company or partnership purposes of the Parent and its Subsidiaries.

6.08 Governmental Approvals and Filings . Each Loan Party will, and will cause each of its respective Subsidiaries to, keep and maintain in full force and effect all action by or in respect of, or filing with, any Governmental Authority necessary in connection with (a) the execution and delivery of this Agreement, or any Note issued hereunder by the Borrower, (b) the consummation of the Transactions, (c) the performance of or compliance with the terms and conditions hereof or thereof by the Parent and its Subsidiaries, or (d) any other actions required to ensure the legality, validity, binding effect, enforceability or admissibility in evidence hereof or thereof.

6.09 Material Contracts . Each Loan Party will, and will cause each of its respective Subsidiaries to, perform and observe all the terms and provisions of, and comply with, each Material Contract to be performed or observed by it, except where the failure to do so, either individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Each Loan Party will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, use commercially reasonable efforts to enforce its rights and remedies under the Material Contracts (other than with respect to immaterial notice and information rights the non-enforcement of which the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries determine in good faith do not have an adverse effect on their ordinary course of business), including rights with respect to indemnities, cost reimbursements and purchase price adjustments, in a manner consistent with, and to the same extent that, it would do so in an arms’-length transaction with an unrelated third party.

6.10 Guarantee Matters .

(a) Within thirty (30) days (or such longer period as the Administrative Agent may agree in writing) after the acquisition or formation of any wholly-owned Material Subsidiary (including upon a wholly-owned non-Material Subsidiary becoming a Material Subsidiary), the Parent shall cause such Person to (i) become a Guarantor by executing and delivering to the Administrative Agent a joinder to the Guarantee Agreement and (ii) deliver to the Administrative Agent (A) documents of the types referred to in Sections 4.01(a)(iii) and (iv) and (B) favorable opinions of counsel to such Person (which, as to certain matters as agreed to by the Administrative Agent, may be internal counsel and which shall cover, among other things, the legality, validity, binding effect and enforceability of the documentation referred to in clause (i)), all in form, content and scope reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent. For the avoidance of doubt, no less than wholly-owned Material Subsidiary existing on or after the Closing Date shall be required to become a Guarantor hereunder until such time as such Subsidiary becomes a wholly-owned Material Subsidiary.

(b) If any Subsidiary that is not already a Loan Party guarantees any Debt of the Borrower or the Parent, then that Subsidiary shall become a guarantor of the Obligations and shall deliver a joinder to the Guarantee Agreement to the Administrative Agent within ten (10) Business Days of the date on which it guaranteed such Debt, together with such other additional closing documents, certificates and legal opinions as shall reasonably be requested by the Administrative Agent.

(c) On and after the Guarantee Release Condition Date, the Loan Parties shall not be required to comply with the requirements of Section 6.10(a) and each Guarantor that is a Material Subsidiary shall be automatically released from its obligations under the Guarantee Agreement; provided , that, (i) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would result from such release, (ii) such Guarantor is not then a guarantor of any other Debt of the Borrower or the Parent, and (iii) the Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent a certificate, executed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower, confirming that the conditions to release set forth in this Section have been satisfied.

 

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(d) If the conditions set forth Section 6.10(b) requiring such Subsidiary to be a Guarantor no longer exist, then such Subsidiary shall be automatically released from its obligations under the Guarantee Agreement; provided , that, (i) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would result from such release and (ii) the Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent a certificate, executed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower, confirming that the conditions to release set forth in this Section have been satisfied.

(e) In connection with any release pursuant to this Section, the Administrative Agent is hereby authorized to execute and deliver, and agrees to promptly execute and deliver, such documents as the Borrower shall reasonably request to evidence such release. Any execution and delivery of documents pursuant to this Section shall be without recourse to or warranty by the Administrative Agent.

6.11 Subsidiaries . With respect to each non-wholly owned direct or indirect Subsidiary of the Parent: (a) to the extent such Subsidiary is a limited partnership, 100% of the general partnership interests in such Subsidiary shall be owned by the Parent or a wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Parent and (ii) in all cases, the Parent or a wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Parent shall Control such Subsidiary.

ARTICLE VII

NEGATIVE COVENANTS

The Loan Parties agree and covenant that, so long as any Lender has any Commitment hereunder, any Letter of Credit remains outstanding (unless such Letter of Credit has been cash collateralized in a manner acceptable to the Administrative Agent and the applicable L/C Issuer or other arrangements with respect thereto have been made that are satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and such L/C Issuer) or any Obligation payable hereunder remains unpaid:

7.01 Liens . The Loan Parties will not, and will not permit any of their respective Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien on any asset now owned or hereafter acquired by it, except:

(a) Liens (other than Liens imposed under ERISA) for taxes, assessments or governmental charges or levies not past due for more than 60 days or which are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings, if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the applicable Person in accordance with GAAP;

(b) Liens of landlords (other than to secure Debt) and Liens of carriers, warehousemen, mechanics, materialmen and suppliers and other Liens imposed by law or pursuant to customary reservations or retentions of title arising in the ordinary course of business, provided that such Liens secure only amounts not past due for more than 60 days or, if delinquent, are unfiled and no other action has been taken to enforce the same or are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings for which adequate reserves determined in accordance with GAAP have been established;

(c) pledges or deposits in the ordinary course of business in connection with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security legislation, other than any Lien imposed by ERISA;

(d) Liens to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts and leases (other than Debt), statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature (other than obligations under Swap Contracts) incurred in the ordinary course of business;

(e) easements, rights-of-way, restrictions and other similar encumbrances affecting real property which do not materially detract from the value of the property subject thereto or materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of the business of the applicable Person;

 

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(f) Liens securing judgments for the payment of money (or appeal or other surety bonds relating to such judgments) not constituting an Event of Default under Section 8.01(h) ;

(g) leases or subleases granted to others not interfering in any material respect with the business of any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries;

(h) any interest of title of a lessor under, and Liens arising from UCC financing statements (or equivalent filings, registrations or agreements in foreign jurisdictions) relating to, leases permitted by this Agreement, including, without limitation, operating leases;

(i) normal and customary rights of setoff upon deposits of cash in favor of banks or other depository institutions;

(j) Liens of a collection bank arising under Section 4-210 of the Uniform Commercial Code on items in the course of collection;

(k) Liens of sellers of goods to the Parent and any of its Subsidiaries arising under Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code or similar provisions of applicable law in the ordinary course of business, covering only the goods sold and securing only the unpaid purchase price for such goods and related expenses;

(l) Liens, if any, in favor of the Administrative Agent on Cash Collateral delivered pursuant to Section 2.14(a) ;

(m) Liens created pursuant to construction, operating and maintenance agreements, transportation agreements and other similar agreements and related documents entered into in the ordinary course of business; provided that such Liens do not secure Debt;

(n) rights of first refusal entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(o) Liens consisting of any (i) rights reserved to or vested in any municipality or governmental, statutory or public authority to control or regulate any property of the Parent or any Subsidiary or to use such property, (ii) obligations or duties to any municipality or public authority with respect to any franchise, grant, license, lease or permit and the rights reserved or vested in any Governmental Authority or public utility to terminate any such franchise, grant, license, lease or permit or to condemn or expropriate any property, or (iii) zoning laws, ordinances or municipal regulations;

(p) Liens on cash margin collateral, deposits or securities required by any Person with whom the Parent or any of its Subsidiaries enters into a Swap Contract, to the extent such Swap Contracts are entered into in accordance with Section 7.13 ; provided that the aggregate value of cash and other assets subject to such Liens shall not at any time exceed $25,000,000;

(q) Liens imposed by ERISA which do not constitute an Event of Default and which are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and reserves in conformity with GAAP have been provided therefor;

(r) Liens on Capital Stock of joint ventures and Persons that are not Affiliates of the Parent or its Subsidiaries (in each case only to the extent such joint ventures or Persons do not constitute Subsidiaries) securing Debt of such joint venture or Person;

(s) Liens securing Debt permitted by Section 7.09(h) ; provided that (i) such Lien shall be created within 90 days of the acquisition, repair, improvement or lease, as applicable, of the related property, (ii) such Lien shall not apply to any property of the Parent or any Subsidiary other than the property financed by such Debt and proceeds thereof, (iii) the principal amount of Debt secured thereby is not increased and (iv) the principal amount of the Debt secured by such Lien shall not exceed 100% of the cost of acquiring, repairing, improving or leasing such property;

 

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(t) any easement, exceptions or reservations in any property or assets granted or reserved for the purpose of pipelines, roads, the removal of oil, gas or other minerals, and other like purposes, or for the joint or common use of real property, facilities and equipment that are incidental to, and do not materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of the Parent’s and/or its Subsidiaries’ business;

(u) prior to the Guarantee Release Condition Date, Liens granted by the Loan Parties not otherwise permitted by the foregoing clauses of this Section securing Debt of the Loan Parties in an aggregate principal amount not exceeding $50,000,000 at the time of creation, incurrence or assumption of such Lien; and

(v) on and after the Guarantee Release Condition Date, Liens not otherwise permitted by the foregoing clauses of this Section securing Debt of the Loan Parties and/or their respective Subsidiaries in an aggregate principal amount not exceeding 15% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets at the time of creation, incurrence or assumption of such Lien.

7.02 Financial Covenants .

(a) The Consolidated Leverage Ratio, as of the end of each fiscal quarter of the Parent (beginning with March 31, 2016), shall be less than or equal to 5.00 to 1.0; provided , that, during a Qualified Acquisition Period, the Consolidated Leverage Ratio shall be less than or equal to 5.50 to 1.0.

(b) The Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio, as of the end of each fiscal quarter of the Parent (beginning with March 31, 2016), shall not be less than 3.00 to 1.0.

7.03 Transactions with Affiliates . A Loan Party will not, and will not permit any Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly, pay any funds to or for the account of, make any investment in, lease, sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any assets, tangible or intangible, to, or participate in, or effect, any transaction (including the amendment, restatement, supplement or other modification to, or waiver of any rights under, any Material Contract the effect of which is material or adverse to a Loan Party or any Subsidiary or their respective rights thereunder, or the entry into any new Material Contract) with, any officer, director, employee or Affiliate (other than a Loan Party) (each such Person, an “Affiliated Person”) unless any such transactions between a Loan Party or its Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and any Affiliated Person, on the other hand, shall be on an arm’s-length basis and on terms no less favorable to such Loan Party or such Subsidiary than could have been obtained from a third party who was not an Affiliated Person; provided , that the foregoing provisions of this Section shall not prohibit (a) Restricted Payments permitted pursuant to Section 7.04 , (b) a Loan Party or a Subsidiary from providing credit support for its Subsidiaries as it deems appropriate in the ordinary course of business to the extent permitted pursuant to Section 7.09 and Section 7.10 , (c) transactions that are not on an arm’s length basis or are not on terms as favorable as could have been obtained from a third party, provided that such transaction or transactions occurs within a related series of transactions, which, in the aggregate, are on an arm’s-length basis and are on terms as favorable as could have been obtained from a third party, (d) non-material transactions with Noble or its Subsidiaries, or Subsidiaries of the Parent that are not Loan Parties, that are entered into in the ordinary course of business, so long as, in each case, after giving effect thereto, no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, such transaction is entered into in good faith and such transaction is in the best interests of the Parent and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (e) (i) Midstream Drop Down Acquisitions made pursuant to Section 7.10(e)(i) , (ii) Investments in Subsidiaries existing on the Closing Date made pursuant to Section 7.10(h) and (iii) Investments in other Subsidiaries to the extent permitted pursuant to Section 7.10 , in each case not prohibited by the Partnership Agreement so long as (A) no Default or Event of Default then exists or would result therefrom and (B) the Loan Parties are in pro forma compliance with Section 7.02 after giving effect to such transaction, (f) any corporate sharing agreements with respect to tax sharing and general overhead and administrative matters, (g) transactions approved by the conflicts committee of the General Partner in accordance with the Partnership Agreement, (h) transactions involving any employee benefit or compensation plans or related trusts of the Loan Parties or a Subsidiary, (i) the payment of reasonable compensation, fees and expenses (as determined by the applicable Loan Party) to, and indemnity provided on behalf of, the General Partner and directors, employees and officers of the General Partner, the Parent or any Subsidiary, (j) transactions pursuant to any contract in existence on the Closing Date and set forth on Schedule 7.03 (without giving effect to any amendment, waiver or modification thereto that is materially adverse to the Lenders) and (k) the IPO and all transactions contemplated by the IPO in each case occurring on or about the Closing Date.

 

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7.04 Restricted Payments . No Loan Party will, nor will it permit its Subsidiaries to, declare or make, directly or indirectly, any Restricted Payment, or incur any obligation (contingent or otherwise) to do so, except:

(a) a Subsidiary (other than the Borrower) may declare and make Restricted Payments to the Borrower (with respect to any non-wholly owned Subsidiary, ratably to its owners in accordance with their respective ownership interests);

(b) the Parent and each Subsidiary may declare and make Restricted Payments solely in the Capital Stock of such Person and the Parent may issue common Capital Stock upon the conversion of subordinated or any other class of Capital Stock;

(c) the Parent and each Subsidiary may purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire its Capital Stock with the proceeds received from the substantially concurrent issue of new Capital Stock;

(d) the Parent may make Restricted Payments to Noble or its Subsidiaries on the Closing Date as described in the “Use of Proceeds” section in the Registration Statement; and

(e) so long as (i) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would result therefrom and (ii) the Parent is in pro forma compliance with Section 7.02(a) , in each case on the date of declaration thereof, the Borrower may declare and pay Restricted Payments in cash to the Parent, and the Parent may declare and pay Restricted Payments in cash to the holders of its Capital Stock to the extent not prohibited by the Partnership Agreement, in each case no later than 60 days after such date of declaration.

7.05 Mergers and Fundamental Changes . A Loan Party will not, nor will it permit any of its Subsidiaries to, (a) enter into any transaction or merger or (b) consolidate, liquidate, wind up or dissolve itself (or suffer any liquidation or dissolution); provided that: (i) a Person (including a Subsidiary of the Parent but not the Borrower or the Parent) may be merged or consolidated with or into the Parent or the Borrower so long as (A) in the case of a transaction to which the Borrower is a party, the Borrower shall be the continuing or surviving entity, (B) in the case of a transaction to which the Parent is a party, the Parent shall be the continuing or surviving entity, (C)no Default or Event of Default shall exist or be caused thereby, and (D) the Borrower remains liable for its obligations under this Agreement and all the rights and remedies hereunder remain in full force and effect, (ii) a Subsidiary of the Parent (other than the Borrower) may merge with or into another Subsidiary of the Parent or any other Person, provided that if one of such Subsidiaries is a Guarantor, the surviving entity must be a Guarantor, and (iii) any Subsidiary of the Parent (other than the Borrower) may liquidate, wind up or dissolve if the Parent determines in good faith that such liquidation or dissolution is in the best interests of the Parent and is not materially disadvantageous to the Lenders; and (iv) any Investments and Dispositions otherwise permitted by this Agreement shall be permitted.

7.06 Change in Nature of Business . The Parent shall not, nor shall it permit any Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly, engage in any material line of business other than the midstream oil and gas business or any business substantially related or incidental thereto.

7.07 Use of Proceeds . The Borrower shall not use the proceeds of any Credit Extension, whether directly or indirectly, for a purpose that entails a violation of Regulation T, U or X of the FRB. The Borrower will not request any Borrowing or Letter of Credit, and the Borrower shall not use, and shall ensure that the Parent and its Subsidiaries and its or their respective directors, officers, employees and agents shall not use, the proceeds of any Borrowing or Letter of Credit (a) in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment or giving of money, or anything else of value, to any Person in violation of any Anti-Corruption Laws, (b) for the purpose of funding, financing or facilitating any activities, business or transaction of or with any Sanctioned Person, or in any Sanctioned Country or (c) in any manner that would result in the violation of any Sanctions applicable to any party hereto.

7.08 Dispositions . No Loan Party will, nor will it permit its Subsidiaries to make any Disposition except:

(a) Dispositions of inventory in the ordinary course of business;

 

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(b) Dispositions of assets no longer used or useful in the conduct of business of a Loan Party and its Subsidiaries that are Disposed of in the ordinary course of business;

(c) Dispositions of assets solely among the Loan Parties and/or any Subsidiary; provided that if the transferor of such assets is a Loan Party, the transferee thereof must be a Loan Party;

(d) Dispositions of accounts receivable in connection with the collection or compromise thereof;

(e) (i) Dispositions of licenses, sublicenses, leases or subleases or (ii) releases of rights of first refusal or rights of first offer held by the Parent or its Subsidiaries, in each case under this clause (e) not interfering in any material respect with the business of the Parent and its Subsidiaries;

(f) Dispositions of cash or Cash Equivalents in the ordinary course of business;

(g) Dispositions in which: (i) the assets being disposed of are exchanged for replacement assets of the same or substantially similar value which are useful in the ordinary course of business of the Parent and its Subsidiaries or (ii) the net proceeds thereof are either (A) reinvested within 365 days from such Disposition in assets to be used in the ordinary course of the business of the Parent and its Subsidiaries and/or (B) used to permanently reduce the Aggregate Commitment on a dollar for dollar basis;

(h) Dispositions permitted by Sections 7.04 , 7.05 (excluding clause (iii) thereof), and 7.10 ;

(i) Dispositions resulting from any casualty or other insured damage to, or any taking under power of eminent domain or by condemnation or similar proceeding of, any property or asset of a Loan Party or any Subsidiary; and

(j) other Dispositions not exceeding in the aggregate, for all Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries, 35% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets over the term of this Agreement, measured as of the date of each Disposition effected pursuant to this clause (j) (in each case using the financial statements most recently delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) ).

7.09 Debt . No Loan Party will, nor will it permit its Subsidiaries to, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Debt except:

(a) Debt pursuant to this Agreement;

(b) Investments permitted under Section 7.10 that would constitute Debt;

(c) [reserved];

(d) Debt in the form of taxes, assessments, governmental charges or levies and claims for labor, materials and supplies to the extent that payment therefor shall not be past due;

(e) Debt of (i) a Loan Party owing to another Loan Party, (ii) a Loan Party owing to a Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party, so long as such Debt is evidenced by an intercompany note and subject to subordination terms acceptable to the Administrative Agent, to the extent permitted by Requirements of Law and not giving rise to material adverse tax consequences, and (iii) to the extent permitted by Section 7.10 , any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party owing to a Loan Party;

(f) all obligations of such Person arising under letters of credit (including standby and commercial); provided , that, prior to the Guarantee Release Date, such Debt may only be incurred by the Loan Parties;

 

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(g) Debt of any Person that becomes a Subsidiary after the Closing Date, incurred prior to the time such Person becomes a Subsidiary, that is not created in contemplation of or in connection with such Person becoming a Subsidiary and that is not assumed or Guaranteed by any other Subsidiary; and Debt secured by a Lien on property acquired by a Subsidiary, incurred prior to the acquisition thereof by such Subsidiary, that is not created in contemplation of or in connection with such acquisition and that is not assumed or Guaranteed by any other Subsidiary; and Debt refinancing (but not increasing the principal amount thereof, except by an amount equal to amounts paid for any accrued interest, breakage, premium, fees and expenses in connection with such refinancing) the Indebtedness described in this clause (g); provided that (i) prior to the Guarantee Release Date, (A) the Parent shall be in compliance, on a pro forma basis, with the Consolidated Leverage Ratio after giving effect to the incurrence of such Debt and any Debt then being incurred under Section 7.09(j) and (B) such Subsidiary becomes a Loan Party within thirty (30) days (or such longer period as the Administrative Agent may agree in writing) after the acquisition of such Subsidiary and (ii) on and after the Guarantee Release Date, such Debt, when aggregated with all Debt then outstanding or then being incurred under Section 7.09(k) , does not exceed 15% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets after giving effect to such Debt (measured as of the date of incurrence using the financial statements most recently delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) );

(h) Debt incurred in connection with Capital Leases and purchase money Debt in an aggregate outstanding principal amount not to exceed $25,000,000 at any time; provided , that, prior to the Guarantee Release Date, such Debt may only be incurred by the Loan Parties;

(i) all Guarantees otherwise permitted by this Agreement, including Guarantees of Debt permitted to be incurred under this Section; provided , that, prior to the Guarantee Release Date, such Guarantees may only be incurred by the Loan Parties;

(j) other Debt incurred by the Loan Parties; provided that after giving effect to the incurrence of such Debt and the aggregate principal amount of Debt then being incurred under Section 7.09(g)(i) , the Parent shall be in compliance, on a pro forma basis, with the Consolidated Leverage Ratio; and

(k) on and after the Guarantee Release Condition Date, other Debt incurred by Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties; provided that the aggregate principal amount of such Debt, when aggregated with all Debt then outstanding or then being incurred under Section 7.09(g) , does not exceed 15% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets after giving effect to the incurrence of such Debt (measured as of the date of incurrence using the financial statements most recently delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) ).

7.10 Investments . No Loan Party will, nor will it permit its Subsidiaries to, make any Investments, except:

(a) Investments held by a Loan Party or such Subsidiary in the form of cash or Cash Equivalents;

(b) Investments existing as of the Closing Date and set forth on Schedule 7.10 and any Investments consisting of an extension, modification or renewal of any such Investment existing on, or made pursuant to a binding commitment existing on, the Closing Date;

(c) Investments in any Person that is a Loan Party prior to or contemporaneously with giving effect to such Investment;

(d) Investments by any Subsidiary of the Parent that is not a Loan Party in any other Subsidiary of the Parent that is not a Loan Party;

(e) (i) Investments in connection with Midstream Drop Down Acquisitions, provided that (A) such acquisition shall be made for fair value (as reasonably determined by the chief financial officer, chief accounting officer or chief executive officer of the Parent) and (B) such acquisition is otherwise on terms and conditions that are fair and reasonable to the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries (as reasonably determined by the chief financial officer, chief accounting officer or chief executive officer of the Parent), taking into account the

 

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totality of the relationship between the Parent and its Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and Noble and its Subsidiaries, on the other; and (ii) other Acquisitions of property or assets to be used (or intended to be used) primarily in an activity that would generate qualifying income within the meaning of Section 7704(d) of the Code, from sellers other than Noble and/or its Subsidiaries.

(f) Investments consisting of extensions of credit in the nature of accounts receivable or notes receivable arising from the grant of trade credit in the ordinary course of business, and Investments received in compromise or resolution of (i) obligations of trade creditors or customers that were incurred in the ordinary course of business of the Parent or its Subsidiaries, including pursuant to any plan of reorganization or similar arrangement upon the bankruptcy or insolvency of any trade creditor or customer or (ii) litigation, arbitration or other disputes;

(g) Investments in connection with cash margin collateral, deposits or securities permitted under Section 7.01(p) ;

(h) Investments after the Closing Date by any Loan Party in any Subsidiary existing on the Closing Date; provided that such Investments shall otherwise comply with Section 7.03 ; and

(i) other Investments in an aggregate amount not to exceed, at any one time outstanding, an amount equal to the greater of $15,000,000 and 3% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, upon the Parent or the Borrower receiving an Investment Grade Rating from any one of S&P or Moody’s, the Loan Parties shall not be required to comply with the restrictions set forth in this Section 7.10 .

7.11 Changes in Fiscal Year; Organization Documents . The Loan Parties will not, and will not permit any of their Subsidiaries to, (a) change the fiscal year of the Parent and its Subsidiaries, or (b) amend, modify or supplement any of the Loan Party’s or their Subsidiaries’ Organization Documents unless, in each case, such action could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

7.12 Subsidiaries . The Loan Parties will not, and will not permit any Subsidiary to:

(a) Dispose of any Capital Stock in any Subsidiary except in compliance with Section 7.08 ; provided no Loan Party will Dispose of less than 100% of the Capital Stock that it directly or indirectly owns in any Guarantor and the Parent may not Dispose of the Capital Stock in the Borrower;

(b) Dispose of any Capital Stock in any wholly-owned Subsidiary that is the general partner of a less than wholly-owned Subsidiary, or otherwise transfer or permit any Person which is not a Subsidiary of the Parent to be the general partner of any Subsidiary, except in connection with a Disposition of 100% of the Capital Stock that it directly or indirectly owns in any Subsidiary that is permitted pursuant to Section 7.08 and Section 7.12(a) ; or

(c) create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any contract, agreement or understanding which prohibits or restricts any Subsidiary from paying dividends or making distributions to any Loan Party, except:

(i) this Agreement or the Loan Documents;

(ii) restrictions binding on a Subsidiary at the time such Subsidiary first becomes a Subsidiary of the Borrower, so long as at the time of formation such Subsidiary was not owned by Noble and such restrictions were not created under contracts or agreements entered into in contemplation of such Person becoming a Subsidiary of the Borrower.

(iii) restrictions imposed by Law;

(iv) agreements existing as of the Closing Date and set forth on Schedule 7.12;

 

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(v) restrictions existing in agreements governing Debt permitted by this Agreement, provided that such restrictions, taken as a whole, are no more restrictive than the restrictions hereunder;

(vi) customary restrictions and conditions contained in purchase, merger or sale agreements relating to the Capital Stock or assets of a Subsidiary pending such transaction, provided such restrictions and conditions apply only to the Subsidiary that is subject to such transaction and such transaction is permitted by this Agreement; and

(vii) restrictions contained in, or existing by reason of, any agreement or instrument relating to any Subsidiary at the time such Subsidiary was merged or consolidated with or into, or acquired by, the Parent or a Subsidiary or became a Subsidiary and not created in contemplation thereof.

7.13 Swap Contracts . The Parent will not, and will not permit any Subsidiary to, enter into any Swap Contracts, other than Swap Contracts that are otherwise entered into not for speculative purposes, in respect of changes in interest rates, commodity prices or foreign exchange rates.

ARTICLE VIII

EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES

8.01 Events of Default . Any of the following events shall constitute an “ Event of Default ”:

(a) Non-Payment . Any Loan Party fails to pay (i) when and as required to be paid herein, any amount of principal of any Loan or any L/C Obligation, or (ii) within five days after the same becomes due, any interest on any Loan or on any L/C Obligation, or any facility or other fee due hereunder, or any other amount payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document; or

(b) Specific Covenants . Any Loan Party or any Subsidiary fails to perform or observe any term, covenant or agreement contained in any of Sections 6.01(d) , 6.04 (with respect to the Parent’s and the Borrower’s existence), 6.07 , 6.08 , 6.10 , 6.11 or Article VII ; or

(c) Other Defaults . Any Loan Party or any Subsidiary fails to perform or observe any other covenant or agreement (not specified in Section 8.01(a) or (b)  above) contained in any Loan Document on its part to be performed or observed and such failure continues for 30 days after the earlier of (i) the date notice of such failure is given by the Administrative Agent to the Borrower or (ii) the date on which such failure first became known to a Responsible Officer of the General Partner or the Borrower; or

(d) Representations and Warranties . Any representation, warranty, certification or statement of fact made or deemed made by or on behalf of any Loan Party, in this Agreement or in any other Loan Document, or in any document delivered in connection herewith or therewith shall be incorrect or misleading in any material respect (except to the extent qualified by materiality or Material Adverse Effect, in which case they shall be true and correct in all respects) when made or deemed made; or

(e) Cross Default . (i) the Parent or any of its Subsidiaries (A) fails to make any payment when due (whether by scheduled maturity, required prepayment, acceleration, demand, or otherwise) in respect of any Material Debt, or (B) fails to observe or perform any other agreement or condition relating to any Material Debt or contained in any instrument or agreement evidencing, securing or relating thereto, or any other event occurs, the effect of which default or other event is to cause, or to permit the holder or holders of such Material Debt to cause, the maturity of such Material Debt to be accelerated or to cause such Material Debt to be repurchased, prepaid, defeased or redeemed (automatically or otherwise), or an offer to repurchase, prepay, defease or redeem such Debt to be made, prior to its stated maturity or (ii) there occurs under any Swap Contract an Early Termination Date (as defined in such Swap Contract) resulting from (A) any event of default under such Swap Contract as to which the Parent or any Subsidiary is the Defaulting Party (as defined in such Swap Contract) or (B) any Termination Event

 

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(as so defined) under such Swap Contract as to which the Parent or any Subsidiary is an Affected Party (as so defined) and, in either event, the Swap Termination Value owed by the Parent or such Subsidiary as a result thereof is greater than the Threshold Amount; or

(f) Insolvency Proceedings, Etc. Any Loan Party or any Subsidiary institutes or consents to the institution of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law, or makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors; or applies for or consents to the appointment of any receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator, liquidator, rehabilitator or similar officer for it or for all or any material part of its property; or any receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator, liquidator, rehabilitator or similar officer is appointed without the application or consent of such Person and the appointment continues undischarged or unstayed for 60 calendar days; or any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law relating to any such Person or to all or any material part of its property is instituted without the consent of such Person and continues undismissed or unstayed for 60 calendar days, or an order for relief is entered in any such proceeding; or

(g) Inability to Pay Debts; Attachment . (i) Any Loan Party or any Subsidiary admits in writing its inability or fails generally to pay its debts as they become due, or (ii) any writ or warrant of attachment or execution or similar process is issued or levied against all or any material part of the property of any such Person and is not released, vacated or fully bonded within 30 days after its issue or levy; or

(h) Judgments . There is entered against any Loan Party or any Subsidiary final judgments or orders for the payment of money in an aggregate amount exceeding the Threshold Amount (to the extent not covered by independent third-party insurance as to which the insurer does not dispute coverage), and (A) enforcement proceedings are commenced by any creditor upon such judgment or order or (B) there is a period of 30 consecutive days during which a stay of enforcement of such judgment, by reason of a pending appeal or otherwise, is not in effect; or

(i) ERISA . (i) Any member of the ERISA Group shall fail to pay when due an amount or amounts aggregating in excess of the Threshold Amount which it shall have become liable to pay under Title IV of ERISA; or (ii) notice of intent to terminate a Material Plan shall be filed under Title IV of ERISA by any member of the ERISA Group, any plan administrator or any combination of the foregoing; or (iii) the PBGC shall institute proceedings under Title IV of ERISA to terminate, to impose liability (other than for premiums under Section 4007 of ERISA) in respect of, or to cause a trustee to be appointed to administer, any Material Plan; or (iv) a condition shall exist by reason of which the PBGC would be entitled to obtain a decree adjudicating that any Material Plan must be terminated; or (v) there shall occur a complete or partial withdrawal from, or a default, within the meaning of Section 4219(c)(5) of ERISA, with respect to, one or more Multiemployer Plans, which, in the case of each of clauses (ii) - (v)  above, could cause one or more members of the ERISA Group to incur a current payment obligation in excess of the Threshold Amount in the aggregate; or

(j) Invalidity of Loan Documents . Any Loan Document at any time after its execution and delivery and for any reason other than as expressly permitted hereunder or satisfaction in full of all the Obligations, ceases to be in full force and effect; or any Loan Party or any other Person contests in any manner the validity or enforceability of any Loan Document; or any Loan Party denies that it has any or further liability or obligation under any Loan Document, or purports to revoke, terminate or rescind any Loan Document; or

(k) Change of Control . There occurs any Change of Control.

8.02 Remedies Upon Event of Default . If any Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Administrative Agent shall, at the request of, or may, with the consent of the Required Lenders, take any or all of the following actions:

(a) declare the commitment of each Lender to make Loans and any obligations of any L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions to be terminated, whereupon such commitments and obligation shall be terminated;

 

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(b) declare the unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans, all interest accrued and unpaid thereon, and all other amounts owing or payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document with respect to the Commitments, Loans or Letters of Credit to be immediately due and payable, without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived by the Loan Parties;

(c) require that the Borrower Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations (in an amount equal to the then Outstanding Amount thereof); and

(d) exercise on behalf of itself and the Lenders all rights and remedies available to it and the Lenders under the Loan Documents or applicable law;

provided , however , in each case, that upon the occurrence of an Event of Default under Section 8.01(f) or Section 8.01(g) , the obligation of each Lender to make Loans and any obligation of each L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions shall automatically terminate, the unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans and all interest and other amounts as aforesaid shall automatically become due and payable, and the obligation of the Borrower to Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations as aforesaid shall automatically become effective, in each case without further act of the Administrative Agent or any Lender.

8.03 Application of Funds . After the exercise of remedies provided for in Section 8.02 (or after the Loans have automatically become immediately due and payable and the L/C Obligations have automatically been required to be Cash Collateralized as set forth in the proviso to Section 8.02 ), any amounts received on account of the Obligations shall be applied by the Administrative Agent in the following order:

First , to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, indemnities, expenses and other amounts (including Attorney Costs and amounts payable under Article III ) payable to the Administrative Agent in its capacity as such;

Second , to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, indemnities and other amounts (other than principal and interest) payable to the Lenders and the L/C Issuers (including Attorney Costs and amounts payable under Article III ), ratably among them in proportion to the amounts described in this clause Second payable to them;

Third , to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting accrued and unpaid Letter of Credit fees pursuant to Section 2.03(h) and interest on the Loans, Swing Line Loans and the L/C Borrowings, ratably among the Lenders in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Third payable to them;

Fourth , to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting unpaid principal of the Loans, Swing Line Loans and L/C Borrowings, ratably among the Lenders and the L/C Issuers in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Fourth held by them;

Fifth , to the Administrative Agent for the account of the L/C Issuers, to Cash Collateralize that portion of L/C Obligations comprised of the aggregate undrawn amount of Letters of Credit to the extent not Cash Collateralized by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.16 ; and

Last , the balance, if any, after all of the Obligations have been indefeasibly paid in full, to the Borrower or as otherwise required by Law.

Subject to Section 2.03(c) , amounts used to Cash Collateralize the aggregate undrawn amount of Letters of Credit pursuant to clause Fifth above shall be applied to satisfy drawings under such Letters of Credit as they occur. If any amount remains on deposit as Cash Collateral after all Letters of Credit have either been fully drawn or expired, such remaining amount shall be applied to the other Obligations, if any, in the order set forth above.

 

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ARTICLE IX

ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT

9.01 Appointment and Authorization of Administrative Agent . Each of the Lenders and the L/C Issuers hereby irrevocably appoints [                    ] to act on its behalf as the Administrative Agent hereunder and under the other Loan Documents and authorizes the Administrative Agent to take such actions on its behalf and to exercise such powers as are delegated to the Administrative Agent by the terms hereof or thereof, together with such actions and powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. The provisions of this Article are solely for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuers, and the Borrower shall not have rights as a third party beneficiary of any of such provisions. It is understood and agreed that the use of the term “agent” herein or in any other Loan Documents (or any other similar term) with reference to the Administrative Agent is not intended to connote any fiduciary or other implied (or express) obligations arising under agency doctrine of any applicable law. Instead such term is used as a matter of market custom, and is intended to create or reflect only an administrative relationship between contracting parties.

9.02 Rights as a Lender . The Person serving as the Administrative Agent hereunder shall have the same rights and powers in its capacity as a Lender as any other Lender and may exercise the same as though it were not the Administrative Agent and the term “Lender” or “Lenders” shall, unless otherwise expressly indicated or unless the context otherwise requires, include the Person serving as the Administrative Agent hereunder in its individual capacity. Such Person and its Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to, act as the financial advisor or in any other advisory capacity for and generally engage in any kind of business with the Parent, the Borrower or any Subsidiary or other Affiliate thereof as if such Person were not the Administrative Agent hereunder and without any duty to account therefor to the Lenders.

9.03 Exculpatory Provisions . The Administrative Agent shall not have any duties or obligations except those expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents, and its duties hereunder shall be administrative in nature. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrative Agent:

(a) shall not be subject to any fiduciary or other implied duties, regardless of whether a Default has occurred and is continuing;

(b) shall not have any duty to take any discretionary action or exercise any discretionary powers, except discretionary rights and powers expressly contemplated hereby or by the other Loan Documents that the Administrative Agent is required to exercise as directed in writing by the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be expressly provided for herein or in the other Loan Documents), provided that the Administrative Agent shall not be required to take any action that, in its opinion or the opinion of its counsel, may expose the Administrative Agent to liability or that is contrary to any Loan Document or applicable law, including for the avoidance of doubt any action that may be in violation of the automatic stay under any Debtor Relief Law or that may affect a forfeiture, modification or termination of property of a Defaulting Lender in violation of any Debtor Relief Law; and

(c) shall not, except as expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents, have any duty to disclose, and shall not be liable for the failure to disclose, any information relating to the Parent, the Borrower or any of their Affiliates that is communicated to or obtained by the Person serving as the Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates in any capacity.

The Administrative Agent shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it (i) with the consent or at the request of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, or as the Administrative Agent shall believe in good faith shall be necessary, under the circumstances as provided in Sections 10.01 and 8.02 ) or (ii) in the absence of its own gross negligence or willful misconduct as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and nonappealable judgment. The Administrative Agent shall be deemed not to have knowledge of any Default unless and until notice describing such Default is given to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower, a Lender or an L/C Issuer.

 

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The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for or have any duty to ascertain or inquire into (i) any statement, warranty or representation made in or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (ii) the contents of any certificate, report or other document delivered hereunder or thereunder or in connection herewith or therewith, (iii) the performance or observance of any of the covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set forth herein or therein or the occurrence of any Default, (iv) the validity, enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other agreement, instrument or document or (v) the satisfaction of any condition set forth in Article IV or elsewhere herein, other than to confirm receipt of items expressly required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent.

9.04 Reliance by Administrative Agent . The Administrative Agent shall be entitled to rely upon, and shall not incur any liability for relying upon, any notice, request, certificate, consent, statement, instrument, document or other writing (including any electronic message, Internet or intranet website posting or other distribution) believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed, sent or otherwise authenticated by the proper Person. The Administrative Agent also may rely upon any statement made to it orally or by telephone and believed by it to have been made by the proper Person, and shall not incur any liability for relying thereon. In determining compliance with any condition hereunder to the making of a Loan, or the issuance of a Letter of Credit, that by its terms must be fulfilled to the satisfaction of a Lender or an L/C Issuer, the Administrative Agent may presume that such condition is satisfactory to such Lender or such L/C Issuer unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice to the contrary from such Lender or such L/C Issuer prior to the making of such Loan or the issuance of such Letter of Credit. The Administrative Agent shall be entitled to rely on legal counsel (who may be counsel for the Parent), independent accountants and other experts selected by it, and shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it in accordance with the advice of any such counsel, accountants or experts.

9.05 Indemnification of Administrative Agent . Whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated, (a) the Lenders shall severally indemnify upon demand the Administrative Agent and each Agent-Related Person related to the Administrative Agent and (b) the Lenders shall severally indemnify upon demand each L/C Issuer and each Agent-Related Person related to such L/C Issuer (in each case, to the extent not reimbursed by or on behalf of the Borrower and without limiting the obligation of the Borrower to do so), pro rata (determined as of the time at which such indemnification is sought), and hold harmless each Agent-Related Person from and against any and all Indemnified Liabilities incurred by it, provided that such unreimbursed Indemnified Liabilities were incurred by or asserted against the Administrative Agent or such L/C Issuer in each case in its capacity as such or against any Agent-Related Persons acting for the Administrative Agent or such L/C Issuer in connection with such capacity; provided, however, that no Lender shall be liable for the payment to any Agent-Related Person of any portion of such Indemnified Liabilities to the extent determined in a final, nonappealable judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted from such Agent-Related Person’s own gross negligence or willful misconduct; and provided, further, that no action taken in accordance with the directions of the Required Lenders shall be deemed to constitute gross negligence or willful misconduct for purposes of this Section. Without limitation of the foregoing, each Lender shall severally reimburse the Administrative Agent upon demand for its ratable share of any costs or out-of-pocket expenses (including Attorney Costs) incurred by the Administrative Agent in connection with the preparation, execution, delivery, administration, modification, amendment or enforcement (whether through negotiations, legal proceedings or otherwise) of, or legal advice in respect of rights or responsibilities under, this Agreement, any other Loan Document, or any document contemplated by or referred to herein, to the extent that the Administrative Agent is not reimbursed for such expenses by or on behalf of the Borrower. The obligations of the Lenders in this Section are subject to the provisions of Section 2.12(e) and shall survive termination of the Aggregate Commitment, the payment of all other Obligations and the resignation of the Administrative Agent.

9.06 Delegation of Duties . The Administrative Agent may perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers hereunder or under any other Loan Document by or through any one or more sub agents appointed by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent and any such sub agent may perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers by or through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory provisions of this Article shall apply to any such sub agent and to the Related Parties of the Administrative Agent and any such sub agent, and shall apply to their respective activities in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided for herein as well as activities as Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for the negligence or misconduct of any sub-agents except to the extent that a court of competent jurisdiction determines in a final and nonappealable judgment that the Administrative Agent acted with gross negligence or willful misconduct in the selection of such sub-agents.

 

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9.07 Resignation of Administrative Agent . The Administrative Agent may at any time give notice of its resignation to the Lenders, the L/C Issuers and the Borrower. If the Administrative Agent becomes a Defaulting Lender, then such Administrative Agent may be removed as the Administrative Agent at the reasonable request of the Borrower and the Required Lenders. Upon receipt of any such notice of resignation or removal, the Required Lenders shall have the right, in consultation with the Borrower (so long as no Event of Default exists), to appoint a successor, which shall be a bank with an office in the United States, or an Affiliate of any such bank with an office in the United States. If, in the case of resignation, no such successor shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days after the retiring Administrative Agent gives notice of its resignation, then the retiring Administrative Agent may on behalf of the Lenders and the L/C Issuers, appoint a successor Administrative Agent meeting the qualifications set forth above; provided that if the Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders that no qualifying Person has accepted such appointment, then such resignation shall nonetheless become effective in accordance with such notice and (1) the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder and under the other Loan Documents and (2) all payments, communications and determinations provided to be made by, to or through the Administrative Agent shall instead be made by or to each Lender and each L/C Issuer directly, until such time as the Required Lenders appoint a successor Administrative Agent as provided for above in this Section. Upon the acceptance of a successor’s appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder, such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring (or retired) Administrative Agent, and the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from all of its duties and obligations hereunder or under the other Loan Documents (if not already discharged therefrom as provided above in this Section). The fees payable by the Borrower to a successor Administrative Agent shall be the same as those payable to its predecessor unless otherwise agreed between the Borrower and such successor. After the retiring Administrative Agent’s resignation hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, the provisions of this Article and Section 10.04 shall continue in effect for the benefit of such retiring Administrative Agent, its sub agents and their respective Related Parties in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by any of them while the retiring Administrative Agent was acting as Administrative Agent.

Any resignation by [                    ] as Administrative Agent pursuant to this Section shall also constitute its resignation as an L/C Issuer and a Swing Line Lender. Upon the acceptance of a successor’s appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder, (a) such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring L/C Issuer and retiring Swing Line Lender, (b) the retiring L/C Issuer and retiring Swing Line Lender shall be discharged from all of their respective duties and obligations hereunder or under the other Loan Documents, and (c) the successor L/C Issuer shall issue letters of credit in substitution for the Letters of Credit, if any, outstanding at the time of such succession or make other arrangements satisfactory to the retiring L/C Issuer to effectively assume the obligations of the retiring L/C Issuer with respect to such Letters of Credit.

9.08 Non-Reliance on Administrative Agent and Other Lenders . Each Lender and each L/C Issuer acknowledges that it has, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender or any of their Related Parties and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Agreement. Each Lender and each L/C Issuer also acknowledges that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender or any of their Related Parties and based on such documents and information as it shall from time to time deem appropriate, continue to make its own decisions in taking or not taking action under or based upon this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any related agreement or any document furnished hereunder or thereunder.

9.09 No Other Duties, Etc. Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, none of the Arrangers listed on the cover page hereof shall have any powers, duties or responsibilities under this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents, except in its capacity, as applicable, as the Administrative Agent, a Lender or an L/C Issuer hereunder.

9.10 Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim . In case of the pendency of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, composition or other judicial

 

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proceeding relative to any Loan Party, the Administrative Agent (irrespective of whether the principal of any Loan or L/C Obligation shall then be due and payable as herein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Administrative Agent shall have made any demand on the Borrower) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise

(a) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of the principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Loans, L/C Obligations and all other Obligations that are owing and unpaid and to file such other documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Lenders, the L/C Issuers and the Administrative Agent (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Lenders, the L/C Issuers and the Administrative Agent and their respective agents and counsel and all other amounts due the Lenders, the L/C Issuers and the Administrative Agent under Sections 2.03(h) and (i) , 2.09 , 10.04 and 10.05 ) allowed in such judicial proceeding; and

(b) to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same;

and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Lender and each L/C Issuer to make such payments to the Administrative Agent and, in the event that the Administrative Agent shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Lenders and the L/C Issuers, to pay to the Administrative Agent any amount due for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Administrative Agent and its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Administrative Agent under Sections 2.09 , 10.04 and 10.05 .

Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Administrative Agent to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Lender or any L/C Issuer any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Obligations or the rights of any Lender or to authorize the Administrative Agent to vote in respect of the claim of any Lender in any such proceeding.

ARTICLE X

MISCELLANEOUS

10.01 Amendments, Etc. No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, and no consent to any departure by any Loan Party therefrom, shall be effective unless in writing signed by the Required Lenders and the Borrower, and acknowledged by the Administrative Agent, and each such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose for which given; provided , however , that no such amendment, waiver or consent shall:

(a) extend or increase the Commitment of any Lender (or reinstate any Commitment terminated pursuant to Section 8.02 ) without the written consent of such Lender;

(b) postpone any date fixed by this Agreement or any other Loan Document for any payment of principal, interest, fees or other amounts due to the Lenders (or any of them) hereunder or under any other Loan Document without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby;

(c) reduce the principal of, or the rate of interest specified herein on, any Loan or L/C Borrowing, or (subject to clause (v)  of the second proviso to this Section 10.01 ) any fees or other amounts payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby; provided , however , that only the consent of the Required Lenders shall be necessary to amend the definition of “Default Rate” or to waive any obligation of the Borrower to pay interest at the Default Rate or to amend any financial term affecting principal, interest, fees or other amounts not for the express purpose of reducing such amounts;

(d) change Section 2.13 or Section 8.03 in a manner that would alter the pro rata sharing of payments or order of payments required thereby without the written consent of each Lender;

 

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(e) amend Section 2.03(a)(ii)(C) in any manner that would permit a Letter of Credit to expire after the Letter of Credit Expiration Date without the written consent of each Lender;

(f) change any provision of this Section or the definition of “Required Lenders” or any other provision hereof specifying the number or percentage of Lenders required to amend, waive or otherwise modify any rights hereunder or make any determination or grant any consent hereunder, without the written consent of each Lender; or

(g) release the Borrower or, except in connection with (i) a release pursuant to Section 6.10 , (ii) a merger or consolidation permitted under Section 7.05 or (iii) a Disposition permitted under Section 7.08 , all or substantially all of the Guarantors without the written consent of each Lender;

and, provided further , that (i) no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by each L/C Issuer in addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights or duties of such L/C Issuer under this Agreement or any Letter of Credit Application relating to any Letter of Credit issued or to be issued by it; (ii) no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by each Swing Line Lender in addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights or duties of such Swing Line Lender under this Agreement; (iii) no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by the Administrative Agent in addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights or duties of the Administrative Agent under this Agreement or any other Loan Document; (iv) the Fee Letter may be amended, or rights or privileges thereunder waived, in a writing executed only by the parties thereto; and (v) no Defaulting Lender shall have any right to approve or disapprove any amendment, waiver or consent hereunder (and any amendment, waiver or consent which by its terms requires the consent of all Lenders or each affected Lender may be effected with the consent of the applicable Lenders other than Defaulting Lenders), except that (A) the Commitment of any Defaulting Lender may not be increased or extended without the consent of such Lender and (B) any waiver, amendment or modification requiring the consent of all Lenders or each affected Lender that by its terms affects any Defaulting Lender disproportionately adversely relative to other affected Lenders shall require the consent of such Defaulting Lender.

10.02 Notices; Effectiveness; Electronic Communication .

(a) Notices Generally . Except in the case of notices and other communications expressly permitted to be given by telephone (and except as provided in Section 10.02(b) below), all notices and other communications provided for herein shall be in writing and shall be delivered by hand or overnight courier service, mailed by certified or registered mail or sent by telecopier as follows, and all notices and other communications expressly permitted hereunder to be given by telephone shall be made to the applicable telephone number, as follows:

(i) if to the Borrower or any other Loan Party, the Administrative Agent or [                    ], as an L/C Issuer or a Swing Line Lender, to the address, telecopier number, electronic mail address or telephone number specified for such Person on Schedule 10.02 ; and

(ii) if to any other Lender, any other Swing Line Lender, or any other L/C Issuer, to the address, telecopier number, electronic mail address or telephone number specified in its Administrative Questionnaire.

Notices sent by hand or overnight courier service, or mailed by certified or registered mail, shall be deemed to have been given when received; notices sent by telecopier shall be deemed to have been given when sent (except that, if not given during normal business hours for the recipient, shall be deemed to have been given at the opening of business on the next business day for the recipient). Notices delivered through electronic communications to the extent provided in Section 10.02(b) below, shall be effective as provided in such Section 10.02(b) .

(b) Electronic Communications . Notices and other communications to the Lenders and the L/C Issuers hereunder may be delivered or furnished by electronic communication (including e-mail and Internet or intranet websites) pursuant to procedures approved by the Administrative Agent, provided that the foregoing shall not apply to notices to any Lender or any L/C Issuer pursuant to Article II if such Lender or such L/C Issuer, as

 

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applicable, has notified the Administrative Agent that it is incapable of receiving notices under such Article by electronic communication. The Administrative Agent or the Borrower may, in its discretion, agree to accept notices and other communications to it hereunder by electronic communications pursuant to procedures approved by it, provided that approval of such procedures may be limited to particular notices or communications.

Unless the Administrative Agent otherwise prescribes, (i) notices and other communications sent to an e-mail address shall be deemed received upon the sender’s receipt of an acknowledgement from the intended recipient (such as by the “return receipt requested” function, as available, return e-mail or other written acknowledgement), provided that if such notice or other communication is not sent during the normal business hours of the recipient, such notice or communication shall be deemed to have been sent at the opening of business on the next business day for the recipient, and (ii) notices or communications posted to an Internet or intranet website shall be deemed received upon the deemed receipt by the intended recipient at its e-mail address as described in the foregoing clause (i) of notification that such notice or communication is available and identifying the website address therefor.

(c) The Platform . THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” THE AGENT/ARRANGER PARTIES (AS DEFINED BELOW) DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE MATERIALS OR THE ADEQUACY OF THE PLATFORM, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM LIABILITY FOR ERRORS IN OR OMISSIONS FROM THE MATERIALS. NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS OR FREEDOM FROM VIRUSES OR OTHER CODE DEFECTS, IS MADE BY ANY AGENT/ARRANGER PARTY IN CONNECTION WITH THE MATERIALS OR THE PLATFORM. In no event shall the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers or any of their Related Parties (collectively, the “ Agent/Arranger Parties ”) have any liability to any Loan Party, any Lender, any L/C Issuer or any other Person for losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses of any kind (whether in tort, contract or otherwise) arising out of the Parent’s, Borrower’s or the Administrative Agent’s transmission of Materials through the Internet, except to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by a final and nonappealable judgment to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Agent/Arranger Party; provided , however , that in no event shall any Agent/Arranger Party have any liability to any Loan Party, any Lender, any L/C Issuer or any other Person for indirect, special, incidental, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages).

(d) Change of Address, Etc . Each of the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuers and the Swing Line Lenders may change its address, telecopier or telephone number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the other parties hereto. Each other Lender may change its address, telecopier or telephone number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuers and the Swing Line Lenders. In addition, each Lender agrees to notify the Administrative Agent from time to time to ensure that the Administrative Agent has on record (i) an effective address, contact name, telephone number, telecopier number and electronic mail address to which notices and other communications may be sent and (ii) accurate wire instructions for such Lender.

(e) Reliance by Administrative Agent, L/C Issuers and Lenders . The Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuers and the Lenders shall be entitled to rely and act upon any notices (including telephonic Swing Line Loan Notices) purportedly given by or on behalf of the Borrower even if (i) such notices were not made in a manner specified herein, were incomplete or were not preceded or followed by any other form of notice specified herein, or (ii) the terms thereof, as understood by the recipient, varied from any confirmation thereof. The Borrower shall indemnify the Administrative Agent, each L/C Issuer, each Lender and the Related Parties of each of them from all losses, costs, expenses and liabilities resulting from the reliance by such Person on each notice purportedly given by or on behalf of the Borrower. All telephonic notices to and other telephonic communications with the Administrative Agent may be recorded by the Administrative Agent, and each of the parties hereto hereby consents to such recording.

10.03 No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies . No failure by any Lender or the Administrative Agent to exercise, and no delay by any such Person in exercising, any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, remedy, power or privilege. The rights, remedies, powers and privileges herein provided are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights, remedies, powers and privileges provided by law.

 

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10.04 Attorney Costs, Expenses and Taxes . The Borrower agrees (a) to pay or reimburse the Administrative Agent for all reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred in connection with the development, preparation, negotiation and execution of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and any amendment, waiver, consent or other modification of the provisions hereof and thereof (whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby are consummated), and the consummation and administration of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, including all Attorney Costs (but limited to one primary outside counsel for the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, and to the extent necessary, one local counsel in each relevant jurisdiction for the Administrative Agent and the Lenders) and (b) to pay or reimburse the Administrative Agent and each Lender for all out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred in connection with the enforcement, attempted enforcement, or preservation of any rights or remedies under this Agreement or the other Loan Documents (including all such costs and expenses incurred during any “workout” or restructuring in respect of the Obligations and during any legal proceeding, including any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law), including all Attorney Costs (but limited to one primary outside counsel for the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, and to the extent necessary, (i) one local counsel in each relevant jurisdiction for the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and (ii) one counsel for each group of similarly situated Persons in the case of an actual or asserted conflict of interest among the Administrative Agent and the Lenders). The foregoing costs and expenses shall include all search, filing, recording, title insurance and appraisal charges and fees and Other Taxes related thereto, and other reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent and the cost of independent public accountants and other outside experts retained by the Administrative Agent or any Lender. All amounts due under this Section 10.04 shall be payable within ten Business Days after demand therefor. The agreements in this Section shall survive the termination of the Aggregate Commitment and repayment of all other Obligations.

10.05 Indemnification; Damage Waiver .

(a) Indemnification by the Loan Parties . Whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated, the Loan Parties shall indemnify and hold harmless each Agent-Related Person, each Lender and their respective Affiliates, and the directors, officers, employees, counsel, agents and attorneys-in-fact of each of the foregoing (collectively the “ Indemnitees ”) from and against any and all liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, claims, demands, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses and disbursements (including Attorney Costs but limited to one primary outside counsel for the Indemnitees, and to the extent necessary, (x) one local counsel in each relevant jurisdiction for the Indemnitees and (y) one counsel for each group of similarly situated Persons in the case of an actual or asserted conflict of interest among the Administrative Agent and the Lenders) of any kind or nature whatsoever which may at any time be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against any such Indemnitee in any way relating to or arising out of or in connection with (i) the execution, delivery, enforcement, performance or administration of any Loan Document or any other agreement, letter or instrument delivered in connection with the transactions contemplated thereby or the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby, (ii) any Commitment, Loan or Letter of Credit or the use or proposed use of the proceeds therefrom (including any refusal by any L/C Issuer to honor a demand for payment under a Letter of Credit if the documents presented in connection with such demand do not strictly comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit), (iii) any actual or alleged presence or release of Hazardous Substances on or from any property currently or formerly owned or operated by a Loan Party or any Subsidiary of a Loan Party, or any Environmental Liability related in any way to a Loan Party or any Subsidiary of a Loan Party, or (iv) any actual or prospective claim, litigation, investigation or proceeding relating to any of the foregoing, in each case whether based on contract, tort or any other theory (including any investigation of, preparation for, or defense of any pending or threatened claim, investigation, litigation or proceeding) and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto and regardless of whether brought by the Borrower or any third party (all the foregoing, collectively, the “ Indemnified Liabilities ”), in all cases, whether or not caused by or arising, in whole or in part, out of the negligence of the Indemnitee; provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, claims, demands, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and nonappealable judgment to have resulted from (x) the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee, (y) material breach in bad faith of such Indemnitee’s obligations under the Loan Documents or (z) a dispute solely among Indemnitees so long as such dispute does not involve, or result from, (I) an action or inaction by any Loan Party or any Affiliate of a Loan Party or (II) a dispute against the

 

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Administrative Agent in its capacity as such. No Indemnitee shall be liable for any damages arising from the use by others of any information or other materials obtained through IntraLinks or other similar information transmission systems in connection with this Agreement. All amounts due under this Section 10.05 shall be payable within ten Business Days after demand therefore. The agreements in this Section shall survive the resignation of the Administrative Agent, the replacement of any Lender, the termination of the Aggregate Commitment and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all the other Obligations. Without limiting the provisions of Section 3.01 , this Section 10.05(a) shall not apply with respect to Taxes other than Taxes that represent losses, claims, damages, etc. arising from any non-Tax claim.

(b) Waiver of Consequential Damages, Etc . Without limiting the Loan Parties’ indemnification obligations under Section 10.05(a) , to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, no party hereto shall assert, and each hereby waives, any claim against any other party hereto, on any theory of liability, for special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages) arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of, this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument entered into or delivered pursuant hereto, the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use of the proceeds thereof. No Indemnitee referred to in Section 10.05(a) above shall be liable for any damages arising from the use by unintended recipients of any information or other materials distributed to such unintended recipients by such Indemnitee through telecommunications, electronic or other information transmission systems in connection with this Agreement or the other Loan Documents or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby other than for direct or actual damages resulting from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee as determined by a final and nonappealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction.

10.06 Payments Set Aside . To the extent that any payment by or on behalf of any Loan Party is made to the Administrative Agent or any Lender, or the Administrative Agent or any Lender exercises its right of set-off, and such payment or the proceeds of such set-off or any part thereof is subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside or required (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the Administrative Agent or such Lender in its discretion) to be repaid to a trustee, receiver or any other party, in connection with any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law or otherwise, then (a) to the extent of such recovery, the obligation or part thereof originally intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued in full force and effect as if such payment had not been made or such set-off had not occurred, and (b) each Lender severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent upon demand its applicable share of any amount so recovered from or repaid by the Administrative Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such payment is made at a rate per annum equal to the Federal Funds Effective Rate from time to time in effect.

10.07 Successors and Assigns .

(a) The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, except that the Borrower may not assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of each Lender and no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder except (i) to an assignee in accordance with the provisions of Section 10.07(b) , (ii) by way of participation in accordance with the provisions of Section 10.07(d) or (iii) by way of pledge or assignment of a security interest subject to the restrictions of Section 10.07(f) or (j)  (and any other attempted assignment or transfer by any party hereto shall be null and void). Nothing in this Agreement, expressed or implied, shall be construed to confer upon any Person (other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, Participants to the extent provided in Section 10.07(d) and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the Indemnitees) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement.

(b) Any Lender may at any time assign to one or more assignees all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment and the Loans (including for

 

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purposes of this Section 10.07(b) , participations in L/C Obligations and Swing Line Loans) at the time owing to it); provided that any such assignment shall be subject to the following conditions:

(i) Minimum Amounts .

(A) in the case of an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lender’s Commitment and the Loans at the time owing to it or in the case of an assignment to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund, no minimum amount need be assigned, and

(B) in any case not described in Section 10.07(b)(i)(A) , the aggregate amount of the Commitment (which for this purpose includes Loans outstanding thereunder) or, if the Commitment is not then in effect, the principal outstanding balance of the Loans of the assigning Lender subject to each such assignment, determined as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with respect to such assignment is delivered to the Administrative Agent or, if “Trade Date” is specified in the Assignment and Assumption, as of the Trade Date, shall not be less than $5,000,000 unless each of the Administrative Agent and, so long as no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Borrower otherwise consents (each such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed); provided , however , that concurrent assignments to members of an Assignee Group and concurrent assignments from members of an Assignee Group to a single assignee (or to an assignee and members of its Assignee Group) will be treated as a single assignment for purposes of determining whether such minimum amount has been met.

(ii) Proportionate Amounts . Each partial assignment shall be made as an assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement with respect to the Loans or the Commitment assigned, except that this clause (ii)  shall not apply to any Swing Line Lender’s rights and obligations in respect of Swing Line Loans made by such Swing Line Lender.

(iii) Required Consents . No consent shall be required for any assignment except to the extent required by  clause (b)(i)(B) and, in addition:

(A) the consent of the Borrower (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) shall be required unless (1) an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing at the time of such assignment or (2) such assignment is, in the case of an assignment of Loans or a Commitment, to a Person that is a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund with respect to such Lender; provided , that the Borrower shall be deemed to have consented to any such assignment unless it shall object thereto by written notice to the Administrative Agent within ten (10) Business Days after having received notice thereof;

(B) the consent of the Administrative Agent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) shall be required if such assignment is in the case of an assignment of Loans or a Commitment, to a Person that is not a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund with respect to such Lender;

(C) the consent of the L/C Issuers (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) shall be required for any assignment that increases the obligation of the assignee to participate in exposure under one or more Letters of Credit (whether or not then outstanding); and

(D) the consent of the Swing Line Lenders (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) shall be required for any assignment in respect of Loans or a Commitment.

(iv) Assignment and Assumption . The parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent an Assignment and Assumption, and the assignor or assignee, as the case may be, shall deliver a processing and recordation fee in the amount of $3,500; provided , however , that the Administrative Agent may, in its sole discretion, elect to waive such processing and recordation fee in the case of any assignment. The assignee, if it is not a Lender, shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an Administrative Questionnaire.

 

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(v) No Assignment to Certain Persons . No such assignment shall be made (A) to the Parent, the Borrower or any of their Affiliates or Subsidiaries, or (B) to any Defaulting Lender or any of its Subsidiaries, or any Person who, upon becoming a Lender hereunder, would constitute any of the foregoing Persons described in this clause (B) , or (C) to a natural person.

(vi) Certain Additional Payments . In connection with any assignment of rights and obligations of any Defaulting Lender hereunder, no such assignment shall be effective unless and until, in addition to the other conditions thereto set forth herein, the parties to the assignment shall make such additional payments to the Administrative Agent in an aggregate amount sufficient, upon distribution thereof as appropriate (which may be outright payment, purchases by the assignee of participations or subparticipations, or other compensating actions, including funding, with the consent of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, the applicable pro rata share of Loans previously requested but not funded by the Defaulting Lender, to each of which the applicable assignee and assignor hereby irrevocably consent), to (x) pay and satisfy in full all payment liabilities then owed by such Defaulting Lender to the Administrative Agent, any L/C Issuer or any Lender hereunder (and interest accrued thereon) and (y) acquire (and fund as appropriate) its full Pro Rata Share of all Loans and participations in Letters of Credit and Swing Line Loans in accordance with its Pro Rata Share. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that any assignment of rights and obligations of any Defaulting Lender hereunder shall become effective under applicable Law without compliance with the provisions of this subsection, then the assignee of such interest shall be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender for all purposes of this Agreement until such compliance occurs.

Subject to acceptance and recording thereof by the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 10.07(c) , from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Assumption, the assignee thereunder shall be a party to this Agreement and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender under this Agreement, and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, except to the extent otherwise specifically provided hereunder, and only to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released from its obligations under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and Assumption covering all of the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto) but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Sections 3.01 , 3.04 , 3.05 , 10.04 and 10.05 with respect to facts and circumstances occurring prior to the effective date of such assignment; provided, that except to the extent otherwise expressly agreed by the affected parties, no assignment by a Defaulting Lender will constitute a waiver or release of any claim of any party hereunder arising from that Lender’s having been a Defaulting Lender. Upon request, the Borrower (at its expense) shall execute and deliver a Note to the assignee Lender. Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this Section 10.07(b) shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as a sale by such Lender of a participation in such rights and obligations in accordance with Section 10.07(d) .

(c) The Administrative Agent, acting solely for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower (and such agency being solely for tax purposes), shall maintain at the Administrative Agent’s Office a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it (or the equivalent thereof in electronic form) and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Commitments of, and principal amounts (and stated interest) of the Loans and L/C Obligations owing to, each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the “ Register ”). The entries in the Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Register pursuant to the terms hereof as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement, notwithstanding notice to the contrary. The Register shall be available for inspection by the Borrower and any Lender, at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.

(d) Any Lender may at any time, without the consent of, or notice to, the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, sell participations to any Person (other than a natural person or the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Affiliates or Subsidiaries) (each, a “ Participant ”) in all or a portion of such Lender’s rights and/or

 

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obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment and/or the Loans (including for purposes of this Section 10.07(d) , participations in L/C Obligations and/or Swing Line Loans) owing to it); provided that (i) such Lender’s obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged, (ii) such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations and (iii) the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the other Lenders shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement. Any agreement or instrument pursuant to which a Lender sells such a participation shall provide that such Lender shall retain the sole right to enforce this Agreement and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement; provided that such agreement or instrument may provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree to any amendment, waiver or other modification described in subsections (a)  through (g)  of Section 10.01 that directly affects such Participant. Subject to Section 10.07(e) , the Borrower agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 3.01 , 3.04 and 3.05 to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to Section 10.07(b) . To the extent permitted by law, each Participant also shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 10.09 as though it were a Lender, provided such Participant agrees to be subject to Section 2.13 as though it were a Lender. Each Lender that sells a participation shall, acting solely for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower, maintain a register on which it enters the name and address of each Participant and the principal amounts (and stated interest) of each Participant’s interest in the Loans or other obligations under the Loan Documents (the “ Participant Register ”); provided that no Lender shall have any obligation to disclose all or any portion of the Participant Register (including the identity of any Participant or any information relating to a Participant’s interest in any commitments, loans, letters of credit or its other obligations under any Loan Document) to any Person except to the extent that such disclosure is necessary to establish that such commitment, loan, letter of credit or other obligation is in registered form under Section 5f.103-1(c) of the United States Treasury Regulations. The entries in the Participant Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and such Lender shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Participant Register as the owner of such participation for all purposes of this Agreement notwithstanding any notice to the contrary. For the avoidance of doubt, the Administrative Agent (in its capacity as Administrative Agent) shall have no responsibility for maintaining a Participant Register.

(e) A Participant shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Section 3.01 or 3.04 than the applicable Lender would have been entitled to receive with respect to the participation sold to such Participant, except to the extent such entitlement to receive a greater payment results from a Change in Law that occurs after the Participant acquired the applicable participation. A Participant shall not be entitled to the benefits of Section 3.01 unless such Participant agrees, for the benefit of the Borrower, to comply with Section 3.01 (including Section 3.01(f) ), and be subject to Sections 3.06 and 10.16 as though it were a Lender (it being understood that the documentation required under Section 3.01(f) shall be delivered to the participating Lender).

(f) Any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement (including under its Note, if any) to secure obligations of such Lender, including any pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank or other central bank; provided that no such pledge or assignment shall release such Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender as a party hereto.

(g) Electronic Execution of Assignments . The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” and words of like import in any Assignment and Assumption shall be deemed to include electronic signatures or the keeping of records in electronic form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be, to the extent and as provided for in any applicable law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act, or any other similar state Laws based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act.

(h) As used herein, the following terms have the following meanings:

Eligible Assignee ” means any Person that meets the requirements to be an assignee under Section 10.07(b)(iii) and (b)(v) (subject to such consents, if any, as may be required under Section 10.07(b)(iii) ).

 

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Fund ” means any Person (other than a natural Person) that is (or will be) engaged in making, purchasing, holding or otherwise investing in commercial loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its business.

Approved Fund ” means any Fund that is administered or managed by (a) a Lender, (b) an Affiliate of a Lender or (c) an entity or an Affiliate of an entity that administers or manages a Lender.

(i) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, any Lender that is a Fund may create a security interest in all or any portion of the Loans owing to it and the Note, if any, held by it to the trustee for holders of obligations owed, or securities issued, by such Fund as security for such obligations or securities, provided that unless and until such trustee actually becomes a Lender in compliance with the other provisions of this Section 10.07 , (i) no such pledge shall release the pledging Lender from any of its obligations under the Loan Documents and (ii) such trustee shall not be entitled to exercise any of the rights of a Lender under the Loan Documents even though such trustee may have acquired ownership rights with respect to the pledged interest through foreclosure or otherwise.

(j) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, if at any time any Swing Line Lender or any L/C Issuer assigns all of its Commitment and Loans pursuant to Section 10.07(b) above, such Swing Line Lender or such L/C Issuer may, upon 30 days’ notice to the Borrower and the Lenders, resign as a Swing Line Lender or an L/C Issuer. In the event of any such resignation as a Swing Line Lender or an L/C Issuer, the Borrower shall be entitled to appoint from among the Lenders (only if such Lender accepts such appointment) a successor L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender hereunder; provided , however , that no failure by the Borrower to appoint any such successor shall affect the resignation of such L/C Issuer as an L/C Issuer or such Swing Line Lender as a Swing Line Lender, as the case may be. In connection with any such resignation, (i) such L/C Issuer shall retain all the rights and obligations of an L/C Issuer hereunder with respect to all Letters of Credit outstanding as of the effective date of its resignation as L/C Issuer and all L/C Obligations with respect thereto (including the right to require the Lenders to make Base Rate Loans or fund risk participations in Unreimbursed Amounts pursuant to Section 2.03(c) ) and (ii) such Swing Line Lender shall retain all the rights of a Swing Line Lender provided for hereunder with respect to Swing Line Loans made by it and outstanding as of the effective date of such resignation, including the right to require the Lenders to make Base Rate Loans or fund risk participations in outstanding Swing Line Loans pursuant to Section 2.04(c) , as applicable. Upon the appointment of a successor L/C Issuer and/or Swing Line Lender, (I) such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring L/C Issuer or Swing Line Lender, as the case may be and (II) the successor L/C Issuer (or another L/C Issuer hereunder) shall issue letters of credit in substitution for the Letters of Credit, if any, outstanding at the time of such succession or make other arrangements satisfactory to the resigning L/C Issuer to effectively assume the obligations of the resigning L/C Issuer with respect to such Letters of Credit.

10.08 Confidentiality . Each of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the Information (as defined below), except that Information may be disclosed (a) to its and its Affiliates’ directors, officers, employees and agents, including accountants, legal counsel and other advisors (it being understood that the Persons to whom such disclosure is made will be informed of the confidential nature of such Information and instructed to keep such Information confidential); (b) to the extent requested by any regulatory authority or self-regulatory authority (i.e. FINRA) purporting to have jurisdiction over it; (c) to the extent required by applicable Laws or regulations or by any subpoena or similar legal process; (d) to any other party to this Agreement; (e) in connection with the exercise of any remedies hereunder or any suit, action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or the enforcement of rights hereunder; (f) subject to an agreement containing provisions substantially the same as those of this Section, to (i) any Eligible Assignee of or Participant in, or any prospective Eligible Assignee of or Participant in, any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement or (ii) any direct or indirect contractual counterparty or prospective counterparty (or such contractual counterparty’s or prospective counterparty’s professional advisor) to any derivative transaction relating to obligations of the Borrower; (g) with the consent of the Parent or the Borrower; (h) to the extent such Information (i) becomes publicly available other than as a result of a breach of this Section or (ii) becomes available to the Administrative Agent or any Lender on a nonconfidential basis from a source other than the Parent or the Borrower; or (i) to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners or any other similar organization (including any credit insurance provider relating to the Parent and/or the Borrower). In addition, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders may disclose, after the Closing Date, the existence of this Agreement and information about this Agreement to market data collectors, similar

 

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service providers to the lending industry, and service providers to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders in connection with the administration and management of this Agreement, the other Loan Documents, the Commitments, and the Credit Extensions. For purposes of this Section, “Information” means all information received from any Loan Party or any Subsidiary relating to such Loan Party or any Subsidiary or any of their respective businesses, other than any such information that is available to the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any L/C Issuer on a nonconfidential basis prior to disclosure by a Loan Party or any Subsidiary and other than information pertaining to this Agreement routinely provided by arrangers to data service providers, including league table providers, that serve the lending industry. Any Person required to maintain the confidentiality of Information as provided in this Section shall be considered to have complied with its obligation to do so if such Person has exercised the same degree of care to maintain the confidentiality of such Information as such Person would accord to its own confidential information.

Each of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuers acknowledges that (i) the Information may include material non-public information concerning a Loan Party or a Subsidiary, as the case may be, (ii) it has developed compliance procedures regarding the use of material non-public information and (iii) it will handle such material non-public information in accordance with applicable Law, including Federal and state securities Laws.

10.09 Set-off . In addition to any rights and remedies of the Lenders provided by law, upon the occurrence and during the continuance of any Event of Default, each Lender and each of its Affiliates is authorized at any time and from time to time, without prior notice to the Borrower, any such notice being waived by the Borrower (on its own behalf and on behalf of each Loan Party) to the fullest extent permitted by law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final) at any time held by, and other indebtedness at any time owing by, such Lender or such Affiliate to or for the credit or the account of any Loan Party against any and all Obligations owing to such Lender hereunder or under any other Loan Document, now or hereafter existing, irrespective of whether or not the Administrative Agent or such Lender shall have made demand under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and although such Obligations may be contingent or unmatured or denominated in a currency different from that of the applicable deposit or indebtedness. Each Lender agrees promptly to notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent after any such set-off and application made by such Lender or such Affiliate; provided , however, that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such set-off and application.

10.10 Interest Rate Limitation . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any Loan Document, the interest paid or agreed to be paid under the Loan Documents shall not exceed the maximum rate of non-usurious interest permitted by applicable Law (the “ Maximum Rate ”). If the Administrative Agent or any Lender shall receive interest in an amount that exceeds the Maximum Rate, the excess interest shall be applied to the principal of the Loans or, if it exceeds such unpaid principal, refunded to the Borrower. In determining whether the interest contracted for, charged, or received by the Administrative Agent or a Lender exceeds the Maximum Rate, such Person may, to the extent permitted by applicable Law, (a) characterize any payment that is not principal as an expense, fee, or premium rather than interest, (b) exclude voluntary prepayments and the effects thereof, and (c) amortize, prorate, allocate, and spread in equal or unequal parts the total amount of interest throughout the contemplated term of the Obligations hereunder.

10.11 Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed signature page of this Agreement by facsimile or electronic mail shall be effective as delivery of manually executed counterpart hereof and shall constitute an agreement to deliver an original executed counterpart if requested.

10.12 Integration . This Agreement, together with the other Loan Documents, comprises the complete and integrated agreement of the parties on the subject matter hereof and thereof and supersedes all prior agreements, written or oral, on such subject matter. In the event of any conflict between the provisions of this Agreement and those of any other Loan Document, the provisions of this Agreement shall control; provided that the inclusion of supplemental rights or remedies in favor of the Administrative Agent or the Lenders in any other Loan Document shall not be deemed a conflict with this Agreement. Each Loan Document was drafted with the joint participation of the respective parties thereto and shall be construed neither against nor in favor of any party, but rather in accordance with the fair meaning thereof.

 

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10.13 Survival of Representations and Warranties. All representations and warranties made hereunder and in any other Loan Document or other document delivered pursuant hereto or thereto or in connection herewith or therewith shall survive the execution and delivery hereof and thereof. Such representations and warranties have been or will be relied upon by the Administrative Agent and each Lender, regardless of any investigation made by the Administrative Agent or any Lender or on their behalf and notwithstanding that the Administrative Agent or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of any Default at the time of any Credit Extension, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as any Loan or any other Obligation hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied or any Letter of Credit shall remain outstanding.

10.14 Severability . If any provision of this Agreement or the other Loan Documents is held to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable, (a) the legality, validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall not be affected or impaired thereby and (b) the parties shall endeavor in good faith negotiations to replace the illegal, invalid or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the illegal, invalid or unenforceable provisions. The invalidity of a provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction.

10.15 Reserved .

10.16 Replacement of Lenders . If any Lender requests compensation under Section 3.04 , or if the Borrower is required to pay any Indemnified Taxes or additional amounts to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 3.01 and, in each case, such Lender has declined or is unable to designate a different lending office in accordance with Section 10.16(a) , or if any Lender suspends its obligations to make, maintain or continue Eurodollar Rate Loans pursuant to Section 3.02 or any Lender is a Defaulting Lender or a Non-Consenting Lender, then the Borrower may, at its sole expense and effort, upon notice to such Lender and the Administrative Agent, require such Lender to assign and delegate, without recourse (in accordance with and subject to the restrictions contained in, and consents required by, Section 10.07 ), all of its interests, rights (other than its existing rights to payments pursuant to Section 3.04 or Section 3.01 ) and obligations under this Agreement and the related Loan Documents to an Eligible Assignee that shall assume such obligations (which assignee may be another Lender, if a Lender accepts such assignment), provided that:

(a) the Borrower shall have paid to the Administrative Agent the assignment fee (if any) specified in Section 10.07(b) ;

(b) such Lender shall have received payment of an amount equal to the outstanding principal of its Loans and participations in L/C Advances, accrued interest thereon, accrued fees and all other amounts payable to it hereunder and under the other Loan Documents (including any amounts under Section 3.05 ) from the assignee (to the extent of such outstanding principal and accrued interest and fees) or the Borrower (in the case of all other amounts);

(c) in the case of any such assignment resulting from a claim for compensation under Section 3.04 or payments required to be made pursuant to Section 3.01 , such assignment will result in a reduction in such compensation or payments thereafter;

(d) such assignment does not conflict with applicable Laws;

(e) in the case of any assignment resulting from a Lender becoming a Non-Consenting Lender, the applicable assignee shall have consented to the applicable amendment, waiver or consent; and

(f) In the event that such Lender is an L/C Issuer and any one or more Letters of Credit issued by such L/C Issuer under this Agreement remain outstanding, the Borrower shall Cash Collateralize such Letters of Credit upon terms reasonably satisfactory to such L/C Issuer to secure the Borrower’s obligations to reimburse for drawings under such Letters of Credit or make other arrangements reasonably satisfactory to such L/C Issuer with respect to such Letters of Credit including providing other credit support.

 

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A Lender shall not be required to make any such assignment or delegation if, prior thereto, as a result of a waiver by such Lender or otherwise, the circumstances entitling the Borrower to require such assignment and delegation cease to apply. Solely for purposes of effecting any assignment involving a Defaulting Lender under this Section 10.16 and to the extent permitted under applicable Laws, each Lender hereby agrees that any Assignment and Acceptance done in accordance with this Section 10.16 shall be effective against a Defaulting Lender one (1) Business Day after it has been given notice of the same, whether or not such Defaulting Lender has executed such Assignment and Acceptance, and such Defaulting Lender shall be bound thereby as fully and effectively as if such Defaulting Lender had personally executed, acknowledged and delivered the same.

10.17 Governing Law; Jurisdiction .

(a) THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

(b) ANY LEGAL ACTION OR PROCEEDING WITH RESPECT TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT SHALL BE BROUGHT IN EITHER (I) THE COURTS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK SITTING IN THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN OR OF THE COURTS OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK SITTING IN THE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, OR (II) THE COURTS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS SITTING IN HARRIS COUNTY OR OF THE COURTS OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS SITTING IN HARRIS COUNTY, AND BY EXECUTION AND DELIVERY OF THIS AGREEMENT, EACH LOAN PARTY, THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT AND EACH LENDER CONSENTS, FOR ITSELF AND IN RESPECT OF ITS PROPERTY, TO THE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF THOSE COURTS. EACH LOAN PARTY, THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT AND EACH LENDER IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY OBJECTION, INCLUDING ANY OBJECTION TO THE LAYING OF VENUE OR BASED ON THE GROUNDS OF FORUM NON CONVENIENS, WHICH IT MAY NOW OR HEREAFTER HAVE TO THE BRINGING OF ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING IN SUCH JURISDICTION IN RESPECT OF ANY LOAN DOCUMENT OR OTHER DOCUMENT RELATED THERETO. EACH LOAN PARTY, THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT AND EACH LENDER WAIVES PERSONAL SERVICE OF ANY SUMMONS, COMPLAINT OR OTHER PROCESS, WHICH MAY BE MADE BY ANY OTHER MEANS PERMITTED BY THE LAW OF SUCH STATE.

10.18 No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility . In connection with all aspects of each transaction contemplated hereby, the Loan Parties acknowledge and agree that: (i) the credit facility provided for hereunder and any related arranging or other services in connection therewith (including in connection with any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or of any other Loan Document) are an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Loan Parties and their Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, the L/C Issuers and the Arrangers, on the other hand, and the Loan Parties are capable of evaluating and understanding and understands and accepts the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the other Loan Documents (including any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or thereof); (ii) in connection with the process leading to such transaction, each of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, the L/C Issuers and the Arrangers, is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the financial advisor, agent or fiduciary, for any Loan Party or any of their Affiliates, stockholders, creditors or employees or any other Person; (iii) none of the Administrative Agent, any Lender, any L/C Issuer or any Arranger has assumed or will assume an advisory, agency or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Loan Parties with respect to any of the transactions contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto, including with respect to any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or of any other Loan Document (irrespective of whether the Administrative Agent, any Lender, any L/C Issuer or any Arranger has advised or is currently advising any Loan Party or any of their Affiliates on other matters) and none of the Administrative Agent, any Lender, any L/C Issuer or any Arranger has any obligation to any Loan Party or any of their Affiliates with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby except those obligations expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents; (iv) the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, the L/C Issuers, the Arrangers and their respective Affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Loan Parties and their Affiliates, and none of the Administrative Agent, any Lender, any L/C Issuer or any Arranger has any obligation to disclose any of such interests by virtue of any advisory, agency or fiduciary relationship; and (v) the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, the L/C Issuers and the Arrangers have not provided and will not provide any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to any of the transactions contemplated hereby (including any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or of any other Loan

 

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Document) and the Loan Parties have consulted their own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate. The Loan Parties hereby waive and release, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that it may have against the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, the L/C Issuers and the Arrangers with respect to any breach or alleged breach of agency or fiduciary duty.

10.19 Waiver of Right to Trial by Jury . EACH PARTY TO THIS AGREEMENT HEREBY EXPRESSLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY OF ANY CLAIM, DEMAND, ACTION OR CAUSE OF ACTION ARISING UNDER ANY LOAN DOCUMENT OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH OR RELATED OR INCIDENTAL TO THE DEALINGS OF THE PARTIES HERETO OR ANY OF THEM WITH RESPECT TO ANY LOAN DOCUMENT, OR THE TRANSACTIONS RELATED THERETO, IN EACH CASE WHETHER NOW EXISTING OR HEREAFTER ARISING, AND WHETHER FOUNDED IN CONTRACT OR TORT OR OTHERWISE; AND EACH PARTY HEREBY AGREES AND CONSENTS THAT ANY SUCH CLAIM, DEMAND, ACTION OR CAUSE OF ACTION SHALL BE DECIDED BY COURT TRIAL WITHOUT A JURY, AND THAT ANY PARTY TO THIS AGREEMENT MAY FILE AN ORIGINAL COUNTERPART OR A COPY OF THIS SECTION WITH ANY COURT AS WRITTEN EVIDENCE OF THE CONSENT OF THE SIGNATORIES HERETO TO THE WAIVER OF THEIR RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY.

10.20 USA PATRIOT Act Notice . Each Lender that is subject to the Patriot Act (as hereinafter defined) and the Administrative Agent (for itself and not on behalf of any Lender) hereby notifies the Loan Parties that pursuant to the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)) (the “ Patriot Act ”), it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies the Loan Parties, which information includes the name and address of each Loan Party and other information that will allow such Lender or the Administrative Agent, as applicable, to identify such Loan Party in accordance with the Patriot Act.

10.21 Entire Agreement . This Agreement and the other Loan Documents represent the final agreement AMONG the parties and may not be contradicted by evidence of prior, contemporaneous, or subsequent oral agreements of the parties. There are no unwritten oral agreements among the parties.

10.22 No General Partner’s Liability for Revolving Facility . It is hereby understood and agreed that the General Partner shall have no personal liability, as general partner or otherwise, for the payment of any amount owing or to be owing hereunder or under any other Loan Document with respect to the Commitments, Loans or Letters of Credit. In furtherance of the foregoing, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders agree for themselves and their respective successors and assigns that no claim arising against the Parent, the Borrower or any of their Subsidiaries under any Loan Document with respect to the Commitments, Loans or Letters of Credit shall be asserted against the General Partner (in its individual capacity), any claim arising against the Parent, the Borrower or any of their Subsidiaries under any Loan Document with respect to the Commitments, Loans or Letters of Credit shall be made only against and shall be limited to the assets of the Parent, the Borrower or any of their Subsidiaries, and no judgment, order or execution entered in any suit, action or proceeding, whether legal or equitable, on this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents with respect to the Commitments, Loans or Letters of Credit shall be obtained or enforced against the General Partner (in its individual capacity) or its assets for the purpose of obtaining satisfaction and payment of the Obligations with respect to the Commitments, Loans or Letters of Credit or any claims arising under this Agreement or any other Loan Document with respect to the Commitments, Loans or Letters of Credit, any right to proceed against the General Partner individually or its respective assets being hereby expressly waived by the Lenders for themselves and their respective successors and assigns.

 

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

 

BORROWER:     NOBLE MIDSTREAM SERVICES, LLC , a Delaware limited liability company
    By:  

 

PARENT:     NOBLE MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP , a Delaware limited partnership
    By:   Noble Midstream GP LLC, its General Partner
    By:  

 

Exhibit 10.29

FORM OF COLORADO RIVER DEVCO LP

 

 

FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED

AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

 

Dated Effective as of [            ], 2015


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         Page  

Article I Definitions and Construction

     1   

Section 1.1

 

Definitions

     1   

Section 1.2

 

Construction

     10   

Article II Business Purpose and Term of Partnership

     11   

Section 2.1

 

Formation

     11   

Section 2.2

 

Name

     11   

Section 2.3

 

Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices

     11   

Section 2.4

 

Purpose and Business

     11   

Section 2.5

 

Powers

     12   

Section 2.6

 

Term

     12   

Section 2.7

 

Title to Property

     12   

Article III Partners

     12   

Section 3.1

 

Partners; Percentage Interests

     12   

Section 3.2

 

Adjustments in Percentage Interests

     13   

Section 3.3

 

Limitation of Liability

     13   

Article IV Capital Contributions

     13   

Section 4.1

 

Capitalization of the Partnership

     13   

Section 4.2

 

Capital Contributions

     13   

Section 4.3

 

Withdrawal of Capital; Interest

     13   

Section 4.4

 

Capital Contribution Events

     13   

Section 4.5

 

Failure to Contribute

     14   

Article V Allocations and Other Tax Matters

     15   

Section 5.1

 

Profits

     15   

Section 5.2

 

Losses

     15   

Section 5.3

 

Special Allocations

     15   

Section 5.4

 

Curative Allocations

     17   

Section 5.5

 

Other Allocation Rules

     17   

Section 5.6

 

Tax Allocations: Code Section 704(c)

     17   

Section 5.7

 

Tax Elections

     18   

Section 5.8

 

Tax Returns

     18   

Section 5.9

 

Tax Matters Partner

     19   

Section 5.10

 

Duties of Tax Matters Partner

     19   

Section 5.11

 

Survival of Provisions

     20   

Article VI Distributions

     21   

Section 6.1

 

Distributions of Distributable Cash

     21   

Section 6.2

 

Liquidating Distributions

     21   

Section 6.3

 

Distribution in Kind

     21   

 

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Article VII Books and Records

     21   

Section 7.1

 

Books and Records; Examination

     21   

Section 7.2

 

Reports

     21   

Article VIII Management and Voting

     22   

Section 8.1

 

Management

     22   

Section 8.2

 

Matters Constituting Unanimous Approval Matters

     22   

Section 8.3

 

Meetings and Voting

     23   

Section 8.4

 

Reliance by Third Parties

     24   

Section 8.5

 

Reimbursement of the General Partner

     24   

Article IX Transfer of Partnership Interests

     25   

Section 9.1

 

Restrictions on Transfers

     25   

Section 9.2

 

Conditions for Admission

     25   

Section 9.3

 

Allocations and Distributions

     25   

Section 9.4

 

Restriction on Resignation or Withdrawal

     25   

Article X Liability, Exculpation and Indemnification

     26   

Section 10.1

 

Liability for Partnership Obligations

     26   

Section 10.2

 

Disclaimer of Duties and Exculpation

     26   

Section 10.3

 

Indemnification

     27   

Article XI Conflicts of interest

     28   

Section 11.1

 

Transactions with Affiliates

     28   

Section 11.2

 

Outside Activities

     28   

Article XII Dissolution and Termination

     29   

Section 12.1

 

Dissolution

     29   

Section 12.2

 

Winding Up of Partnership

     29   

Section 12.3

 

Compliance with Certain Requirements of Regulations; Deficit Capital Accounts

     30   

Section 12.4

 

Deemed Distribution and Recontribution

     30   

Section 12.5

 

Distribution of Property

     30   

Section 12.6

 

Termination of Partnership

     30   

Article XIII Miscellaneous

     31   

Section 13.1

 

Notices

     31   

Section 13.2

 

Integration

     31   

Section 13.3

 

Assignment

     31   

Section 13.4

 

Parties in Interest

     31   

Section 13.5

 

Counterparts

     31   

Section 13.6

 

Amendment; Waiver

     31   

Section 13.7

 

Severability

     31   

Section 13.8

 

Governing Law

     32   

Section 13.9

 

No Bill for Accounting

     32   

Section 13.10

 

Waiver of Partition

     32   

Section 13.11

 

Third Parties

     32   

 

ii


FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED

AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

OF

COLORADO RIVER DEVCO LP

This First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Colorado River DevCo LP (the “ Partnership ”), dated effective as of [            ], 2015 (the “ Effective Date ”), is entered into by and between Colorado River DevCo GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ General Partner ”), and NBL Midstream, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Limited Partner ”). In consideration of the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

RECITALS:

WHEREAS , the General Partner and Noble Midstream Services, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Original Limited Partner”), previously formed the Partnership as a limited partnership under the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act by filing a Certificate of Limited Partnership with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware effective as of August 20, 2015.

WHEREAS , the Partnership was previously governed by that certain Agreement of Limited Partnership dated as of August 20, 2015 (the “ Original LP Agreement ”).

WHEREAS , pursuant to that certain Contribution Agreement dated on or about the date hereof, the Original Limited Partner distributed its limited partner interest in the Partnership to the Limited Partner, the Limited Partner was admitted as a limited partner of the Partnership, and immediately thereafter the Original Limited Partner ceased to be a partner of the Partnership.

WHEREAS , the General Partner and the Limited Partner now desire to amend and restate the Original LP Agreement in its entirety by executing this First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership.

NOW THEREFORE , in consideration of the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the General Partner and the Limited Partner hereby enter into this Agreement:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION

Section 1.1 Definitions . The following terms have the following meanings when used in this Agreement.


Adjusted Capital Account ” means, with respect to any Partner, the balance in such Partner’s Capital Account as of the end of the relevant Allocation Year, after giving effect to the following adjustments:

(i) Credit to such Capital Account any amounts which such Partner is deemed obligated to restore pursuant to the penultimate sentences of Regulations Sections 1.704-2(g)(1) and 1.704-2(i)(5); and

(ii) Debit to such Capital Account the items described in Regulations 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 Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

Adjusted Capital Account Deficit ” means, with respect to any Partner, the deficit balance, if any, in such Partner’s Adjusted Capital Account as of the end of the relevant Allocation Year.

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 ” means this First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Colorado River DevCo LP, as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Allocation Year ” means (a) each calendar year ending on December 31st or (b) any portion thereof for which the Partnership is required to allocate Profits, Losses and other items of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to Article V .

Applicable Law ” means any applicable statute, law, regulation, ordinance, rule, judgment, rule of law, order, decree, permit, approval, concession, grant, franchise, license, agreement, requirement or other governmental restriction or any similar form of decision of, or any provision or condition of any permit, license or other operating authorization issued under any of the foregoing by or any determination by any Governmental Authority having or asserting jurisdiction over the matter or matters in question, whether now or hereafter in effect and in each case as amended (including all of the terms and provisions of the common law of such Governmental Authority), as interpreted and enforced at the time in question.

Call Notice ” is defined in Section 4.4(a) .

Capital Account ” means, with respect to any Partner, the Capital Account established and maintained for such Partner in accordance with the following provisions:

(i) To each Partner’s Capital Account there shall be credited (A) such Partner’s Capital Contributions, (B) such Partner’s distributive share of Profits and any items in the nature of income or gain that are specially allocated to such Partner pursuant to Section 5.3 or Section 5.4 and (C) the amount of any Liabilities of the Partnership assumed by such Partner or that are secured by any Property distributed to such Partner;

 

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(ii) To each Partner’s Capital Account there shall be debited (A) the amount of cash and the Gross Asset Value of any Property distributed to such Partner pursuant to any provision of this Agreement, (B) such Partner’s distributive share of Losses and any items in the nature of deduction, expense or loss which are specially allocated to such Partner pursuant to Section 5.3 or Section 5.4 and (C) the amount of any Liabilities of such Partner assumed by the Partnership or that are secured by any Property contributed by such Partner to the Partnership;

(iii) In the event a Partnership Interest is transferred in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the transferee shall succeed to the Capital Account of the transferor to the extent it relates to the transferred interest; and

(iv) In determining the amount of any Liability for purposes of subparagraphs (i) and (ii) above there shall be taken into account Code Section 752(c) and any other applicable provisions of the Code and Regulations.

The foregoing provisions and the other provisions of this Agreement relating to the maintenance of Capital Accounts are intended to comply with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b) and shall be interpreted and applied in a manner consistent with such Regulations. In the event the Tax Matters Partner shall determine in good faith and on a commercially reasonable basis that it is prudent to modify the manner in which the Capital Accounts, or any debits or credits thereto, are computed in order to comply with such Regulations, the Tax Matters Partner may amend this Agreement without the consent of any other Partner notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement (including Section 13.6 ) to make such modification; provided that the Tax Matters Partner shall promptly give each other Partner written notice of such modification. The Tax Matters Partner also shall, in good faith and on a commercially reasonable basis, (A) make any adjustments to the Capital Accounts that are necessary or appropriate to maintain equality between the aggregate Capital Accounts of the Partners and the amount of capital reflected on the Partnership’s balance sheet, as computed for book purposes, in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(q) and (B) make any appropriate modifications to the Capital Accounts in the event unanticipated events might otherwise cause this Agreement not to comply with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b).

Capital Contributions ” means, with respect to any Partner, (i) the amount of cash, cash equivalents or the initial Gross Asset Value of any Property (other than cash) contributed or deemed contributed to the Partnership by such Partner or (ii) current distributions that a Partner is entitled to receive but otherwise waives.

Capital Lease ” means any lease of (or other arrangement conveying the right to use) real or personal property, or a combination thereof, which obligations are required to be classified and accounted for as a capital lease on a consolidated balance sheet of the Partnership and its subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP.

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 2.1 , as such Certificate of Limited Partnership may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

 

3


Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and in effect from time to time. Any reference herein to a specific section or sections of the Code shall be deemed to include a reference to any corresponding provision of any successor law.

Default Interest Amount ” is defined in Section 4.5(c) .

Default Interest Rate ” means the lesser of (a) eight percent (8%) per annum and (b) the maximum rate of interest permitted by Applicable Law.

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

Delinquent Partner ” is defined in Section 4.5(a) .

Depreciation ” means, for each Allocation Year, an amount equal to the depreciation, amortization or other cost recovery deduction allowable with respect to an asset for such Allocation Year for federal income tax purposes, except that (i) if the Gross Asset Value of an asset differs from its adjusted tax basis for federal income tax purposes at the beginning of such Allocation Year and such difference is being eliminated by use of the “remedial allocation method” as defined in Regulations Section 1.704-3(d), Depreciation for such Allocation Year shall equal the amount of book basis recovered for such period under the rules prescribed in Regulations Section 1.704-3(d) and (ii) with respect to any other asset whose Gross Asset Value differs from its adjusted tax basis for federal income tax purposes at the beginning of such Allocation Year, Depreciation shall be an amount that bears the same ratio to such beginning Gross Asset Value as the federal income tax depreciation, amortization or other cost recovery deduction for such Allocation Year bears to such beginning adjusted tax basis; provided , however , that if the adjusted basis for federal income tax purposes of an asset at the beginning of such Allocation Year is zero, Depreciation shall be determined with reference to such beginning Gross Asset Value using any reasonable method selected by the General Partner.

Distributable Cash ” means, with respect to any Quarter: (i) the sum of all cash and cash equivalents of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries on hand at the end of such Quarter; less (ii) the amount of any cash reserves established by the General Partner to (A) provide for the proper conduct of the business of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries (including reserves for future capital or operating expenditures and for anticipated future credit needs of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries) subsequent to such Quarter; and (B) comply with Applicable Law or any loan agreement, security agreement, mortgage, debt instrument or other agreement or obligation to which the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them is bound or any of their respective assets are subject.

Effective Date ” is defined in the introductory paragraph.

Fiscal Year ” means a calendar year ending December 31.

GAAP ” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.

 

4


General Partner ” is defined in the introductory paragraph, provided that such term shall also include such entity’s successors and permitted assigns that are admitted to the Partnership as general partner and any additional general partner of the Partnership, each in its capacity as general partner of the Partnership.

General Partner Interest ” means the equity interest of the General Partner in the Partnership (in its capacity as a general partner without reference to any Limited Partner Interest held by it) 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.

Governmental Authority ” means any federal, state, local or foreign government or any provincial, departmental or other political subdivision thereof, or any entity, body or authority exercising executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory, administrative or other governmental functions or any court, department, commission, board, bureau, agency, instrumentality or administrative body of any of the foregoing.

Gross Asset Value ” means, with respect to any asset, the asset’s adjusted basis for federal income tax purposes, except as follows:

(i) The initial Gross Asset Value of any Property contributed by a Partner to the Partnership shall be the gross fair market value of such asset as agreed to by each Partner or, in the absence of any such agreement, as determined by the General Partner;

(ii) The Gross Asset Values of all items of Property shall be adjusted to equal their respective fair market values as determined by the General Partner as of the following times: (A) the acquisition of an additional interest in the Partnership by any new or existing Partner in exchange for more than a de minimis Capital Contribution, (B) the distribution by the Partnership to a Partner of more than a de minimis amount of Property as consideration for an interest in the Partnership, (C) the issuance of additional Partnership Interests as consideration for the provision of services, (D) the liquidation of the Partnership within the meaning of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g) (other than pursuant to Section 708(b)(1)(B) of the Code), (E) the issuance of a Noncompensatory Option, or (F) any other event to the extent determined by the Partners to be necessary to properly reflect the Gross Asset Values in accordance with the standards set forth in Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(q); provided , however , that in the event of the issuance of an interest in the Partnership pursuant to the exercise of a Noncompensatory Option where the right to share in Partnership capital represented by the Partnership interest differs from the consideration paid to acquire and exercise the Noncompensatory Option, the Gross Asset Value of each Property immediately after the issuance of the Partnership interest shall be adjusted upward or downward to reflect any unrealized gain or unrealized loss attributable to the Property and the Capital Accounts of the Partners shall be adjusted in a manner consistent with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(s); and provided further , however , if any Noncompensatory Options are outstanding upon the occurrence of an event described in this paragraph (ii)(A) through (ii)(F), the Partnership shall adjust the Gross Asset Values of its properties in accordance with Treasury Regulations Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f) and 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(h)(2);

 

5


(iii) The Gross Asset Value of any item of Property distributed to any Partner shall be adjusted to equal the fair market value of such item on the date of distribution as determined by the General Partner; and

(iv) The Gross Asset Value of each item of Property shall be increased (or decreased) to reflect any adjustments to the adjusted basis of such assets pursuant to Code Sections 734(b) or 743(b), but only to the extent that such adjustments are taken into account in determining Capital Accounts pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m) and subparagraph (vi) of the definition of Profits and Losses; provided , however , that Gross Asset Values shall not be adjusted pursuant to this subparagraph (iv) to the extent that an adjustment pursuant to subparagraph (ii) is required in connection with a transaction that would otherwise result in an adjustment pursuant to this subparagraph (iv).

If the Gross Asset Value of an asset has been determined or adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (i), subparagraph (ii) or subparagraph (iv), such Gross Asset Value shall thereafter be adjusted by the Depreciation taken into account with respect to such asset for purposes of computing Profits and Losses.

Guarantees ” by any Person means any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of such Person directly or indirectly guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person or in any manner providing for the payment of any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person or otherwise protecting the holder of such Indebtedness or other obligations against loss (whether arising by virtue of organizational agreements, by obtaining letters of credit, by agreement to keep-well, to take-or-pay or to purchase assets, goods, securities or services, or otherwise); provided that the term “Guarantee” shall not include endorsements for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business.

Indebtedness ” of any Person means, without duplication, (i) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money or with respect to deposits or advances of any kind, (ii) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, (iii) all obligations of such Person upon which interest charges are customarily paid, (iv) all obligations of such Person under conditional sale or other title retention agreements relating to property or assets purchased by such Person, (v) all obligations of such Person issued or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property or services (excluding trade accounts payable, trade advertising and accrued obligations), (vi) all Indebtedness of others secured by (or for which the holder of such Indebtedness has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to be secured by) any lien on property owned or acquired by such Person, whether or not the obligations secured thereby have been assumed, (vii) all Guarantees by such Person of Indebtedness of others, (viii) all Capital Lease obligations of such Person, (ix) all obligations of such Person in respect of interest rate protection agreements, foreign currency exchange agreements or other interest rate hedging arrangements and (x) all obligations of such Person as an account party in respect of letters of credit and bankers’ acceptances. The Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any partnership in which such Person is a general partner, other than to the extent that the instrument or agreement evidencing such Indebtedness expressly limits the Liability of such Person in respect thereof.

 

6


Indemnitee ” means (i) any Partner, (ii) any Person who is or was an Affiliate of a Partner, (iii) any Person who is or was a member, manager, partner, director, officer, fiduciary or trustee of a Partner or any Affiliate of a Partner, (iv) any Person who is or was serving at the request of a Partner or any Affiliate of a Partner as a member, manager, partner, director, officer, 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 (v) any Person the General Partner designates as an “Indemnitee” for purposes of this Agreement because such Person’s status, service or relationship exposes such Person to potential claims, demands, suits or proceedings relating to the business and affairs of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries.

IPO Date ” means the date of the closing of the initial public offering of common units representing limited partner interests in NBLX.

Liability ” means any Indebtedness, obligation or other liability, whether arising under Applicable Law, contract or otherwise, known or unknown, fixed or contingent, real or potential, tangible or intangible, now existing or hereafter arising.

Limited Partner ” is defined in the introductory paragraph, provided that such term shall also include such entity’s successors and permitted assigns that are admitted as a limited partner of the Partnership and each additional Person who becomes a limited partner of the Partnership pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, in each case, in such Person’s capacity as a limited partner of the Partnership.

Limited Partner Interest ” means an equity interest of a Limited Partner in the Partnership (in its capacity as a limited partner without reference to any General Partner Interest held by it) 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 pursuant to the terms and provisions of this Agreement.

Make-Up Contribution ” is defined in Section 4.5(c) .

Minimum Gain ” is defined in Regulations Sections 1.704-2(b)(2) and 1.704-2(d).

NBLX ” means Noble Midstream Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership.

NBLX Partnership Agreement ” means the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of NBLX, substantially in the form attached as an exhibit to NBLX’s registration statement on Form S-1 (file no. 333-207560), that will be entered into in connection with NBLX’s initial public offering, as it may be amended, modified, supplemented or restated from time to time, or any successor agreement.

NDP Amount ” is defined in Section 4.5(b) .

Noncompensatory Option ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.721-2(f).

Nonrecourse Deductions ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(1) and 1.704-2(c).

 

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Nonrecourse Liability ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(3).

Original LP Agreement ” is defined in the Recitals.

Partner ” means a General Partner or a Limited Partner.

Partner Nonrecourse Debt ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(4).

Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain ” means an amount, with respect to each Partner Nonrecourse Debt, equal to the Minimum Gain that would result if such Partner Nonrecourse Debt were treated as a Nonrecourse Liability, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(3).

Partner Nonrecourse Deductions ” is defined in Regulations Sections 1.704-2(i)(1) and 1.704-2(i)(2).

Partnership ” is defined in the introductory paragraph.

Partnership Interest ” means any equity interest, including any class or series of equity interest, in the Partnership, which shall include any Limited Partner Interests and the General Partner Interest.

Percentage Interest ” means, with respect to any Partner, the percentage interest set forth opposite such Partner’s name on Exhibit A attached hereto. In the event any Partnership Interest is transferred in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, the transferee of such interest shall succeed to the Percentage Interest of his transferor to the extent it relates to the transferred interest.

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

Profits ” and “ Losses ” mean, for each Allocation Year, an amount equal to the Partnership’s taxable income or loss for such Allocation Year, determined in accordance with Code Section 703(a) (for this purpose, all items of income, gain, loss or deduction required to be stated separately pursuant to Code Section 703(a)(1) shall be included in taxable income or loss), with the following adjustments (without duplication):

(i) The Partnership shall be treated as owning directly its proportionate share (as determined by the General Partner) of any other partnership, limited liability company, unincorporated business or other entity classified as a partnership or disregarded entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes of which the Partnership is, directly or indirectly, a partner, member or other equity-holder;

(ii) Any income of the Partnership that is exempt from federal income tax and not otherwise taken into account in computing Profits or Losses pursuant to this definition of Profits and Losses shall be added to such taxable income or loss;

 

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(iii) Any expenditures of the Partnership described in Code Section 705(a)(2)(B) or treated as Code Section 705(a)(2)(B) expenditures pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(i), and not otherwise taken into account in computing Profits or Losses pursuant to this definition of Profits and Losses, shall be subtracted from such taxable income or loss;

(iv) In the event the Gross Asset Value of any item of Property is adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (ii) or subparagraph (iii) of the definition of Gross Asset Value, the amount of such adjustment shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the Gross Asset Value of the item of Property) or an item of loss (if the adjustment decreases the Gross Asset Value of the item of Property) from the disposition of such asset and shall be taken into account for purposes of computing Profits or Losses;

(v) Gain or loss resulting from any disposition of any Property with respect to which gain or loss is recognized for federal income tax purposes shall be computed by reference to the Gross Asset Value of the item of Property disposed of, notwithstanding that the adjusted tax basis of such Property differs from its Gross Asset Value;

(vi) In lieu of the depreciation, amortization and other cost recovery deductions taken into account in computing such taxable income or loss, there shall be taken into account Depreciation for such Allocation Year, computed in accordance with the definition of Depreciation;

(vii) To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any item of Property pursuant to Code Sections 734(b) or 743(b) is required, pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts as a result of a distribution other than in liquidation of a Partner’s Partnership Interest, the amount of such adjustment shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the item of Property) or loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis) from the disposition of such item of Property and shall be taken into account for purposes of computing Profits or Losses; and

(viii) Notwithstanding any other provision of this definition, any items that are specially allocated pursuant to Section 5.3 or Section 5.4 shall not be taken into account in computing Profits or Losses.

The amounts of the items of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction available to be specially allocated pursuant to Section 5.3 and Section 5.4 shall be determined by applying rules analogous to those set forth in subparagraph (i) through subparagraph (viii) above. For the avoidance of doubt, any guaranteed payment that accrues with respect to an Allocation Year will be treated as an item of deduction of the Partnership for purposes of computing Profits and Losses in accordance with the provisions of Regulations Section 1.707-1(c).

Property ” means all real and personal property acquired by the Partnership, including cash, and any improvements thereto, and shall include both tangible and intangible property.

 

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Quarter ” means, unless the context requires otherwise, a fiscal quarter of the Partnership or, with respect to the fiscal quarter of the Partnership which includes the IPO Date, the portion of such fiscal quarter from and after the IPO Date.

Regulations ” means the Income Tax Regulations, including Temporary Regulations, promulgated under the Code, as such regulations are amended from time to time.

Regulatory Allocations ” is defined in Section 5.4 .

Representative ” is defined in Section 8.3(a) .

Required Contribution ” is defined in Section 4.4(a) .

Subsidiary ” means, with respect to any Person, (a) a corporation of which more than 50% of the voting power of shares entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors or other governing body of such corporation is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof, (b) a partnership (whether general or limited) in which such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of determination, a general or limited partner of such partnership, but only if more than 50% of the general partner interests of such partnership is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof or (c) any other Person (other than a corporation or a partnership) in which such Person, one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, has (i) at least a majority ownership interest or (ii) the power to elect or direct the election of a majority of the directors or other governing body of such Person.

Tax Matters Partner ” is defined in Section 5.9(a) .

Transaction Documents ” is defined in the NBLX Partnership Agreement.

Unanimous Approval Matter ” is defined in Section 8.2 .

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, 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. The General Partner has the power to construe and interpret this Agreement and to act upon any such construction or interpretation. To the fullest extent permitted by law, any construction or interpretation of this Agreement by the General Partner, any action taken pursuant thereto and any determination made by the General Partner in good faith shall, in each case, be conclusive and binding on all Limited Partners, each other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest and all other Persons for all purposes.

 

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ARTICLE II

BUSINESS PURPOSE AND TERM OF PARTNERSHIP

Section 2.1 Formation . The Partnership was previously formed as a limited partnership by the filing of the Certificate of Limited Partnership with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act and the execution of the Original LP Agreement. This Agreement amends and restates the Original LP Agreement in its entirety. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, the rights, duties, liabilities and obligations of the Partners and the administration, dissolution and termination of the Partnership shall be governed by the Delaware Act. All Partnership Interests shall constitute personal property of the owner thereof for all purposes.

Section 2.2 Name . The name of the Partnership shall be “Colorado River DevCo LP”. Subject to Applicable Law, 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, without the consent of any Limited Partner, amend this Agreement and the Certificate of Limited Partnership to 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 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware 19801, and the registered agent for service of process on the Partnership in the State of Delaware at such registered office shall be The Corporation Trust Company. The principal office of the Partnership shall be located at 1001 Noble Energy Way, Houston, Texas 77070, 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 the address set forth on Exhibit A , or such other place as the General Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the Limited Partners. The address of the initial Limited Partner shall be the address set forth on Exhibit A , or such other place as the initial Limited Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the General Partner. The address of each additional Limited Partner shall be the place such Limited Partner designates from time to time by notice to the General Partner.

Section 2.4 Purpose and Business . The purpose and nature of the business to be conducted by the Partnership shall be to engage directly or indirectly in any business activity that is approved by the General Partner and that lawfully may be conducted by a limited partnership organized pursuant to the Delaware Act; provided , however , that the General Partner shall not cause the Partnership to engage, directly or indirectly, in any business activity that the General Partner determines would be reasonably likely to cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the General Partner shall have no duty or obligation to propose or approve the conduct by the Partnership of any business and may decline

 

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to do so free of any fiduciary duty or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership, any Limited Partner or any other Person 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 other agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity, and the General Partner in determining whether to propose or approve the conduct by the Partnership of any business shall be permitted to do so in its sole and absolute discretion.

Section 2.5 Powers . The Partnership shall be empowered to do any and all acts and things necessary, appropriate, proper, advisable, incidental to or convenient for the furtherance and accomplishment of the purposes and business described in Section 2.4 and for the protection and benefit of the Partnership.

Section 2.6 Term . The term of the Partnership commenced upon the filing of the Certificate of Limited Partnership in accordance with the Delaware Act and shall continue 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 Property . Title to Property, 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 Property or any portion thereof. Title to any or all of the Property may be held in the name of the Partnership, the General Partner, one or more Affiliates of the General Partner or one or more nominees of the General Partner or its Affiliates, as the General Partner may determine. The General Partner hereby declares and warrants that any Property for which record title is held in the name of the General Partner or one or more Affiliates of the General Partner or one or more nominees of the General Partner or its Affiliates 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 any successor General Partner. All Property shall be recorded as the property of the Partnership in its books and records, irrespective of the name in which record title to such Property is held.

ARTICLE III

PARTNERS

Section 3.1 Partners; Percentage Interests . The names of the Partners, their respective Percentage Interests, and the type of Partnership Interest held by each Partner are set forth on Exhibit A to this Agreement.

 

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Section 3.2 Adjustments in Percentage Interests . The respective Percentage Interests of the Partners shall be adjusted (a) at the time of any transfer of all or a portion of such Partner’s Partnership Interest pursuant to Section 9.1 , (b) at the time of the issuance of additional Partnership Interests pursuant to Section 8.2(b) and (c) at the time of the admission of each new Partner in accordance with this Agreement, in each case to take into account such transfer, issuance or admission of a new Partner. The General Partner is authorized to amend Exhibit A to this Agreement to reflect any such adjustment without the consent of any other Partner.

Section 3.3 Limitation of Liability . The Limited Partners shall have no liability under this Agreement except as expressly provided in this Agreement or the Delaware Act.

ARTICLE IV

CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Section 4.1 Capitalization of the Partnership . Subject to Section 8.2 , the Partnership is authorized to issue two classes of Partnership Interests. The Partnership Interests shall be designated as General Partner Interests and Limited Partner Interests, each having such rights, powers, preferences and designations as set forth in this Agreement.

Section 4.2 Additional Capital Contributions . The Partners shall make additional Capital Contributions to the Partnership at such times and in such amounts as determined by the Partners in accordance with this Agreement.

Section 4.3 Withdrawal of Capital; Interest . No Partner may withdraw capital or receive any distributions from the Partnership except as specifically provided herein. No interest shall accrue or be payable by the Partnership on any Capital Contributions.

Section 4.4 Capital Contribution Events .

(a) Notwithstanding anything in Section 4.2 to the contrary, whenever the General Partner determines in good faith that additional Capital Contributions in cash from the Partners are necessary to fund the Partnership’s operations, the General Partner may issue a notice to each Partner (a “ Call Notice ”) for an additional Capital Contribution by each Partner (a “ Required Contribution ”) in an amount equal to such Partner’s pro rata portion (based on the Percentage Interests of the Partners) of the aggregate additional Capital Contribution determined to be necessary by the General Partner not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the date the General Partner determines such additional Capital Contributions shall be made by the Partners.

(b) All Call Notices shall be expressed in U.S. dollars and shall state the date on which payment is due and the bank(s) or account(s) to which payment is to be made. Each Call Notice shall specify in reasonable detail the purpose(s) for which such Required Contribution is required and the amount of the Required Contribution to be made by each Partner pursuant to such Call Notice. Each Partner shall contribute its Required Contribution within five (5) Business Days of the date of delivery of the relevant Call Notice. The Partnership shall use the proceeds of such Required Contributions exclusively for the purpose specified in the relevant Call Notice.

 

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Section 4.5 Failure to Contribute .

(a) If a Partner fails to contribute all or any portion of a Required Contribution that such Partner (a “ Delinquent Partner ”) is required to make as provided in this Agreement, then, while such Partner is a Delinquent Partner, each non-Delinquent Partner may (but shall have no obligation to) elect to fund all or any portion of the Delinquent Partner’s Required Contribution as a Capital Contribution pursuant to this Section 4.5 . If a non-Delinquent Partner so desires to fund such amount, such non-Delinquent Partner shall so notify each of the other non-Delinquent Partners, who shall have five (5) days thereafter to elect to participate in such funding.

(b) The portion that each participating non-Delinquent Partner may fund as a Capital Contribution pursuant to this Section 4.5 (the “ NDP Amount ”) shall be equal to the product of (x) the delinquent amount of such Required Contribution multiplied by (y) a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the Percentage Interest then held by such participating non-Delinquent Partner and the denominator of which shall be the aggregate Percentage Interest held by all such participating non-Delinquent Partners; provided , that if any participating non-Delinquent Partner elects to fund less than its full allocation of such amount, the fully participating non-Delinquent Partners shall be entitled to take up such shortfall (allocated, as necessary, based on their respective Percentage Interests). Upon such funding as a Capital Contribution, the Partnership Interest and Percentage Interest of each Partner shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect all such funding (based on total Capital Contributions).

(c) Notwithstanding anything in this Section 4.5 to the contrary, the Delinquent Partner may cure such delinquency (i) by contributing its Required Contribution prior to the Capital Contribution being made by another Partner or (ii) on or before the sixtieth (60th) day following the date that the participating non-Delinquent Partner(s) satisfied the Required Contribution, by making a Capital Contribution to the Partnership in an amount equal to the Required Contribution (a “ Make-Up Contribution ”) and paying to each participating non-Delinquent Partner an amount equal to its respective NDP Amount multiplied by the Default Interest Rate for the period from the date such participating non-Delinquent Partner funded its NDP Amount to the date that the Delinquent Partner makes its Make-Up Contribution (the “ Default Interest Amount ”). If a Delinquent Partner cures its delinquency pursuant to Section 4.5(c)(ii) by making a Make-Up Contribution and paying the Default Interest Amount, then (A) first, the Partnership shall distribute to each existing Partner that is a participating non-Delinquent Partner the NDP Amount that such participating non-Delinquent Partner funded pursuant to Section 4.5(b) , (B) second, the respective Capital Accounts and Percentage Interests of the Partners shall be adjusted with all necessary increases or decreases to return the Partners’ Capital Accounts and Percentage Interests status quo ante application of Section 4.5(b) and (C) third, the Percentage Interest and Partnership Interests of each Partner shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect the Make-Up Contribution (based on total Capital Contributions). If the delinquency is remedied (i) by the Delinquent Partner making its Required Contribution or Make-Up Contribution pursuant to this Section 4.5(c) or (ii) by funding by the non-Delinquent Partner(s) as a Capital Contribution pursuant to Section 4.5(b) , the Delinquent Partner shall no longer be deemed to be a Delinquent Partner with respect to the unfunded Required Contribution.

 

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ARTICLE V

ALLOCATIONS AND OTHER TAX MATTERS

Section 5.1 Profits . After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 5.3 and Section 5.4 , and any allocation of Profits set forth in Section 5.2(b) , Profits for any Allocation Year shall be allocated among the Partners in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests.

Section 5.2 Losses .

(a) After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 5.3 and Section 5.4 , Losses for any Allocation Year shall be allocated among the Partners in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests.

(b) The Losses allocated pursuant to Section 5.2(a) shall not exceed the maximum amount of Losses that can be so allocated without causing any Partner to have an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit at the end of any Allocation Year. In the event some but not all of the Partners would have Adjusted Capital Account Deficits as a result of an allocation of Losses pursuant to Section 5.2(a) , Losses that would otherwise be allocated to a Partner pursuant to Section 5.2(a) but for the limitation set forth in this Section 5.2(b) shall be allocated to the remaining Partners in proportion to their relative Percentage Interests. All remaining Losses in excess of the limitation set forth in this Section 5.2(b) shall be allocated to the General Partner. Profits for any Allocation Year subsequent to an Allocation Year for which the limitation set forth in this Section 5.2(b) was applicable shall be allocated (i) first, to reverse any Losses allocated to the General Partner pursuant to the third sentence of this Section 5.2(b) and (ii) second, to reverse any Losses allocated to the Partners pursuant to the second sentence of this Section 5.2(b) and in proportion to how such Losses were allocated.

Section 5.3 Special Allocations . The following special allocations shall be made in the following order:

(a) Minimum Gain Chargeback . Except as otherwise provided in Regulations Section 1.704-2(f), notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V , if there is a net decrease in Minimum Gain during any Allocation Year, each Partner shall be specially allocated items of Partnership income and gain for such Allocation Year (and, if necessary, subsequent Allocation Years) in an amount equal to such Partner’s share of the net decrease in Minimum Gain, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(g). Allocations pursuant to the previous sentence shall be made in proportion to the respective amounts required to be allocated to each Partner pursuant thereto. The items to be so allocated shall be determined in accordance with Regulations Sections 1.704-2(f)(6) and 1.704-2(g)(2). This Section 5.3(a) is intended to comply with the minimum gain chargeback requirement in Regulations Section 1.704-2(f) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(b) Partner Minimum Gain Chargeback . Except as otherwise provided in Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(4), notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V , if there is a net decrease in Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain attributable to a Partner Nonrecourse Debt during any Allocation Year, each Partner who has a share of the Partner Nonrecourse Debt

 

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Minimum Gain attributable to such Partner Nonrecourse Debt, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(5), shall be specially allocated items of Partnership income and gain for such Allocation Year (and, if necessary, subsequent Allocation Years) in an amount equal to such Partner’s share of the net decrease in Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain attributable to such Partner Nonrecourse Debt, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(4). Allocations pursuant to the previous sentence shall be made in proportion to the respective amounts required to be allocated to each Partner pursuant thereto. The items to be so allocated shall be determined in accordance with Regulations Sections 1.704-2(i)(4) and 1.704-2(j)(2). This Section 5.3(b) is intended to comply with the minimum gain chargeback requirement in Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(4) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(c) Qualified Income Offset . In the event that any Partner unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations or distributions described in Regulations Sections 1.704- 1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5) or 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6), items of Partnership income and gain shall be allocated to such Partner in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate, to the extent required by the Regulations, the Adjusted Capital Account Deficit of such Partner as quickly as possible; provided that an allocation pursuant to this Section 5.3(c) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would have an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit after all other allocations provided for in this Article V have been tentatively made as if this Section 5.3(c) were not in this Agreement.

(d) Gross Income Allocation . In the event that any Partner has an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit at the end of any Allocation Year, each such Partner shall be allocated items of Partnership income and gain in the amount of such deficit as quickly as possible; provided that an allocation pursuant to this Section 5.3(d) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would have an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit after all other allocations provided for in this Article V have been tentatively made as if Section 5.3(c) and this Section 5.3(d) were not in this Agreement.

(e) Nonrecourse Deductions . Nonrecourse Deductions for any Allocation Year shall be allocated among the Partners in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests.

(f) Partner Nonrecourse Deductions . Any Partner Nonrecourse Deductions for any Allocation Year shall be specially allocated to the Partner who bears the economic risk of loss with respect to the Partner Nonrecourse Debt to which such Partner Nonrecourse Deductions are attributable in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(1).

(g) Nonrecourse Liabilities . Nonrecourse Liabilities of the Partnership described in Regulations Section 1.752-3(a)(3) shall be allocated among the Partners in the manner chosen by the General Partner and consistent with such section of the Regulations.

(h) Section 754 Adjustments . To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Property, pursuant to Code Section 734(b) or Code Section 743(b) is required, pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(2) or 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts as the result of a distribution to a Partner in complete liquidation of such Partner’s Partnership Interest, the amount of such adjustment to Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the asset) or

 

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loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis) and such gain or loss shall be specially allocated to the Partners in accordance with their interests in the Partnership in the event Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(2) applies, or to the Partner to whom such distribution was made in the event Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4) applies.

Section 5.4 Curative Allocations . The allocations set forth in Section 5.3 (the “ Regulatory Allocations ”) are intended to comply with certain requirements of the Regulations. It is the intent of the Partners that, to the extent possible, the Regulatory Allocations shall be offset either with special allocations of other items of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to this Section 5.4 . Therefore, notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V (other than the Regulatory Allocations), the Tax Matters Partner shall make such offsetting special allocations of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction in whatever manner it determines appropriate so that, after such offsetting allocations are made, each Partner’s Capital Account balance is, to the extent possible, equal to the Capital Account balance such Partner would have had if the Regulatory Allocations were not part of this Agreement and all Partnership items were allocated pursuant to Section 5.1 , Section 5.2 and Section 5.3 (other than the Regulatory Allocations). In exercising its discretion under this Section 5.4 , the Tax Matters Partner shall take into account future Regulatory Allocations that, although not yet made, are likely to offset other Regulatory Allocations previously made.

Section 5.5 Other Allocation Rules .

(a) Profits, Losses and any other items of income, gain, loss, or deduction shall be allocated to the Partners pursuant to this Article V as of the last day of each Fiscal Year; provided that Profits, Losses and such other items shall also be allocated at such times as the Gross Asset Values of the Partnership’s assets are adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (ii) of the definition of “Gross Asset Value” in Section 1.1 .

(b) For purposes of determining the Profits, Losses or any other items allocable to any period, Profits, Losses and any such other items shall be determined on a daily proration basis by the General Partner under Code Section 706 and the Regulations thereunder.

Section 5.6 Tax Allocations: Code Section 704(c) .

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Section 5.6 , each item of income, gain, loss and deduction of the Partnership for federal income tax purposes shall be allocated among the Partners in the same manner as such items are allocated for book purposes under this Article V . In accordance with Code Section 704(c) and the Regulations thereunder, income, gain, loss and deduction with respect to any Property contributed to the capital of the Partnership shall, solely for tax purposes, be allocated among the Partners so as to take account of any variation between the adjusted basis of such Property to the Partnership for federal income tax purposes and its initial Gross Asset Value (computed in accordance with the definition of Gross Asset Value). Such allocation shall be made in accordance with the “remedial method” described by Regulations Section 1.704-3(d).

(b) In the event the Gross Asset Value of any Property is adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (ii) of the definition of Gross Asset Value, subsequent allocations of income, gain,

 

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loss and deduction with respect to such Property shall take account of any variation between the adjusted basis of such Property for federal income tax purposes and its Gross Asset Value in the same manner as under Code Section 704(c) and the Regulations thereunder. Such allocation shall be made in accordance with the “remedial method” described by Regulations Section 1.704-3(d).

(c) In accordance with Regulations 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 Property shall, to the extent possible, after taking into account other required allocations of gain pursuant to this Section 5.6(c) , 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.”

(d) Any elections or other decisions relating to such allocations shall be made by the General Partner in any manner that reasonably reflects the purpose and intention of this Agreement. Allocations pursuant to this Section 5.6 are solely for purposes of federal, state and local taxes and shall not affect, or in any way be taken into account in computing, any Partner’s Capital Account or share of Profits, Losses, other items or distributions pursuant to any provision of this Agreement.

Section 5.7 Tax Elections .

(a) The Partners intend that the Partnership be treated as a partnership or a “disregarded entity” for federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, neither the Tax Matters Partner nor any Limited Partner shall file any election or return on its own behalf or on behalf of the Partnership that is inconsistent with that intent.

(b) The Partnership shall make the election under Code Section 754 in accordance with the applicable Regulations issued 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 Partners.

(c) Any elections or other decisions relating to tax matters that are not expressly provided herein, shall be made jointly by the Partners in any manner that reasonably reflects the purpose and intention of this Agreement.

Section 5.8 Tax Returns .

(a) The Partnership shall cause to be prepared and timely filed all federal, state, local and foreign income tax returns and reports required to be filed by the Partnership and its subsidiaries. The Partnership shall provide copies of all the Partnership’s federal, state, local and foreign tax returns (and any schedules or other required filings related to such returns) that reflect items of income, gain, deduction, loss or credit that flow to separate Partner returns, to the Partners for their review and comment prior to filing, except as otherwise agreed by the Partners. The Partners agree in good faith to resolve any difference in the tax treatment of any item affecting such returns and schedules. However, if the Partners are unable to resolve the dispute, the position of the Tax Matters Partner shall be followed if nationally recognized tax counsel acceptable to the Partners provides an opinion that substantial authority exists for such position.

 

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Substantial authority shall be given the meaning ascribed to it for purposes of applying Code Section 6662. If the Partners are unable to resolve the dispute prior to the due date for filing the return, including approved extensions, the position of the Tax Matters Partner shall be followed, and amended returns shall be filed if necessary at such time the dispute is resolved. The costs of the dispute shall be borne by the Partnership. The Partners agree to file their separate federal income tax returns in a manner consistent with the Partnership’s return, the provisions of this Agreement and in accordance with Applicable Law.

(b) The Partnership shall elect the most rapid method of depreciation and amortization allowed under Applicable Law, unless the Partners agree otherwise.

(c) The Partners shall provide each other with copies of all correspondence or summaries of other communications with the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority (other than routine correspondence and communications) regarding the tax treatment of the Partnership’s operations. No Partner shall enter into settlement negotiations with the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority with respect to any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits if the tax adjustment attributable to such issue (assuming the then current aggregate tax rate) would be $100,000 or greater, without first giving reasonable advance notice of such intended action to the other Partners.

Section 5.9 Tax Matters Partner .

(a) The General Partner shall be the “ Tax Matters Partner ” of the Partnership within the meaning of Section 6231(a)(7) of the Code, and shall act in any similar capacity under the Applicable Law of any state, local or foreign jurisdiction, but only with respect to returns for which items of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit flow to the separate returns of the Partners. If at any time there is more than one General Partner, the Tax Matters Partner shall be the General Partner with the largest Percentage Interest following such admission.

(b) The Tax Matters Partner shall incur no Liability (except as a result of the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Tax Matters Partner) to the Partnership or the other Partners including, but not limited to, Liability for any additional taxes, interest or penalties owed by the other Partners due to adjustments of Partnership items of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit at the Partnership level.

Section 5.10 Duties of Tax Matters Partner .

(a) Except as provided in Section 5.10(b) , the Tax Matters Partner shall cooperate with the other Partners and shall promptly provide the other Partners with copies of notices or other materials from, and inform the other Partners of discussions engaged with, the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority and shall provide the other Partners with notice of all scheduled proceedings, including meetings with agents of the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority, technical advice conferences, appellate hearings, and similar conferences and hearings, as soon as possible after receiving notice of the scheduling of such proceedings, but in any case prior to the date of such scheduled proceedings.

 

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(b) The duties of the Tax Matters Partner under Section 5.10(a) shall not apply with respect to notices, materials, discussions, proceedings, meetings, conferences, or hearings involving any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits if the tax adjustment attributable to such issue (assuming the then current aggregate tax rate) would be less than $100,000 except as otherwise required under Applicable Law.

(c) The Tax Matters Partner shall not extend the period of limitations or assessments without the consent of the other Partners, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

(d) The Tax Matters Partner shall not file a petition or complaint in any court, or file any claim, amended return or request for an administrative adjustment with respect to partnership items, after any return has been filed, with respect to any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits if the tax adjustment attributable to such issue (assuming the then current aggregate tax rate) would be $100,000 or greater, unless agreed by the other Partners. If the other Partners do not agree, the position of the Tax Matters Partner shall be followed if nationally recognized tax counsel acceptable to all Partners issues an opinion that a reasonable basis exists for such position. Reasonable basis shall be given the meaning ascribed to it for purposes of applying Code Section 6662. The costs of the dispute shall be borne by the Partnership.

(e) The Tax Matters Partner shall not enter into any settlement agreement with the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority, either before or after any audit of the applicable return is completed, with respect to any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits, unless any of the following apply:

(i) all Partners agree to the settlement;

(ii) the tax effect of the issue if resolved adversely would be, and the tax effect of settling the issue is, proportionately the same for all Partners (assuming each otherwise has substantial taxable income);

(iii) the Tax Matters Partner determines that the settlement of the issue is fair to the Partners; or

(iv) tax counsel acceptable to all Partners determines that the settlement is fair to all Partners and is one it would recommend to the Partnership if all Partners were owned by the same person and each had substantial taxable income.

In all events, the costs incurred by the Tax Matters Partner in performing its duties hereunder shall be borne by the Partnership.

(f) The Tax Matters Partner may request extensions to file any tax return or statement without the written consent of, but shall so inform, the other Partners.

Section 5.11 Survival of Provisions . To the fullest extent permitted by law, the provisions of this Agreement regarding the Partnership’s tax returns and Tax Matters Partner shall survive the termination of the Partnership and the transfer of any Partner’s interest in the Partnership and shall remain in effect for the period of time necessary to resolve any and all matters regarding the federal, state, local and foreign taxation of the Partnership and items of Partnership income, gain, loss, deduction and credit.

 

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ARTICLE VI

DISTRIBUTIONS

S ection 6.1 Distributions of Distributable Cash . Within 40 days following the end of each Quarter commencing with the Quarter that includes the IPO Date, the Partnership shall distribute to the Partners pro rata in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests an amount equal to 100% of Distributable Cash. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Partnership shall not make a distribution to any Partner on account of its interest in the Partnership if such distribution would violate the Delaware Act or other Applicable Law.

Section 6.2 Liquidating Distributions . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article VI (other than the last sentence of Section 6.1 ), distributions with respect to the Quarter in which a dissolution of the Partnership occurs shall be made in accordance with Article XII .

Section 6.3 Distribution in Kind . The Partnership shall not distribute to the Partners any assets in kind unless approved by the Partners in accordance with this Agreement. If cash and property in kind are to be distributed simultaneously, the Partnership shall distribute such cash and property in kind in the same proportion to each Partner, unless otherwise approved by the Partners in accordance with this Agreement.

ARTICLE VII

BOOKS AND RECORDS

Section 7.1 Books and Records; Examination . The General Partner shall keep or cause to be kept such books of account and records with respect to the Partnership’s business as it may deem necessary and appropriate. Each Partner and its duly authorized representatives shall have the right, for any purpose reasonably related to its interest in the Partnership, at any time to examine, or to appoint independent certified public accountants (the fees of which shall be paid by such Partner) to examine, the books, records and accounts of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries, their operations and all other matters that such Partner may wish to examine, including all documentation relating to actual or proposed transactions between the Partnership and any Partner or any Affiliate of a Partner. The Partnership’s books of account shall be kept using the method of accounting determined by the General Partner.

Section 7.2 Reports . The General Partner shall prepare and send to each Partner (at the same time) promptly such financial information of the Partnership as a Partner shall from time to time reasonably request, for any purpose reasonably related to its interest in the Partnership. The General Partner shall, for any purpose reasonably related to a Partner’s interest in the Partnership, permit examination and audit of the Partnership’s books and records by both the internal and independent auditors of its Partners.

 

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ARTICLE VIII

MANAGEMENT AND VOTING

Section 8.1 Management . The General Partner shall conduct, direct and manage the business of the Partnership. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, all management powers over the business and affairs of the Partnership shall be exclusively vested in the General Partner, and no Limited Partner shall have any management power over the business and affairs of the Partnership. In addition to the powers now or hereafter granted a general partner of a limited partnership under the Delaware Act or which are granted to the General Partner under any other provision of this Agreement, the General Partner, subject to Section 8.2 , shall have full power and authority to do all things on such terms as it, in its sole discretion, may deem necessary or appropriate to conduct the business of the Partnership and to effectuate the purposes set forth in Section 2.4 . The Partnership shall reimburse the General Partner, on a monthly basis or such other basis as the General Partner may determine, for all direct and indirect costs and expenses incurred by the General Partner or payments made by the General Partner, in its capacity as the general partner of the Partnership, for and on behalf of the Partnership. Except as provided in this Section 8.1 , and elsewhere in this Agreement, the General Partner shall not be compensated for its services as the general partner of the Partnership.

Section 8.2 Matters Constituting Unanimous Approval Matters . Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement or the Delaware Act to the contrary, and subject to the provisions of Section 8.3(c) , each of the following matters, and only the following matters, shall constitute a “ Unanimous Approval Matter ” which requires the prior approval of all of the Partners pursuant to Section 8.3(c) :

(a) any merger, consolidation, reorganization or similar transaction between or among the Partnership and any Person (other than a transaction between the Partnership and a direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of the Partnership) or any sale or lease of all or substantially all of the Partnership’s assets to any Person (other than a direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of the Partnership);

(b) the creation of any new class of Partnership Interests, the issuance of any additional Partnership Interests or the issuance of any security that is convertible into or exchangeable for a Partnership Interest;

(c) the admission or withdrawal of any Person as a Partner other than pursuant to (i) the third sentence of Section 9.2 , (ii)  Section 9.4 or (iii) any transfer of Partnership Interests pursuant to Section 9.1(b) , as applicable;

(d) the commencement of a voluntary case with respect to the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar Applicable Law now or hereafter in effect, or the consent to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case under any such Applicable Law, or the consent to the appointment of or the taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee or sequestrator (or similar official) of the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries or for any substantial part of the Partnership’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ property, or the making of any general assignment for the benefit of creditors;

 

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(e) the modification, alteration or amendment of the amount, timing, frequency or method of calculation of distributions to the Partners from that provided in Article VI ;

(f) (i) the approval of any distribution by the Partnership to the Partners of any assets in kind (other than cash or cash equivalents), (ii) the approval of any distribution by the Partnership to the Partners of cash or property in kind on a non-pro rata basis and (iii) the determination of the value assigned to distributions of property in kind;

(g) other than pursuant to Section 4.4 , the making of any additional Capital Contributions to the Partnership; and

(h) any other provision of this Agreement expressly requiring the approval, consent or other form of authorization of all of the Partners.

Section 8.3 Meetings and Voting .

(a) Representatives . For purposes of this Article VIII and subject to the General Partner’s authority under Section 8.1 , each Partner shall be represented by a designated representative (each, a “ Representative ”), who shall be appointed by, and may be removed with or without cause by, the Partner that designated such Person. Each Representative shall have the full authority to act on behalf of the Partner who designated such Representative. To the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, each Representative shall be deemed the agent of the Partner that appointed him, and each Representative shall not be an agent of the Partnership or the other Partners. The action of a Representative at a meeting of the Partners (or through a written consent) shall bind the Partner that designated that Representative, and the other Partners shall be entitled to rely upon such action without further inquiry or investigation as to the actual authority (or lack thereof) of such Representative.

(b) Meetings and Voting . Meetings of Partners shall be at such times and locations as the General Partner shall determine in its sole discretion. The General Partner shall provide notice to the Limited Partners of any meetings of Partners in any manner that it deems reasonable and appropriate under the circumstances. The holders of a majority, by Percentage Interest, of Partnership Interests for which a meeting has been called (including Partnership Interests owned by the General Partner) represented in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of Partners unless any such action by the Partners requires approval by holders of a greater Percentage Interest, in which case the quorum shall be such greater Percentage Interest. At any meeting of the Partners duly called and held in accordance with this Agreement at which a quorum is present, the act of Partners holding Partnership Interests that, in the aggregate, represent a majority of the Percentage Interests 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. 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 Interests specified in this Agreement. In the absence of a quorum, any meeting of

 

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Partners may be adjourned from time to time by the affirmative vote of Partners with at least a majority of the Percentage Interests of the Partners entitled to vote at such meeting (including the General Partner) represented either in person or by proxy, but no other business may be transacted.

(c) Unanimous Approval Matters . All Unanimous Approval Matters shall be approved by the unanimous affirmative vote of all of the Partners. Each Partner acknowledges and agrees that all references in this Agreement to any approval, consent or other form of authorization by “all Partners,” “each of the Partners” or similar phrases shall be deemed to mean that such approval, consent or other form of authorization shall constitute a Unanimous Approval Matter that requires the unanimous approval of all of the Partners in accordance with this Section 8.3(c) .

(d) Action Without a Meeting . Any action that may be taken at a meeting of the Partners may be taken without a meeting and without prior notice if an approval in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by the Partners owning not less than the minimum Percentage Interests of the Partnership Interests that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all of the Partners were present and voted. Prompt notice of the taking of action without a meeting shall be given to the Partners who have not approved such action in writing.

Section 8.4 Reliance by Third Parties . Persons dealing with the Partnership are entitled to rely conclusively upon the power and authority of the General Partner set forth in this Agreement. Neither a Limited Partner nor its Representative shall have the authority to bind the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries.

Section 8.5 Reimbursement of the General Partner . The General Partner shall be reimbursed on a monthly basis, or such other basis as the General Partner may determine, for (i) all direct and indirect expenses it incurs or payments it makes on behalf of the Partnership (including salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to any Person, including Affiliates of the General Partner, to perform services for the Partnership or for the General Partner in the discharge of its duties to the Partnership) and (ii) all other expenses allocable to the Partnership or otherwise incurred by the General Partner or its Affiliates in connection with managing and operating the Partnership’s business and affairs (including expenses allocated to the General Partner by its Affiliates). The General Partner shall determine the expenses that are allocable to the Partnership. Reimbursements pursuant to this Section 8.5 shall be in addition to any reimbursement to the General Partner as a result of indemnification pursuant to Section 10.3 . Any allocation of expenses to the Partnership by the General Partner in a manner consistent with its or its Affiliates’ past business practices shall be permitted by, and not constitute a breach of, this Agreement or any duty owed by the General Partner to the Partnership, the Partners, or any other Person bound by this Agreement.

 

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ARTICLE IX

TRANSFER OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

Section 9.1 Restrictions on Transfers .

(a) General . Except as expressly provided by this Article IX , no Partner shall transfer all or any part of its Partnership Interests to any Person without first obtaining the written approval of each of the other Partners, which approval may be granted or withheld in their sole discretion.

(b) Transfer by Operation of Law . In the event a Partner shall be party to a merger, consolidation or similar business combination transaction with another Person or sell all or substantially all its assets to another Person, such Partner may transfer all or part of its Partnership Interests to such other Person without the approval of any other Partner.

(c) Consequences of an Unpermitted Transfer . To the fullest extent permitted by law, any transfer of a Partner’s Partnership Interest in violation of the applicable provisions of this Agreement shall be void.

Section 9.2 Conditions for Admission . No transferee of all or a portion of the Partnership Interests of any Partner shall be admitted as a Partner hereunder unless such Partnership Interests are transferred in compliance with the applicable provisions of this Agreement. Each such transferee shall have executed and delivered to the Partnership such instruments as the General Partner deems necessary or appropriate in its sole discretion to effectuate the admission of such transferee as a Partner and to confirm the agreement of such transferee to be bound by all the terms and provisions of this Agreement. The admission of a transferee shall be effective immediately prior to such transfer and, immediately following such admission, the transferor shall cease to be a Partner (to the extent it transferred its entire Partnership Interest). If the General Partner transfers its entire General Partner Interest in the Partnership, the transferee General Partner, to the extent admitted as a substitute General Partner, is hereby authorized to, and shall, continue the Partnership without dissolution.

Section 9.3 Allocations and Distributions . Subject to applicable Regulations, upon the transfer of all the Partnership Interests of a Partner as herein provided, the Profit or Loss of the Partnership attributable to the Partnership Interests so transferred for the Fiscal Year in which such transfer occurs shall be allocated between the transferor and transferee as of the effective date of the assignment, and such allocation shall be based upon any permissible method agreed to by the Partners that is provided for in Code Section 706 and the Regulations issued thereunder.

Section 9.4 Restriction on Resignation or Withdrawal . Except in connection with a transfer permitted pursuant to Section 9.1 or as contemplated by Section 12.1 , no Partner shall withdraw from the Partnership without the consent of each of the other Partners. To the extent permitted by law, any purported withdrawal from the Partnership in violation of this Section 9.4 shall be null and void.

 

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ARTICLE X

LIABILITY, EXCULPATION AND INDEMNIFICATION

Section 10.1 Liability for Partnership Obligations . Except as otherwise required by the Delaware Act, the Liabilities of the Partnership shall be solely the Liabilities of the Partnership, and no Indemnitee (other than the General Partner) shall be obligated personally for any such Liability of the Partnership solely by reason of being an Indemnitee.

Section 10.2 Disclaimer of Duties and Exculpation .

(a) Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by law, no Indemnitee shall have any duty (fiduciary or otherwise) or obligation to the Partnership, the Partners or to any other Person bound by this Agreement, and in taking, or refraining from taking, any action required or permitted under this Agreement or under Applicable Law, each Indemnitee shall be entitled to consider only such interests and factors as such Indemnitee deems advisable, including its own interests, and need not consider any interest of or factors affecting, any other Indemnitee or the Partnership notwithstanding any duty otherwise existing at law or in equity. To the extent that an Indemnitee is required or permitted under this Agreement to act in “good faith” or under another express standard, such Indemnitee shall act under such express standard and shall not be subject to any other or different standard under this Agreement or otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity.

(b) The provisions of this Agreement, to the extent that they restrict or eliminate the duties (including fiduciary duties) and Liabilities of an Indemnitee otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity, are agreed by the Partners to replace such other duties and Liabilities of such Indemnitee in their entirety, and no Indemnitee shall be liable to the Partnership, the Partners or any other Person bound by this Agreement for its good faith reliance on the provisions of this Agreement.

(c) To the fullest extent permitted by law, no Indemnitee shall be liable to the Partnership, the Partners or any other Person bound by this Agreement for any cost, expense, loss, damage, claim or Liability incurred by reason of any act or omission performed or omitted by such Indemnitee in such capacity, whether or not such Person continues to be an Indemnitee at the time of such cost, expense, loss, damage, claim or Liability is incurred or imposed, if the Indemnitee acted in good faith reliance on the provisions of this Agreement, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, such Indemnitee had no reasonable cause to believe its conduct was unlawful.

(d) An Indemnitee shall be fully protected from liability to the Partnership, the Partners and any other Person bound by this Agreement in acting or refraining from acting in good faith reliance upon the records of the Partnership and such other information, opinions, reports or statements presented to the Partnership by any Person as to any matters the Indemnitee reasonably believes are within such other Person’s professional or expert competence and who has been selected with reasonable care by or on behalf of the Partnership, including information, opinions, reports or statements as to the value and amount of the assets, Liabilities, Profits and Losses of the Partnership.

 

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Section 10.3 Indemnification .

(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law but subject to the limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, all Indemnitees shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Partnership from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other amounts arising from any and all threatened, pending or completed claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, and whether formal or informal and including appeals, in which any Indemnitee may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of its status as an Indemnitee and acting (or refraining to act) in such capacity on behalf of or for the benefit of the Partnership; 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 engaged in intentional fraud, willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful; provided, further , no indemnification pursuant to this Section 10.3 shall be available to any Affiliate of the Partnership, or to any other Indemnitee, with respect to any such Affiliate’s obligations pursuant to the Transaction Documents. Any indemnification or advancement of expenses pursuant to this Section 10.3 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 or advancement of expenses and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Partnership to enable it to effectuate such indemnification or advancement of expenses.

(b) To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses (including legal fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnitee who is entitled to be indemnified pursuant to Section 10.3(a) in 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 10.3 , 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 10.3 .

(c) The indemnification provided by this Section 10.3 shall be in addition to any other rights to which an Indemnitee may be entitled under any agreement, 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, executors and administrators of the Indemnitee.

(d) The Partnership may purchase and maintain (or reimburse the General Partner or its Affiliates for the cost of) insurance, on behalf of the General Partner, its Affiliates and such other Persons as the General Partner shall determine, against any liability that may be asserted against or expense that may be incurred by such Person in connection with the Partnership’s activities or such Person’s activities on behalf of the Partnership, regardless of whether the Partnership would have the power to indemnify such Person against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement.

 

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(e) For purposes of this Section 10.3 , 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 10.3(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 subjectively believed by it not to be adverse to the interests of the participants and beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose that is on behalf of and for the benefit of the Partnership and not adverse to the interests of the Partnership.

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

(g) An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in whole or in part under this Section 10.3 solely because the Indemnitee had an interest in the transaction with respect to which the indemnification applies.

(h) The provisions of this Section 10.3 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 10.3 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 10.3 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.

ARTICLE XI

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Section 11.1 Transactions with Affiliates . The Partnership and its Subsidiaries shall be permitted to enter into or renew or extend the term of any agreement or transaction with a Partner or an Affiliate of a Partner on such terms and conditions as the General Partner shall approve in its sole discretion, without the approval of any Limited Partner.

Section 11.2 Outside Activities . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement or any duty otherwise existing at law or in equity, (a) the engaging in activities by any Indemnitee that are competitive with the business of the Partnership is hereby approved by all Partners, (b) it shall not be a breach of any fiduciary duty or any other duty or obligation of a Partner under this Agreement or otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity for such Indemnitee to engage in such activities in preference to or to the exclusion of the Partnership, (c) an Indemnitee shall have no obligation under this Agreement or as a result of any duty (including

 

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any fiduciary duty) otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity, to present business opportunities to the Partnership and (d) the doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any analogous doctrine, shall not apply to any Indemnitee; provided such Indemnitee does not engage in such activity as a result of or using confidential or proprietary information provided by or on behalf of the Partnership to such Indemnitee.

ARTICLE XII

DISSOLUTION AND TERMINATION

Section 12.1 Dissolution . The Partnership shall be dissolved and its business and affairs wound up upon the earliest to occur of any one of the following events:

(a) at any time there are no Limited Partners of the Partnership, unless the business of the Partnership is continued in accordance with the Delaware Act;

(b) the written consent of all the Partners;

(c) an “event of withdrawal” (as defined in the Delaware Act) of the General Partner; or

(d) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Partnership pursuant to Section 17-802 of the Delaware Act.

The bankruptcy, involuntary liquidation or dissolution of a Partner shall cause that Partner to cease to be a partner of the Partnership. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Partnership shall not be dissolved and its business and affairs shall not be wound up upon the occurrence of any event specified in clause (c) above if, at the time of occurrence of such event, there is at least one remaining General Partner (who is hereby authorized to, and shall, carry on the business of the Partnership) and at least one Limited Partner, or if within ninety (90) days after the date on which such event occurs, the remaining Partners elect in writing to continue the business of the Partnership and to the appointment, effective as of the date of such event, if required, of one or more additional General Partners of the Partnership. Except as provided in this paragraph, and to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware Act, the occurrence of an event that causes a Partner to cease to be a Partner of the Partnership shall not, in and of itself, cause the Partnership to be dissolved or its business or affairs to be wound up, and upon the occurrence of such an event, the business of the Partnership shall, to the extent permitted by the Delaware Act, continue without dissolution.

Section 12.2 Winding Up of Partnership . Upon dissolution, the Partnership’s business shall be wound up in an orderly manner. The General Partner shall (unless the General Partner (or, if no General Partner, the remaining Limited Partners) elects to appoint a liquidating trustee) wind up the affairs of the Partnership pursuant to this Agreement. In performing its duties, the General Partner or liquidating trustee is authorized to sell, distribute, exchange or otherwise dispose of the assets of the Partnership in accordance with the Delaware Act and in any reasonable manner that the General Partner or liquidating trustee shall determine to be not adverse to the interests of the Partners or their successors-in-interest. The General Partner or liquidating trustee shall take full account of the Partnership’s Liabilities and Property and shall cause the Property or the proceeds from the sale thereof, to the extent sufficient therefor, to be

 

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applied and distributed, to the maximum extent permitted by Applicable Law, in the following order:

(a) First, to creditors, including Partners who are creditors, to the extent permitted by law, in satisfaction of all of the Partnership’s Liabilities (whether by payment or the making of reasonable provision for payment thereof to the extent required by Section 17-804 of the Delaware Act), other than Liabilities for distribution to Partners under Section 17-601 or 17-604 of the Delaware Act;

(b) Second, to the Partners and former Partners of the Partnership in satisfaction of Liabilities for distributions under Sections 17-601 or 17-604 of the Delaware Act; and

(c) The balance, if any, to the Partners in accordance with the positive balance in their respective Capital Accounts, after giving effect to all contributions, distributions and allocations for all periods.

Section 12.3 Compliance with Certain Requirements of Regulations; Deficit Capital Accounts . In the event the Partnership is “liquidated” within the meaning of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g), distributions shall be made pursuant to this Article XII to the Partners who have positive Capital Accounts in compliance with Regulations Section 1.704- 1(b)(2)(ii)(b)(2). If any Partner has a deficit balance in its Capital Account (after giving effect to all contributions, distributions and allocations for all Allocation Years, including the Allocation Year during which such liquidation occurs), such Partner shall have no obligation to make any contribution to the capital of the Partnership with respect to such deficit, and such deficit shall not be considered a debt owed to the Partnership or to any other Person for any purpose whatsoever.

Section 12.4 Deemed Distribution and Recontribution . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article XII , in the event the Partnership is liquidated within the meaning of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g) but no actual dissolution and winding up under the Delaware Act has occurred, the Property shall not be liquidated, the Partnership’s debts and other Liabilities shall not be paid or discharged, and the Partnership’s affairs shall not be wound up. Instead, solely for federal income tax purposes, the Partnership shall be deemed to have contributed all its Property and Liabilities to a new limited partnership in exchange for an interest in such new limited partnership and, immediately thereafter, the Partnership will be deemed to liquidate by distributing interests in the new limited partnership to the Partners.

Section 12.5 Distribution of Property . In the event the General Partner determines that it is necessary in connection with the winding up of the Partnership to make a distribution of property in kind, such property shall be transferred and conveyed to the Partners so as to vest in each of them as a tenant in common an undivided interest in the whole of such property, but otherwise in accordance with Section 12.3 .

Section 12.6 Termination of Partnership . The Partnership shall terminate when all assets of the Partnership, after payment of or due provision for all Liabilities of the Partnership, shall have been distributed to the Partners in the manner provided for in this Agreement, and the Certificate of Limited Partnership shall have been canceled in the manner provided by the Delaware Act.

 

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ARTICLE XIII

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 13.1 Notices . Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, all notices, demands, requests, or other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be given either (a) in person, (b) by United States mail or (c) by expedited delivery service (charges prepaid) with proof of delivery. The Partnership’s address for notice shall be the principal place of business of the Partnership, as set forth in Section 2.3 . The address for notices and other communications to the General Partner shall be the address set forth in Section 2.3 . The address for notices and other communications to any Limited Partner shall be the address set forth in or designated pursuant to Section 2.3 . Addresses for notices and communications hereunder may be changed by the Partnership, the General Partner or any Limited Partner, as applicable, giving notice in writing, stating its new address for notices, to the other. For purposes of the foregoing, any notice required or permitted to be given shall be deemed to be delivered and given on the date actually delivered to the address specified in this Section 13.1 .

Section 13.2 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 13.3 Assignment . A Partner shall not assign all or any of its rights, obligations or benefits under this Agreement to any other Person otherwise than (i) in connection with a transfer of its Partnership Interests pursuant to Article IX or (ii) with the prior written consent of each of the other Partners, which consent may be withheld in such Partner’s sole discretion, and any attempted assignment not in compliance with Article IX or this Section 13.3 shall be void.

Section 13.4 Parties in Interest . 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 13.5 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.

Section 13.6 Amendment; Waiver . Subject to the definition of Capital Account, Section 2.2 and Section 3.2 , this Agreement may not be amended except in a written instrument signed by each of the Partners and expressly stating it is an amendment to this Agreement. Any failure or delay on the part of any Partner in exercising any power or right hereunder shall not operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power hereunder or otherwise available under Applicable Law or in equity.

Section 13.7 Severability . If any term, provision, covenant, or restriction in this Agreement or the application thereof to any Person or circumstance, at any time or to any extent,

 

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is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or other Governmental Authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement (or the application of such provision in other jurisdictions or to Persons or circumstances other than those to which it was held invalid or unenforceable) shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated, and to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, any such term, provision, covenant or restriction shall be restricted in applicability or reformed to the minimum extent required for such to be enforceable. This provision shall be interpreted and enforced to give effect to the original written intent of the Partners prior to the determination of such invalidity or unenforceability.

Section 13.8 Governing Law . THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO THE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW THEREOF. ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY WITH RESPECT TO ANY CLAIM OR PROCEEDING RELATED TO OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT, OR ANY TRANSACTION OR CONDUCT IN CONNECTION HEREWITH, IS HEREBY WAIVED BY EACH OF THE PARTNERS.

Section 13.9 No Bill for Accounting . To the fullest extent permitted by law, in no event shall any Partner have any right to file a bill for an accounting or any similar proceeding.

Section 13.10 Waiver of Partition . Each Partner hereby waives any right to partition of the Property.

Section 13.11 Third Parties . Nothing herein expressed or implied is intended or shall be construed to confer upon or give any Person (other than Indemnitees) other than the Partners and their respective successors, legal representatives and permitted assigns any rights, remedies or basis for reliance upon, under or by reason of this Agreement.

[Signature pages follow]

 

32


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have signed this Agreement as of the Effective Date.

 

GENERAL PARTNER:
COLORADO RIVER DEVCO GP LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

Signature Page to

First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of

Colorado River DevCo LP


LIMITED PARTNER:
NBL MIDSTREAM, LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

Signature Page to

First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of

Colorado River DevCo LP


Exhibit A

 

Partner

   Percentage
Interest
 

Type of
Partnership
Interest

Colorado River DevCo GP LLC

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, Texas 77070

   75%   General Partner Interest

NBL Midstream, LLC

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, Texas 77070

   25%   Limited Partner Interest

 

Exhibit A – Page 1

Exhibit 10.30

FORM OF GREEN RIVER DEVCO LP

 

 

FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED

AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

 

Dated Effective as of [            ], 2015


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         Page  

Article I Definitions and Construction

     1   

Section 1.1

 

Definitions

     1   

Section 1.2

 

Construction

     10   

Article II Business Purpose and Term of Partnership

     11   

Section 2.1

 

Formation

     11   

Section 2.2

 

Name

     11   

Section 2.3

 

Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices

     11   

Section 2.4

 

Purpose and Business

     11   

Section 2.5

 

Powers

     12   

Section 2.6

 

Term

     12   

Section 2.7

 

Title to Property

     12   

Article III Partners

     12   

Section 3.1

 

Partners; Percentage Interests

     12   

Section 3.2

 

Adjustments in Percentage Interests

     13   

Section 3.3

 

Limitation of Liability

     13   

Article IV Capital Contributions

     13   

Section 4.1

 

Capitalization of the Partnership

     13   

Section 4.2

 

Capital Contributions

     13   

Section 4.3

 

Withdrawal of Capital; Interest

     13   

Section 4.4

 

Capital Contribution Events

     13   

Section 4.5

 

Failure to Contribute

     14   

Article V Allocations and Other Tax Matters

     15   

Section 5.1

 

Profits

     15   

Section 5.2

 

Losses

     15   

Section 5.3

 

Special Allocations

     15   

Section 5.4

 

Curative Allocations

     17   

Section 5.5

 

Other Allocation Rules

     17   

Section 5.6

 

Tax Allocations: Code Section 704(c)

     17   

Section 5.7

 

Tax Elections

     18   

Section 5.8

 

Tax Returns

     18   

Section 5.9

 

Tax Matters Partner

     19   

Section 5.10

 

Duties of Tax Matters Partner

     19   

Section 5.11

 

Survival of Provisions

     20   

Article VI Distributions

     21   

Section 6.1

 

Distributions of Distributable Cash

     21   

Section 6.2

 

Liquidating Distributions

     21   

Section 6.3

 

Distribution in Kind

     21   

 

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Article VII Books and Records

     21   

Section 7.1

 

Books and Records; Examination

     21   

Section 7.2

 

Reports

     21   

Article VIII Management and Voting

     22   

Section 8.1

 

Management

     22   

Section 8.2

 

Matters Constituting Unanimous Approval Matters

     22   

Section 8.3

 

Meetings and Voting

     23   

Section 8.4

 

Reliance by Third Parties

     24   

Section 8.5

 

Reimbursement of the General Partner

     24   

Article IX Transfer of Partnership Interests

     25   

Section 9.1

 

Restrictions on Transfers

     25   

Section 9.2

 

Conditions for Admission

     25   

Section 9.3

 

Allocations and Distributions

     25   

Section 9.4

 

Restriction on Resignation or Withdrawal

     25   

Article X Liability, Exculpation and Indemnification

     26   

Section 10.1

 

Liability for Partnership Obligations

     26   

Section 10.2

 

Disclaimer of Duties and Exculpation

     26   

Section 10.3

 

Indemnification

     27   

Article XI Conflicts of interest

     28   

Section 11.1

 

Transactions with Affiliates

     28   

Section 11.2

 

Outside Activities

     28   

Article XII Dissolution and Termination

     29   

Section 12.1

 

Dissolution

     29   

Section 12.2

 

Winding Up of Partnership

     29   

Section 12.3

 

Compliance with Certain Requirements of Regulations; Deficit Capital Accounts

     30   

Section 12.4

 

Deemed Distribution and Recontribution

     30   

Section 12.5

 

Distribution of Property

     30   

Section 12.6

 

Termination of Partnership

     30   

Article XIII Miscellaneous

     31   

Section 13.1

 

Notices

     31   

Section 13.2

 

Integration

     31   

Section 13.3

 

Assignment

     31   

Section 13.4

 

Parties in Interest

     31   

Section 13.5

 

Counterparts

     31   

Section 13.6

 

Amendment; Waiver

     31   

Section 13.7

 

Severability

     31   

Section 13.8

 

Governing Law

     32   

Section 13.9

 

No Bill for Accounting

     32   

Section 13.10

 

Waiver of Partition

     32   

Section 13.11

 

Third Parties

     32   

 

ii


FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED

AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

OF

GREEN RIVER DEVCO LP

This First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Green River DevCo LP (the “ Partnership ”), dated effective as of [            ], 2015 (the “ Effective Date ”), is entered into by and between Green River DevCo GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ General Partner ”), and NBL Midstream, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Limited Partner ”). In consideration of the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

RECITALS:

WHEREAS , the General Partner and Noble Midstream Services, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Original Limited Partner”), previously formed the Partnership as a limited partnership under the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act by filing a Certificate of Limited Partnership with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware effective as of August 20, 2015.

WHEREAS , the Partnership was previously governed by that certain Agreement of Limited Partnership dated as of August 20, 2015 (the “ Original LP Agreement ”).

WHEREAS , pursuant to that certain Contribution Agreement dated on or about the date hereof, the Original Limited Partner distributed its limited partner interest in the Partnership to the Limited Partner, the Limited Partner was admitted as a limited partner of the Partnership, and immediately thereafter the Original Limited Partner ceased to be a partner of the Partnership.

WHEREAS , the General Partner and the Limited Partner now desire to amend and restate the Original LP Agreement in its entirety by executing this First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership.

NOW THEREFORE , in consideration of the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the General Partner and the Limited Partner hereby enter into this Agreement:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION

Section 1.1 Definitions . The following terms have the following meanings when used in this Agreement.


Adjusted Capital Account ” means, with respect to any Partner, the balance in such Partner’s Capital Account as of the end of the relevant Allocation Year, after giving effect to the following adjustments:

(i) Credit to such Capital Account any amounts which such Partner is deemed obligated to restore pursuant to the penultimate sentences of Regulations Sections 1.704-2(g)(1) and 1.704-2(i)(5); and

(ii) Debit to such Capital Account the items described in Regulations 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 Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

Adjusted Capital Account Deficit ” means, with respect to any Partner, the deficit balance, if any, in such Partner’s Adjusted Capital Account as of the end of the relevant Allocation Year.

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 ” means this First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Green River DevCo LP, as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Allocation Year ” means (a) each calendar year ending on December 31st or (b) any portion thereof for which the Partnership is required to allocate Profits, Losses and other items of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to Article V .

Applicable Law ” means any applicable statute, law, regulation, ordinance, rule, judgment, rule of law, order, decree, permit, approval, concession, grant, franchise, license, agreement, requirement or other governmental restriction or any similar form of decision of, or any provision or condition of any permit, license or other operating authorization issued under any of the foregoing by or any determination by any Governmental Authority having or asserting jurisdiction over the matter or matters in question, whether now or hereafter in effect and in each case as amended (including all of the terms and provisions of the common law of such Governmental Authority), as interpreted and enforced at the time in question.

Call Notice ” is defined in Section 4.4(a) .

Capital Account ” means, with respect to any Partner, the Capital Account established and maintained for such Partner in accordance with the following provisions:

(i) To each Partner’s Capital Account there shall be credited (A) such Partner’s Capital Contributions, (B) such Partner’s distributive share of Profits and any items in the nature of income or gain that are specially allocated to such Partner pursuant to Section 5.3 or Section 5.4 and (C) the amount of any Liabilities of the Partnership assumed by such Partner or that are secured by any Property distributed to such Partner;

 

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(ii) To each Partner’s Capital Account there shall be debited (A) the amount of cash and the Gross Asset Value of any Property distributed to such Partner pursuant to any provision of this Agreement, (B) such Partner’s distributive share of Losses and any items in the nature of deduction, expense or loss which are specially allocated to such Partner pursuant to Section 5.3 or Section 5.4 and (C) the amount of any Liabilities of such Partner assumed by the Partnership or that are secured by any Property contributed by such Partner to the Partnership;

(iii) In the event a Partnership Interest is transferred in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the transferee shall succeed to the Capital Account of the transferor to the extent it relates to the transferred interest; and

(iv) In determining the amount of any Liability for purposes of subparagraphs (i) and (ii) above there shall be taken into account Code Section 752(c) and any other applicable provisions of the Code and Regulations.

The foregoing provisions and the other provisions of this Agreement relating to the maintenance of Capital Accounts are intended to comply with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b) and shall be interpreted and applied in a manner consistent with such Regulations. In the event the Tax Matters Partner shall determine in good faith and on a commercially reasonable basis that it is prudent to modify the manner in which the Capital Accounts, or any debits or credits thereto, are computed in order to comply with such Regulations, the Tax Matters Partner may amend this Agreement without the consent of any other Partner notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement (including Section 13.6 ) to make such modification; provided that the Tax Matters Partner shall promptly give each other Partner written notice of such modification. The Tax Matters Partner also shall, in good faith and on a commercially reasonable basis, (A) make any adjustments to the Capital Accounts that are necessary or appropriate to maintain equality between the aggregate Capital Accounts of the Partners and the amount of capital reflected on the Partnership’s balance sheet, as computed for book purposes, in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(q) and (B) make any appropriate modifications to the Capital Accounts in the event unanticipated events might otherwise cause this Agreement not to comply with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b).

Capital Contributions ” means, with respect to any Partner, (i) the amount of cash, cash equivalents or the initial Gross Asset Value of any Property (other than cash) contributed or deemed contributed to the Partnership by such Partner or (ii) current distributions that a Partner is entitled to receive but otherwise waives.

Capital Lease ” means any lease of (or other arrangement conveying the right to use) real or personal property, or a combination thereof, which obligations are required to be classified and accounted for as a capital lease on a consolidated balance sheet of the Partnership and its subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP.

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 2.1 , as such Certificate of Limited Partnership may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

 

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Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and in effect from time to time. Any reference herein to a specific section or sections of the Code shall be deemed to include a reference to any corresponding provision of any successor law.

Default Interest Amount ” is defined in Section 4.5(c) .

Default Interest Rate ” means the lesser of (a) eight percent (8%) per annum and (b) the maximum rate of interest permitted by Applicable Law.

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

Delinquent Partner ” is defined in Section 4.5(a) .

Depreciation ” means, for each Allocation Year, an amount equal to the depreciation, amortization or other cost recovery deduction allowable with respect to an asset for such Allocation Year for federal income tax purposes, except that (i) if the Gross Asset Value of an asset differs from its adjusted tax basis for federal income tax purposes at the beginning of such Allocation Year and such difference is being eliminated by use of the “remedial allocation method” as defined in Regulations Section 1.704-3(d), Depreciation for such Allocation Year shall equal the amount of book basis recovered for such period under the rules prescribed in Regulations Section 1.704-3(d) and (ii) with respect to any other asset whose Gross Asset Value differs from its adjusted tax basis for federal income tax purposes at the beginning of such Allocation Year, Depreciation shall be an amount that bears the same ratio to such beginning Gross Asset Value as the federal income tax depreciation, amortization or other cost recovery deduction for such Allocation Year bears to such beginning adjusted tax basis; provided , however , that if the adjusted basis for federal income tax purposes of an asset at the beginning of such Allocation Year is zero, Depreciation shall be determined with reference to such beginning Gross Asset Value using any reasonable method selected by the General Partner.

Distributable Cash ” means, with respect to any Quarter: (i) the sum of all cash and cash equivalents of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries on hand at the end of such Quarter; less (ii) the amount of any cash reserves established by the General Partner to (A) provide for the proper conduct of the business of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries (including reserves for future capital or operating expenditures and for anticipated future credit needs of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries) subsequent to such Quarter; and (B) comply with Applicable Law or any loan agreement, security agreement, mortgage, debt instrument or other agreement or obligation to which the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them is bound or any of their respective assets are subject.

Effective Date ” is defined in the introductory paragraph.

Fiscal Year ” means a calendar year ending December 31.

GAAP ” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.

 

4


General Partner ” is defined in the introductory paragraph, provided that such term shall also include such entity’s successors and permitted assigns that are admitted to the Partnership as general partner and any additional general partner of the Partnership, each in its capacity as general partner of the Partnership.

General Partner Interest ” means the equity interest of the General Partner in the Partnership (in its capacity as a general partner without reference to any Limited Partner Interest held by it) 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.

Governmental Authority ” means any federal, state, local or foreign government or any provincial, departmental or other political subdivision thereof, or any entity, body or authority exercising executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory, administrative or other governmental functions or any court, department, commission, board, bureau, agency, instrumentality or administrative body of any of the foregoing.

Gross Asset Value ” means, with respect to any asset, the asset’s adjusted basis for federal income tax purposes, except as follows:

(i) The initial Gross Asset Value of any Property contributed by a Partner to the Partnership shall be the gross fair market value of such asset as agreed to by each Partner or, in the absence of any such agreement, as determined by the General Partner;

(ii) The Gross Asset Values of all items of Property shall be adjusted to equal their respective fair market values as determined by the General Partner as of the following times: (A) the acquisition of an additional interest in the Partnership by any new or existing Partner in exchange for more than a de minimis Capital Contribution, (B) the distribution by the Partnership to a Partner of more than a de minimis amount of Property as consideration for an interest in the Partnership, (C) the issuance of additional Partnership Interests as consideration for the provision of services, (D) the liquidation of the Partnership within the meaning of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g) (other than pursuant to Section 708(b)(1)(B) of the Code), (E) the issuance of a Noncompensatory Option, or (F) any other event to the extent determined by the Partners to be necessary to properly reflect the Gross Asset Values in accordance with the standards set forth in Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(q); provided , however , that in the event of the issuance of an interest in the Partnership pursuant to the exercise of a Noncompensatory Option where the right to share in Partnership capital represented by the Partnership interest differs from the consideration paid to acquire and exercise the Noncompensatory Option, the Gross Asset Value of each Property immediately after the issuance of the Partnership interest shall be adjusted upward or downward to reflect any unrealized gain or unrealized loss attributable to the Property and the Capital Accounts of the Partners shall be adjusted in a manner consistent with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(s); and provided further , however , if any Noncompensatory Options are outstanding upon the occurrence of an event described in this paragraph (ii)(A) through (ii)(F), the Partnership shall adjust the Gross Asset Values of its properties in accordance with Treasury Regulations Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f) and 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(h)(2);

 

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(iii) The Gross Asset Value of any item of Property distributed to any Partner shall be adjusted to equal the fair market value of such item on the date of distribution as determined by the General Partner; and

(iv) The Gross Asset Value of each item of Property shall be increased (or decreased) to reflect any adjustments to the adjusted basis of such assets pursuant to Code Sections 734(b) or 743(b), but only to the extent that such adjustments are taken into account in determining Capital Accounts pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m) and subparagraph (vi) of the definition of Profits and Losses; provided , however , that Gross Asset Values shall not be adjusted pursuant to this subparagraph (iv) to the extent that an adjustment pursuant to subparagraph (ii) is required in connection with a transaction that would otherwise result in an adjustment pursuant to this subparagraph (iv).

If the Gross Asset Value of an asset has been determined or adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (i), subparagraph (ii) or subparagraph (iv), such Gross Asset Value shall thereafter be adjusted by the Depreciation taken into account with respect to such asset for purposes of computing Profits and Losses.

Guarantees ” by any Person means any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of such Person directly or indirectly guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person or in any manner providing for the payment of any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person or otherwise protecting the holder of such Indebtedness or other obligations against loss (whether arising by virtue of organizational agreements, by obtaining letters of credit, by agreement to keep-well, to take-or-pay or to purchase assets, goods, securities or services, or otherwise); provided that the term “Guarantee” shall not include endorsements for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business.

Indebtedness ” of any Person means, without duplication, (i) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money or with respect to deposits or advances of any kind, (ii) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, (iii) all obligations of such Person upon which interest charges are customarily paid, (iv) all obligations of such Person under conditional sale or other title retention agreements relating to property or assets purchased by such Person, (v) all obligations of such Person issued or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property or services (excluding trade accounts payable, trade advertising and accrued obligations), (vi) all Indebtedness of others secured by (or for which the holder of such Indebtedness has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to be secured by) any lien on property owned or acquired by such Person, whether or not the obligations secured thereby have been assumed, (vii) all Guarantees by such Person of Indebtedness of others, (viii) all Capital Lease obligations of such Person, (ix) all obligations of such Person in respect of interest rate protection agreements, foreign currency exchange agreements or other interest rate hedging arrangements and (x) all obligations of such Person as an account party in respect of letters of credit and bankers’ acceptances. The Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any partnership in which such Person is a general partner, other than to the extent that the instrument or agreement evidencing such Indebtedness expressly limits the Liability of such Person in respect thereof.

 

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Indemnitee ” means (i) any Partner, (ii) any Person who is or was an Affiliate of a Partner, (iii) any Person who is or was a member, manager, partner, director, officer, fiduciary or trustee of a Partner or any Affiliate of a Partner, (iv) any Person who is or was serving at the request of a Partner or any Affiliate of a Partner as a member, manager, partner, director, officer, 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 (v) any Person the General Partner designates as an “Indemnitee” for purposes of this Agreement because such Person’s status, service or relationship exposes such Person to potential claims, demands, suits or proceedings relating to the business and affairs of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries.

IPO Date ” means the date of the closing of the initial public offering of common units representing limited partner interests in NBLX.

Liability ” means any Indebtedness, obligation or other liability, whether arising under Applicable Law, contract or otherwise, known or unknown, fixed or contingent, real or potential, tangible or intangible, now existing or hereafter arising.

Limited Partner ” is defined in the introductory paragraph, provided that such term shall also include such entity’s successors and permitted assigns that are admitted as a limited partner of the Partnership and each additional Person who becomes a limited partner of the Partnership pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, in each case, in such Person’s capacity as a limited partner of the Partnership.

Limited Partner Interest ” means an equity interest of a Limited Partner in the Partnership (in its capacity as a limited partner without reference to any General Partner Interest held by it) 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 pursuant to the terms and provisions of this Agreement.

Make-Up Contribution ” is defined in Section 4.5(c) .

Minimum Gain ” is defined in Regulations Sections 1.704-2(b)(2) and 1.704-2(d).

NBLX ” means Noble Midstream Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership.

NBLX Partnership Agreement ” means the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of NBLX, substantially in the form attached as an exhibit to NBLX’s registration statement on Form S-1 (file no. 333-207560), that will be entered into in connection with NBLX’s initial public offering, as it may be amended, modified, supplemented or restated from time to time, or any successor agreement.

NDP Amount ” is defined in Section 4.5(b) .

Noncompensatory Option ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.721-2(f).

Nonrecourse Deductions ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(1) and 1.704-2(c).

 

7


Nonrecourse Liability ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(3).

Original LP Agreement ” is defined in the Recitals.

Partner ” means a General Partner or a Limited Partner.

Partner Nonrecourse Debt ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(4).

Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain ” means an amount, with respect to each Partner Nonrecourse Debt, equal to the Minimum Gain that would result if such Partner Nonrecourse Debt were treated as a Nonrecourse Liability, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(3).

Partner Nonrecourse Deductions ” is defined in Regulations Sections 1.704-2(i)(1) and 1.704-2(i)(2).

Partnership ” is defined in the introductory paragraph.

Partnership Interest ” means any equity interest, including any class or series of equity interest, in the Partnership, which shall include any Limited Partner Interests and the General Partner Interest.

Percentage Interest ” means, with respect to any Partner, the percentage interest set forth opposite such Partner’s name on Exhibit A attached hereto. In the event any Partnership Interest is transferred in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, the transferee of such interest shall succeed to the Percentage Interest of his transferor to the extent it relates to the transferred interest.

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

Profits ” and “ Losses ” mean, for each Allocation Year, an amount equal to the Partnership’s taxable income or loss for such Allocation Year, determined in accordance with Code Section 703(a) (for this purpose, all items of income, gain, loss or deduction required to be stated separately pursuant to Code Section 703(a)(1) shall be included in taxable income or loss), with the following adjustments (without duplication):

(i) The Partnership shall be treated as owning directly its proportionate share (as determined by the General Partner) of any other partnership, limited liability company, unincorporated business or other entity classified as a partnership or disregarded entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes of which the Partnership is, directly or indirectly, a partner, member or other equity-holder;

(ii) Any income of the Partnership that is exempt from federal income tax and not otherwise taken into account in computing Profits or Losses pursuant to this definition of Profits and Losses shall be added to such taxable income or loss;

 

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(iii) Any expenditures of the Partnership described in Code Section 705(a)(2)(B) or treated as Code Section 705(a)(2)(B) expenditures pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(i), and not otherwise taken into account in computing Profits or Losses pursuant to this definition of Profits and Losses, shall be subtracted from such taxable income or loss;

(iv) In the event the Gross Asset Value of any item of Property is adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (ii) or subparagraph (iii) of the definition of Gross Asset Value, the amount of such adjustment shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the Gross Asset Value of the item of Property) or an item of loss (if the adjustment decreases the Gross Asset Value of the item of Property) from the disposition of such asset and shall be taken into account for purposes of computing Profits or Losses;

(v) Gain or loss resulting from any disposition of any Property with respect to which gain or loss is recognized for federal income tax purposes shall be computed by reference to the Gross Asset Value of the item of Property disposed of, notwithstanding that the adjusted tax basis of such Property differs from its Gross Asset Value;

(vi) In lieu of the depreciation, amortization and other cost recovery deductions taken into account in computing such taxable income or loss, there shall be taken into account Depreciation for such Allocation Year, computed in accordance with the definition of Depreciation;

(vii) To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any item of Property pursuant to Code Sections 734(b) or 743(b) is required, pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts as a result of a distribution other than in liquidation of a Partner’s Partnership Interest, the amount of such adjustment shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the item of Property) or loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis) from the disposition of such item of Property and shall be taken into account for purposes of computing Profits or Losses; and

(viii) Notwithstanding any other provision of this definition, any items that are specially allocated pursuant to Section 5.3 or Section 5.4 shall not be taken into account in computing Profits or Losses.

The amounts of the items of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction available to be specially allocated pursuant to Section 5.3 and Section 5.4 shall be determined by applying rules analogous to those set forth in subparagraph (i) through subparagraph (viii) above. For the avoidance of doubt, any guaranteed payment that accrues with respect to an Allocation Year will be treated as an item of deduction of the Partnership for purposes of computing Profits and Losses in accordance with the provisions of Regulations Section 1.707-1(c).

Property ” means all real and personal property acquired by the Partnership, including cash, and any improvements thereto, and shall include both tangible and intangible property.

 

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Quarter ” means, unless the context requires otherwise, a fiscal quarter of the Partnership or, with respect to the fiscal quarter of the Partnership which includes the IPO Date, the portion of such fiscal quarter from and after the IPO Date.

Regulations ” means the Income Tax Regulations, including Temporary Regulations, promulgated under the Code, as such regulations are amended from time to time.

Regulatory Allocations ” is defined in Section 5.4 .

Representative ” is defined in Section 8.3(a) .

Required Contribution ” is defined in Section 4.4(a) .

Subsidiary ” means, with respect to any Person, (a) a corporation of which more than 50% of the voting power of shares entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors or other governing body of such corporation is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof, (b) a partnership (whether general or limited) in which such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of determination, a general or limited partner of such partnership, but only if more than 50% of the general partner interests of such partnership is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof or (c) any other Person (other than a corporation or a partnership) in which such Person, one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, has (i) at least a majority ownership interest or (ii) the power to elect or direct the election of a majority of the directors or other governing body of such Person.

Tax Matters Partner ” is defined in Section 5.9(a) .

Transaction Documents ” is defined in the NBLX Partnership Agreement.

Unanimous Approval Matter ” is defined in Section 8.2 .

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, 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. The General Partner has the power to construe and interpret this Agreement and to act upon any such construction or interpretation. To the fullest extent permitted by law, any construction or interpretation of this Agreement by the General Partner, any action taken pursuant thereto and any determination made by the General Partner in good faith shall, in each case, be conclusive and binding on all Limited Partners, each other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest and all other Persons for all purposes.

 

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ARTICLE II

BUSINESS PURPOSE AND TERM OF PARTNERSHIP

Section 2.1 Formation . The Partnership was previously formed as a limited partnership by the filing of the Certificate of Limited Partnership with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act and the execution of the Original LP Agreement. This Agreement amends and restates the Original LP Agreement in its entirety. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, the rights, duties, liabilities and obligations of the Partners and the administration, dissolution and termination of the Partnership shall be governed by the Delaware Act. All Partnership Interests shall constitute personal property of the owner thereof for all purposes.

Section 2.2 Name . The name of the Partnership shall be “Green River DevCo LP”. Subject to Applicable Law, 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, without the consent of any Limited Partner, amend this Agreement and the Certificate of Limited Partnership to 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 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware 19801, and the registered agent for service of process on the Partnership in the State of Delaware at such registered office shall be The Corporation Trust Company. The principal office of the Partnership shall be located at 1001 Noble Energy Way, Houston, Texas 77070, 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 the address set forth on Exhibit A , or such other place as the General Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the Limited Partners. The address of the initial Limited Partner shall be the address set forth on Exhibit A , or such other place as the initial Limited Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the General Partner. The address of each additional Limited Partner shall be the place such Limited Partner designates from time to time by notice to the General Partner.

Section 2.4 Purpose and Business . The purpose and nature of the business to be conducted by the Partnership shall be to engage directly or indirectly in any business activity that is approved by the General Partner and that lawfully may be conducted by a limited partnership organized pursuant to the Delaware Act; provided , however , that the General Partner shall not cause the Partnership to engage, directly or indirectly, in any business activity that the General Partner determines would be reasonably likely to cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the General Partner shall have no duty or obligation to propose or approve the conduct by the Partnership of any business and may decline

 

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to do so free of any fiduciary duty or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership, any Limited Partner or any other Person 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 other agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity, and the General Partner in determining whether to propose or approve the conduct by the Partnership of any business shall be permitted to do so in its sole and absolute discretion.

Section 2.5 Powers . The Partnership shall be empowered to do any and all acts and things necessary, appropriate, proper, advisable, incidental to or convenient for the furtherance and accomplishment of the purposes and business described in Section 2.4 and for the protection and benefit of the Partnership.

Section 2.6 Term . The term of the Partnership commenced upon the filing of the Certificate of Limited Partnership in accordance with the Delaware Act and shall continue 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 Property . Title to Property, 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 Property or any portion thereof. Title to any or all of the Property may be held in the name of the Partnership, the General Partner, one or more Affiliates of the General Partner or one or more nominees of the General Partner or its Affiliates, as the General Partner may determine. The General Partner hereby declares and warrants that any Property for which record title is held in the name of the General Partner or one or more Affiliates of the General Partner or one or more nominees of the General Partner or its Affiliates 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 any successor General Partner. All Property shall be recorded as the property of the Partnership in its books and records, irrespective of the name in which record title to such Property is held.

ARTICLE III

PARTNERS

Section 3.1 Partners; Percentage Interests . The names of the Partners, their respective Percentage Interests, and the type of Partnership Interest held by each Partner are set forth on Exhibit A to this Agreement.

 

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Section 3.2 Adjustments in Percentage Interests . The respective Percentage Interests of the Partners shall be adjusted (a) at the time of any transfer of all or a portion of such Partner’s Partnership Interest pursuant to Section 9.1 , (b) at the time of the issuance of additional Partnership Interests pursuant to Section 8.2(b) and (c) at the time of the admission of each new Partner in accordance with this Agreement, in each case to take into account such transfer, issuance or admission of a new Partner. The General Partner is authorized to amend Exhibit A to this Agreement to reflect any such adjustment without the consent of any other Partner.

Section 3.3 Limitation of Liability . The Limited Partners shall have no liability under this Agreement except as expressly provided in this Agreement or the Delaware Act.

ARTICLE IV

CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Section 4.1 Capitalization of the Partnership . Subject to Section 8.2 , the Partnership is authorized to issue two classes of Partnership Interests. The Partnership Interests shall be designated as General Partner Interests and Limited Partner Interests, each having such rights, powers, preferences and designations as set forth in this Agreement.

Section 4.2 Additional Capital Contributions . The Partners shall make additional Capital Contributions to the Partnership at such times and in such amounts as determined by the Partners in accordance with this Agreement.

Section 4.3 Withdrawal of Capital; Interest . No Partner may withdraw capital or receive any distributions from the Partnership except as specifically provided herein. No interest shall accrue or be payable by the Partnership on any Capital Contributions.

Section 4.4 Capital Contribution Events .

(a) Notwithstanding anything in Section 4.2 to the contrary, whenever the General Partner determines in good faith that additional Capital Contributions in cash from the Partners are necessary to fund the Partnership’s operations, the General Partner may issue a notice to each Partner (a “ Call Notice ”) for an additional Capital Contribution by each Partner (a “ Required Contribution ”) in an amount equal to such Partner’s pro rata portion (based on the Percentage Interests of the Partners) of the aggregate additional Capital Contribution determined to be necessary by the General Partner not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the date the General Partner determines such additional Capital Contributions shall be made by the Partners.

(b) All Call Notices shall be expressed in U.S. dollars and shall state the date on which payment is due and the bank(s) or account(s) to which payment is to be made. Each Call Notice shall specify in reasonable detail the purpose(s) for which such Required Contribution is required and the amount of the Required Contribution to be made by each Partner pursuant to such Call Notice. Each Partner shall contribute its Required Contribution within five (5) Business Days of the date of delivery of the relevant Call Notice. The Partnership shall use the proceeds of such Required Contributions exclusively for the purpose specified in the relevant Call Notice.

 

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Section 4.5 Failure to Contribute .

(a) If a Partner fails to contribute all or any portion of a Required Contribution that such Partner (a “ Delinquent Partner ”) is required to make as provided in this Agreement, then, while such Partner is a Delinquent Partner, each non-Delinquent Partner may (but shall have no obligation to) elect to fund all or any portion of the Delinquent Partner’s Required Contribution as a Capital Contribution pursuant to this Section 4.5 . If a non-Delinquent Partner so desires to fund such amount, such non-Delinquent Partner shall so notify each of the other non-Delinquent Partners, who shall have five (5) days thereafter to elect to participate in such funding.

(b) The portion that each participating non-Delinquent Partner may fund as a Capital Contribution pursuant to this Section 4.5 (the “ NDP Amount ”) shall be equal to the product of (x) the delinquent amount of such Required Contribution multiplied by (y) a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the Percentage Interest then held by such participating non-Delinquent Partner and the denominator of which shall be the aggregate Percentage Interest held by all such participating non-Delinquent Partners; provided , that if any participating non-Delinquent Partner elects to fund less than its full allocation of such amount, the fully participating non-Delinquent Partners shall be entitled to take up such shortfall (allocated, as necessary, based on their respective Percentage Interests). Upon such funding as a Capital Contribution, the Partnership Interest and Percentage Interest of each Partner shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect all such funding (based on total Capital Contributions).

(c) Notwithstanding anything in this Section 4.5 to the contrary, the Delinquent Partner may cure such delinquency (i) by contributing its Required Contribution prior to the Capital Contribution being made by another Partner or (ii) on or before the sixtieth (60th) day following the date that the participating non-Delinquent Partner(s) satisfied the Required Contribution, by making a Capital Contribution to the Partnership in an amount equal to the Required Contribution (a “ Make-Up Contribution ”) and paying to each participating non-Delinquent Partner an amount equal to its respective NDP Amount multiplied by the Default Interest Rate for the period from the date such participating non-Delinquent Partner funded its NDP Amount to the date that the Delinquent Partner makes its Make-Up Contribution (the “ Default Interest Amount ”). If a Delinquent Partner cures its delinquency pursuant to Section 4.5(c)(ii) by making a Make-Up Contribution and paying the Default Interest Amount, then (A) first, the Partnership shall distribute to each existing Partner that is a participating non-Delinquent Partner the NDP Amount that such participating non-Delinquent Partner funded pursuant to Section 4.5(b) , (B) second, the respective Capital Accounts and Percentage Interests of the Partners shall be adjusted with all necessary increases or decreases to return the Partners’ Capital Accounts and Percentage Interests status quo ante application of Section 4.5(b) and (C) third, the Percentage Interest and Partnership Interests of each Partner shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect the Make-Up Contribution (based on total Capital Contributions). If the delinquency is remedied (i) by the Delinquent Partner making its Required Contribution or Make-Up Contribution pursuant to this Section 4.5(c) or (ii) by funding by the non-Delinquent Partner(s) as a Capital Contribution pursuant to Section 4.5(b) , the Delinquent Partner shall no longer be deemed to be a Delinquent Partner with respect to the unfunded Required Contribution.

 

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ARTICLE V

ALLOCATIONS AND OTHER TAX MATTERS

Section 5.1 Profits . After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 5.3 and Section 5.4 , and any allocation of Profits set forth in Section 5.2(b) , Profits for any Allocation Year shall be allocated among the Partners in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests.

Section 5.2 Losses .

(a) After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 5.3 and Section 5.4 , Losses for any Allocation Year shall be allocated among the Partners in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests.

(b) The Losses allocated pursuant to Section 5.2(a) shall not exceed the maximum amount of Losses that can be so allocated without causing any Partner to have an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit at the end of any Allocation Year. In the event some but not all of the Partners would have Adjusted Capital Account Deficits as a result of an allocation of Losses pursuant to Section 5.2(a) , Losses that would otherwise be allocated to a Partner pursuant to Section 5.2(a) but for the limitation set forth in this Section 5.2(b) shall be allocated to the remaining Partners in proportion to their relative Percentage Interests. All remaining Losses in excess of the limitation set forth in this Section 5.2(b) shall be allocated to the General Partner. Profits for any Allocation Year subsequent to an Allocation Year for which the limitation set forth in this Section 5.2(b) was applicable shall be allocated (i) first, to reverse any Losses allocated to the General Partner pursuant to the third sentence of this Section 5.2(b) and (ii) second, to reverse any Losses allocated to the Partners pursuant to the second sentence of this Section 5.2(b) and in proportion to how such Losses were allocated.

Section 5.3 Special Allocations . The following special allocations shall be made in the following order:

(a) Minimum Gain Chargeback . Except as otherwise provided in Regulations Section 1.704-2(f), notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V , if there is a net decrease in Minimum Gain during any Allocation Year, each Partner shall be specially allocated items of Partnership income and gain for such Allocation Year (and, if necessary, subsequent Allocation Years) in an amount equal to such Partner’s share of the net decrease in Minimum Gain, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(g). Allocations pursuant to the previous sentence shall be made in proportion to the respective amounts required to be allocated to each Partner pursuant thereto. The items to be so allocated shall be determined in accordance with Regulations Sections 1.704-2(f)(6) and 1.704-2(g)(2). This Section 5.3(a) is intended to comply with the minimum gain chargeback requirement in Regulations Section 1.704-2(f) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(b) Partner Minimum Gain Chargeback . Except as otherwise provided in Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(4), notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V , if there is a net decrease in Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain attributable to a Partner Nonrecourse Debt during any Allocation Year, each Partner who has a share of the Partner Nonrecourse Debt

 

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Minimum Gain attributable to such Partner Nonrecourse Debt, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(5), shall be specially allocated items of Partnership income and gain for such Allocation Year (and, if necessary, subsequent Allocation Years) in an amount equal to such Partner’s share of the net decrease in Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain attributable to such Partner Nonrecourse Debt, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(4). Allocations pursuant to the previous sentence shall be made in proportion to the respective amounts required to be allocated to each Partner pursuant thereto. The items to be so allocated shall be determined in accordance with Regulations Sections 1.704-2(i)(4) and 1.704-2(j)(2). This Section 5.3(b) is intended to comply with the minimum gain chargeback requirement in Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(4) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(c) Qualified Income Offset . In the event that any Partner unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations or distributions described in Regulations Sections 1.704- 1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5) or 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6), items of Partnership income and gain shall be allocated to such Partner in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate, to the extent required by the Regulations, the Adjusted Capital Account Deficit of such Partner as quickly as possible; provided that an allocation pursuant to this Section 5.3(c) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would have an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit after all other allocations provided for in this Article V have been tentatively made as if this Section 5.3(c) were not in this Agreement.

(d) Gross Income Allocation . In the event that any Partner has an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit at the end of any Allocation Year, each such Partner shall be allocated items of Partnership income and gain in the amount of such deficit as quickly as possible; provided that an allocation pursuant to this Section 5.3(d) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would have an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit after all other allocations provided for in this Article V have been tentatively made as if Section 5.3(c) and this Section 5.3(d) were not in this Agreement.

(e) Nonrecourse Deductions . Nonrecourse Deductions for any Allocation Year shall be allocated among the Partners in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests.

(f) Partner Nonrecourse Deductions . Any Partner Nonrecourse Deductions for any Allocation Year shall be specially allocated to the Partner who bears the economic risk of loss with respect to the Partner Nonrecourse Debt to which such Partner Nonrecourse Deductions are attributable in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(1).

(g) Nonrecourse Liabilities . Nonrecourse Liabilities of the Partnership described in Regulations Section 1.752-3(a)(3) shall be allocated among the Partners in the manner chosen by the General Partner and consistent with such section of the Regulations.

(h) Section 754 Adjustments . To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Property, pursuant to Code Section 734(b) or Code Section 743(b) is required, pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(2) or 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts as the result of a distribution to a Partner in complete liquidation of such Partner’s Partnership Interest, the amount of such adjustment to Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the asset) or

 

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loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis) and such gain or loss shall be specially allocated to the Partners in accordance with their interests in the Partnership in the event Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(2) applies, or to the Partner to whom such distribution was made in the event Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4) applies.

Section 5.4 Curative Allocations . The allocations set forth in Section 5.3 (the “ Regulatory Allocations ”) are intended to comply with certain requirements of the Regulations. It is the intent of the Partners that, to the extent possible, the Regulatory Allocations shall be offset either with special allocations of other items of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to this Section 5.4 . Therefore, notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V (other than the Regulatory Allocations), the Tax Matters Partner shall make such offsetting special allocations of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction in whatever manner it determines appropriate so that, after such offsetting allocations are made, each Partner’s Capital Account balance is, to the extent possible, equal to the Capital Account balance such Partner would have had if the Regulatory Allocations were not part of this Agreement and all Partnership items were allocated pursuant to Section 5.1 , Section 5.2 and Section 5.3 (other than the Regulatory Allocations). In exercising its discretion under this Section 5.4 , the Tax Matters Partner shall take into account future Regulatory Allocations that, although not yet made, are likely to offset other Regulatory Allocations previously made.

Section 5.5 Other Allocation Rules .

(a) Profits, Losses and any other items of income, gain, loss, or deduction shall be allocated to the Partners pursuant to this Article V as of the last day of each Fiscal Year; provided that Profits, Losses and such other items shall also be allocated at such times as the Gross Asset Values of the Partnership’s assets are adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (ii) of the definition of “Gross Asset Value” in Section 1.1 .

(b) For purposes of determining the Profits, Losses or any other items allocable to any period, Profits, Losses and any such other items shall be determined on a daily proration basis by the General Partner under Code Section 706 and the Regulations thereunder.

Section 5.6 Tax Allocations: Code Section 704(c) .

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Section 5.6 , each item of income, gain, loss and deduction of the Partnership for federal income tax purposes shall be allocated among the Partners in the same manner as such items are allocated for book purposes under this Article V . In accordance with Code Section 704(c) and the Regulations thereunder, income, gain, loss and deduction with respect to any Property contributed to the capital of the Partnership shall, solely for tax purposes, be allocated among the Partners so as to take account of any variation between the adjusted basis of such Property to the Partnership for federal income tax purposes and its initial Gross Asset Value (computed in accordance with the definition of Gross Asset Value). Such allocation shall be made in accordance with the “remedial method” described by Regulations Section 1.704-3(d).

(b) In the event the Gross Asset Value of any Property is adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (ii) of the definition of Gross Asset Value, subsequent allocations of income, gain,

 

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loss and deduction with respect to such Property shall take account of any variation between the adjusted basis of such Property for federal income tax purposes and its Gross Asset Value in the same manner as under Code Section 704(c) and the Regulations thereunder. Such allocation shall be made in accordance with the “remedial method” described by Regulations Section 1.704-3(d).

(c) In accordance with Regulations 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 Property shall, to the extent possible, after taking into account other required allocations of gain pursuant to this Section 5.6(c) , 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.”

(d) Any elections or other decisions relating to such allocations shall be made by the General Partner in any manner that reasonably reflects the purpose and intention of this Agreement. Allocations pursuant to this Section 5.6 are solely for purposes of federal, state and local taxes and shall not affect, or in any way be taken into account in computing, any Partner’s Capital Account or share of Profits, Losses, other items or distributions pursuant to any provision of this Agreement.

Section 5.7 Tax Elections .

(a) The Partners intend that the Partnership be treated as a partnership or a “disregarded entity” for federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, neither the Tax Matters Partner nor any Limited Partner shall file any election or return on its own behalf or on behalf of the Partnership that is inconsistent with that intent.

(b) The Partnership shall make the election under Code Section 754 in accordance with the applicable Regulations issued 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 Partners.

(c) Any elections or other decisions relating to tax matters that are not expressly provided herein, shall be made jointly by the Partners in any manner that reasonably reflects the purpose and intention of this Agreement.

Section 5.8 Tax Returns .

(a) The Partnership shall cause to be prepared and timely filed all federal, state, local and foreign income tax returns and reports required to be filed by the Partnership and its subsidiaries. The Partnership shall provide copies of all the Partnership’s federal, state, local and foreign tax returns (and any schedules or other required filings related to such returns) that reflect items of income, gain, deduction, loss or credit that flow to separate Partner returns, to the Partners for their review and comment prior to filing, except as otherwise agreed by the Partners. The Partners agree in good faith to resolve any difference in the tax treatment of any item affecting such returns and schedules. However, if the Partners are unable to resolve the dispute, the position of the Tax Matters Partner shall be followed if nationally recognized tax counsel acceptable to the Partners provides an opinion that substantial authority exists for such position.

 

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Substantial authority shall be given the meaning ascribed to it for purposes of applying Code Section 6662. If the Partners are unable to resolve the dispute prior to the due date for filing the return, including approved extensions, the position of the Tax Matters Partner shall be followed, and amended returns shall be filed if necessary at such time the dispute is resolved. The costs of the dispute shall be borne by the Partnership. The Partners agree to file their separate federal income tax returns in a manner consistent with the Partnership’s return, the provisions of this Agreement and in accordance with Applicable Law.

(b) The Partnership shall elect the most rapid method of depreciation and amortization allowed under Applicable Law, unless the Partners agree otherwise.

(c) The Partners shall provide each other with copies of all correspondence or summaries of other communications with the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority (other than routine correspondence and communications) regarding the tax treatment of the Partnership’s operations. No Partner shall enter into settlement negotiations with the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority with respect to any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits if the tax adjustment attributable to such issue (assuming the then current aggregate tax rate) would be $100,000 or greater, without first giving reasonable advance notice of such intended action to the other Partners.

Section 5.9 Tax Matters Partner .

(a) The General Partner shall be the “ Tax Matters Partner ” of the Partnership within the meaning of Section 6231(a)(7) of the Code, and shall act in any similar capacity under the Applicable Law of any state, local or foreign jurisdiction, but only with respect to returns for which items of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit flow to the separate returns of the Partners. If at any time there is more than one General Partner, the Tax Matters Partner shall be the General Partner with the largest Percentage Interest following such admission.

(b) The Tax Matters Partner shall incur no Liability (except as a result of the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Tax Matters Partner) to the Partnership or the other Partners including, but not limited to, Liability for any additional taxes, interest or penalties owed by the other Partners due to adjustments of Partnership items of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit at the Partnership level.

Section 5.10 Duties of Tax Matters Partner .

(a) Except as provided in Section 5.10(b) , the Tax Matters Partner shall cooperate with the other Partners and shall promptly provide the other Partners with copies of notices or other materials from, and inform the other Partners of discussions engaged with, the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority and shall provide the other Partners with notice of all scheduled proceedings, including meetings with agents of the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority, technical advice conferences, appellate hearings, and similar conferences and hearings, as soon as possible after receiving notice of the scheduling of such proceedings, but in any case prior to the date of such scheduled proceedings.

 

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(b) The duties of the Tax Matters Partner under Section 5.10(a) shall not apply with respect to notices, materials, discussions, proceedings, meetings, conferences, or hearings involving any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits if the tax adjustment attributable to such issue (assuming the then current aggregate tax rate) would be less than $100,000 except as otherwise required under Applicable Law.

(c) The Tax Matters Partner shall not extend the period of limitations or assessments without the consent of the other Partners, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

(d) The Tax Matters Partner shall not file a petition or complaint in any court, or file any claim, amended return or request for an administrative adjustment with respect to partnership items, after any return has been filed, with respect to any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits if the tax adjustment attributable to such issue (assuming the then current aggregate tax rate) would be $100,000 or greater, unless agreed by the other Partners. If the other Partners do not agree, the position of the Tax Matters Partner shall be followed if nationally recognized tax counsel acceptable to all Partners issues an opinion that a reasonable basis exists for such position. Reasonable basis shall be given the meaning ascribed to it for purposes of applying Code Section 6662. The costs of the dispute shall be borne by the Partnership.

(e) The Tax Matters Partner shall not enter into any settlement agreement with the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority, either before or after any audit of the applicable return is completed, with respect to any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits, unless any of the following apply:

(i) all Partners agree to the settlement;

(ii) the tax effect of the issue if resolved adversely would be, and the tax effect of settling the issue is, proportionately the same for all Partners (assuming each otherwise has substantial taxable income);

(iii) the Tax Matters Partner determines that the settlement of the issue is fair to the Partners; or

(iv) tax counsel acceptable to all Partners determines that the settlement is fair to all Partners and is one it would recommend to the Partnership if all Partners were owned by the same person and each had substantial taxable income.

In all events, the costs incurred by the Tax Matters Partner in performing its duties hereunder shall be borne by the Partnership.

(f) The Tax Matters Partner may request extensions to file any tax return or statement without the written consent of, but shall so inform, the other Partners.

Section 5.11 Survival of Provisions . To the fullest extent permitted by law, the provisions of this Agreement regarding the Partnership’s tax returns and Tax Matters Partner shall survive the termination of the Partnership and the transfer of any Partner’s interest in the Partnership and shall remain in effect for the period of time necessary to resolve any and all matters regarding the federal, state, local and foreign taxation of the Partnership and items of Partnership income, gain, loss, deduction and credit.

 

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ARTICLE VI

DISTRIBUTIONS

Section 6.1 Distributions of Distributable Cash . Within 40 days following the end of each Quarter commencing with the Quarter that includes the IPO Date, the Partnership shall distribute to the Partners pro rata in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests an amount equal to 100% of Distributable Cash. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Partnership shall not make a distribution to any Partner on account of its interest in the Partnership if such distribution would violate the Delaware Act or other Applicable Law.

Section 6.2 Liquidating Distributions . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article VI (other than the last sentence of Section 6.1 ), distributions with respect to the Quarter in which a dissolution of the Partnership occurs shall be made in accordance with Article XII .

Section 6.3 Distribution in Kind . The Partnership shall not distribute to the Partners any assets in kind unless approved by the Partners in accordance with this Agreement. If cash and property in kind are to be distributed simultaneously, the Partnership shall distribute such cash and property in kind in the same proportion to each Partner, unless otherwise approved by the Partners in accordance with this Agreement.

ARTICLE VII

BOOKS AND RECORDS

Section 7.1 Books and Records; Examination . The General Partner shall keep or cause to be kept such books of account and records with respect to the Partnership’s business as it may deem necessary and appropriate. Each Partner and its duly authorized representatives shall have the right, for any purpose reasonably related to its interest in the Partnership, at any time to examine, or to appoint independent certified public accountants (the fees of which shall be paid by such Partner) to examine, the books, records and accounts of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries, their operations and all other matters that such Partner may wish to examine, including all documentation relating to actual or proposed transactions between the Partnership and any Partner or any Affiliate of a Partner. The Partnership’s books of account shall be kept using the method of accounting determined by the General Partner.

Section 7.2 Reports . The General Partner shall prepare and send to each Partner (at the same time) promptly such financial information of the Partnership as a Partner shall from time to time reasonably request, for any purpose reasonably related to its interest in the Partnership. The General Partner shall, for any purpose reasonably related to a Partner’s interest in the Partnership, permit examination and audit of the Partnership’s books and records by both the internal and independent auditors of its Partners.

 

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ARTICLE VIII

MANAGEMENT AND VOTING

Section 8.1 Management . The General Partner shall conduct, direct and manage the business of the Partnership. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, all management powers over the business and affairs of the Partnership shall be exclusively vested in the General Partner, and no Limited Partner shall have any management power over the business and affairs of the Partnership. In addition to the powers now or hereafter granted a general partner of a limited partnership under the Delaware Act or which are granted to the General Partner under any other provision of this Agreement, the General Partner, subject to Section 8.2 , shall have full power and authority to do all things on such terms as it, in its sole discretion, may deem necessary or appropriate to conduct the business of the Partnership and to effectuate the purposes set forth in Section 2.4 . The Partnership shall reimburse the General Partner, on a monthly basis or such other basis as the General Partner may determine, for all direct and indirect costs and expenses incurred by the General Partner or payments made by the General Partner, in its capacity as the general partner of the Partnership, for and on behalf of the Partnership. Except as provided in this Section 8.1 , and elsewhere in this Agreement, the General Partner shall not be compensated for its services as the general partner of the Partnership.

Section 8.2 Matters Constituting Unanimous Approval Matters . Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement or the Delaware Act to the contrary, and subject to the provisions of Section 8.3(c) , each of the following matters, and only the following matters, shall constitute a “ Unanimous Approval Matter ” which requires the prior approval of all of the Partners pursuant to Section 8.3(c) :

(a) any merger, consolidation, reorganization or similar transaction between or among the Partnership and any Person (other than a transaction between the Partnership and a direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of the Partnership) or any sale or lease of all or substantially all of the Partnership’s assets to any Person (other than a direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of the Partnership);

(b) the creation of any new class of Partnership Interests, the issuance of any additional Partnership Interests or the issuance of any security that is convertible into or exchangeable for a Partnership Interest;

(c) the admission or withdrawal of any Person as a Partner other than pursuant to (i) the third sentence of Section 9.2 , (ii)  Section 9.4 or (iii) any transfer of Partnership Interests pursuant to Section 9.1(b) , as applicable;

(d) the commencement of a voluntary case with respect to the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar Applicable Law now or hereafter in effect, or the consent to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case under any such Applicable Law, or the consent to the appointment of or the taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee or sequestrator (or similar official) of the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries or for any substantial part of the Partnership’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ property, or the making of any general assignment for the benefit of creditors;

 

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(e) the modification, alteration or amendment of the amount, timing, frequency or method of calculation of distributions to the Partners from that provided in Article VI ;

(f) (i) the approval of any distribution by the Partnership to the Partners of any assets in kind (other than cash or cash equivalents), (ii) the approval of any distribution by the Partnership to the Partners of cash or property in kind on a non-pro rata basis and (iii) the determination of the value assigned to distributions of property in kind;

(g) other than pursuant to Section 4.4 , the making of any additional Capital Contributions to the Partnership; and

(h) any other provision of this Agreement expressly requiring the approval, consent or other form of authorization of all of the Partners.

Section 8.3 Meetings and Voting .

(a) Representatives . For purposes of this Article VIII and subject to the General Partner’s authority under Section 8.1 , each Partner shall be represented by a designated representative (each, a “ Representative ”), who shall be appointed by, and may be removed with or without cause by, the Partner that designated such Person. Each Representative shall have the full authority to act on behalf of the Partner who designated such Representative. To the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, each Representative shall be deemed the agent of the Partner that appointed him, and each Representative shall not be an agent of the Partnership or the other Partners. The action of a Representative at a meeting of the Partners (or through a written consent) shall bind the Partner that designated that Representative, and the other Partners shall be entitled to rely upon such action without further inquiry or investigation as to the actual authority (or lack thereof) of such Representative.

(b) Meetings and Voting . Meetings of Partners shall be at such times and locations as the General Partner shall determine in its sole discretion. The General Partner shall provide notice to the Limited Partners of any meetings of Partners in any manner that it deems reasonable and appropriate under the circumstances. The holders of a majority, by Percentage Interest, of Partnership Interests for which a meeting has been called (including Partnership Interests owned by the General Partner) represented in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of Partners unless any such action by the Partners requires approval by holders of a greater Percentage Interest, in which case the quorum shall be such greater Percentage Interest. At any meeting of the Partners duly called and held in accordance with this Agreement at which a quorum is present, the act of Partners holding Partnership Interests that, in the aggregate, represent a majority of the Percentage Interests 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. 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 Interests specified in this Agreement. In the absence of a quorum, any meeting of

 

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Partners may be adjourned from time to time by the affirmative vote of Partners with at least a majority of the Percentage Interests of the Partners entitled to vote at such meeting (including the General Partner) represented either in person or by proxy, but no other business may be transacted.

(c) Unanimous Approval Matters . All Unanimous Approval Matters shall be approved by the unanimous affirmative vote of all of the Partners. Each Partner acknowledges and agrees that all references in this Agreement to any approval, consent or other form of authorization by “all Partners,” “each of the Partners” or similar phrases shall be deemed to mean that such approval, consent or other form of authorization shall constitute a Unanimous Approval Matter that requires the unanimous approval of all of the Partners in accordance with this Section 8.3(c) .

(d) Action Without a Meeting . Any action that may be taken at a meeting of the Partners may be taken without a meeting and without prior notice if an approval in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by the Partners owning not less than the minimum Percentage Interests of the Partnership Interests that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all of the Partners were present and voted. Prompt notice of the taking of action without a meeting shall be given to the Partners who have not approved such action in writing.

Section 8.4 Reliance by Third Parties . Persons dealing with the Partnership are entitled to rely conclusively upon the power and authority of the General Partner set forth in this Agreement. Neither a Limited Partner nor its Representative shall have the authority to bind the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries.

Section 8.5 Reimbursement of the General Partner . The General Partner shall be reimbursed on a monthly basis, or such other basis as the General Partner may determine, for (i) all direct and indirect expenses it incurs or payments it makes on behalf of the Partnership (including salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to any Person, including Affiliates of the General Partner, to perform services for the Partnership or for the General Partner in the discharge of its duties to the Partnership) and (ii) all other expenses allocable to the Partnership or otherwise incurred by the General Partner or its Affiliates in connection with managing and operating the Partnership’s business and affairs (including expenses allocated to the General Partner by its Affiliates). The General Partner shall determine the expenses that are allocable to the Partnership. Reimbursements pursuant to this Section 8.5 shall be in addition to any reimbursement to the General Partner as a result of indemnification pursuant to Section 10.3 . Any allocation of expenses to the Partnership by the General Partner in a manner consistent with its or its Affiliates’ past business practices shall be permitted by, and not constitute a breach of, this Agreement or any duty owed by the General Partner to the Partnership, the Partners, or any other Person bound by this Agreement.

 

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ARTICLE IX

TRANSFER OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

Section 9.1 Restrictions on Transfers .

(a) General . Except as expressly provided by this Article IX , no Partner shall transfer all or any part of its Partnership Interests to any Person without first obtaining the written approval of each of the other Partners, which approval may be granted or withheld in their sole discretion.

(b) Transfer by Operation of Law . In the event a Partner shall be party to a merger, consolidation or similar business combination transaction with another Person or sell all or substantially all its assets to another Person, such Partner may transfer all or part of its Partnership Interests to such other Person without the approval of any other Partner.

(c) Consequences of an Unpermitted Transfer . To the fullest extent permitted by law, any transfer of a Partner’s Partnership Interest in violation of the applicable provisions of this Agreement shall be void.

Section 9.2 Conditions for Admission . No transferee of all or a portion of the Partnership Interests of any Partner shall be admitted as a Partner hereunder unless such Partnership Interests are transferred in compliance with the applicable provisions of this Agreement. Each such transferee shall have executed and delivered to the Partnership such instruments as the General Partner deems necessary or appropriate in its sole discretion to effectuate the admission of such transferee as a Partner and to confirm the agreement of such transferee to be bound by all the terms and provisions of this Agreement. The admission of a transferee shall be effective immediately prior to such transfer and, immediately following such admission, the transferor shall cease to be a Partner (to the extent it transferred its entire Partnership Interest). If the General Partner transfers its entire General Partner Interest in the Partnership, the transferee General Partner, to the extent admitted as a substitute General Partner, is hereby authorized to, and shall, continue the Partnership without dissolution.

Section 9.3 Allocations and Distributions . Subject to applicable Regulations, upon the transfer of all the Partnership Interests of a Partner as herein provided, the Profit or Loss of the Partnership attributable to the Partnership Interests so transferred for the Fiscal Year in which such transfer occurs shall be allocated between the transferor and transferee as of the effective date of the assignment, and such allocation shall be based upon any permissible method agreed to by the Partners that is provided for in Code Section 706 and the Regulations issued thereunder.

Section 9.4 Restriction on Resignation or Withdrawal . Except in connection with a transfer permitted pursuant to Section 9.1 or as contemplated by Section 12.1 , no Partner shall withdraw from the Partnership without the consent of each of the other Partners. To the extent permitted by law, any purported withdrawal from the Partnership in violation of this Section 9.4 shall be null and void.

 

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ARTICLE X

LIABILITY, EXCULPATION AND INDEMNIFICATION

Section 10.1 Liability for Partnership Obligations . Except as otherwise required by the Delaware Act, the Liabilities of the Partnership shall be solely the Liabilities of the Partnership, and no Indemnitee (other than the General Partner) shall be obligated personally for any such Liability of the Partnership solely by reason of being an Indemnitee.

Section 10.2 Disclaimer of Duties and Exculpation .

(a) Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by law, no Indemnitee shall have any duty (fiduciary or otherwise) or obligation to the Partnership, the Partners or to any other Person bound by this Agreement, and in taking, or refraining from taking, any action required or permitted under this Agreement or under Applicable Law, each Indemnitee shall be entitled to consider only such interests and factors as such Indemnitee deems advisable, including its own interests, and need not consider any interest of or factors affecting, any other Indemnitee or the Partnership notwithstanding any duty otherwise existing at law or in equity. To the extent that an Indemnitee is required or permitted under this Agreement to act in “good faith” or under another express standard, such Indemnitee shall act under such express standard and shall not be subject to any other or different standard under this Agreement or otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity.

(b) The provisions of this Agreement, to the extent that they restrict or eliminate the duties (including fiduciary duties) and Liabilities of an Indemnitee otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity, are agreed by the Partners to replace such other duties and Liabilities of such Indemnitee in their entirety, and no Indemnitee shall be liable to the Partnership, the Partners or any other Person bound by this Agreement for its good faith reliance on the provisions of this Agreement.

(c) To the fullest extent permitted by law, no Indemnitee shall be liable to the Partnership, the Partners or any other Person bound by this Agreement for any cost, expense, loss, damage, claim or Liability incurred by reason of any act or omission performed or omitted by such Indemnitee in such capacity, whether or not such Person continues to be an Indemnitee at the time of such cost, expense, loss, damage, claim or Liability is incurred or imposed, if the Indemnitee acted in good faith reliance on the provisions of this Agreement, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, such Indemnitee had no reasonable cause to believe its conduct was unlawful.

(d) An Indemnitee shall be fully protected from liability to the Partnership, the Partners and any other Person bound by this Agreement in acting or refraining from acting in good faith reliance upon the records of the Partnership and such other information, opinions, reports or statements presented to the Partnership by any Person as to any matters the Indemnitee reasonably believes are within such other Person’s professional or expert competence and who has been selected with reasonable care by or on behalf of the Partnership, including information, opinions, reports or statements as to the value and amount of the assets, Liabilities, Profits and Losses of the Partnership.

 

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Section 10.3 Indemnification .

(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law but subject to the limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, all Indemnitees shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Partnership from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other amounts arising from any and all threatened, pending or completed claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, and whether formal or informal and including appeals, in which any Indemnitee may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of its status as an Indemnitee and acting (or refraining to act) in such capacity on behalf of or for the benefit of the Partnership; 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 engaged in intentional fraud, willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful; provided, further , no indemnification pursuant to this Section 10.3 shall be available to any Affiliate of the Partnership, or to any other Indemnitee, with respect to any such Affiliate’s obligations pursuant to the Transaction Documents. Any indemnification or advancement of expenses pursuant to this Section 10.3 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 or advancement of expenses and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Partnership to enable it to effectuate such indemnification or advancement of expenses.

(b) To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses (including legal fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnitee who is entitled to be indemnified pursuant to Section 10.3(a) in 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 10.3 , 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 10.3 .

(c) The indemnification provided by this Section 10.3 shall be in addition to any other rights to which an Indemnitee may be entitled under any agreement, 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, executors and administrators of the Indemnitee.

(d) The Partnership may purchase and maintain (or reimburse the General Partner or its Affiliates for the cost of) insurance, on behalf of the General Partner, its Affiliates and such other Persons as the General Partner shall determine, against any liability that may be asserted against or expense that may be incurred by such Person in connection with the Partnership’s activities or such Person’s activities on behalf of the Partnership, regardless of whether the Partnership would have the power to indemnify such Person against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement.

 

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(e) For purposes of this Section 10.3 , 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 10.3(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 subjectively believed by it not to be adverse to the interests of the participants and beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose that is on behalf of and for the benefit of the Partnership and not adverse to the interests of the Partnership.

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

(g) An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in whole or in part under this Section 10.3 solely because the Indemnitee had an interest in the transaction with respect to which the indemnification applies.

(h) The provisions of this Section 10.3 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 10.3 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 10.3 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.

ARTICLE XI

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

S ection 11.1 Transactions with Affiliates . The Partnership and its Subsidiaries shall be permitted to enter into or renew or extend the term of any agreement or transaction with a Partner or an Affiliate of a Partner on such terms and conditions as the General Partner shall approve in its sole discretion, without the approval of any Limited Partner.

Section 11.2 Outside Activities . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement or any duty otherwise existing at law or in equity, (a) the engaging in activities by any Indemnitee that are competitive with the business of the Partnership is hereby approved by all Partners, (b) it shall not be a breach of any fiduciary duty or any other duty or obligation of a Partner under this Agreement or otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity for such Indemnitee to engage in such activities in preference to or to the exclusion of the Partnership, (c) an Indemnitee shall have no obligation under this Agreement or as a result of any duty (including

 

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any fiduciary duty) otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity, to present business opportunities to the Partnership and (d) the doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any analogous doctrine, shall not apply to any Indemnitee; provided such Indemnitee does not engage in such activity as a result of or using confidential or proprietary information provided by or on behalf of the Partnership to such Indemnitee.

ARTICLE XII

DISSOLUTION AND TERMINATION

Section 12.1 Dissolution . The Partnership shall be dissolved and its business and affairs wound up upon the earliest to occur of any one of the following events:

(a) at any time there are no Limited Partners of the Partnership, unless the business of the Partnership is continued in accordance with the Delaware Act;

(b) the written consent of all the Partners;

(c) an “event of withdrawal” (as defined in the Delaware Act) of the General Partner; or

(d) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Partnership pursuant to Section 17-802 of the Delaware Act.

The bankruptcy, involuntary liquidation or dissolution of a Partner shall cause that Partner to cease to be a partner of the Partnership. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Partnership shall not be dissolved and its business and affairs shall not be wound up upon the occurrence of any event specified in clause (c) above if, at the time of occurrence of such event, there is at least one remaining General Partner (who is hereby authorized to, and shall, carry on the business of the Partnership) and at least one Limited Partner, or if within ninety (90) days after the date on which such event occurs, the remaining Partners elect in writing to continue the business of the Partnership and to the appointment, effective as of the date of such event, if required, of one or more additional General Partners of the Partnership. Except as provided in this paragraph, and to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware Act, the occurrence of an event that causes a Partner to cease to be a Partner of the Partnership shall not, in and of itself, cause the Partnership to be dissolved or its business or affairs to be wound up, and upon the occurrence of such an event, the business of the Partnership shall, to the extent permitted by the Delaware Act, continue without dissolution.

Section 12.2 Winding Up of Partnership . Upon dissolution, the Partnership’s business shall be wound up in an orderly manner. The General Partner shall (unless the General Partner (or, if no General Partner, the remaining Limited Partners) elects to appoint a liquidating trustee) wind up the affairs of the Partnership pursuant to this Agreement. In performing its duties, the General Partner or liquidating trustee is authorized to sell, distribute, exchange or otherwise dispose of the assets of the Partnership in accordance with the Delaware Act and in any reasonable manner that the General Partner or liquidating trustee shall determine to be not adverse to the interests of the Partners or their successors-in-interest. The General Partner or liquidating trustee shall take full account of the Partnership’s Liabilities and Property and shall cause the Property or the proceeds from the sale thereof, to the extent sufficient therefor, to be

 

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applied and distributed, to the maximum extent permitted by Applicable Law, in the following order:

(a) First, to creditors, including Partners who are creditors, to the extent permitted by law, in satisfaction of all of the Partnership’s Liabilities (whether by payment or the making of reasonable provision for payment thereof to the extent required by Section 17-804 of the Delaware Act), other than Liabilities for distribution to Partners under Section 17-601 or 17-604 of the Delaware Act;

(b) Second, to the Partners and former Partners of the Partnership in satisfaction of Liabilities for distributions under Sections 17-601 or 17-604 of the Delaware Act; and

(c) The balance, if any, to the Partners in accordance with the positive balance in their respective Capital Accounts, after giving effect to all contributions, distributions and allocations for all periods.

Section 12.3 Compliance with Certain Requirements of Regulations; Deficit Capital Accounts . In the event the Partnership is “liquidated” within the meaning of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g), distributions shall be made pursuant to this Article XII to the Partners who have positive Capital Accounts in compliance with Regulations Section 1.704- 1(b)(2)(ii)(b)(2). If any Partner has a deficit balance in its Capital Account (after giving effect to all contributions, distributions and allocations for all Allocation Years, including the Allocation Year during which such liquidation occurs), such Partner shall have no obligation to make any contribution to the capital of the Partnership with respect to such deficit, and such deficit shall not be considered a debt owed to the Partnership or to any other Person for any purpose whatsoever.

Section 12.4 Deemed Distribution and Recontribution . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article XII , in the event the Partnership is liquidated within the meaning of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g) but no actual dissolution and winding up under the Delaware Act has occurred, the Property shall not be liquidated, the Partnership’s debts and other Liabilities shall not be paid or discharged, and the Partnership’s affairs shall not be wound up. Instead, solely for federal income tax purposes, the Partnership shall be deemed to have contributed all its Property and Liabilities to a new limited partnership in exchange for an interest in such new limited partnership and, immediately thereafter, the Partnership will be deemed to liquidate by distributing interests in the new limited partnership to the Partners.

Section 12.5 Distribution of Property . In the event the General Partner determines that it is necessary in connection with the winding up of the Partnership to make a distribution of property in kind, such property shall be transferred and conveyed to the Partners so as to vest in each of them as a tenant in common an undivided interest in the whole of such property, but otherwise in accordance with Section 12.3 .

Section 12.6 Termination of Partnership . The Partnership shall terminate when all assets of the Partnership, after payment of or due provision for all Liabilities of the Partnership, shall have been distributed to the Partners in the manner provided for in this Agreement, and the Certificate of Limited Partnership shall have been canceled in the manner provided by the Delaware Act.

 

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ARTICLE XIII

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 13.1 Notices . Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, all notices, demands, requests, or other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be given either (a) in person, (b) by United States mail or (c) by expedited delivery service (charges prepaid) with proof of delivery. The Partnership’s address for notice shall be the principal place of business of the Partnership, as set forth in Section 2.3 . The address for notices and other communications to the General Partner shall be the address set forth in Section 2.3 . The address for notices and other communications to any Limited Partner shall be the address set forth in or designated pursuant to Section 2.3 . Addresses for notices and communications hereunder may be changed by the Partnership, the General Partner or any Limited Partner, as applicable, giving notice in writing, stating its new address for notices, to the other. For purposes of the foregoing, any notice required or permitted to be given shall be deemed to be delivered and given on the date actually delivered to the address specified in this Section 13.1 .

Section 13.2 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 13.3 Assignment . A Partner shall not assign all or any of its rights, obligations or benefits under this Agreement to any other Person otherwise than (i) in connection with a transfer of its Partnership Interests pursuant to Article IX or (ii) with the prior written consent of each of the other Partners, which consent may be withheld in such Partner’s sole discretion, and any attempted assignment not in compliance with Article IX or this Section 13.3 shall be void.

Section 13.4 Parties in Interest . 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 13.5 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.

Section 13.6 Amendment; Waiver . Subject to the definition of Capital Account, Section 2.2 and Section 3.2 , this Agreement may not be amended except in a written instrument signed by each of the Partners and expressly stating it is an amendment to this Agreement. Any failure or delay on the part of any Partner in exercising any power or right hereunder shall not operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power hereunder or otherwise available under Applicable Law or in equity.

Section 13.7 Severability . If any term, provision, covenant, or restriction in this Agreement or the application thereof to any Person or circumstance, at any time or to any extent,

 

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is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or other Governmental Authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement (or the application of such provision in other jurisdictions or to Persons or circumstances other than those to which it was held invalid or unenforceable) shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated, and to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, any such term, provision, covenant or restriction shall be restricted in applicability or reformed to the minimum extent required for such to be enforceable. This provision shall be interpreted and enforced to give effect to the original written intent of the Partners prior to the determination of such invalidity or unenforceability.

Section 13.8 Governing Law . THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO THE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW THEREOF. ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY WITH RESPECT TO ANY CLAIM OR PROCEEDING RELATED TO OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT, OR ANY TRANSACTION OR CONDUCT IN CONNECTION HEREWITH, IS HEREBY WAIVED BY EACH OF THE PARTNERS.

Section 13.9 No Bill for Accounting . To the fullest extent permitted by law, in no event shall any Partner have any right to file a bill for an accounting or any similar proceeding.

Section 13.10 Waiver of Partition . Each Partner hereby waives any right to partition of the Property.

Section 13.11 Third Parties . Nothing herein expressed or implied is intended or shall be construed to confer upon or give any Person (other than Indemnitees) other than the Partners and their respective successors, legal representatives and permitted assigns any rights, remedies or basis for reliance upon, under or by reason of this Agreement.

[Signature pages follow]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have signed this Agreement as of the Effective Date.

 

GENERAL PARTNER:
GREEN RIVER DEVCO GP LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

Signature Page to

First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of

Green River DevCo LP


LIMITED PARTNER:
NBL MIDSTREAM, LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

Signature Page to

First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of

Green River DevCo LP


Exhibit A

 

Partner

   Percentage
Interest
 

Type of

Partnership
Interest

Green River DevCo GP LLC

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, Texas 77070

   10%   General Partner Interest

NBL Midstream, LLC

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, Texas 77070

   90%   Limited Partner Interest

 

Exhibit A – Page 1

Exhibit 10.31

FORM OF GUNNISON RIVER DEVCO LP

 

 

FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED

AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

 

Dated Effective as of [            ], 2015


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

        Page  

Article I Definitions and Construction

    1   

Section 1.1

 

Definitions

    1   

Section 1.2

 

Construction

    10   

Article II Business Purpose and Term of Partnership

    11   

Section 2.1

 

Formation

    11   

Section 2.2

 

Name

    11   

Section 2.3

 

Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices

    11   

Section 2.4

 

Purpose and Business

    11   

Section 2.5

 

Powers

    12   

Section 2.6

 

Term

    12   

Section 2.7

 

Title to Property

    12   

Article III Partners

    12   

Section 3.1

 

Partners; Percentage Interests

    12   

Section 3.2

 

Adjustments in Percentage Interests

    13   

Section 3.3

 

Limitation of Liability

    13   

Article IV Capital Contributions

    13   

Section 4.1

 

Capitalization of the Partnership

    13   

Section 4.2

 

Capital Contributions

    13   

Section 4.3

 

Withdrawal of Capital; Interest

    13   

Section 4.4

 

Capital Contribution Events

    13   

Section 4.5

 

Failure to Contribute

    14   

Article V Allocations and Other Tax Matters

    15   

Section 5.1

 

Profits

    15   

Section 5.2

 

Losses

    15   

Section 5.3

 

Special Allocations

    15   

Section 5.4

 

Curative Allocations

    17   

Section 5.5

 

Other Allocation Rules

    17   

Section 5.6

 

Tax Allocations: Code Section 704(c)

    17   

Section 5.7

 

Tax Elections

    18   

Section 5.8

 

Tax Returns

    18   

Section 5.9

 

Tax Matters Partner

    19   

Section 5.10

 

Duties of Tax Matters Partner

    19   

Section 5.11

 

Survival of Provisions

    20   

Article VI Distributions

    21   

Section 6.1

 

Distributions of Distributable Cash

    21   

Section 6.2

 

Liquidating Distributions

    21   

Section 6.3

 

Distribution in Kind

    21   

 

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Article VII Books and Records   21  

Section 7.1

 

Books and Records; Examination

    21   

Section 7.2

 

Reports

    21   

Article VIII Management and Voting

    22   

Section 8.1

 

Management

    22   

Section 8.2

 

Matters Constituting Unanimous Approval Matters

    22   

Section 8.3

 

Meetings and Voting

    23   

Section 8.4

 

Reliance by Third Parties

    24   

Section 8.5

 

Reimbursement of the General Partner

    24   

Article IX Transfer of Partnership Interests

    25   

Section 9.1

 

Restrictions on Transfers

    25   

Section 9.2

 

Conditions for Admission

    25   

Section 9.3

 

Allocations and Distributions

    25   

Section 9.4

 

Restriction on Resignation or Withdrawal

    25   

Article X Liability, Exculpation and Indemnification

    26   

Section 10.1

 

Liability for Partnership Obligations

    26   

Section 10.2

 

Disclaimer of Duties and Exculpation

    26   

Section 10.3

 

Indemnification

    27   

Article XI Conflicts of interest

    28   

Section 11.1

 

Transactions with Affiliates

    28   

Section 11.2

 

Outside Activities

    28   

Article XII Dissolution and Termination

    29   

Section 12.1

 

Dissolution

    29   

Section 12.2

 

Winding Up of Partnership

    29   

Section 12.3

 

Compliance with Certain Requirements of Regulations; Deficit Capital Accounts

    30   

Section 12.4

 

Deemed Distribution and Recontribution

    30   

Section 12.5

 

Distribution of Property

    30   

Section 12.6

 

Termination of Partnership

    30   

Article XIII Miscellaneous

    31   

Section 13.1

 

Notices

    31   

Section 13.2

 

Integration

    31   

Section 13.3

 

Assignment

    31   

Section 13.4

 

Parties in Interest

    31   

Section 13.5

 

Counterparts

    31   

Section 13.6

 

Amendment; Waiver

    31   

Section 13.7

 

Severability

    31   

Section 13.8

 

Governing Law

    32   

Section 13.9

 

No Bill for Accounting

    32   

Section 13.10

 

Waiver of Partition

    32   

Section 13.11

 

Third Parties

    32   

 

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FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED

AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

OF

GUNNISON RIVER DEVCO LP

This First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Gunnison River DevCo LP (the “ Partnership ”), dated effective as of [            ], 2015 (the “ Effective Date ”), is entered into by and between Gunnison River DevCo GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ General Partner ”), and NBL Midstream, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Limited Partner ”). In consideration of the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

RECITALS:

WHEREAS , the General Partner and Noble Midstream Services, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Original Limited Partner”), previously formed the Partnership as a limited partnership under the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act by filing a Certificate of Limited Partnership with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware effective as of August 20, 2015.

WHEREAS , the Partnership was previously governed by that certain Agreement of Limited Partnership dated as of August 20, 2015 (the “ Original LP Agreement ”).

WHEREAS , pursuant to that certain Contribution Agreement dated on or about the date hereof, the Original Limited Partner distributed its limited partner interest in the Partnership to the Limited Partner, the Limited Partner was admitted as a limited partner of the Partnership, and immediately thereafter the Original Limited Partner ceased to be a partner of the Partnership.

WHEREAS , the General Partner and the Limited Partner now desire to amend and restate the Original LP Agreement in its entirety by executing this First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership.

NOW THEREFORE , in consideration of the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the General Partner and the Limited Partner hereby enter into this Agreement:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION

Section 1.1 Definitions . The following terms have the following meanings when used in this Agreement.


Adjusted Capital Account ” means, with respect to any Partner, the balance in such Partner’s Capital Account as of the end of the relevant Allocation Year, after giving effect to the following adjustments:

(i) Credit to such Capital Account any amounts which such Partner is deemed obligated to restore pursuant to the penultimate sentences of Regulations Sections 1.704-2(g)(1) and 1.704-2(i)(5); and

(ii) Debit to such Capital Account the items described in Regulations 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 Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

Adjusted Capital Account Deficit ” means, with respect to any Partner, the deficit balance, if any, in such Partner’s Adjusted Capital Account as of the end of the relevant Allocation Year.

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 ” means this First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Gunnison River DevCo LP, as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Allocation Year ” means (a) each calendar year ending on December 31st or (b) any portion thereof for which the Partnership is required to allocate Profits, Losses and other items of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to Article V .

Applicable Law ” means any applicable statute, law, regulation, ordinance, rule, judgment, rule of law, order, decree, permit, approval, concession, grant, franchise, license, agreement, requirement or other governmental restriction or any similar form of decision of, or any provision or condition of any permit, license or other operating authorization issued under any of the foregoing by or any determination by any Governmental Authority having or asserting jurisdiction over the matter or matters in question, whether now or hereafter in effect and in each case as amended (including all of the terms and provisions of the common law of such Governmental Authority), as interpreted and enforced at the time in question.

Call Notice ” is defined in Section 4.4(a) .

Capital Account ” means, with respect to any Partner, the Capital Account established and maintained for such Partner in accordance with the following provisions:

(i) To each Partner’s Capital Account there shall be credited (A) such Partner’s Capital Contributions, (B) such Partner’s distributive share of Profits and any items in the nature of income or gain that are specially allocated to such Partner pursuant to Section 5.3 or Section 5.4 and (C) the amount of any Liabilities of the Partnership assumed by such Partner or that are secured by any Property distributed to such Partner;

 

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(ii) To each Partner’s Capital Account there shall be debited (A) the amount of cash and the Gross Asset Value of any Property distributed to such Partner pursuant to any provision of this Agreement, (B) such Partner’s distributive share of Losses and any items in the nature of deduction, expense or loss which are specially allocated to such Partner pursuant to Section 5.3 or Section 5.4 and (C) the amount of any Liabilities of such Partner assumed by the Partnership or that are secured by any Property contributed by such Partner to the Partnership;

(iii) In the event a Partnership Interest is transferred in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the transferee shall succeed to the Capital Account of the transferor to the extent it relates to the transferred interest; and

(iv) In determining the amount of any Liability for purposes of subparagraphs (i) and (ii) above there shall be taken into account Code Section 752(c) and any other applicable provisions of the Code and Regulations.

The foregoing provisions and the other provisions of this Agreement relating to the maintenance of Capital Accounts are intended to comply with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b) and shall be interpreted and applied in a manner consistent with such Regulations. In the event the Tax Matters Partner shall determine in good faith and on a commercially reasonable basis that it is prudent to modify the manner in which the Capital Accounts, or any debits or credits thereto, are computed in order to comply with such Regulations, the Tax Matters Partner may amend this Agreement without the consent of any other Partner notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement (including Section 13.6 ) to make such modification; provided that the Tax Matters Partner shall promptly give each other Partner written notice of such modification. The Tax Matters Partner also shall, in good faith and on a commercially reasonable basis, (A) make any adjustments to the Capital Accounts that are necessary or appropriate to maintain equality between the aggregate Capital Accounts of the Partners and the amount of capital reflected on the Partnership’s balance sheet, as computed for book purposes, in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(q) and (B) make any appropriate modifications to the Capital Accounts in the event unanticipated events might otherwise cause this Agreement not to comply with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b).

Capital Contributions ” means, with respect to any Partner, (i) the amount of cash, cash equivalents or the initial Gross Asset Value of any Property (other than cash) contributed or deemed contributed to the Partnership by such Partner or (ii) current distributions that a Partner is entitled to receive but otherwise waives.

Capital Lease ” means any lease of (or other arrangement conveying the right to use) real or personal property, or a combination thereof, which obligations are required to be classified and accounted for as a capital lease on a consolidated balance sheet of the Partnership and its subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP.

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 2.1 , as such Certificate of Limited Partnership may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

 

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Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and in effect from time to time. Any reference herein to a specific section or sections of the Code shall be deemed to include a reference to any corresponding provision of any successor law.

Default Interest Amount ” is defined in Section 4.5(c) .

Default Interest Rate ” means the lesser of (a) eight percent (8%) per annum and (b) the maximum rate of interest permitted by Applicable Law.

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

Delinquent Partner ” is defined in Section 4.5(a) .

Depreciation ” means, for each Allocation Year, an amount equal to the depreciation, amortization or other cost recovery deduction allowable with respect to an asset for such Allocation Year for federal income tax purposes, except that (i) if the Gross Asset Value of an asset differs from its adjusted tax basis for federal income tax purposes at the beginning of such Allocation Year and such difference is being eliminated by use of the “remedial allocation method” as defined in Regulations Section 1.704-3(d), Depreciation for such Allocation Year shall equal the amount of book basis recovered for such period under the rules prescribed in Regulations Section 1.704-3(d) and (ii) with respect to any other asset whose Gross Asset Value differs from its adjusted tax basis for federal income tax purposes at the beginning of such Allocation Year, Depreciation shall be an amount that bears the same ratio to such beginning Gross Asset Value as the federal income tax depreciation, amortization or other cost recovery deduction for such Allocation Year bears to such beginning adjusted tax basis; provided , however , that if the adjusted basis for federal income tax purposes of an asset at the beginning of such Allocation Year is zero, Depreciation shall be determined with reference to such beginning Gross Asset Value using any reasonable method selected by the General Partner.

Distributable Cash ” means, with respect to any Quarter: (i) the sum of all cash and cash equivalents of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries on hand at the end of such Quarter; less (ii) the amount of any cash reserves established by the General Partner to (A) provide for the proper conduct of the business of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries (including reserves for future capital or operating expenditures and for anticipated future credit needs of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries) subsequent to such Quarter; and (B) comply with Applicable Law or any loan agreement, security agreement, mortgage, debt instrument or other agreement or obligation to which the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them is bound or any of their respective assets are subject.

Effective Date ” is defined in the introductory paragraph.

Fiscal Year ” means a calendar year ending December 31.

GAAP ” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.

 

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General Partner ” is defined in the introductory paragraph, provided that such term shall also include such entity’s successors and permitted assigns that are admitted to the Partnership as general partner and any additional general partner of the Partnership, each in its capacity as general partner of the Partnership.

General Partner Interest ” means the equity interest of the General Partner in the Partnership (in its capacity as a general partner without reference to any Limited Partner Interest held by it) 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.

Governmental Authority ” means any federal, state, local or foreign government or any provincial, departmental or other political subdivision thereof, or any entity, body or authority exercising executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory, administrative or other governmental functions or any court, department, commission, board, bureau, agency, instrumentality or administrative body of any of the foregoing.

Gross Asset Value ” means, with respect to any asset, the asset’s adjusted basis for federal income tax purposes, except as follows:

(i) The initial Gross Asset Value of any Property contributed by a Partner to the Partnership shall be the gross fair market value of such asset as agreed to by each Partner or, in the absence of any such agreement, as determined by the General Partner;

(ii) The Gross Asset Values of all items of Property shall be adjusted to equal their respective fair market values as determined by the General Partner as of the following times: (A) the acquisition of an additional interest in the Partnership by any new or existing Partner in exchange for more than a de minimis Capital Contribution, (B) the distribution by the Partnership to a Partner of more than a de minimis amount of Property as consideration for an interest in the Partnership, (C) the issuance of additional Partnership Interests as consideration for the provision of services, (D) the liquidation of the Partnership within the meaning of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g) (other than pursuant to Section 708(b)(1)(B) of the Code), (E) the issuance of a Noncompensatory Option, or (F) any other event to the extent determined by the Partners to be necessary to properly reflect the Gross Asset Values in accordance with the standards set forth in Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(q); provided , however , that in the event of the issuance of an interest in the Partnership pursuant to the exercise of a Noncompensatory Option where the right to share in Partnership capital represented by the Partnership interest differs from the consideration paid to acquire and exercise the Noncompensatory Option, the Gross Asset Value of each Property immediately after the issuance of the Partnership interest shall be adjusted upward or downward to reflect any unrealized gain or unrealized loss attributable to the Property and the Capital Accounts of the Partners shall be adjusted in a manner consistent with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(s); and provided further , however , if any Noncompensatory Options are outstanding upon the occurrence of an event described in this paragraph (ii)(A) through (ii)(F), the Partnership shall adjust the Gross Asset Values of its properties in accordance with Treasury Regulations Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f) and 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(h)(2);

 

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(iii) The Gross Asset Value of any item of Property distributed to any Partner shall be adjusted to equal the fair market value of such item on the date of distribution as determined by the General Partner; and

(iv) The Gross Asset Value of each item of Property shall be increased (or decreased) to reflect any adjustments to the adjusted basis of such assets pursuant to Code Sections 734(b) or 743(b), but only to the extent that such adjustments are taken into account in determining Capital Accounts pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m) and subparagraph (vi) of the definition of Profits and Losses; provided , however , that Gross Asset Values shall not be adjusted pursuant to this subparagraph (iv) to the extent that an adjustment pursuant to subparagraph (ii) is required in connection with a transaction that would otherwise result in an adjustment pursuant to this subparagraph (iv).

If the Gross Asset Value of an asset has been determined or adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (i), subparagraph (ii) or subparagraph (iv), such Gross Asset Value shall thereafter be adjusted by the Depreciation taken into account with respect to such asset for purposes of computing Profits and Losses.

Guarantees ” by any Person means any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of such Person directly or indirectly guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person or in any manner providing for the payment of any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person or otherwise protecting the holder of such Indebtedness or other obligations against loss (whether arising by virtue of organizational agreements, by obtaining letters of credit, by agreement to keep-well, to take-or-pay or to purchase assets, goods, securities or services, or otherwise); provided that the term “Guarantee” shall not include endorsements for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business.

Indebtedness ” of any Person means, without duplication, (i) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money or with respect to deposits or advances of any kind, (ii) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, (iii) all obligations of such Person upon which interest charges are customarily paid, (iv) all obligations of such Person under conditional sale or other title retention agreements relating to property or assets purchased by such Person, (v) all obligations of such Person issued or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property or services (excluding trade accounts payable, trade advertising and accrued obligations), (vi) all Indebtedness of others secured by (or for which the holder of such Indebtedness has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to be secured by) any lien on property owned or acquired by such Person, whether or not the obligations secured thereby have been assumed, (vii) all Guarantees by such Person of Indebtedness of others, (viii) all Capital Lease obligations of such Person, (ix) all obligations of such Person in respect of interest rate protection agreements, foreign currency exchange agreements or other interest rate hedging arrangements and (x) all obligations of such Person as an account party in respect of letters of credit and bankers’ acceptances. The Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any partnership in which such Person is a general partner, other than to the extent that the instrument or agreement evidencing such Indebtedness expressly limits the Liability of such Person in respect thereof.

 

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Indemnitee ” means (i) any Partner, (ii) any Person who is or was an Affiliate of a Partner, (iii) any Person who is or was a member, manager, partner, director, officer, fiduciary or trustee of a Partner or any Affiliate of a Partner, (iv) any Person who is or was serving at the request of a Partner or any Affiliate of a Partner as a member, manager, partner, director, officer, 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 (v) any Person the General Partner designates as an “Indemnitee” for purposes of this Agreement because such Person’s status, service or relationship exposes such Person to potential claims, demands, suits or proceedings relating to the business and affairs of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries.

IPO Date ” means the date of the closing of the initial public offering of common units representing limited partner interests in NBLX.

Liability ” means any Indebtedness, obligation or other liability, whether arising under Applicable Law, contract or otherwise, known or unknown, fixed or contingent, real or potential, tangible or intangible, now existing or hereafter arising.

Limited Partner ” is defined in the introductory paragraph, provided that such term shall also include such entity’s successors and permitted assigns that are admitted as a limited partner of the Partnership and each additional Person who becomes a limited partner of the Partnership pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, in each case, in such Person’s capacity as a limited partner of the Partnership.

Limited Partner Interest ” means an equity interest of a Limited Partner in the Partnership (in its capacity as a limited partner without reference to any General Partner Interest held by it) 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 pursuant to the terms and provisions of this Agreement.

Make-Up Contribution ” is defined in Section 4.5(c) .

Minimum Gain ” is defined in Regulations Sections 1.704-2(b)(2) and 1.704-2(d).

NBLX ” means Noble Midstream Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership.

NBLX Partnership Agreement ” means the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of NBLX, substantially in the form attached as an exhibit to NBLX’s registration statement on Form S-1 (file no. 333-207560), that will be entered into in connection with NBLX’s initial public offering, as it may be amended, modified, supplemented or restated from time to time, or any successor agreement.

NDP Amount ” is defined in Section 4.5(b) .

Noncompensatory Option ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.721-2(f).

Nonrecourse Deductions ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(1) and 1.704-2(c).

 

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Nonrecourse Liability ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(3).

Original LP Agreement ” is defined in the Recitals.

Partner ” means a General Partner or a Limited Partner.

Partner Nonrecourse Debt ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(4).

Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain ” means an amount, with respect to each Partner Nonrecourse Debt, equal to the Minimum Gain that would result if such Partner Nonrecourse Debt were treated as a Nonrecourse Liability, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(3).

Partner Nonrecourse Deductions ” is defined in Regulations Sections 1.704-2(i)(1) and 1.704-2(i)(2).

Partnership ” is defined in the introductory paragraph.

Partnership Interest ” means any equity interest, including any class or series of equity interest, in the Partnership, which shall include any Limited Partner Interests and the General Partner Interest.

Percentage Interest ” means, with respect to any Partner, the percentage interest set forth opposite such Partner’s name on Exhibit A attached hereto. In the event any Partnership Interest is transferred in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, the transferee of such interest shall succeed to the Percentage Interest of his transferor to the extent it relates to the transferred interest.

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

Profits ” and “ Losses ” mean, for each Allocation Year, an amount equal to the Partnership’s taxable income or loss for such Allocation Year, determined in accordance with Code Section 703(a) (for this purpose, all items of income, gain, loss or deduction required to be stated separately pursuant to Code Section 703(a)(1) shall be included in taxable income or loss), with the following adjustments (without duplication):

(i) The Partnership shall be treated as owning directly its proportionate share (as determined by the General Partner) of any other partnership, limited liability company, unincorporated business or other entity classified as a partnership or disregarded entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes of which the Partnership is, directly or indirectly, a partner, member or other equity-holder;

(ii) Any income of the Partnership that is exempt from federal income tax and not otherwise taken into account in computing Profits or Losses pursuant to this definition of Profits and Losses shall be added to such taxable income or loss;

 

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(iii) Any expenditures of the Partnership described in Code Section 705(a)(2)(B) or treated as Code Section 705(a)(2)(B) expenditures pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(i), and not otherwise taken into account in computing Profits or Losses pursuant to this definition of Profits and Losses, shall be subtracted from such taxable income or loss;

(iv) In the event the Gross Asset Value of any item of Property is adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (ii) or subparagraph (iii) of the definition of Gross Asset Value, the amount of such adjustment shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the Gross Asset Value of the item of Property) or an item of loss (if the adjustment decreases the Gross Asset Value of the item of Property) from the disposition of such asset and shall be taken into account for purposes of computing Profits or Losses;

(v) Gain or loss resulting from any disposition of any Property with respect to which gain or loss is recognized for federal income tax purposes shall be computed by reference to the Gross Asset Value of the item of Property disposed of, notwithstanding that the adjusted tax basis of such Property differs from its Gross Asset Value;

(vi) In lieu of the depreciation, amortization and other cost recovery deductions taken into account in computing such taxable income or loss, there shall be taken into account Depreciation for such Allocation Year, computed in accordance with the definition of Depreciation;

(vii) To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any item of Property pursuant to Code Sections 734(b) or 743(b) is required, pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts as a result of a distribution other than in liquidation of a Partner’s Partnership Interest, the amount of such adjustment shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the item of Property) or loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis) from the disposition of such item of Property and shall be taken into account for purposes of computing Profits or Losses; and

(viii) Notwithstanding any other provision of this definition, any items that are specially allocated pursuant to Section 5.3 or Section 5.4 shall not be taken into account in computing Profits or Losses.

The amounts of the items of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction available to be specially allocated pursuant to Section 5.3 and Section 5.4 shall be determined by applying rules analogous to those set forth in subparagraph (i) through subparagraph (viii) above. For the avoidance of doubt, any guaranteed payment that accrues with respect to an Allocation Year will be treated as an item of deduction of the Partnership for purposes of computing Profits and Losses in accordance with the provisions of Regulations Section 1.707-1(c).

Property ” means all real and personal property acquired by the Partnership, including cash, and any improvements thereto, and shall include both tangible and intangible property.

 

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Quarter ” means, unless the context requires otherwise, a fiscal quarter of the Partnership or, with respect to the fiscal quarter of the Partnership which includes the IPO Date, the portion of such fiscal quarter from and after the IPO Date.

Regulations ” means the Income Tax Regulations, including Temporary Regulations, promulgated under the Code, as such regulations are amended from time to time.

Regulatory Allocations ” is defined in Section 5.4 .

Representative ” is defined in Section 8.3(a) .

Required Contribution ” is defined in Section 4.4(a) .

Subsidiary ” means, with respect to any Person, (a) a corporation of which more than 50% of the voting power of shares entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors or other governing body of such corporation is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof, (b) a partnership (whether general or limited) in which such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of determination, a general or limited partner of such partnership, but only if more than 50% of the general partner interests of such partnership is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof or (c) any other Person (other than a corporation or a partnership) in which such Person, one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, has (i) at least a majority ownership interest or (ii) the power to elect or direct the election of a majority of the directors or other governing body of such Person.

Tax Matters Partner ” is defined in Section 5.9(a) .

Transaction Documents ” is defined in the NBLX Partnership Agreement.

Unanimous Approval Matter ” is defined in Section 8.2 .

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, 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. The General Partner has the power to construe and interpret this Agreement and to act upon any such construction or interpretation. To the fullest extent permitted by law, any construction or interpretation of this Agreement by the General Partner, any action taken pursuant thereto and any determination made by the General Partner in good faith shall, in each case, be conclusive and binding on all Limited Partners, each other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest and all other Persons for all purposes.

 

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ARTICLE II

BUSINESS PURPOSE AND TERM OF PARTNERSHIP

Section 2.1 Formation . The Partnership was previously formed as a limited partnership by the filing of the Certificate of Limited Partnership with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act and the execution of the Original LP Agreement. This Agreement amends and restates the Original LP Agreement in its entirety. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, the rights, duties, liabilities and obligations of the Partners and the administration, dissolution and termination of the Partnership shall be governed by the Delaware Act. All Partnership Interests shall constitute personal property of the owner thereof for all purposes.

Section 2.2 Name . The name of the Partnership shall be “Gunnison River DevCo LP”. Subject to Applicable Law, 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, without the consent of any Limited Partner, amend this Agreement and the Certificate of Limited Partnership to 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 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware 19801, and the registered agent for service of process on the Partnership in the State of Delaware at such registered office shall be The Corporation Trust Company. The principal office of the Partnership shall be located at 1001 Noble Energy Way, Houston, Texas 77070, 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 the address set forth on Exhibit A , or such other place as the General Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the Limited Partners. The address of the initial Limited Partner shall be the address set forth on Exhibit A , or such other place as the initial Limited Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the General Partner. The address of each additional Limited Partner shall be the place such Limited Partner designates from time to time by notice to the General Partner.

Section 2.4 Purpose and Business . The purpose and nature of the business to be conducted by the Partnership shall be to engage directly or indirectly in any business activity that is approved by the General Partner and that lawfully may be conducted by a limited partnership organized pursuant to the Delaware Act; provided , however , that the General Partner shall not cause the Partnership to engage, directly or indirectly, in any business activity that the General Partner determines would be reasonably likely to cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the General Partner shall have no duty or obligation to propose or approve the conduct by the Partnership of any business and may decline

 

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to do so free of any fiduciary duty or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership, any Limited Partner or any other Person 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 other agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity, and the General Partner in determining whether to propose or approve the conduct by the Partnership of any business shall be permitted to do so in its sole and absolute discretion.

Section 2.5 Powers . The Partnership shall be empowered to do any and all acts and things necessary, appropriate, proper, advisable, incidental to or convenient for the furtherance and accomplishment of the purposes and business described in Section 2.4 and for the protection and benefit of the Partnership.

Section 2.6 Term . The term of the Partnership commenced upon the filing of the Certificate of Limited Partnership in accordance with the Delaware Act and shall continue 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 Property . Title to Property, 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 Property or any portion thereof. Title to any or all of the Property may be held in the name of the Partnership, the General Partner, one or more Affiliates of the General Partner or one or more nominees of the General Partner or its Affiliates, as the General Partner may determine. The General Partner hereby declares and warrants that any Property for which record title is held in the name of the General Partner or one or more Affiliates of the General Partner or one or more nominees of the General Partner or its Affiliates 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 any successor General Partner. All Property shall be recorded as the property of the Partnership in its books and records, irrespective of the name in which record title to such Property is held.

ARTICLE III

PARTNERS

Section 3.1 Partners; Percentage Interests . The names of the Partners, their respective Percentage Interests, and the type of Partnership Interest held by each Partner are set forth on Exhibit A to this Agreement.

 

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Section 3.2 Adjustments in Percentage Interests . The respective Percentage Interests of the Partners shall be adjusted (a) at the time of any transfer of all or a portion of such Partner’s Partnership Interest pursuant to Section 9.1 , (b) at the time of the issuance of additional Partnership Interests pursuant to Section 8.2(b) and (c) at the time of the admission of each new Partner in accordance with this Agreement, in each case to take into account such transfer, issuance or admission of a new Partner. The General Partner is authorized to amend Exhibit A to this Agreement to reflect any such adjustment without the consent of any other Partner.

Section 3.3 Limitation of Liability . The Limited Partners shall have no liability under this Agreement except as expressly provided in this Agreement or the Delaware Act.

ARTICLE IV

CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Section 4.1 Capitalization of the Partnership . Subject to Section 8.2 , the Partnership is authorized to issue two classes of Partnership Interests. The Partnership Interests shall be designated as General Partner Interests and Limited Partner Interests, each having such rights, powers, preferences and designations as set forth in this Agreement.

Section 4.2 Additional Capital Contributions . The Partners shall make additional Capital Contributions to the Partnership at such times and in such amounts as determined by the Partners in accordance with this Agreement.

Section 4.3 Withdrawal of Capital; Interest . No Partner may withdraw capital or receive any distributions from the Partnership except as specifically provided herein. No interest shall accrue or be payable by the Partnership on any Capital Contributions.

Section 4.4 Capital Contribution Events .

(a) Notwithstanding anything in Section 4.2 to the contrary, whenever the General Partner determines in good faith that additional Capital Contributions in cash from the Partners are necessary to fund the Partnership’s operations, the General Partner may issue a notice to each Partner (a “ Call Notice ”) for an additional Capital Contribution by each Partner (a “ Required Contribution ”) in an amount equal to such Partner’s pro rata portion (based on the Percentage Interests of the Partners) of the aggregate additional Capital Contribution determined to be necessary by the General Partner not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the date the General Partner determines such additional Capital Contributions shall be made by the Partners.

(b) All Call Notices shall be expressed in U.S. dollars and shall state the date on which payment is due and the bank(s) or account(s) to which payment is to be made. Each Call Notice shall specify in reasonable detail the purpose(s) for which such Required Contribution is required and the amount of the Required Contribution to be made by each Partner pursuant to such Call Notice. Each Partner shall contribute its Required Contribution within five (5) Business Days of the date of delivery of the relevant Call Notice. The Partnership shall use the proceeds of such Required Contributions exclusively for the purpose specified in the relevant Call Notice.

 

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Section 4.5 Failure to Contribute .

(a) If a Partner fails to contribute all or any portion of a Required Contribution that such Partner (a “ Delinquent Partner ”) is required to make as provided in this Agreement, then, while such Partner is a Delinquent Partner, each non-Delinquent Partner may (but shall have no obligation to) elect to fund all or any portion of the Delinquent Partner’s Required Contribution as a Capital Contribution pursuant to this Section 4.5 . If a non-Delinquent Partner so desires to fund such amount, such non-Delinquent Partner shall so notify each of the other non-Delinquent Partners, who shall have five (5) days thereafter to elect to participate in such funding.

(b) The portion that each participating non-Delinquent Partner may fund as a Capital Contribution pursuant to this Section 4.5 (the “ NDP Amount ”) shall be equal to the product of (x) the delinquent amount of such Required Contribution multiplied by (y) a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the Percentage Interest then held by such participating non-Delinquent Partner and the denominator of which shall be the aggregate Percentage Interest held by all such participating non-Delinquent Partners; provided , that if any participating non-Delinquent Partner elects to fund less than its full allocation of such amount, the fully participating non-Delinquent Partners shall be entitled to take up such shortfall (allocated, as necessary, based on their respective Percentage Interests). Upon such funding as a Capital Contribution, the Partnership Interest and Percentage Interest of each Partner shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect all such funding (based on total Capital Contributions).

(c) Notwithstanding anything in this Section 4.5 to the contrary, the Delinquent Partner may cure such delinquency (i) by contributing its Required Contribution prior to the Capital Contribution being made by another Partner or (ii) on or before the sixtieth (60th) day following the date that the participating non-Delinquent Partner(s) satisfied the Required Contribution, by making a Capital Contribution to the Partnership in an amount equal to the Required Contribution (a “ Make-Up Contribution ”) and paying to each participating non-Delinquent Partner an amount equal to its respective NDP Amount multiplied by the Default Interest Rate for the period from the date such participating non-Delinquent Partner funded its NDP Amount to the date that the Delinquent Partner makes its Make-Up Contribution (the “ Default Interest Amount ”). If a Delinquent Partner cures its delinquency pursuant to Section 4.5(c)(ii) by making a Make-Up Contribution and paying the Default Interest Amount, then (A) first, the Partnership shall distribute to each existing Partner that is a participating non-Delinquent Partner the NDP Amount that such participating non-Delinquent Partner funded pursuant to Section 4.5(b) , (B) second, the respective Capital Accounts and Percentage Interests of the Partners shall be adjusted with all necessary increases or decreases to return the Partners’ Capital Accounts and Percentage Interests status quo ante application of Section 4.5(b) and (C) third, the Percentage Interest and Partnership Interests of each Partner shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect the Make-Up Contribution (based on total Capital Contributions). If the delinquency is remedied (i) by the Delinquent Partner making its Required Contribution or Make-Up Contribution pursuant to this Section 4.5(c) or (ii) by funding by the non-Delinquent Partner(s) as a Capital Contribution pursuant to Section 4.5(b) , the Delinquent Partner shall no longer be deemed to be a Delinquent Partner with respect to the unfunded Required Contribution.

 

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ARTICLE V

ALLOCATIONS AND OTHER TAX MATTERS

Section 5.1 Profits . After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 5.3 and Section 5.4 , and any allocation of Profits set forth in Section 5.2(b) , Profits for any Allocation Year shall be allocated among the Partners in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests.

Section 5.2 Losses .

(a) After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 5.3 and Section 5.4 , Losses for any Allocation Year shall be allocated among the Partners in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests.

(b) The Losses allocated pursuant to Section 5.2(a) shall not exceed the maximum amount of Losses that can be so allocated without causing any Partner to have an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit at the end of any Allocation Year. In the event some but not all of the Partners would have Adjusted Capital Account Deficits as a result of an allocation of Losses pursuant to Section 5.2(a) , Losses that would otherwise be allocated to a Partner pursuant to Section 5.2(a) but for the limitation set forth in this Section 5.2(b) shall be allocated to the remaining Partners in proportion to their relative Percentage Interests. All remaining Losses in excess of the limitation set forth in this Section 5.2(b) shall be allocated to the General Partner. Profits for any Allocation Year subsequent to an Allocation Year for which the limitation set forth in this Section 5.2(b) was applicable shall be allocated (i) first, to reverse any Losses allocated to the General Partner pursuant to the third sentence of this Section 5.2(b) and (ii) second, to reverse any Losses allocated to the Partners pursuant to the second sentence of this Section 5.2(b) and in proportion to how such Losses were allocated.

Section 5.3 Special Allocations . The following special allocations shall be made in the following order:

(a) Minimum Gain Chargeback . Except as otherwise provided in Regulations Section 1.704-2(f), notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V , if there is a net decrease in Minimum Gain during any Allocation Year, each Partner shall be specially allocated items of Partnership income and gain for such Allocation Year (and, if necessary, subsequent Allocation Years) in an amount equal to such Partner’s share of the net decrease in Minimum Gain, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(g). Allocations pursuant to the previous sentence shall be made in proportion to the respective amounts required to be allocated to each Partner pursuant thereto. The items to be so allocated shall be determined in accordance with Regulations Sections 1.704-2(f)(6) and 1.704-2(g)(2). This Section 5.3(a) is intended to comply with the minimum gain chargeback requirement in Regulations Section 1.704-2(f) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(b) Partner Minimum Gain Chargeback . Except as otherwise provided in Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(4), notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V , if there is a net decrease in Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain attributable to a Partner Nonrecourse Debt during any Allocation Year, each Partner who has a share of the Partner Nonrecourse Debt

 

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Minimum Gain attributable to such Partner Nonrecourse Debt, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(5), shall be specially allocated items of Partnership income and gain for such Allocation Year (and, if necessary, subsequent Allocation Years) in an amount equal to such Partner’s share of the net decrease in Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain attributable to such Partner Nonrecourse Debt, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(4). Allocations pursuant to the previous sentence shall be made in proportion to the respective amounts required to be allocated to each Partner pursuant thereto. The items to be so allocated shall be determined in accordance with Regulations Sections 1.704-2(i)(4) and 1.704-2(j)(2). This Section 5.3(b) is intended to comply with the minimum gain chargeback requirement in Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(4) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(c) Qualified Income Offset . In the event that any Partner unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations or distributions described in Regulations Sections 1.704- 1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5) or 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6), items of Partnership income and gain shall be allocated to such Partner in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate, to the extent required by the Regulations, the Adjusted Capital Account Deficit of such Partner as quickly as possible; provided that an allocation pursuant to this Section 5.3(c) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would have an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit after all other allocations provided for in this Article V have been tentatively made as if this Section 5.3(c) were not in this Agreement.

(d) Gross Income Allocation . In the event that any Partner has an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit at the end of any Allocation Year, each such Partner shall be allocated items of Partnership income and gain in the amount of such deficit as quickly as possible; provided that an allocation pursuant to this Section 5.3(d) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would have an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit after all other allocations provided for in this Article V have been tentatively made as if Section 5.3(c) and this Section 5.3(d) were not in this Agreement.

(e) Nonrecourse Deductions . Nonrecourse Deductions for any Allocation Year shall be allocated among the Partners in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests.

(f) Partner Nonrecourse Deductions . Any Partner Nonrecourse Deductions for any Allocation Year shall be specially allocated to the Partner who bears the economic risk of loss with respect to the Partner Nonrecourse Debt to which such Partner Nonrecourse Deductions are attributable in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(1).

(g) Nonrecourse Liabilities . Nonrecourse Liabilities of the Partnership described in Regulations Section 1.752-3(a)(3) shall be allocated among the Partners in the manner chosen by the General Partner and consistent with such section of the Regulations.

(h) Section 754 Adjustments . To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Property, pursuant to Code Section 734(b) or Code Section 743(b) is required, pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(2) or 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts as the result of a distribution to a Partner in complete liquidation of such Partner’s Partnership Interest, the amount of such adjustment to Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the asset) or

 

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loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis) and such gain or loss shall be specially allocated to the Partners in accordance with their interests in the Partnership in the event Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(2) applies, or to the Partner to whom such distribution was made in the event Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4) applies.

Section 5.4 Curative Allocations . The allocations set forth in Section 5.3 (the “ Regulatory Allocations ”) are intended to comply with certain requirements of the Regulations. It is the intent of the Partners that, to the extent possible, the Regulatory Allocations shall be offset either with special allocations of other items of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to this Section 5.4 . Therefore, notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V (other than the Regulatory Allocations), the Tax Matters Partner shall make such offsetting special allocations of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction in whatever manner it determines appropriate so that, after such offsetting allocations are made, each Partner’s Capital Account balance is, to the extent possible, equal to the Capital Account balance such Partner would have had if the Regulatory Allocations were not part of this Agreement and all Partnership items were allocated pursuant to Section 5.1 , Section 5.2 and Section 5.3 (other than the Regulatory Allocations). In exercising its discretion under this Section 5.4 , the Tax Matters Partner shall take into account future Regulatory Allocations that, although not yet made, are likely to offset other Regulatory Allocations previously made.

Section 5.5 Other Allocation Rules .

(a) Profits, Losses and any other items of income, gain, loss, or deduction shall be allocated to the Partners pursuant to this Article V as of the last day of each Fiscal Year; provided that Profits, Losses and such other items shall also be allocated at such times as the Gross Asset Values of the Partnership’s assets are adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (ii) of the definition of “Gross Asset Value” in Section 1.1 .

(b) For purposes of determining the Profits, Losses or any other items allocable to any period, Profits, Losses and any such other items shall be determined on a daily proration basis by the General Partner under Code Section 706 and the Regulations thereunder.

Section 5.6 Tax Allocations: Code Section 704(c) .

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Section 5.6 , each item of income, gain, loss and deduction of the Partnership for federal income tax purposes shall be allocated among the Partners in the same manner as such items are allocated for book purposes under this Article V . In accordance with Code Section 704(c) and the Regulations thereunder, income, gain, loss and deduction with respect to any Property contributed to the capital of the Partnership shall, solely for tax purposes, be allocated among the Partners so as to take account of any variation between the adjusted basis of such Property to the Partnership for federal income tax purposes and its initial Gross Asset Value (computed in accordance with the definition of Gross Asset Value). Such allocation shall be made in accordance with the “remedial method” described by Regulations Section 1.704-3(d).

(b) In the event the Gross Asset Value of any Property is adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (ii) of the definition of Gross Asset Value, subsequent allocations of income, gain,

 

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loss and deduction with respect to such Property shall take account of any variation between the adjusted basis of such Property for federal income tax purposes and its Gross Asset Value in the same manner as under Code Section 704(c) and the Regulations thereunder. Such allocation shall be made in accordance with the “remedial method” described by Regulations Section 1.704-3(d).

(c) In accordance with Regulations 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 Property shall, to the extent possible, after taking into account other required allocations of gain pursuant to this Section 5.6(c) , 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.”

(d) Any elections or other decisions relating to such allocations shall be made by the General Partner in any manner that reasonably reflects the purpose and intention of this Agreement. Allocations pursuant to this Section 5.6 are solely for purposes of federal, state and local taxes and shall not affect, or in any way be taken into account in computing, any Partner’s Capital Account or share of Profits, Losses, other items or distributions pursuant to any provision of this Agreement.

Section 5.7 Tax Elections .

(a) The Partners intend that the Partnership be treated as a partnership or a “disregarded entity” for federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, neither the Tax Matters Partner nor any Limited Partner shall file any election or return on its own behalf or on behalf of the Partnership that is inconsistent with that intent.

(b) The Partnership shall make the election under Code Section 754 in accordance with the applicable Regulations issued 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 Partners.

(c) Any elections or other decisions relating to tax matters that are not expressly provided herein, shall be made jointly by the Partners in any manner that reasonably reflects the purpose and intention of this Agreement.

Section 5.8 Tax Returns .

(a) The Partnership shall cause to be prepared and timely filed all federal, state, local and foreign income tax returns and reports required to be filed by the Partnership and its subsidiaries. The Partnership shall provide copies of all the Partnership’s federal, state, local and foreign tax returns (and any schedules or other required filings related to such returns) that reflect items of income, gain, deduction, loss or credit that flow to separate Partner returns, to the Partners for their review and comment prior to filing, except as otherwise agreed by the Partners. The Partners agree in good faith to resolve any difference in the tax treatment of any item affecting such returns and schedules. However, if the Partners are unable to resolve the dispute, the position of the Tax Matters Partner shall be followed if nationally recognized tax counsel acceptable to the Partners provides an opinion that substantial authority exists for such position.

 

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Substantial authority shall be given the meaning ascribed to it for purposes of applying Code Section 6662. If the Partners are unable to resolve the dispute prior to the due date for filing the return, including approved extensions, the position of the Tax Matters Partner shall be followed, and amended returns shall be filed if necessary at such time the dispute is resolved. The costs of the dispute shall be borne by the Partnership. The Partners agree to file their separate federal income tax returns in a manner consistent with the Partnership’s return, the provisions of this Agreement and in accordance with Applicable Law.

(b) The Partnership shall elect the most rapid method of depreciation and amortization allowed under Applicable Law, unless the Partners agree otherwise.

(c) The Partners shall provide each other with copies of all correspondence or summaries of other communications with the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority (other than routine correspondence and communications) regarding the tax treatment of the Partnership’s operations. No Partner shall enter into settlement negotiations with the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority with respect to any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits if the tax adjustment attributable to such issue (assuming the then current aggregate tax rate) would be $100,000 or greater, without first giving reasonable advance notice of such intended action to the other Partners.

Section 5.9 Tax Matters Partner .

(a) The General Partner shall be the “ Tax Matters Partner ” of the Partnership within the meaning of Section 6231(a)(7) of the Code, and shall act in any similar capacity under the Applicable Law of any state, local or foreign jurisdiction, but only with respect to returns for which items of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit flow to the separate returns of the Partners. If at any time there is more than one General Partner, the Tax Matters Partner shall be the General Partner with the largest Percentage Interest following such admission.

(b) The Tax Matters Partner shall incur no Liability (except as a result of the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Tax Matters Partner) to the Partnership or the other Partners including, but not limited to, Liability for any additional taxes, interest or penalties owed by the other Partners due to adjustments of Partnership items of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit at the Partnership level.

Section 5.10 Duties of Tax Matters Partner .

(a) Except as provided in Section 5.10(b) , the Tax Matters Partner shall cooperate with the other Partners and shall promptly provide the other Partners with copies of notices or other materials from, and inform the other Partners of discussions engaged with, the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority and shall provide the other Partners with notice of all scheduled proceedings, including meetings with agents of the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority, technical advice conferences, appellate hearings, and similar conferences and hearings, as soon as possible after receiving notice of the scheduling of such proceedings, but in any case prior to the date of such scheduled proceedings.

 

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(b) The duties of the Tax Matters Partner under Section 5.10(a) shall not apply with respect to notices, materials, discussions, proceedings, meetings, conferences, or hearings involving any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits if the tax adjustment attributable to such issue (assuming the then current aggregate tax rate) would be less than $100,000 except as otherwise required under Applicable Law.

(c) The Tax Matters Partner shall not extend the period of limitations or assessments without the consent of the other Partners, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

(d) The Tax Matters Partner shall not file a petition or complaint in any court, or file any claim, amended return or request for an administrative adjustment with respect to partnership items, after any return has been filed, with respect to any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits if the tax adjustment attributable to such issue (assuming the then current aggregate tax rate) would be $100,000 or greater, unless agreed by the other Partners. If the other Partners do not agree, the position of the Tax Matters Partner shall be followed if nationally recognized tax counsel acceptable to all Partners issues an opinion that a reasonable basis exists for such position. Reasonable basis shall be given the meaning ascribed to it for purposes of applying Code Section 6662. The costs of the dispute shall be borne by the Partnership.

(e) The Tax Matters Partner shall not enter into any settlement agreement with the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority, either before or after any audit of the applicable return is completed, with respect to any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits, unless any of the following apply:

(i) all Partners agree to the settlement;

(ii) the tax effect of the issue if resolved adversely would be, and the tax effect of settling the issue is, proportionately the same for all Partners (assuming each otherwise has substantial taxable income);

(iii) the Tax Matters Partner determines that the settlement of the issue is fair to the Partners; or

(iv) tax counsel acceptable to all Partners determines that the settlement is fair to all Partners and is one it would recommend to the Partnership if all Partners were owned by the same person and each had substantial taxable income.

In all events, the costs incurred by the Tax Matters Partner in performing its duties hereunder shall be borne by the Partnership.

(f) The Tax Matters Partner may request extensions to file any tax return or statement without the written consent of, but shall so inform, the other Partners.

Section 5.11 Survival of Provisions . To the fullest extent permitted by law, the provisions of this Agreement regarding the Partnership’s tax returns and Tax Matters Partner shall survive the termination of the Partnership and the transfer of any Partner’s interest in the Partnership and shall remain in effect for the period of time necessary to resolve any and all matters regarding the federal, state, local and foreign taxation of the Partnership and items of Partnership income, gain, loss, deduction and credit.

 

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ARTICLE VI

DISTRIBUTIONS

Section 6.1 Distributions of Distributable Cash . Within 40 days following the end of each Quarter commencing with the Quarter that includes the IPO Date, the Partnership shall distribute to the Partners pro rata in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests an amount equal to 100% of Distributable Cash. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Partnership shall not make a distribution to any Partner on account of its interest in the Partnership if such distribution would violate the Delaware Act or other Applicable Law.

Section 6.2 Liquidating Distributions . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article VI (other than the last sentence of Section 6.1 ), distributions with respect to the Quarter in which a dissolution of the Partnership occurs shall be made in accordance with Article XII .

Section 6.3 Distribution in Kind . The Partnership shall not distribute to the Partners any assets in kind unless approved by the Partners in accordance with this Agreement. If cash and property in kind are to be distributed simultaneously, the Partnership shall distribute such cash and property in kind in the same proportion to each Partner, unless otherwise approved by the Partners in accordance with this Agreement.

ARTICLE VII

BOOKS AND RECORDS

Section 7.1 Books and Records; Examination . The General Partner shall keep or cause to be kept such books of account and records with respect to the Partnership’s business as it may deem necessary and appropriate. Each Partner and its duly authorized representatives shall have the right, for any purpose reasonably related to its interest in the Partnership, at any time to examine, or to appoint independent certified public accountants (the fees of which shall be paid by such Partner) to examine, the books, records and accounts of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries, their operations and all other matters that such Partner may wish to examine, including all documentation relating to actual or proposed transactions between the Partnership and any Partner or any Affiliate of a Partner. The Partnership’s books of account shall be kept using the method of accounting determined by the General Partner.

Section 7.2 Reports . The General Partner shall prepare and send to each Partner (at the same time) promptly such financial information of the Partnership as a Partner shall from time to time reasonably request, for any purpose reasonably related to its interest in the Partnership. The General Partner shall, for any purpose reasonably related to a Partner’s interest in the Partnership, permit examination and audit of the Partnership’s books and records by both the internal and independent auditors of its Partners.

 

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ARTICLE VIII

MANAGEMENT AND VOTING

Section 8.1 Management . The General Partner shall conduct, direct and manage the business of the Partnership. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, all management powers over the business and affairs of the Partnership shall be exclusively vested in the General Partner, and no Limited Partner shall have any management power over the business and affairs of the Partnership. In addition to the powers now or hereafter granted a general partner of a limited partnership under the Delaware Act or which are granted to the General Partner under any other provision of this Agreement, the General Partner, subject to Section 8.2 , shall have full power and authority to do all things on such terms as it, in its sole discretion, may deem necessary or appropriate to conduct the business of the Partnership and to effectuate the purposes set forth in Section 2.4 . The Partnership shall reimburse the General Partner, on a monthly basis or such other basis as the General Partner may determine, for all direct and indirect costs and expenses incurred by the General Partner or payments made by the General Partner, in its capacity as the general partner of the Partnership, for and on behalf of the Partnership. Except as provided in this Section 8.1 , and elsewhere in this Agreement, the General Partner shall not be compensated for its services as the general partner of the Partnership.

Section 8.2 Matters Constituting Unanimous Approval Matters . Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement or the Delaware Act to the contrary, and subject to the provisions of Section 8.3(c) , each of the following matters, and only the following matters, shall constitute a “ Unanimous Approval Matter ” which requires the prior approval of all of the Partners pursuant to Section 8.3(c) :

(a) any merger, consolidation, reorganization or similar transaction between or among the Partnership and any Person (other than a transaction between the Partnership and a direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of the Partnership) or any sale or lease of all or substantially all of the Partnership’s assets to any Person (other than a direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of the Partnership);

(b) the creation of any new class of Partnership Interests, the issuance of any additional Partnership Interests or the issuance of any security that is convertible into or exchangeable for a Partnership Interest;

(c) the admission or withdrawal of any Person as a Partner other than pursuant to (i) the third sentence of Section 9.2 , (ii)  Section 9.4 or (iii) any transfer of Partnership Interests pursuant to Section 9.1(b) , as applicable;

(d) the commencement of a voluntary case with respect to the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar Applicable Law now or hereafter in effect, or the consent to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case under any such Applicable Law, or the consent to the appointment of or the taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee or sequestrator (or similar official) of the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries or for any substantial part of the Partnership’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ property, or the making of any general assignment for the benefit of creditors;

 

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(e) the modification, alteration or amendment of the amount, timing, frequency or method of calculation of distributions to the Partners from that provided in Article VI ;

(f) (i) the approval of any distribution by the Partnership to the Partners of any assets in kind (other than cash or cash equivalents), (ii) the approval of any distribution by the Partnership to the Partners of cash or property in kind on a non-pro rata basis and (iii) the determination of the value assigned to distributions of property in kind;

(g) other than pursuant to Section 4.4 , the making of any additional Capital Contributions to the Partnership; and

(h) any other provision of this Agreement expressly requiring the approval, consent or other form of authorization of all of the Partners.

Section 8.3 Meetings and Voting .

(a) Representatives . For purposes of this Article VIII and subject to the General Partner’s authority under Section 8.1 , each Partner shall be represented by a designated representative (each, a “ Representative ”), who shall be appointed by, and may be removed with or without cause by, the Partner that designated such Person. Each Representative shall have the full authority to act on behalf of the Partner who designated such Representative. To the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, each Representative shall be deemed the agent of the Partner that appointed him, and each Representative shall not be an agent of the Partnership or the other Partners. The action of a Representative at a meeting of the Partners (or through a written consent) shall bind the Partner that designated that Representative, and the other Partners shall be entitled to rely upon such action without further inquiry or investigation as to the actual authority (or lack thereof) of such Representative.

(b) Meetings and Voting . Meetings of Partners shall be at such times and locations as the General Partner shall determine in its sole discretion. The General Partner shall provide notice to the Limited Partners of any meetings of Partners in any manner that it deems reasonable and appropriate under the circumstances. The holders of a majority, by Percentage Interest, of Partnership Interests for which a meeting has been called (including Partnership Interests owned by the General Partner) represented in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of Partners unless any such action by the Partners requires approval by holders of a greater Percentage Interest, in which case the quorum shall be such greater Percentage Interest. At any meeting of the Partners duly called and held in accordance with this Agreement at which a quorum is present, the act of Partners holding Partnership Interests that, in the aggregate, represent a majority of the Percentage Interests 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. 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 Interests specified in this Agreement. In the absence of a quorum, any meeting of

 

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Partners may be adjourned from time to time by the affirmative vote of Partners with at least a majority of the Percentage Interests of the Partners entitled to vote at such meeting (including the General Partner) represented either in person or by proxy, but no other business may be transacted.

(c) Unanimous Approval Matters . All Unanimous Approval Matters shall be approved by the unanimous affirmative vote of all of the Partners. Each Partner acknowledges and agrees that all references in this Agreement to any approval, consent or other form of authorization by “all Partners,” “each of the Partners” or similar phrases shall be deemed to mean that such approval, consent or other form of authorization shall constitute a Unanimous Approval Matter that requires the unanimous approval of all of the Partners in accordance with this Section 8.3(c) .

(d) Action Without a Meeting . Any action that may be taken at a meeting of the Partners may be taken without a meeting and without prior notice if an approval in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by the Partners owning not less than the minimum Percentage Interests of the Partnership Interests that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all of the Partners were present and voted. Prompt notice of the taking of action without a meeting shall be given to the Partners who have not approved such action in writing.

Section 8.4 Reliance by Third Parties . Persons dealing with the Partnership are entitled to rely conclusively upon the power and authority of the General Partner set forth in this Agreement. Neither a Limited Partner nor its Representative shall have the authority to bind the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries.

Section 8.5 Reimbursement of the General Partner . The General Partner shall be reimbursed on a monthly basis, or such other basis as the General Partner may determine, for (i) all direct and indirect expenses it incurs or payments it makes on behalf of the Partnership (including salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to any Person, including Affiliates of the General Partner, to perform services for the Partnership or for the General Partner in the discharge of its duties to the Partnership) and (ii) all other expenses allocable to the Partnership or otherwise incurred by the General Partner or its Affiliates in connection with managing and operating the Partnership’s business and affairs (including expenses allocated to the General Partner by its Affiliates). The General Partner shall determine the expenses that are allocable to the Partnership. Reimbursements pursuant to this Section 8.5 shall be in addition to any reimbursement to the General Partner as a result of indemnification pursuant to Section 10.3 . Any allocation of expenses to the Partnership by the General Partner in a manner consistent with its or its Affiliates’ past business practices shall be permitted by, and not constitute a breach of, this Agreement or any duty owed by the General Partner to the Partnership, the Partners, or any other Person bound by this Agreement.

 

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ARTICLE IX

TRANSFER OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

Section 9.1 Restrictions on Transfers .

(a) General . Except as expressly provided by this Article IX , no Partner shall transfer all or any part of its Partnership Interests to any Person without first obtaining the written approval of each of the other Partners, which approval may be granted or withheld in their sole discretion.

(b) Transfer by Operation of Law . In the event a Partner shall be party to a merger, consolidation or similar business combination transaction with another Person or sell all or substantially all its assets to another Person, such Partner may transfer all or part of its Partnership Interests to such other Person without the approval of any other Partner.

(c) Consequences of an Unpermitted Transfer . To the fullest extent permitted by law, any transfer of a Partner’s Partnership Interest in violation of the applicable provisions of this Agreement shall be void.

Section 9.2 Conditions for Admission . No transferee of all or a portion of the Partnership Interests of any Partner shall be admitted as a Partner hereunder unless such Partnership Interests are transferred in compliance with the applicable provisions of this Agreement. Each such transferee shall have executed and delivered to the Partnership such instruments as the General Partner deems necessary or appropriate in its sole discretion to effectuate the admission of such transferee as a Partner and to confirm the agreement of such transferee to be bound by all the terms and provisions of this Agreement. The admission of a transferee shall be effective immediately prior to such transfer and, immediately following such admission, the transferor shall cease to be a Partner (to the extent it transferred its entire Partnership Interest). If the General Partner transfers its entire General Partner Interest in the Partnership, the transferee General Partner, to the extent admitted as a substitute General Partner, is hereby authorized to, and shall, continue the Partnership without dissolution.

Section 9.3 Allocations and Distributions . Subject to applicable Regulations, upon the transfer of all the Partnership Interests of a Partner as herein provided, the Profit or Loss of the Partnership attributable to the Partnership Interests so transferred for the Fiscal Year in which such transfer occurs shall be allocated between the transferor and transferee as of the effective date of the assignment, and such allocation shall be based upon any permissible method agreed to by the Partners that is provided for in Code Section 706 and the Regulations issued thereunder.

Section 9.4 Restriction on Resignation or Withdrawal . Except in connection with a transfer permitted pursuant to Section 9.1 or as contemplated by Section 12.1 , no Partner shall withdraw from the Partnership without the consent of each of the other Partners. To the extent permitted by law, any purported withdrawal from the Partnership in violation of this Section 9.4 shall be null and void.

 

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ARTICLE X

LIABILITY, EXCULPATION AND INDEMNIFICATION

Section 10.1 Liability for Partnership Obligations . Except as otherwise required by the Delaware Act, the Liabilities of the Partnership shall be solely the Liabilities of the Partnership, and no Indemnitee (other than the General Partner) shall be obligated personally for any such Liability of the Partnership solely by reason of being an Indemnitee.

Section 10.2 Disclaimer of Duties and Exculpation .

(a) Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by law, no Indemnitee shall have any duty (fiduciary or otherwise) or obligation to the Partnership, the Partners or to any other Person bound by this Agreement, and in taking, or refraining from taking, any action required or permitted under this Agreement or under Applicable Law, each Indemnitee shall be entitled to consider only such interests and factors as such Indemnitee deems advisable, including its own interests, and need not consider any interest of or factors affecting, any other Indemnitee or the Partnership notwithstanding any duty otherwise existing at law or in equity. To the extent that an Indemnitee is required or permitted under this Agreement to act in “good faith” or under another express standard, such Indemnitee shall act under such express standard and shall not be subject to any other or different standard under this Agreement or otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity.

(b) The provisions of this Agreement, to the extent that they restrict or eliminate the duties (including fiduciary duties) and Liabilities of an Indemnitee otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity, are agreed by the Partners to replace such other duties and Liabilities of such Indemnitee in their entirety, and no Indemnitee shall be liable to the Partnership, the Partners or any other Person bound by this Agreement for its good faith reliance on the provisions of this Agreement.

(c) To the fullest extent permitted by law, no Indemnitee shall be liable to the Partnership, the Partners or any other Person bound by this Agreement for any cost, expense, loss, damage, claim or Liability incurred by reason of any act or omission performed or omitted by such Indemnitee in such capacity, whether or not such Person continues to be an Indemnitee at the time of such cost, expense, loss, damage, claim or Liability is incurred or imposed, if the Indemnitee acted in good faith reliance on the provisions of this Agreement, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, such Indemnitee had no reasonable cause to believe its conduct was unlawful.

(d) An Indemnitee shall be fully protected from liability to the Partnership, the Partners and any other Person bound by this Agreement in acting or refraining from acting in good faith reliance upon the records of the Partnership and such other information, opinions, reports or statements presented to the Partnership by any Person as to any matters the Indemnitee reasonably believes are within such other Person’s professional or expert competence and who has been selected with reasonable care by or on behalf of the Partnership, including information, opinions, reports or statements as to the value and amount of the assets, Liabilities, Profits and Losses of the Partnership.

 

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Section 10.3 Indemnification .

(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law but subject to the limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, all Indemnitees shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Partnership from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other amounts arising from any and all threatened, pending or completed claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, and whether formal or informal and including appeals, in which any Indemnitee may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of its status as an Indemnitee and acting (or refraining to act) in such capacity on behalf of or for the benefit of the Partnership; 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 engaged in intentional fraud, willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful; provided, further , no indemnification pursuant to this Section 10.3 shall be available to any Affiliate of the Partnership, or to any other Indemnitee, with respect to any such Affiliate’s obligations pursuant to the Transaction Documents. Any indemnification or advancement of expenses pursuant to this Section 10.3 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 or advancement of expenses and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Partnership to enable it to effectuate such indemnification or advancement of expenses.

(b) To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses (including legal fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnitee who is entitled to be indemnified pursuant to Section 10.3(a) in 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 10.3 , 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 10.3 .

(c) The indemnification provided by this Section 10.3 shall be in addition to any other rights to which an Indemnitee may be entitled under any agreement, 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, executors and administrators of the Indemnitee.

(d) The Partnership may purchase and maintain (or reimburse the General Partner or its Affiliates for the cost of) insurance, on behalf of the General Partner, its Affiliates and such other Persons as the General Partner shall determine, against any liability that may be asserted against or expense that may be incurred by such Person in connection with the Partnership’s activities or such Person’s activities on behalf of the Partnership, regardless of whether the Partnership would have the power to indemnify such Person against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement.

 

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(e) For purposes of this Section 10.3 , 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 10.3(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 subjectively believed by it not to be adverse to the interests of the participants and beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose that is on behalf of and for the benefit of the Partnership and not adverse to the interests of the Partnership.

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

(g) An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in whole or in part under this Section 10.3 solely because the Indemnitee had an interest in the transaction with respect to which the indemnification applies.

(h) The provisions of this Section 10.3 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 10.3 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 10.3 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.

ARTICLE XI

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Section 11.1 Transactions with Affiliates . The Partnership and its Subsidiaries shall be permitted to enter into or renew or extend the term of any agreement or transaction with a Partner or an Affiliate of a Partner on such terms and conditions as the General Partner shall approve in its sole discretion, without the approval of any Limited Partner.

Section 11.2 Outside Activities . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement or any duty otherwise existing at law or in equity, (a) the engaging in activities by any Indemnitee that are competitive with the business of the Partnership is hereby approved by all Partners, (b) it shall not be a breach of any fiduciary duty or any other duty or obligation of a Partner under this Agreement or otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity for such Indemnitee to engage in such activities in preference to or to the exclusion of the Partnership, (c) an Indemnitee shall have no obligation under this Agreement or as a result of any duty (including

 

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any fiduciary duty) otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity, to present business opportunities to the Partnership and (d) the doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any analogous doctrine, shall not apply to any Indemnitee; provided such Indemnitee does not engage in such activity as a result of or using confidential or proprietary information provided by or on behalf of the Partnership to such Indemnitee.

ARTICLE XII

DISSOLUTION AND TERMINATION

Section 12.1 Dissolution . The Partnership shall be dissolved and its business and affairs wound up upon the earliest to occur of any one of the following events:

(a) at any time there are no Limited Partners of the Partnership, unless the business of the Partnership is continued in accordance with the Delaware Act;

(b) the written consent of all the Partners;

(c) an “event of withdrawal” (as defined in the Delaware Act) of the General Partner; or

(d) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Partnership pursuant to Section 17-802 of the Delaware Act.

The bankruptcy, involuntary liquidation or dissolution of a Partner shall cause that Partner to cease to be a partner of the Partnership. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Partnership shall not be dissolved and its business and affairs shall not be wound up upon the occurrence of any event specified in clause (c) above if, at the time of occurrence of such event, there is at least one remaining General Partner (who is hereby authorized to, and shall, carry on the business of the Partnership) and at least one Limited Partner, or if within ninety (90) days after the date on which such event occurs, the remaining Partners elect in writing to continue the business of the Partnership and to the appointment, effective as of the date of such event, if required, of one or more additional General Partners of the Partnership. Except as provided in this paragraph, and to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware Act, the occurrence of an event that causes a Partner to cease to be a Partner of the Partnership shall not, in and of itself, cause the Partnership to be dissolved or its business or affairs to be wound up, and upon the occurrence of such an event, the business of the Partnership shall, to the extent permitted by the Delaware Act, continue without dissolution.

Section 12.2 Winding Up of Partnership . Upon dissolution, the Partnership’s business shall be wound up in an orderly manner. The General Partner shall (unless the General Partner (or, if no General Partner, the remaining Limited Partners) elects to appoint a liquidating trustee) wind up the affairs of the Partnership pursuant to this Agreement. In performing its duties, the General Partner or liquidating trustee is authorized to sell, distribute, exchange or otherwise dispose of the assets of the Partnership in accordance with the Delaware Act and in any reasonable manner that the General Partner or liquidating trustee shall determine to be not adverse to the interests of the Partners or their successors-in-interest. The General Partner or liquidating trustee shall take full account of the Partnership’s Liabilities and Property and shall cause the Property or the proceeds from the sale thereof, to the extent sufficient therefor, to be

 

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applied and distributed, to the maximum extent permitted by Applicable Law, in the following order:

(a) First, to creditors, including Partners who are creditors, to the extent permitted by law, in satisfaction of all of the Partnership’s Liabilities (whether by payment or the making of reasonable provision for payment thereof to the extent required by Section 17-804 of the Delaware Act), other than Liabilities for distribution to Partners under Section 17-601 or 17-604 of the Delaware Act;

(b) Second, to the Partners and former Partners of the Partnership in satisfaction of Liabilities for distributions under Sections 17-601 or 17-604 of the Delaware Act; and

(c) The balance, if any, to the Partners in accordance with the positive balance in their respective Capital Accounts, after giving effect to all contributions, distributions and allocations for all periods.

Section 12.3 Compliance with Certain Requirements of Regulations; Deficit Capital Accounts . In the event the Partnership is “liquidated” within the meaning of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g), distributions shall be made pursuant to this Article XII to the Partners who have positive Capital Accounts in compliance with Regulations Section 1.704- 1(b)(2)(ii)(b)(2). If any Partner has a deficit balance in its Capital Account (after giving effect to all contributions, distributions and allocations for all Allocation Years, including the Allocation Year during which such liquidation occurs), such Partner shall have no obligation to make any contribution to the capital of the Partnership with respect to such deficit, and such deficit shall not be considered a debt owed to the Partnership or to any other Person for any purpose whatsoever.

Section 12.4 Deemed Distribution and Recontribution . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article XII , in the event the Partnership is liquidated within the meaning of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g) but no actual dissolution and winding up under the Delaware Act has occurred, the Property shall not be liquidated, the Partnership’s debts and other Liabilities shall not be paid or discharged, and the Partnership’s affairs shall not be wound up. Instead, solely for federal income tax purposes, the Partnership shall be deemed to have contributed all its Property and Liabilities to a new limited partnership in exchange for an interest in such new limited partnership and, immediately thereafter, the Partnership will be deemed to liquidate by distributing interests in the new limited partnership to the Partners.

Section 12.5 Distribution of Property . In the event the General Partner determines that it is necessary in connection with the winding up of the Partnership to make a distribution of property in kind, such property shall be transferred and conveyed to the Partners so as to vest in each of them as a tenant in common an undivided interest in the whole of such property, but otherwise in accordance with Section 12.3 .

Section 12.6 Termination of Partnership . The Partnership shall terminate when all assets of the Partnership, after payment of or due provision for all Liabilities of the Partnership, shall have been distributed to the Partners in the manner provided for in this Agreement, and the Certificate of Limited Partnership shall have been canceled in the manner provided by the Delaware Act.

 

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ARTICLE XIII

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 13.1 Notices . Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, all notices, demands, requests, or other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be given either (a) in person, (b) by United States mail or (c) by expedited delivery service (charges prepaid) with proof of delivery. The Partnership’s address for notice shall be the principal place of business of the Partnership, as set forth in Section 2.3 . The address for notices and other communications to the General Partner shall be the address set forth in Section 2.3 . The address for notices and other communications to any Limited Partner shall be the address set forth in or designated pursuant to Section 2.3 . Addresses for notices and communications hereunder may be changed by the Partnership, the General Partner or any Limited Partner, as applicable, giving notice in writing, stating its new address for notices, to the other. For purposes of the foregoing, any notice required or permitted to be given shall be deemed to be delivered and given on the date actually delivered to the address specified in this Section 13.1 .

Section 13.2 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 13.3 Assignment . A Partner shall not assign all or any of its rights, obligations or benefits under this Agreement to any other Person otherwise than (i) in connection with a transfer of its Partnership Interests pursuant to Article IX or (ii) with the prior written consent of each of the other Partners, which consent may be withheld in such Partner’s sole discretion, and any attempted assignment not in compliance with Article IX or this Section 13.3 shall be void.

Section 13.4 Parties in Interest . 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 13.5 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.

Section 13.6 Amendment; Waiver . Subject to the definition of Capital Account, Section 2.2 and Section 3.2 , this Agreement may not be amended except in a written instrument signed by each of the Partners and expressly stating it is an amendment to this Agreement. Any failure or delay on the part of any Partner in exercising any power or right hereunder shall not operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power hereunder or otherwise available under Applicable Law or in equity.

Section 13.7 Severability . If any term, provision, covenant, or restriction in this Agreement or the application thereof to any Person or circumstance, at any time or to any extent,

 

31


is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or other Governmental Authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement (or the application of such provision in other jurisdictions or to Persons or circumstances other than those to which it was held invalid or unenforceable) shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated, and to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, any such term, provision, covenant or restriction shall be restricted in applicability or reformed to the minimum extent required for such to be enforceable. This provision shall be interpreted and enforced to give effect to the original written intent of the Partners prior to the determination of such invalidity or unenforceability.

Section 13.8 Governing Law . THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO THE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW THEREOF. ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY WITH RESPECT TO ANY CLAIM OR PROCEEDING RELATED TO OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT, OR ANY TRANSACTION OR CONDUCT IN CONNECTION HEREWITH, IS HEREBY WAIVED BY EACH OF THE PARTNERS.

Section 13.9 No Bill for Accounting . To the fullest extent permitted by law, in no event shall any Partner have any right to file a bill for an accounting or any similar proceeding.

Section 13.10 Waiver of Partition . Each Partner hereby waives any right to partition of the Property.

Section 13.11 Third Parties . Nothing herein expressed or implied is intended or shall be construed to confer upon or give any Person (other than Indemnitees) other than the Partners and their respective successors, legal representatives and permitted assigns any rights, remedies or basis for reliance upon, under or by reason of this Agreement.

[Signature pages follow]

 

32


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have signed this Agreement as of the Effective Date.

 

GENERAL PARTNER:
GUNNISON RIVER DEVCO GP LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

Signature Page to

First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of

Gunnison River DevCo LP


LIMITED PARTNER:
NBL MIDSTREAM, LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

Signature Page to

First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of

Gunnison River DevCo LP


Exhibit A

 

Partner

   Percentage
Interest
  Type of
Partnership
Interest

Gunnison River DevCo GP LLC

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, Texas 77070

   5%   General Partner
Interest

NBL Midstream, LLC

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, Texas 77070

   95%   Limited Partner
Interest

 

Exhibit A – Page 1

Exhibit 10.32

FORM OF LARAMIE RIVER DEVCO LP

 

 

FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED

AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

 

Dated Effective as of [            ], 2015


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         Page  

Article I Definitions and Construction

     1   

Section 1.1

 

Definitions

     1   

Section 1.2

 

Construction

     10   

Article II Business Purpose and Term of Partnership

     11   

Section 2.1

 

Formation

     11   

Section 2.2

 

Name

     11   

Section 2.3

 

Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices

     11   

Section 2.4

 

Purpose and Business

     11   

Section 2.5

 

Powers

     12   

Section 2.6

 

Term

     12   

Section 2.7

 

Title to Property

     12   

Article III Partners

     12   

Section 3.1

 

Partners; Percentage Interests

     12   

Section 3.2

 

Adjustments in Percentage Interests

     13   

Section 3.3

 

Limitation of Liability

     13   

Article IV Capital Contributions

     13   

Section 4.1

 

Capitalization of the Partnership

     13   

Section 4.2

 

Capital Contributions

     13   

Section 4.3

 

Withdrawal of Capital; Interest

     13   

Section 4.4

 

Capital Contribution Events

     13   

Section 4.5

 

Failure to Contribute

     14   

Article V Allocations and Other Tax Matters

     15   

Section 5.1

 

Profits

     15   

Section 5.2

 

Losses

     15   

Section 5.3

 

Special Allocations

     15   

Section 5.4

 

Curative Allocations

     17   

Section 5.5

 

Other Allocation Rules

     17   

Section 5.6

 

Tax Allocations: Code Section 704(c)

     17   

Section 5.7

 

Tax Elections

     18   

Section 5.8

 

Tax Returns

     18   

Section 5.9

 

Tax Matters Partner

     19   

Section 5.10

 

Duties of Tax Matters Partner

     19   

Section 5.11

 

Survival of Provisions

     20   

Article VI Distributions

     21   

Section 6.1

 

Distributions of Distributable Cash

     21   

Section 6.2

 

Liquidating Distributions

     21   

Section 6.3

 

Distribution in Kind

     21   

 

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Article VII Books and Records

     21   

Section 7.1

 

Books and Records; Examination

     21   

Section 7.2

 

Reports

     21   

Article VIII Management and Voting

     22   

Section 8.1

 

Management

     22   

Section 8.2

 

Matters Constituting Unanimous Approval Matters

     22   

Section 8.3

 

Meetings and Voting

     23   

Section 8.4

 

Reliance by Third Parties

     24   

Section 8.5

 

Reimbursement of the General Partner

     24   

Article IX Transfer of Partnership Interests

     25   

Section 9.1

 

Restrictions on Transfers

     25   

Section 9.2

 

Conditions for Admission

     25   

Section 9.3

 

Allocations and Distributions

     25   

Section 9.4

 

Restriction on Resignation or Withdrawal

     25   

Article X Liability, Exculpation and Indemnification

     26   

Section 10.1

 

Liability for Partnership Obligations

     26   

Section 10.2

 

Disclaimer of Duties and Exculpation

     26   

Section 10.3

 

Indemnification

     27   

Article XI Conflicts of interest

     28   

Section 11.1

 

Transactions with Affiliates

     28   

Section 11.2

 

Outside Activities

     28   

Article XII Dissolution and Termination

     29   

Section 12.1

 

Dissolution

     29   

Section 12.2

 

Winding Up of Partnership

     29   

Section 12.3

 

Compliance with Certain Requirements of Regulations; Deficit Capital Accounts

     30   

Section 12.4

 

Deemed Distribution and Recontribution

     30   

Section 12.5

 

Distribution of Property

     30   

Section 12.6

 

Termination of Partnership

     30   

Article XIII Miscellaneous

     31   

Section 13.1

 

Notices

     31   

Section 13.2

 

Integration

     31   

Section 13.3

 

Assignment

     31   

Section 13.4

 

Parties in Interest

     31   

Section 13.5

 

Counterparts

     31   

Section 13.6

 

Amendment; Waiver

     31   

Section 13.7

 

Severability

     31   

Section 13.8

 

Governing Law

     32   

Section 13.9

 

No Bill for Accounting

     32   

Section 13.10

 

Waiver of Partition

     32   

Section 13.11

 

Third Parties

     32   

 

ii


FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED

AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

OF

LARAMIE RIVER DEVCO LP

This First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Laramie River DevCo LP (the “ Partnership ”), dated effective as of [            ], 2015 (the “ Effective Date ”), is entered into by and between Laramie River DevCo GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ General Partner ”), and NBL Midstream, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Limited Partner ”). In consideration of the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

RECITALS:

WHEREAS , the General Partner and Noble Midstream Services, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Original Limited Partner”), previously formed the Partnership as a limited partnership under the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act by filing a Certificate of Limited Partnership with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware effective as of August 20, 2015.

WHEREAS , the Partnership was previously governed by that certain Agreement of Limited Partnership dated as of August 20, 2015 (the “ Original LP Agreement ”).

WHEREAS , pursuant to that certain Contribution Agreement dated on or about the date hereof, the Original Limited Partner distributed its limited partner interest in the Partnership to the Limited Partner, the Limited Partner was admitted as a limited partner of the Partnership, and immediately thereafter the Original Limited Partner ceased to be a partner of the Partnership.

WHEREAS , the General Partner and the Limited Partner now desire to amend and restate the Original LP Agreement in its entirety by executing this First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership.

NOW THEREFORE , in consideration of the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the General Partner and the Limited Partner hereby enter into this Agreement:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION

Section 1.1 Definitions . The following terms have the following meanings when used in this Agreement.


Adjusted Capital Account ” means, with respect to any Partner, the balance in such Partner’s Capital Account as of the end of the relevant Allocation Year, after giving effect to the following adjustments:

(i) Credit to such Capital Account any amounts which such Partner is deemed obligated to restore pursuant to the penultimate sentences of Regulations Sections 1.704-2(g)(1) and 1.704-2(i)(5); and

(ii) Debit to such Capital Account the items described in Regulations 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 Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

Adjusted Capital Account Deficit ” means, with respect to any Partner, the deficit balance, if any, in such Partner’s Adjusted Capital Account as of the end of the relevant Allocation Year.

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 ” means this First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Laramie River DevCo LP, as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Allocation Year ” means (a) each calendar year ending on December 31st or (b) any portion thereof for which the Partnership is required to allocate Profits, Losses and other items of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to Article V .

Applicable Law ” means any applicable statute, law, regulation, ordinance, rule, judgment, rule of law, order, decree, permit, approval, concession, grant, franchise, license, agreement, requirement or other governmental restriction or any similar form of decision of, or any provision or condition of any permit, license or other operating authorization issued under any of the foregoing by or any determination by any Governmental Authority having or asserting jurisdiction over the matter or matters in question, whether now or hereafter in effect and in each case as amended (including all of the terms and provisions of the common law of such Governmental Authority), as interpreted and enforced at the time in question.

Call Notice ” is defined in Section 4.4(a) .

Capital Account ” means, with respect to any Partner, the Capital Account established and maintained for such Partner in accordance with the following provisions:

(i) To each Partner’s Capital Account there shall be credited (A) such Partner’s Capital Contributions, (B) such Partner’s distributive share of Profits and any items in the nature of income or gain that are specially allocated to such Partner pursuant to Section 5.3 or Section 5.4 and (C) the amount of any Liabilities of the Partnership assumed by such Partner or that are secured by any Property distributed to such Partner;

 

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(ii) To each Partner’s Capital Account there shall be debited (A) the amount of cash and the Gross Asset Value of any Property distributed to such Partner pursuant to any provision of this Agreement, (B) such Partner’s distributive share of Losses and any items in the nature of deduction, expense or loss which are specially allocated to such Partner pursuant to Section 5.3 or Section 5.4 and (C) the amount of any Liabilities of such Partner assumed by the Partnership or that are secured by any Property contributed by such Partner to the Partnership;

(iii) In the event a Partnership Interest is transferred in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the transferee shall succeed to the Capital Account of the transferor to the extent it relates to the transferred interest; and

(iv) In determining the amount of any Liability for purposes of subparagraphs (i) and (ii) above there shall be taken into account Code Section 752(c) and any other applicable provisions of the Code and Regulations.

The foregoing provisions and the other provisions of this Agreement relating to the maintenance of Capital Accounts are intended to comply with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b) and shall be interpreted and applied in a manner consistent with such Regulations. In the event the Tax Matters Partner shall determine in good faith and on a commercially reasonable basis that it is prudent to modify the manner in which the Capital Accounts, or any debits or credits thereto, are computed in order to comply with such Regulations, the Tax Matters Partner may amend this Agreement without the consent of any other Partner notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement (including Section 13.6 ) to make such modification; provided that the Tax Matters Partner shall promptly give each other Partner written notice of such modification. The Tax Matters Partner also shall, in good faith and on a commercially reasonable basis, (A) make any adjustments to the Capital Accounts that are necessary or appropriate to maintain equality between the aggregate Capital Accounts of the Partners and the amount of capital reflected on the Partnership’s balance sheet, as computed for book purposes, in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(q) and (B) make any appropriate modifications to the Capital Accounts in the event unanticipated events might otherwise cause this Agreement not to comply with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b).

Capital Contributions ” means, with respect to any Partner, (i) the amount of cash, cash equivalents or the initial Gross Asset Value of any Property (other than cash) contributed or deemed contributed to the Partnership by such Partner or (ii) current distributions that a Partner is entitled to receive but otherwise waives.

Capital Lease ” means any lease of (or other arrangement conveying the right to use) real or personal property, or a combination thereof, which obligations are required to be classified and accounted for as a capital lease on a consolidated balance sheet of the Partnership and its subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP.

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 2.1 , as such Certificate of Limited Partnership may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

 

3


Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and in effect from time to time. Any reference herein to a specific section or sections of the Code shall be deemed to include a reference to any corresponding provision of any successor law.

Default Interest Amount ” is defined in Section 4.5(c) .

Default Interest Rate ” means the lesser of (a) eight percent (8%) per annum and (b) the maximum rate of interest permitted by Applicable Law.

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

Delinquent Partner ” is defined in Section 4.5(a) .

Depreciation ” means, for each Allocation Year, an amount equal to the depreciation, amortization or other cost recovery deduction allowable with respect to an asset for such Allocation Year for federal income tax purposes, except that (i) if the Gross Asset Value of an asset differs from its adjusted tax basis for federal income tax purposes at the beginning of such Allocation Year and such difference is being eliminated by use of the “remedial allocation method” as defined in Regulations Section 1.704-3(d), Depreciation for such Allocation Year shall equal the amount of book basis recovered for such period under the rules prescribed in Regulations Section 1.704-3(d) and (ii) with respect to any other asset whose Gross Asset Value differs from its adjusted tax basis for federal income tax purposes at the beginning of such Allocation Year, Depreciation shall be an amount that bears the same ratio to such beginning Gross Asset Value as the federal income tax depreciation, amortization or other cost recovery deduction for such Allocation Year bears to such beginning adjusted tax basis; provided , however , that if the adjusted basis for federal income tax purposes of an asset at the beginning of such Allocation Year is zero, Depreciation shall be determined with reference to such beginning Gross Asset Value using any reasonable method selected by the General Partner.

Distributable Cash ” means, with respect to any Quarter: (i) the sum of all cash and cash equivalents of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries on hand at the end of such Quarter; less (ii) the amount of any cash reserves established by the General Partner to (A) provide for the proper conduct of the business of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries (including reserves for future capital or operating expenditures and for anticipated future credit needs of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries) subsequent to such Quarter; and (B) comply with Applicable Law or any loan agreement, security agreement, mortgage, debt instrument or other agreement or obligation to which the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them is bound or any of their respective assets are subject.

Effective Date ” is defined in the introductory paragraph.

Fiscal Year ” means a calendar year ending December 31.

GAAP ” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.

 

4


General Partner ” is defined in the introductory paragraph, provided that such term shall also include such entity’s successors and permitted assigns that are admitted to the Partnership as general partner and any additional general partner of the Partnership, each in its capacity as general partner of the Partnership.

General Partner Interest ” means the equity interest of the General Partner in the Partnership (in its capacity as a general partner without reference to any Limited Partner Interest held by it) 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.

Governmental Authority ” means any federal, state, local or foreign government or any provincial, departmental or other political subdivision thereof, or any entity, body or authority exercising executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory, administrative or other governmental functions or any court, department, commission, board, bureau, agency, instrumentality or administrative body of any of the foregoing.

Gross Asset Value ” means, with respect to any asset, the asset’s adjusted basis for federal income tax purposes, except as follows:

(i) The initial Gross Asset Value of any Property contributed by a Partner to the Partnership shall be the gross fair market value of such asset as agreed to by each Partner or, in the absence of any such agreement, as determined by the General Partner;

(ii) The Gross Asset Values of all items of Property shall be adjusted to equal their respective fair market values as determined by the General Partner as of the following times: (A) the acquisition of an additional interest in the Partnership by any new or existing Partner in exchange for more than a de minimis Capital Contribution, (B) the distribution by the Partnership to a Partner of more than a de minimis amount of Property as consideration for an interest in the Partnership, (C) the issuance of additional Partnership Interests as consideration for the provision of services, (D) the liquidation of the Partnership within the meaning of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g) (other than pursuant to Section 708(b)(1)(B) of the Code), (E) the issuance of a Noncompensatory Option, or (F) any other event to the extent determined by the Partners to be necessary to properly reflect the Gross Asset Values in accordance with the standards set forth in Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(q); provided , however , that in the event of the issuance of an interest in the Partnership pursuant to the exercise of a Noncompensatory Option where the right to share in Partnership capital represented by the Partnership interest differs from the consideration paid to acquire and exercise the Noncompensatory Option, the Gross Asset Value of each Property immediately after the issuance of the Partnership interest shall be adjusted upward or downward to reflect any unrealized gain or unrealized loss attributable to the Property and the Capital Accounts of the Partners shall be adjusted in a manner consistent with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(s); and provided further , however , if any Noncompensatory Options are outstanding upon the occurrence of an event described in this paragraph (ii)(A) through (ii)(F), the Partnership shall adjust the Gross Asset Values of its properties in accordance with Treasury Regulations Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f) and 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(h)(2);

 

5


(iii) The Gross Asset Value of any item of Property distributed to any Partner shall be adjusted to equal the fair market value of such item on the date of distribution as determined by the General Partner; and

(iv) The Gross Asset Value of each item of Property shall be increased (or decreased) to reflect any adjustments to the adjusted basis of such assets pursuant to Code Sections 734(b) or 743(b), but only to the extent that such adjustments are taken into account in determining Capital Accounts pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m) and subparagraph (vi) of the definition of Profits and Losses; provided , however , that Gross Asset Values shall not be adjusted pursuant to this subparagraph (iv) to the extent that an adjustment pursuant to subparagraph (ii) is required in connection with a transaction that would otherwise result in an adjustment pursuant to this subparagraph (iv).

If the Gross Asset Value of an asset has been determined or adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (i), subparagraph (ii) or subparagraph (iv), such Gross Asset Value shall thereafter be adjusted by the Depreciation taken into account with respect to such asset for purposes of computing Profits and Losses.

Guarantees ” by any Person means any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of such Person directly or indirectly guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person or in any manner providing for the payment of any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person or otherwise protecting the holder of such Indebtedness or other obligations against loss (whether arising by virtue of organizational agreements, by obtaining letters of credit, by agreement to keep-well, to take-or-pay or to purchase assets, goods, securities or services, or otherwise); provided that the term “Guarantee” shall not include endorsements for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business.

Indebtedness ” of any Person means, without duplication, (i) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money or with respect to deposits or advances of any kind, (ii) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, (iii) all obligations of such Person upon which interest charges are customarily paid, (iv) all obligations of such Person under conditional sale or other title retention agreements relating to property or assets purchased by such Person, (v) all obligations of such Person issued or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property or services (excluding trade accounts payable, trade advertising and accrued obligations), (vi) all Indebtedness of others secured by (or for which the holder of such Indebtedness has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to be secured by) any lien on property owned or acquired by such Person, whether or not the obligations secured thereby have been assumed, (vii) all Guarantees by such Person of Indebtedness of others, (viii) all Capital Lease obligations of such Person, (ix) all obligations of such Person in respect of interest rate protection agreements, foreign currency exchange agreements or other interest rate hedging arrangements and (x) all obligations of such Person as an account party in respect of letters of credit and bankers’ acceptances. The Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any partnership in which such Person is a general partner, other than to the extent that the instrument or agreement evidencing such Indebtedness expressly limits the Liability of such Person in respect thereof.

 

6


Indemnitee ” means (i) any Partner, (ii) any Person who is or was an Affiliate of a Partner, (iii) any Person who is or was a member, manager, partner, director, officer, fiduciary or trustee of a Partner or any Affiliate of a Partner, (iv) any Person who is or was serving at the request of a Partner or any Affiliate of a Partner as a member, manager, partner, director, officer, 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 (v) any Person the General Partner designates as an “Indemnitee” for purposes of this Agreement because such Person’s status, service or relationship exposes such Person to potential claims, demands, suits or proceedings relating to the business and affairs of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries.

IPO Date ” means the date of the closing of the initial public offering of common units representing limited partner interests in NBLX.

Liability ” means any Indebtedness, obligation or other liability, whether arising under Applicable Law, contract or otherwise, known or unknown, fixed or contingent, real or potential, tangible or intangible, now existing or hereafter arising.

Limited Partner ” is defined in the introductory paragraph, provided that such term shall also include such entity’s successors and permitted assigns that are admitted as a limited partner of the Partnership and each additional Person who becomes a limited partner of the Partnership pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, in each case, in such Person’s capacity as a limited partner of the Partnership.

Limited Partner Interest ” means an equity interest of a Limited Partner in the Partnership (in its capacity as a limited partner without reference to any General Partner Interest held by it) 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 pursuant to the terms and provisions of this Agreement.

Make-Up Contribution ” is defined in Section 4.5(c) .

Minimum Gain ” is defined in Regulations Sections 1.704-2(b)(2) and 1.704-2(d).

NBLX ” means Noble Midstream Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership.

NBLX Partnership Agreement ” means the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of NBLX, substantially in the form attached as an exhibit to NBLX’s registration statement on Form S-1 (file no. 333-207560), that will be entered into in connection with NBLX’s initial public offering, as it may be amended, modified, supplemented or restated from time to time, or any successor agreement.

NDP Amount ” is defined in Section 4.5(b) .

Noncompensatory Option ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.721-2(f).

Nonrecourse Deductions ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(1) and 1.704-2(c).

 

7


Nonrecourse Liability ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(3).

Original LP Agreement ” is defined in the Recitals.

Partner ” means a General Partner or a Limited Partner.

Partner Nonrecourse Debt ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(4).

Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain ” means an amount, with respect to each Partner Nonrecourse Debt, equal to the Minimum Gain that would result if such Partner Nonrecourse Debt were treated as a Nonrecourse Liability, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(3).

Partner Nonrecourse Deductions ” is defined in Regulations Sections 1.704-2(i)(1) and 1.704-2(i)(2).

Partnership ” is defined in the introductory paragraph.

Partnership Interest ” means any equity interest, including any class or series of equity interest, in the Partnership, which shall include any Limited Partner Interests and the General Partner Interest.

Percentage Interest ” means, with respect to any Partner, the percentage interest set forth opposite such Partner’s name on Exhibit A attached hereto. In the event any Partnership Interest is transferred in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, the transferee of such interest shall succeed to the Percentage Interest of his transferor to the extent it relates to the transferred interest.

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

Profits ” and “ Losses ” mean, for each Allocation Year, an amount equal to the Partnership’s taxable income or loss for such Allocation Year, determined in accordance with Code Section 703(a) (for this purpose, all items of income, gain, loss or deduction required to be stated separately pursuant to Code Section 703(a)(1) shall be included in taxable income or loss), with the following adjustments (without duplication):

(i) The Partnership shall be treated as owning directly its proportionate share (as determined by the General Partner) of any other partnership, limited liability company, unincorporated business or other entity classified as a partnership or disregarded entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes of which the Partnership is, directly or indirectly, a partner, member or other equity-holder;

(ii) Any income of the Partnership that is exempt from federal income tax and not otherwise taken into account in computing Profits or Losses pursuant to this definition of Profits and Losses shall be added to such taxable income or loss;

 

8


(iii) Any expenditures of the Partnership described in Code Section 705(a)(2)(B) or treated as Code Section 705(a)(2)(B) expenditures pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(i), and not otherwise taken into account in computing Profits or Losses pursuant to this definition of Profits and Losses, shall be subtracted from such taxable income or loss;

(iv) In the event the Gross Asset Value of any item of Property is adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (ii) or subparagraph (iii) of the definition of Gross Asset Value, the amount of such adjustment shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the Gross Asset Value of the item of Property) or an item of loss (if the adjustment decreases the Gross Asset Value of the item of Property) from the disposition of such asset and shall be taken into account for purposes of computing Profits or Losses;

(v) Gain or loss resulting from any disposition of any Property with respect to which gain or loss is recognized for federal income tax purposes shall be computed by reference to the Gross Asset Value of the item of Property disposed of, notwithstanding that the adjusted tax basis of such Property differs from its Gross Asset Value;

(vi) In lieu of the depreciation, amortization and other cost recovery deductions taken into account in computing such taxable income or loss, there shall be taken into account Depreciation for such Allocation Year, computed in accordance with the definition of Depreciation;

(vii) To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any item of Property pursuant to Code Sections 734(b) or 743(b) is required, pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts as a result of a distribution other than in liquidation of a Partner’s Partnership Interest, the amount of such adjustment shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the item of Property) or loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis) from the disposition of such item of Property and shall be taken into account for purposes of computing Profits or Losses; and

(viii) Notwithstanding any other provision of this definition, any items that are specially allocated pursuant to Section 5.3 or Section 5.4 shall not be taken into account in computing Profits or Losses.

The amounts of the items of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction available to be specially allocated pursuant to Section 5.3 and Section 5.4 shall be determined by applying rules analogous to those set forth in subparagraph (i) through subparagraph (viii) above. For the avoidance of doubt, any guaranteed payment that accrues with respect to an Allocation Year will be treated as an item of deduction of the Partnership for purposes of computing Profits and Losses in accordance with the provisions of Regulations Section 1.707-1(c).

Property ” means all real and personal property acquired by the Partnership, including cash, and any improvements thereto, and shall include both tangible and intangible property.

 

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Quarter ” means, unless the context requires otherwise, a fiscal quarter of the Partnership or, with respect to the fiscal quarter of the Partnership which includes the IPO Date, the portion of such fiscal quarter from and after the IPO Date.

Regulations ” means the Income Tax Regulations, including Temporary Regulations, promulgated under the Code, as such regulations are amended from time to time.

Regulatory Allocations ” is defined in Section 5.4 .

Representative ” is defined in Section 8.3(a) .

Required Contribution ” is defined in Section 4.4(a) .

Subsidiary ” means, with respect to any Person, (a) a corporation of which more than 50% of the voting power of shares entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors or other governing body of such corporation is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof, (b) a partnership (whether general or limited) in which such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of determination, a general or limited partner of such partnership, but only if more than 50% of the general partner interests of such partnership is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof or (c) any other Person (other than a corporation or a partnership) in which such Person, one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, has (i) at least a majority ownership interest or (ii) the power to elect or direct the election of a majority of the directors or other governing body of such Person.

Tax Matters Partner ” is defined in Section 5.9(a) .

Transaction Documents ” is defined in the NBLX Partnership Agreement.

Unanimous Approval Matter ” is defined in Section 8.2 .

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, 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. The General Partner has the power to construe and interpret this Agreement and to act upon any such construction or interpretation. To the fullest extent permitted by law, any construction or interpretation of this Agreement by the General Partner, any action taken pursuant thereto and any determination made by the General Partner in good faith shall, in each case, be conclusive and binding on all Limited Partners, each other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest and all other Persons for all purposes.

 

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ARTICLE II

BUSINESS PURPOSE AND TERM OF PARTNERSHIP

Section 2.1 Formation . The Partnership was previously formed as a limited partnership by the filing of the Certificate of Limited Partnership with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act and the execution of the Original LP Agreement. This Agreement amends and restates the Original LP Agreement in its entirety. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, the rights, duties, liabilities and obligations of the Partners and the administration, dissolution and termination of the Partnership shall be governed by the Delaware Act. All Partnership Interests shall constitute personal property of the owner thereof for all purposes.

Section 2.2 Name . The name of the Partnership shall be “Laramie River DevCo LP”. Subject to Applicable Law, 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, without the consent of any Limited Partner, amend this Agreement and the Certificate of Limited Partnership to 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 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware 19801, and the registered agent for service of process on the Partnership in the State of Delaware at such registered office shall be The Corporation Trust Company. The principal office of the Partnership shall be located at 1001 Noble Energy Way, Houston, Texas 77070, 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 the address set forth on Exhibit A , or such other place as the General Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the Limited Partners. The address of the initial Limited Partner shall be the address set forth on Exhibit A , or such other place as the initial Limited Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the General Partner. The address of each additional Limited Partner shall be the place such Limited Partner designates from time to time by notice to the General Partner.

Section 2.4 Purpose and Business . The purpose and nature of the business to be conducted by the Partnership shall be to engage directly or indirectly in any business activity that is approved by the General Partner and that lawfully may be conducted by a limited partnership organized pursuant to the Delaware Act; provided , however , that the General Partner shall not cause the Partnership to engage, directly or indirectly, in any business activity that the General Partner determines would be reasonably likely to cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the General Partner shall have no duty or obligation to propose or approve the conduct by the Partnership of any business and may decline

 

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to do so free of any fiduciary duty or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership, any Limited Partner or any other Person 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 other agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity, and the General Partner in determining whether to propose or approve the conduct by the Partnership of any business shall be permitted to do so in its sole and absolute discretion.

Section 2.5 Powers . The Partnership shall be empowered to do any and all acts and things necessary, appropriate, proper, advisable, incidental to or convenient for the furtherance and accomplishment of the purposes and business described in Section 2.4 and for the protection and benefit of the Partnership.

Section 2.6 Term . The term of the Partnership commenced upon the filing of the Certificate of Limited Partnership in accordance with the Delaware Act and shall continue 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 Property . Title to Property, 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 Property or any portion thereof. Title to any or all of the Property may be held in the name of the Partnership, the General Partner, one or more Affiliates of the General Partner or one or more nominees of the General Partner or its Affiliates, as the General Partner may determine. The General Partner hereby declares and warrants that any Property for which record title is held in the name of the General Partner or one or more Affiliates of the General Partner or one or more nominees of the General Partner or its Affiliates 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 any successor General Partner. All Property shall be recorded as the property of the Partnership in its books and records, irrespective of the name in which record title to such Property is held.

ARTICLE III

PARTNERS

Section 3.1 Partners; Percentage Interests . The names of the Partners, their respective Percentage Interests, and the type of Partnership Interest held by each Partner are set forth on Exhibit A to this Agreement.

 

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Section 3.2 Adjustments in Percentage Interests . The respective Percentage Interests of the Partners shall be adjusted (a) at the time of any transfer of all or a portion of such Partner’s Partnership Interest pursuant to Section 9.1 , (b) at the time of the issuance of additional Partnership Interests pursuant to Section 8.2(b) and (c) at the time of the admission of each new Partner in accordance with this Agreement, in each case to take into account such transfer, issuance or admission of a new Partner. The General Partner is authorized to amend Exhibit A to this Agreement to reflect any such adjustment without the consent of any other Partner.

Section 3.3 Limitation of Liability . The Limited Partners shall have no liability under this Agreement except as expressly provided in this Agreement or the Delaware Act.

ARTICLE IV

CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Section 4.1 Capitalization of the Partnership . Subject to Section 8.2 , the Partnership is authorized to issue two classes of Partnership Interests. The Partnership Interests shall be designated as General Partner Interests and Limited Partner Interests, each having such rights, powers, preferences and designations as set forth in this Agreement.

Section 4.2 Additional Capital Contributions . The Partners shall make additional Capital Contributions to the Partnership at such times and in such amounts as determined by the Partners in accordance with this Agreement.

Section 4.3 Withdrawal of Capital; Interest . No Partner may withdraw capital or receive any distributions from the Partnership except as specifically provided herein. No interest shall accrue or be payable by the Partnership on any Capital Contributions.

Section 4.4 Capital Contribution Events .

(a) Notwithstanding anything in Section 4.2 to the contrary, whenever the General Partner determines in good faith that additional Capital Contributions in cash from the Partners are necessary to fund the Partnership’s operations, the General Partner may issue a notice to each Partner (a “ Call Notice ”) for an additional Capital Contribution by each Partner (a “ Required Contribution ”) in an amount equal to such Partner’s pro rata portion (based on the Percentage Interests of the Partners) of the aggregate additional Capital Contribution determined to be necessary by the General Partner not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the date the General Partner determines such additional Capital Contributions shall be made by the Partners.

(b) All Call Notices shall be expressed in U.S. dollars and shall state the date on which payment is due and the bank(s) or account(s) to which payment is to be made. Each Call Notice shall specify in reasonable detail the purpose(s) for which such Required Contribution is required and the amount of the Required Contribution to be made by each Partner pursuant to such Call Notice. Each Partner shall contribute its Required Contribution within five (5) Business Days of the date of delivery of the relevant Call Notice. The Partnership shall use the proceeds of such Required Contributions exclusively for the purpose specified in the relevant Call Notice.

 

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Section 4.5 Failure to Contribute .

(a) If a Partner fails to contribute all or any portion of a Required Contribution that such Partner (a “ Delinquent Partner ”) is required to make as provided in this Agreement, then, while such Partner is a Delinquent Partner, each non-Delinquent Partner may (but shall have no obligation to) elect to fund all or any portion of the Delinquent Partner’s Required Contribution as a Capital Contribution pursuant to this Section 4.5 . If a non-Delinquent Partner so desires to fund such amount, such non-Delinquent Partner shall so notify each of the other non-Delinquent Partners, who shall have five (5) days thereafter to elect to participate in such funding.

(b) The portion that each participating non-Delinquent Partner may fund as a Capital Contribution pursuant to this Section 4.5 (the “ NDP Amount ”) shall be equal to the product of (x) the delinquent amount of such Required Contribution multiplied by (y) a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the Percentage Interest then held by such participating non-Delinquent Partner and the denominator of which shall be the aggregate Percentage Interest held by all such participating non-Delinquent Partners; provided , that if any participating non-Delinquent Partner elects to fund less than its full allocation of such amount, the fully participating non-Delinquent Partners shall be entitled to take up such shortfall (allocated, as necessary, based on their respective Percentage Interests). Upon such funding as a Capital Contribution, the Partnership Interest and Percentage Interest of each Partner shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect all such funding (based on total Capital Contributions).

(c) Notwithstanding anything in this Section 4.5 to the contrary, the Delinquent Partner may cure such delinquency (i) by contributing its Required Contribution prior to the Capital Contribution being made by another Partner or (ii) on or before the sixtieth (60th) day following the date that the participating non-Delinquent Partner(s) satisfied the Required Contribution, by making a Capital Contribution to the Partnership in an amount equal to the Required Contribution (a “ Make-Up Contribution ”) and paying to each participating non-Delinquent Partner an amount equal to its respective NDP Amount multiplied by the Default Interest Rate for the period from the date such participating non-Delinquent Partner funded its NDP Amount to the date that the Delinquent Partner makes its Make-Up Contribution (the “ Default Interest Amount ”). If a Delinquent Partner cures its delinquency pursuant to Section 4.5(c)(ii) by making a Make-Up Contribution and paying the Default Interest Amount, then (A) first, the Partnership shall distribute to each existing Partner that is a participating non-Delinquent Partner the NDP Amount that such participating non-Delinquent Partner funded pursuant to Section 4.5(b) , (B) second, the respective Capital Accounts and Percentage Interests of the Partners shall be adjusted with all necessary increases or decreases to return the Partners’ Capital Accounts and Percentage Interests status quo ante application of Section 4.5(b) and (C) third, the Percentage Interest and Partnership Interests of each Partner shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect the Make-Up Contribution (based on total Capital Contributions). If the delinquency is remedied (i) by the Delinquent Partner making its Required Contribution or Make-Up Contribution pursuant to this Section 4.5(c) or (ii) by funding by the non-Delinquent Partner(s) as a Capital Contribution pursuant to Section 4.5(b) , the Delinquent Partner shall no longer be deemed to be a Delinquent Partner with respect to the unfunded Required Contribution.

 

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ARTICLE V

ALLOCATIONS AND OTHER TAX MATTERS

Section 5.1 Profits . After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 5.3 and Section 5.4 , and any allocation of Profits set forth in Section 5.2(b) , Profits for any Allocation Year shall be allocated among the Partners in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests.

Section 5.2 Losses .

(a) After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 5.3 and Section 5.4 , Losses for any Allocation Year shall be allocated among the Partners in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests.

(b) The Losses allocated pursuant to Section 5.2(a) shall not exceed the maximum amount of Losses that can be so allocated without causing any Partner to have an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit at the end of any Allocation Year. In the event some but not all of the Partners would have Adjusted Capital Account Deficits as a result of an allocation of Losses pursuant to Section 5.2(a) , Losses that would otherwise be allocated to a Partner pursuant to Section 5.2(a) but for the limitation set forth in this Section 5.2(b) shall be allocated to the remaining Partners in proportion to their relative Percentage Interests. All remaining Losses in excess of the limitation set forth in this Section 5.2(b) shall be allocated to the General Partner. Profits for any Allocation Year subsequent to an Allocation Year for which the limitation set forth in this Section 5.2(b) was applicable shall be allocated (i) first, to reverse any Losses allocated to the General Partner pursuant to the third sentence of this Section 5.2(b) and (ii) second, to reverse any Losses allocated to the Partners pursuant to the second sentence of this Section 5.2(b) and in proportion to how such Losses were allocated.

Section 5.3 Special Allocations . The following special allocations shall be made in the following order:

(a) Minimum Gain Chargeback . Except as otherwise provided in Regulations Section 1.704-2(f), notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V , if there is a net decrease in Minimum Gain during any Allocation Year, each Partner shall be specially allocated items of Partnership income and gain for such Allocation Year (and, if necessary, subsequent Allocation Years) in an amount equal to such Partner’s share of the net decrease in Minimum Gain, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(g). Allocations pursuant to the previous sentence shall be made in proportion to the respective amounts required to be allocated to each Partner pursuant thereto. The items to be so allocated shall be determined in accordance with Regulations Sections 1.704-2(f)(6) and 1.704-2(g)(2). This Section 5.3(a) is intended to comply with the minimum gain chargeback requirement in Regulations Section 1.704-2(f) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(b) Partner Minimum Gain Chargeback . Except as otherwise provided in Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(4), notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V , if there is a net decrease in Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain attributable to a Partner Nonrecourse Debt during any Allocation Year, each Partner who has a share of the Partner Nonrecourse Debt

 

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Minimum Gain attributable to such Partner Nonrecourse Debt, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(5), shall be specially allocated items of Partnership income and gain for such Allocation Year (and, if necessary, subsequent Allocation Years) in an amount equal to such Partner’s share of the net decrease in Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain attributable to such Partner Nonrecourse Debt, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(4). Allocations pursuant to the previous sentence shall be made in proportion to the respective amounts required to be allocated to each Partner pursuant thereto. The items to be so allocated shall be determined in accordance with Regulations Sections 1.704-2(i)(4) and 1.704-2(j)(2). This Section 5.3(b) is intended to comply with the minimum gain chargeback requirement in Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(4) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(c) Qualified Income Offset . In the event that any Partner unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations or distributions described in Regulations Sections 1.704- 1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5) or 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6), items of Partnership income and gain shall be allocated to such Partner in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate, to the extent required by the Regulations, the Adjusted Capital Account Deficit of such Partner as quickly as possible; provided that an allocation pursuant to this Section 5.3(c) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would have an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit after all other allocations provided for in this Article V have been tentatively made as if this Section 5.3(c) were not in this Agreement.

(d) Gross Income Allocation . In the event that any Partner has an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit at the end of any Allocation Year, each such Partner shall be allocated items of Partnership income and gain in the amount of such deficit as quickly as possible; provided that an allocation pursuant to this Section 5.3(d) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would have an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit after all other allocations provided for in this Article V have been tentatively made as if Section 5.3(c) and this Section 5.3(d) were not in this Agreement.

(e) Nonrecourse Deductions . Nonrecourse Deductions for any Allocation Year shall be allocated among the Partners in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests.

(f) Partner Nonrecourse Deductions . Any Partner Nonrecourse Deductions for any Allocation Year shall be specially allocated to the Partner who bears the economic risk of loss with respect to the Partner Nonrecourse Debt to which such Partner Nonrecourse Deductions are attributable in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(1).

(g) Nonrecourse Liabilities . Nonrecourse Liabilities of the Partnership described in Regulations Section 1.752-3(a)(3) shall be allocated among the Partners in the manner chosen by the General Partner and consistent with such section of the Regulations.

(h) Section 754 Adjustments . To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Property, pursuant to Code Section 734(b) or Code Section 743(b) is required, pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(2) or 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts as the result of a distribution to a Partner in complete liquidation of such Partner’s Partnership Interest, the amount of such adjustment to Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the asset) or

 

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loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis) and such gain or loss shall be specially allocated to the Partners in accordance with their interests in the Partnership in the event Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(2) applies, or to the Partner to whom such distribution was made in the event Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4) applies.

Section 5.4 Curative Allocations . The allocations set forth in Section 5.3 (the “ Regulatory Allocations ”) are intended to comply with certain requirements of the Regulations. It is the intent of the Partners that, to the extent possible, the Regulatory Allocations shall be offset either with special allocations of other items of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to this Section 5.4 . Therefore, notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V (other than the Regulatory Allocations), the Tax Matters Partner shall make such offsetting special allocations of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction in whatever manner it determines appropriate so that, after such offsetting allocations are made, each Partner’s Capital Account balance is, to the extent possible, equal to the Capital Account balance such Partner would have had if the Regulatory Allocations were not part of this Agreement and all Partnership items were allocated pursuant to Section 5.1 , Section 5.2 and Section 5.3 (other than the Regulatory Allocations). In exercising its discretion under this Section 5.4 , the Tax Matters Partner shall take into account future Regulatory Allocations that, although not yet made, are likely to offset other Regulatory Allocations previously made.

Section 5.5 Other Allocation Rules .

(a) Profits, Losses and any other items of income, gain, loss, or deduction shall be allocated to the Partners pursuant to this Article V as of the last day of each Fiscal Year; provided that Profits, Losses and such other items shall also be allocated at such times as the Gross Asset Values of the Partnership’s assets are adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (ii) of the definition of “Gross Asset Value” in Section 1.1 .

(b) For purposes of determining the Profits, Losses or any other items allocable to any period, Profits, Losses and any such other items shall be determined on a daily proration basis by the General Partner under Code Section 706 and the Regulations thereunder.

Section 5.6 Tax Allocations: Code Section 704(c) .

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Section 5.6 , each item of income, gain, loss and deduction of the Partnership for federal income tax purposes shall be allocated among the Partners in the same manner as such items are allocated for book purposes under this Article V . In accordance with Code Section 704(c) and the Regulations thereunder, income, gain, loss and deduction with respect to any Property contributed to the capital of the Partnership shall, solely for tax purposes, be allocated among the Partners so as to take account of any variation between the adjusted basis of such Property to the Partnership for federal income tax purposes and its initial Gross Asset Value (computed in accordance with the definition of Gross Asset Value). Such allocation shall be made in accordance with the “remedial method” described by Regulations Section 1.704-3(d).

(b) In the event the Gross Asset Value of any Property is adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (ii) of the definition of Gross Asset Value, subsequent allocations of income, gain,

 

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loss and deduction with respect to such Property shall take account of any variation between the adjusted basis of such Property for federal income tax purposes and its Gross Asset Value in the same manner as under Code Section 704(c) and the Regulations thereunder. Such allocation shall be made in accordance with the “remedial method” described by Regulations Section 1.704-3(d).

(c) In accordance with Regulations 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 Property shall, to the extent possible, after taking into account other required allocations of gain pursuant to this Section 5.6(c) , 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.”

(d) Any elections or other decisions relating to such allocations shall be made by the General Partner in any manner that reasonably reflects the purpose and intention of this Agreement. Allocations pursuant to this Section 5.6 are solely for purposes of federal, state and local taxes and shall not affect, or in any way be taken into account in computing, any Partner’s Capital Account or share of Profits, Losses, other items or distributions pursuant to any provision of this Agreement.

Section 5.7 Tax Elections .

(a) The Partners intend that the Partnership be treated as a partnership or a “disregarded entity” for federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, neither the Tax Matters Partner nor any Limited Partner shall file any election or return on its own behalf or on behalf of the Partnership that is inconsistent with that intent.

(b) The Partnership shall make the election under Code Section 754 in accordance with the applicable Regulations issued 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 Partners.

(c) Any elections or other decisions relating to tax matters that are not expressly provided herein, shall be made jointly by the Partners in any manner that reasonably reflects the purpose and intention of this Agreement.

Section 5.8 Tax Returns .

(a) The Partnership shall cause to be prepared and timely filed all federal, state, local and foreign income tax returns and reports required to be filed by the Partnership and its subsidiaries. The Partnership shall provide copies of all the Partnership’s federal, state, local and foreign tax returns (and any schedules or other required filings related to such returns) that reflect items of income, gain, deduction, loss or credit that flow to separate Partner returns, to the Partners for their review and comment prior to filing, except as otherwise agreed by the Partners. The Partners agree in good faith to resolve any difference in the tax treatment of any item affecting such returns and schedules. However, if the Partners are unable to resolve the dispute, the position of the Tax Matters Partner shall be followed if nationally recognized tax counsel acceptable to the Partners provides an opinion that substantial authority exists for such position.

 

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Substantial authority shall be given the meaning ascribed to it for purposes of applying Code Section 6662. If the Partners are unable to resolve the dispute prior to the due date for filing the return, including approved extensions, the position of the Tax Matters Partner shall be followed, and amended returns shall be filed if necessary at such time the dispute is resolved. The costs of the dispute shall be borne by the Partnership. The Partners agree to file their separate federal income tax returns in a manner consistent with the Partnership’s return, the provisions of this Agreement and in accordance with Applicable Law.

(b) The Partnership shall elect the most rapid method of depreciation and amortization allowed under Applicable Law, unless the Partners agree otherwise.

(c) The Partners shall provide each other with copies of all correspondence or summaries of other communications with the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority (other than routine correspondence and communications) regarding the tax treatment of the Partnership’s operations. No Partner shall enter into settlement negotiations with the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority with respect to any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits if the tax adjustment attributable to such issue (assuming the then current aggregate tax rate) would be $100,000 or greater, without first giving reasonable advance notice of such intended action to the other Partners.

Section 5.9 Tax Matters Partner .

(a) The General Partner shall be the “ Tax Matters Partner ” of the Partnership within the meaning of Section 6231(a)(7) of the Code, and shall act in any similar capacity under the Applicable Law of any state, local or foreign jurisdiction, but only with respect to returns for which items of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit flow to the separate returns of the Partners. If at any time there is more than one General Partner, the Tax Matters Partner shall be the General Partner with the largest Percentage Interest following such admission.

(b) The Tax Matters Partner shall incur no Liability (except as a result of the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Tax Matters Partner) to the Partnership or the other Partners including, but not limited to, Liability for any additional taxes, interest or penalties owed by the other Partners due to adjustments of Partnership items of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit at the Partnership level.

Section 5.10 Duties of Tax Matters Partner .

(a) Except as provided in Section 5.10(b) , the Tax Matters Partner shall cooperate with the other Partners and shall promptly provide the other Partners with copies of notices or other materials from, and inform the other Partners of discussions engaged with, the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority and shall provide the other Partners with notice of all scheduled proceedings, including meetings with agents of the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority, technical advice conferences, appellate hearings, and similar conferences and hearings, as soon as possible after receiving notice of the scheduling of such proceedings, but in any case prior to the date of such scheduled proceedings.

 

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(b) The duties of the Tax Matters Partner under Section 5.10(a) shall not apply with respect to notices, materials, discussions, proceedings, meetings, conferences, or hearings involving any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits if the tax adjustment attributable to such issue (assuming the then current aggregate tax rate) would be less than $100,000 except as otherwise required under Applicable Law.

(c) The Tax Matters Partner shall not extend the period of limitations or assessments without the consent of the other Partners, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

(d) The Tax Matters Partner shall not file a petition or complaint in any court, or file any claim, amended return or request for an administrative adjustment with respect to partnership items, after any return has been filed, with respect to any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits if the tax adjustment attributable to such issue (assuming the then current aggregate tax rate) would be $100,000 or greater, unless agreed by the other Partners. If the other Partners do not agree, the position of the Tax Matters Partner shall be followed if nationally recognized tax counsel acceptable to all Partners issues an opinion that a reasonable basis exists for such position. Reasonable basis shall be given the meaning ascribed to it for purposes of applying Code Section 6662. The costs of the dispute shall be borne by the Partnership.

(e) The Tax Matters Partner shall not enter into any settlement agreement with the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority, either before or after any audit of the applicable return is completed, with respect to any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits, unless any of the following apply:

(i) all Partners agree to the settlement;

(ii) the tax effect of the issue if resolved adversely would be, and the tax effect of settling the issue is, proportionately the same for all Partners (assuming each otherwise has substantial taxable income);

(iii) the Tax Matters Partner determines that the settlement of the issue is fair to the Partners; or

(iv) tax counsel acceptable to all Partners determines that the settlement is fair to all Partners and is one it would recommend to the Partnership if all Partners were owned by the same person and each had substantial taxable income.

In all events, the costs incurred by the Tax Matters Partner in performing its duties hereunder shall be borne by the Partnership.

(f) The Tax Matters Partner may request extensions to file any tax return or statement without the written consent of, but shall so inform, the other Partners.

Section 5.11 Survival of Provisions . To the fullest extent permitted by law, the provisions of this Agreement regarding the Partnership’s tax returns and Tax Matters Partner shall survive the termination of the Partnership and the transfer of any Partner’s interest in the Partnership and shall remain in effect for the period of time necessary to resolve any and all matters regarding the federal, state, local and foreign taxation of the Partnership and items of Partnership income, gain, loss, deduction and credit.

 

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ARTICLE VI

DISTRIBUTIONS

Section 6.1 Distributions of Distributable Cash . Within 40 days following the end of each Quarter commencing with the Quarter that includes the IPO Date, the Partnership shall distribute to the Partners pro rata in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests an amount equal to 100% of Distributable Cash. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Partnership shall not make a distribution to any Partner on account of its interest in the Partnership if such distribution would violate the Delaware Act or other Applicable Law.

Section 6.2 Liquidating Distributions . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article VI (other than the last sentence of Section 6.1 ), distributions with respect to the Quarter in which a dissolution of the Partnership occurs shall be made in accordance with Article XII .

Section 6.3 Distribution in Kind . The Partnership shall not distribute to the Partners any assets in kind unless approved by the Partners in accordance with this Agreement. If cash and property in kind are to be distributed simultaneously, the Partnership shall distribute such cash and property in kind in the same proportion to each Partner, unless otherwise approved by the Partners in accordance with this Agreement.

ARTICLE VII

BOOKS AND RECORDS

Section 7.1 Books and Records; Examination . The General Partner shall keep or cause to be kept such books of account and records with respect to the Partnership’s business as it may deem necessary and appropriate. Each Partner and its duly authorized representatives shall have the right, for any purpose reasonably related to its interest in the Partnership, at any time to examine, or to appoint independent certified public accountants (the fees of which shall be paid by such Partner) to examine, the books, records and accounts of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries, their operations and all other matters that such Partner may wish to examine, including all documentation relating to actual or proposed transactions between the Partnership and any Partner or any Affiliate of a Partner. The Partnership’s books of account shall be kept using the method of accounting determined by the General Partner.

Section 7.2 Reports . The General Partner shall prepare and send to each Partner (at the same time) promptly such financial information of the Partnership as a Partner shall from time to time reasonably request, for any purpose reasonably related to its interest in the Partnership. The General Partner shall, for any purpose reasonably related to a Partner’s interest in the Partnership, permit examination and audit of the Partnership’s books and records by both the internal and independent auditors of its Partners.

 

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ARTICLE VIII

MANAGEMENT AND VOTING

Section 8.1 Management . The General Partner shall conduct, direct and manage the business of the Partnership. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, all management powers over the business and affairs of the Partnership shall be exclusively vested in the General Partner, and no Limited Partner shall have any management power over the business and affairs of the Partnership. In addition to the powers now or hereafter granted a general partner of a limited partnership under the Delaware Act or which are granted to the General Partner under any other provision of this Agreement, the General Partner, subject to Section 8.2 , shall have full power and authority to do all things on such terms as it, in its sole discretion, may deem necessary or appropriate to conduct the business of the Partnership and to effectuate the purposes set forth in Section 2.4 . The Partnership shall reimburse the General Partner, on a monthly basis or such other basis as the General Partner may determine, for all direct and indirect costs and expenses incurred by the General Partner or payments made by the General Partner, in its capacity as the general partner of the Partnership, for and on behalf of the Partnership. Except as provided in this Section 8.1 , and elsewhere in this Agreement, the General Partner shall not be compensated for its services as the general partner of the Partnership.

Section 8.2 Matters Constituting Unanimous Approval Matters . Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement or the Delaware Act to the contrary, and subject to the provisions of Section 8.3(c) , each of the following matters, and only the following matters, shall constitute a “ Unanimous Approval Matter ” which requires the prior approval of all of the Partners pursuant to Section 8.3(c) :

(a) any merger, consolidation, reorganization or similar transaction between or among the Partnership and any Person (other than a transaction between the Partnership and a direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of the Partnership) or any sale or lease of all or substantially all of the Partnership’s assets to any Person (other than a direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of the Partnership);

(b) the creation of any new class of Partnership Interests, the issuance of any additional Partnership Interests or the issuance of any security that is convertible into or exchangeable for a Partnership Interest;

(c) the admission or withdrawal of any Person as a Partner other than pursuant to (i) the third sentence of Section 9.2 , (ii)  Section 9.4 or (iii) any transfer of Partnership Interests pursuant to Section 9.1(b) , as applicable;

(d) the commencement of a voluntary case with respect to the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar Applicable Law now or hereafter in effect, or the consent to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case under any such Applicable Law, or the consent to the appointment of or the taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee or sequestrator (or similar official) of the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries or for any substantial part of the Partnership’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ property, or the making of any general assignment for the benefit of creditors;

 

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(e) the modification, alteration or amendment of the amount, timing, frequency or method of calculation of distributions to the Partners from that provided in Article VI ;

(f) (i) the approval of any distribution by the Partnership to the Partners of any assets in kind (other than cash or cash equivalents), (ii) the approval of any distribution by the Partnership to the Partners of cash or property in kind on a non-pro rata basis and (iii) the determination of the value assigned to distributions of property in kind;

(g) other than pursuant to Section 4.4 , the making of any additional Capital Contributions to the Partnership; and

(h) any other provision of this Agreement expressly requiring the approval, consent or other form of authorization of all of the Partners.

Section 8.3 Meetings and Voting .

(a) Representatives . For purposes of this Article VIII and subject to the General Partner’s authority under Section 8.1 , each Partner shall be represented by a designated representative (each, a “ Representative ”), who shall be appointed by, and may be removed with or without cause by, the Partner that designated such Person. Each Representative shall have the full authority to act on behalf of the Partner who designated such Representative. To the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, each Representative shall be deemed the agent of the Partner that appointed him, and each Representative shall not be an agent of the Partnership or the other Partners. The action of a Representative at a meeting of the Partners (or through a written consent) shall bind the Partner that designated that Representative, and the other Partners shall be entitled to rely upon such action without further inquiry or investigation as to the actual authority (or lack thereof) of such Representative.

(b) Meetings and Voting . Meetings of Partners shall be at such times and locations as the General Partner shall determine in its sole discretion. The General Partner shall provide notice to the Limited Partners of any meetings of Partners in any manner that it deems reasonable and appropriate under the circumstances. The holders of a majority, by Percentage Interest, of Partnership Interests for which a meeting has been called (including Partnership Interests owned by the General Partner) represented in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of Partners unless any such action by the Partners requires approval by holders of a greater Percentage Interest, in which case the quorum shall be such greater Percentage Interest. At any meeting of the Partners duly called and held in accordance with this Agreement at which a quorum is present, the act of Partners holding Partnership Interests that, in the aggregate, represent a majority of the Percentage Interests 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. 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 Interests specified in this Agreement. In the absence of a quorum, any meeting of

 

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Partners may be adjourned from time to time by the affirmative vote of Partners with at least a majority of the Percentage Interests of the Partners entitled to vote at such meeting (including the General Partner) represented either in person or by proxy, but no other business may be transacted.

(c) Unanimous Approval Matters . All Unanimous Approval Matters shall be approved by the unanimous affirmative vote of all of the Partners. Each Partner acknowledges and agrees that all references in this Agreement to any approval, consent or other form of authorization by “all Partners,” “each of the Partners” or similar phrases shall be deemed to mean that such approval, consent or other form of authorization shall constitute a Unanimous Approval Matter that requires the unanimous approval of all of the Partners in accordance with this Section 8.3(c) .

(d) Action Without a Meeting . Any action that may be taken at a meeting of the Partners may be taken without a meeting and without prior notice if an approval in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by the Partners owning not less than the minimum Percentage Interests of the Partnership Interests that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all of the Partners were present and voted. Prompt notice of the taking of action without a meeting shall be given to the Partners who have not approved such action in writing.

Section 8.4 Reliance by Third Parties . Persons dealing with the Partnership are entitled to rely conclusively upon the power and authority of the General Partner set forth in this Agreement. Neither a Limited Partner nor its Representative shall have the authority to bind the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries.

Section 8.5 Reimbursement of the General Partner . The General Partner shall be reimbursed on a monthly basis, or such other basis as the General Partner may determine, for (i) all direct and indirect expenses it incurs or payments it makes on behalf of the Partnership (including salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to any Person, including Affiliates of the General Partner, to perform services for the Partnership or for the General Partner in the discharge of its duties to the Partnership) and (ii) all other expenses allocable to the Partnership or otherwise incurred by the General Partner or its Affiliates in connection with managing and operating the Partnership’s business and affairs (including expenses allocated to the General Partner by its Affiliates). The General Partner shall determine the expenses that are allocable to the Partnership. Reimbursements pursuant to this Section 8.5 shall be in addition to any reimbursement to the General Partner as a result of indemnification pursuant to Section 10.3 . Any allocation of expenses to the Partnership by the General Partner in a manner consistent with its or its Affiliates’ past business practices shall be permitted by, and not constitute a breach of, this Agreement or any duty owed by the General Partner to the Partnership, the Partners, or any other Person bound by this Agreement.

 

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ARTICLE IX

TRANSFER OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

Section 9.1 Restrictions on Transfers .

(a) General . Except as expressly provided by this Article IX , no Partner shall transfer all or any part of its Partnership Interests to any Person without first obtaining the written approval of each of the other Partners, which approval may be granted or withheld in their sole discretion.

(b) Transfer by Operation of Law . In the event a Partner shall be party to a merger, consolidation or similar business combination transaction with another Person or sell all or substantially all its assets to another Person, such Partner may transfer all or part of its Partnership Interests to such other Person without the approval of any other Partner.

(c) Consequences of an Unpermitted Transfer . To the fullest extent permitted by law, any transfer of a Partner’s Partnership Interest in violation of the applicable provisions of this Agreement shall be void.

Section 9.2 Conditions for Admission . No transferee of all or a portion of the Partnership Interests of any Partner shall be admitted as a Partner hereunder unless such Partnership Interests are transferred in compliance with the applicable provisions of this Agreement. Each such transferee shall have executed and delivered to the Partnership such instruments as the General Partner deems necessary or appropriate in its sole discretion to effectuate the admission of such transferee as a Partner and to confirm the agreement of such transferee to be bound by all the terms and provisions of this Agreement. The admission of a transferee shall be effective immediately prior to such transfer and, immediately following such admission, the transferor shall cease to be a Partner (to the extent it transferred its entire Partnership Interest). If the General Partner transfers its entire General Partner Interest in the Partnership, the transferee General Partner, to the extent admitted as a substitute General Partner, is hereby authorized to, and shall, continue the Partnership without dissolution.

Section 9.3 Allocations and Distributions . Subject to applicable Regulations, upon the transfer of all the Partnership Interests of a Partner as herein provided, the Profit or Loss of the Partnership attributable to the Partnership Interests so transferred for the Fiscal Year in which such transfer occurs shall be allocated between the transferor and transferee as of the effective date of the assignment, and such allocation shall be based upon any permissible method agreed to by the Partners that is provided for in Code Section 706 and the Regulations issued thereunder.

Section 9.4 Restriction on Resignation or Withdrawal . Except in connection with a transfer permitted pursuant to Section 9.1 or as contemplated by Section 12.1 , no Partner shall withdraw from the Partnership without the consent of each of the other Partners. To the extent permitted by law, any purported withdrawal from the Partnership in violation of this Section 9.4 shall be null and void.

 

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ARTICLE X

LIABILITY, EXCULPATION AND INDEMNIFICATION

Section 10.1 Liability for Partnership Obligations . Except as otherwise required by the Delaware Act, the Liabilities of the Partnership shall be solely the Liabilities of the Partnership, and no Indemnitee (other than the General Partner) shall be obligated personally for any such Liability of the Partnership solely by reason of being an Indemnitee.

Section 10.2 Disclaimer of Duties and Exculpation .

(a) Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by law, no Indemnitee shall have any duty (fiduciary or otherwise) or obligation to the Partnership, the Partners or to any other Person bound by this Agreement, and in taking, or refraining from taking, any action required or permitted under this Agreement or under Applicable Law, each Indemnitee shall be entitled to consider only such interests and factors as such Indemnitee deems advisable, including its own interests, and need not consider any interest of or factors affecting, any other Indemnitee or the Partnership notwithstanding any duty otherwise existing at law or in equity. To the extent that an Indemnitee is required or permitted under this Agreement to act in “good faith” or under another express standard, such Indemnitee shall act under such express standard and shall not be subject to any other or different standard under this Agreement or otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity.

(b) The provisions of this Agreement, to the extent that they restrict or eliminate the duties (including fiduciary duties) and Liabilities of an Indemnitee otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity, are agreed by the Partners to replace such other duties and Liabilities of such Indemnitee in their entirety, and no Indemnitee shall be liable to the Partnership, the Partners or any other Person bound by this Agreement for its good faith reliance on the provisions of this Agreement.

(c) To the fullest extent permitted by law, no Indemnitee shall be liable to the Partnership, the Partners or any other Person bound by this Agreement for any cost, expense, loss, damage, claim or Liability incurred by reason of any act or omission performed or omitted by such Indemnitee in such capacity, whether or not such Person continues to be an Indemnitee at the time of such cost, expense, loss, damage, claim or Liability is incurred or imposed, if the Indemnitee acted in good faith reliance on the provisions of this Agreement, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, such Indemnitee had no reasonable cause to believe its conduct was unlawful.

(d) An Indemnitee shall be fully protected from liability to the Partnership, the Partners and any other Person bound by this Agreement in acting or refraining from acting in good faith reliance upon the records of the Partnership and such other information, opinions, reports or statements presented to the Partnership by any Person as to any matters the Indemnitee reasonably believes are within such other Person’s professional or expert competence and who has been selected with reasonable care by or on behalf of the Partnership, including information, opinions, reports or statements as to the value and amount of the assets, Liabilities, Profits and Losses of the Partnership.

 

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Section 10.3 Indemnification .

(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law but subject to the limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, all Indemnitees shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Partnership from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other amounts arising from any and all threatened, pending or completed claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, and whether formal or informal and including appeals, in which any Indemnitee may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of its status as an Indemnitee and acting (or refraining to act) in such capacity on behalf of or for the benefit of the Partnership; 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 engaged in intentional fraud, willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful; provided, further , no indemnification pursuant to this Section 10.3 shall be available to any Affiliate of the Partnership, or to any other Indemnitee, with respect to any such Affiliate’s obligations pursuant to the Transaction Documents. Any indemnification or advancement of expenses pursuant to this Section 10.3 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 or advancement of expenses and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Partnership to enable it to effectuate such indemnification or advancement of expenses.

(b) To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses (including legal fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnitee who is entitled to be indemnified pursuant to Section 10.3(a) in 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 10.3 , 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 10.3 .

(c) The indemnification provided by this Section 10.3 shall be in addition to any other rights to which an Indemnitee may be entitled under any agreement, 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, executors and administrators of the Indemnitee.

(d) The Partnership may purchase and maintain (or reimburse the General Partner or its Affiliates for the cost of) insurance, on behalf of the General Partner, its Affiliates and such other Persons as the General Partner shall determine, against any liability that may be asserted against or expense that may be incurred by such Person in connection with the Partnership’s activities or such Person’s activities on behalf of the Partnership, regardless of whether the Partnership would have the power to indemnify such Person against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement.

 

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(e) For purposes of this Section 10.3 , 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 10.3(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 subjectively believed by it not to be adverse to the interests of the participants and beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose that is on behalf of and for the benefit of the Partnership and not adverse to the interests of the Partnership.

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

(g) An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in whole or in part under this Section 10.3 solely because the Indemnitee had an interest in the transaction with respect to which the indemnification applies.

(h) The provisions of this Section 10.3 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 10.3 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 10.3 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.

ARTICLE XI

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Section 11.1 Transactions with Affiliates . The Partnership and its Subsidiaries shall be permitted to enter into or renew or extend the term of any agreement or transaction with a Partner or an Affiliate of a Partner on such terms and conditions as the General Partner shall approve in its sole discretion, without the approval of any Limited Partner.

Section 11.2 Outside Activities . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement or any duty otherwise existing at law or in equity, (a) the engaging in activities by any Indemnitee that are competitive with the business of the Partnership is hereby approved by all Partners, (b) it shall not be a breach of any fiduciary duty or any other duty or obligation of a Partner under this Agreement or otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity for such Indemnitee to engage in such activities in preference to or to the exclusion of the Partnership, (c) an Indemnitee shall have no obligation under this Agreement or as a result of any duty (including

 

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any fiduciary duty) otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity, to present business opportunities to the Partnership and (d) the doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any analogous doctrine, shall not apply to any Indemnitee; provided such Indemnitee does not engage in such activity as a result of or using confidential or proprietary information provided by or on behalf of the Partnership to such Indemnitee.

ARTICLE XII

DISSOLUTION AND TERMINATION

Section 12.1 Dissolution . The Partnership shall be dissolved and its business and affairs wound up upon the earliest to occur of any one of the following events:

(a) at any time there are no Limited Partners of the Partnership, unless the business of the Partnership is continued in accordance with the Delaware Act;

(b) the written consent of all the Partners;

(c) an “event of withdrawal” (as defined in the Delaware Act) of the General Partner; or

(d) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Partnership pursuant to Section 17-802 of the Delaware Act.

The bankruptcy, involuntary liquidation or dissolution of a Partner shall cause that Partner to cease to be a partner of the Partnership. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Partnership shall not be dissolved and its business and affairs shall not be wound up upon the occurrence of any event specified in clause (c) above if, at the time of occurrence of such event, there is at least one remaining General Partner (who is hereby authorized to, and shall, carry on the business of the Partnership) and at least one Limited Partner, or if within ninety (90) days after the date on which such event occurs, the remaining Partners elect in writing to continue the business of the Partnership and to the appointment, effective as of the date of such event, if required, of one or more additional General Partners of the Partnership. Except as provided in this paragraph, and to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware Act, the occurrence of an event that causes a Partner to cease to be a Partner of the Partnership shall not, in and of itself, cause the Partnership to be dissolved or its business or affairs to be wound up, and upon the occurrence of such an event, the business of the Partnership shall, to the extent permitted by the Delaware Act, continue without dissolution.

Section 12.2 Winding Up of Partnership . Upon dissolution, the Partnership’s business shall be wound up in an orderly manner. The General Partner shall (unless the General Partner (or, if no General Partner, the remaining Limited Partners) elects to appoint a liquidating trustee) wind up the affairs of the Partnership pursuant to this Agreement. In performing its duties, the General Partner or liquidating trustee is authorized to sell, distribute, exchange or otherwise dispose of the assets of the Partnership in accordance with the Delaware Act and in any reasonable manner that the General Partner or liquidating trustee shall determine to be not adverse to the interests of the Partners or their successors-in-interest. The General Partner or liquidating trustee shall take full account of the Partnership’s Liabilities and Property and shall cause the Property or the proceeds from the sale thereof, to the extent sufficient therefor, to be

 

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applied and distributed, to the maximum extent permitted by Applicable Law, in the following order:

(a) First, to creditors, including Partners who are creditors, to the extent permitted by law, in satisfaction of all of the Partnership’s Liabilities (whether by payment or the making of reasonable provision for payment thereof to the extent required by Section 17-804 of the Delaware Act), other than Liabilities for distribution to Partners under Section 17-601 or 17-604 of the Delaware Act;

(b) Second, to the Partners and former Partners of the Partnership in satisfaction of Liabilities for distributions under Sections 17-601 or 17-604 of the Delaware Act; and

(c) The balance, if any, to the Partners in accordance with the positive balance in their respective Capital Accounts, after giving effect to all contributions, distributions and allocations for all periods.

Section 12.3 Compliance with Certain Requirements of Regulations; Deficit Capital Accounts . In the event the Partnership is “liquidated” within the meaning of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g), distributions shall be made pursuant to this Article XII to the Partners who have positive Capital Accounts in compliance with Regulations Section 1.704- 1(b)(2)(ii)(b)(2). If any Partner has a deficit balance in its Capital Account (after giving effect to all contributions, distributions and allocations for all Allocation Years, including the Allocation Year during which such liquidation occurs), such Partner shall have no obligation to make any contribution to the capital of the Partnership with respect to such deficit, and such deficit shall not be considered a debt owed to the Partnership or to any other Person for any purpose whatsoever.

Section 12.4 Deemed Distribution and Recontribution . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article XII , in the event the Partnership is liquidated within the meaning of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g) but no actual dissolution and winding up under the Delaware Act has occurred, the Property shall not be liquidated, the Partnership’s debts and other Liabilities shall not be paid or discharged, and the Partnership’s affairs shall not be wound up. Instead, solely for federal income tax purposes, the Partnership shall be deemed to have contributed all its Property and Liabilities to a new limited partnership in exchange for an interest in such new limited partnership and, immediately thereafter, the Partnership will be deemed to liquidate by distributing interests in the new limited partnership to the Partners.

Section 12.5 Distribution of Property . In the event the General Partner determines that it is necessary in connection with the winding up of the Partnership to make a distribution of property in kind, such property shall be transferred and conveyed to the Partners so as to vest in each of them as a tenant in common an undivided interest in the whole of such property, but otherwise in accordance with Section 12.3 .

Section 12.6 Termination of Partnership . The Partnership shall terminate when all assets of the Partnership, after payment of or due provision for all Liabilities of the Partnership, shall have been distributed to the Partners in the manner provided for in this Agreement, and the Certificate of Limited Partnership shall have been canceled in the manner provided by the Delaware Act.

 

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ARTICLE XIII

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 13.1 Notices . Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, all notices, demands, requests, or other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be given either (a) in person, (b) by United States mail or (c) by expedited delivery service (charges prepaid) with proof of delivery. The Partnership’s address for notice shall be the principal place of business of the Partnership, as set forth in Section 2.3 . The address for notices and other communications to the General Partner shall be the address set forth in Section 2.3 . The address for notices and other communications to any Limited Partner shall be the address set forth in or designated pursuant to Section 2.3 . Addresses for notices and communications hereunder may be changed by the Partnership, the General Partner or any Limited Partner, as applicable, giving notice in writing, stating its new address for notices, to the other. For purposes of the foregoing, any notice required or permitted to be given shall be deemed to be delivered and given on the date actually delivered to the address specified in this Section 13.1 .

Section 13.2 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 13.3 Assignment . A Partner shall not assign all or any of its rights, obligations or benefits under this Agreement to any other Person otherwise than (i) in connection with a transfer of its Partnership Interests pursuant to Article IX or (ii) with the prior written consent of each of the other Partners, which consent may be withheld in such Partner’s sole discretion, and any attempted assignment not in compliance with Article IX or this Section 13.3 shall be void.

Section 13.4 Parties in Interest . 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 13.5 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.

Section 13.6 Amendment; Waiver . Subject to the definition of Capital Account, Section 2.2 and Section 3.2 , this Agreement may not be amended except in a written instrument signed by each of the Partners and expressly stating it is an amendment to this Agreement. Any failure or delay on the part of any Partner in exercising any power or right hereunder shall not operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power hereunder or otherwise available under Applicable Law or in equity.

Section 13.7 Severability . If any term, provision, covenant, or restriction in this Agreement or the application thereof to any Person or circumstance, at any time or to any extent,

 

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is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or other Governmental Authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement (or the application of such provision in other jurisdictions or to Persons or circumstances other than those to which it was held invalid or unenforceable) shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated, and to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, any such term, provision, covenant or restriction shall be restricted in applicability or reformed to the minimum extent required for such to be enforceable. This provision shall be interpreted and enforced to give effect to the original written intent of the Partners prior to the determination of such invalidity or unenforceability.

Section 13.8 Governing Law . THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO THE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW THEREOF. ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY WITH RESPECT TO ANY CLAIM OR PROCEEDING RELATED TO OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT, OR ANY TRANSACTION OR CONDUCT IN CONNECTION HEREWITH, IS HEREBY WAIVED BY EACH OF THE PARTNERS.

Section 13.9 No Bill for Accounting . To the fullest extent permitted by law, in no event shall any Partner have any right to file a bill for an accounting or any similar proceeding.

Section 13.10 Waiver of Partition . Each Partner hereby waives any right to partition of the Property.

Section 13.11 Third Parties . Nothing herein expressed or implied is intended or shall be construed to confer upon or give any Person (other than Indemnitees) other than the Partners and their respective successors, legal representatives and permitted assigns any rights, remedies or basis for reliance upon, under or by reason of this Agreement.

[Signature pages follow]

 

32


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have signed this Agreement as of the Effective Date.

 

GENERAL PARTNER:
LARAMIE RIVER DEVCO GP LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

Signature Page to

First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of

Laramie River DevCo LP


LIMITED PARTNER:
NBL MIDSTREAM, LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

Signature Page to

First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of

Laramie River DevCo LP


Exhibit A

 

Partner

   Percentage
Interest
 

Type of
Partnership
Interest

Laramie River DevCo GP LLC

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, Texas 77070

   5%   General Partner Interest

NBL Midstream, LLC

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, Texas 77070

   95%   Limited Partner Interest

 

Exhibit A – Page 1

Exhibit 10.33

FORM OF SAN JUAN RIVER DEVCO LP

 

 

FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED

AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

 

Dated Effective as of [            ], 2015


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         Page  

Article I Definitions and Construction

     1   

Section 1.1

 

Definitions

     1   

Section 1.2

 

Construction

     10   

Article II Business Purpose and Term of Partnership

     11   

Section 2.1

 

Formation

     11   

Section 2.2

 

Name

     11   

Section 2.3

 

Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices

     11   

Section 2.4

 

Purpose and Business

     11   

Section 2.5

 

Powers

     12   

Section 2.6

 

Term

     12   

Section 2.7

 

Title to Property

     12   

Article III Partners

     12   

Section 3.1

 

Partners; Percentage Interests

     12   

Section 3.2

 

Adjustments in Percentage Interests

     13   

Section 3.3

 

Limitation of Liability

     13   

Article IV Capital Contributions

     13   

Section 4.1

 

Capitalization of the Partnership

     13   

Section 4.2

 

Capital Contributions

     13   

Section 4.3

 

Withdrawal of Capital; Interest

     13   

Section 4.4

 

Capital Contribution Events

     13   

Section 4.5

 

Failure to Contribute

     14   

Article V Allocations and Other Tax Matters

     15   

Section 5.1

 

Profits

     15   

Section 5.2

 

Losses

     15   

Section 5.3

 

Special Allocations

     15   

Section 5.4

 

Curative Allocations

     17   

Section 5.5

 

Other Allocation Rules

     17   

Section 5.6

 

Tax Allocations: Code Section 704(c)

     17   

Section 5.7

 

Tax Elections

     18   

Section 5.8

 

Tax Returns

     18   

Section 5.9

 

Tax Matters Partner

     19   

Section 5.10

 

Duties of Tax Matters Partner

     19   

Section 5.11

 

Survival of Provisions

     20   

Article VI Distributions

     21   

Section 6.1

 

Distributions of Distributable Cash

     21   

Section 6.2

 

Liquidating Distributions

     21   

Section 6.3

 

Distribution in Kind

     21   

 

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Article VII Books and Records

     21   

Section 7.1

 

Books and Records; Examination

     21   

Section 7.2

 

Reports

     21   

Article VIII Management and Voting

     22   

Section 8.1

 

Management

     22   

Section 8.2

 

Matters Constituting Unanimous Approval Matters

     22   

Section 8.3

 

Meetings and Voting

     23   

Section 8.4

 

Reliance by Third Parties

     24   

Section 8.5

 

Reimbursement of the General Partner

     24   

Article IX Transfer of Partnership Interests

     25   

Section 9.1

 

Restrictions on Transfers

     25   

Section 9.2

 

Conditions for Admission

     25   

Section 9.3

 

Allocations and Distributions

     25   

Section 9.4

 

Restriction on Resignation or Withdrawal

     25   

Article X Liability, Exculpation and Indemnification

     26   

Section 10.1

 

Liability for Partnership Obligations

     26   

Section 10.2

 

Disclaimer of Duties and Exculpation

     26   

Section 10.3

 

Indemnification

     27   

Article XI Conflicts of interest

     28   

Section 11.1

 

Transactions with Affiliates

     28   

Section 11.2

 

Outside Activities

     28   

Article XII Dissolution and Termination

     29   

Section 12.1

 

Dissolution

     29   

Section 12.2

 

Winding Up of Partnership

     29   

Section 12.3

 

Compliance with Certain Requirements of Regulations; Deficit Capital Accounts

     30   

Section 12.4

 

Deemed Distribution and Recontribution

     30   

Section 12.5

 

Distribution of Property

     30   

Section 12.6

 

Termination of Partnership

     30   

Article XIII Miscellaneous

     31   

Section 13.1

 

Notices

     31   

Section 13.2

 

Integration

     31   

Section 13.3

 

Assignment

     31   

Section 13.4

 

Parties in Interest

     31   

Section 13.5

 

Counterparts

     31   

Section 13.6

 

Amendment; Waiver

     31   

Section 13.7

 

Severability

     31   

Section 13.8

 

Governing Law

     32   

Section 13.9

 

No Bill for Accounting

     32   

Section 13.10

 

Waiver of Partition

     32   

Section 13.11

 

Third Parties

     32   

 

ii


FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED

AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

OF

SAN JUAN RIVER DEVCO LP

This First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of San Juan River DevCo LP (the “ Partnership ”), dated effective as of [            ], 2015 (the “ Effective Date ”), is entered into by and between San Juan River DevCo GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ General Partner ”), and NBL Midstream, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Limited Partner ”). In consideration of the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

RECITALS:

WHEREAS , the General Partner and Noble Midstream Services, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Original Limited Partner”), previously formed the Partnership as a limited partnership under the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act by filing a Certificate of Limited Partnership with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware effective as of August 20, 2015.

WHEREAS , the Partnership was previously governed by that certain Agreement of Limited Partnership dated as of August 20, 2015 (the “ Original LP Agreement ”).

WHEREAS , pursuant to that certain Contribution Agreement dated on or about the date hereof, the Original Limited Partner distributed its limited partner interest in the Partnership to the Limited Partner, the Limited Partner was admitted as a limited partner of the Partnership, and immediately thereafter the Original Limited Partner ceased to be a partner of the Partnership.

WHEREAS , the General Partner and the Limited Partner now desire to amend and restate the Original LP Agreement in its entirety by executing this First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership.

NOW THEREFORE , in consideration of the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the General Partner and the Limited Partner hereby enter into this Agreement:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION

Section 1.1 Definitions . The following terms have the following meanings when used in this Agreement.


Adjusted Capital Account ” means, with respect to any Partner, the balance in such Partner’s Capital Account as of the end of the relevant Allocation Year, after giving effect to the following adjustments:

(i) Credit to such Capital Account any amounts which such Partner is deemed obligated to restore pursuant to the penultimate sentences of Regulations Sections 1.704-2(g)(1) and 1.704-2(i)(5); and

(ii) Debit to such Capital Account the items described in Regulations 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 Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

Adjusted Capital Account Deficit ” means, with respect to any Partner, the deficit balance, if any, in such Partner’s Adjusted Capital Account as of the end of the relevant Allocation Year.

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 ” means this First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of San Juan River DevCo LP, as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Allocation Year ” means (a) each calendar year ending on December 31st or (b) any portion thereof for which the Partnership is required to allocate Profits, Losses and other items of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to Article V .

Applicable Law ” means any applicable statute, law, regulation, ordinance, rule, judgment, rule of law, order, decree, permit, approval, concession, grant, franchise, license, agreement, requirement or other governmental restriction or any similar form of decision of, or any provision or condition of any permit, license or other operating authorization issued under any of the foregoing by or any determination by any Governmental Authority having or asserting jurisdiction over the matter or matters in question, whether now or hereafter in effect and in each case as amended (including all of the terms and provisions of the common law of such Governmental Authority), as interpreted and enforced at the time in question.

Call Notice ” is defined in Section 4.4(a) .

Capital Account ” means, with respect to any Partner, the Capital Account established and maintained for such Partner in accordance with the following provisions:

(i) To each Partner’s Capital Account there shall be credited (A) such Partner’s Capital Contributions, (B) such Partner’s distributive share of Profits and any items in the nature of income or gain that are specially allocated to such Partner pursuant to Section 5.3 or Section 5.4 and (C) the amount of any Liabilities of the Partnership assumed by such Partner or that are secured by any Property distributed to such Partner;

 

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(ii) To each Partner’s Capital Account there shall be debited (A) the amount of cash and the Gross Asset Value of any Property distributed to such Partner pursuant to any provision of this Agreement, (B) such Partner’s distributive share of Losses and any items in the nature of deduction, expense or loss which are specially allocated to such Partner pursuant to Section 5.3 or Section 5.4 and (C) the amount of any Liabilities of such Partner assumed by the Partnership or that are secured by any Property contributed by such Partner to the Partnership;

(iii) In the event a Partnership Interest is transferred in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the transferee shall succeed to the Capital Account of the transferor to the extent it relates to the transferred interest; and

(iv) In determining the amount of any Liability for purposes of subparagraphs (i) and (ii) above there shall be taken into account Code Section 752(c) and any other applicable provisions of the Code and Regulations.

The foregoing provisions and the other provisions of this Agreement relating to the maintenance of Capital Accounts are intended to comply with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b) and shall be interpreted and applied in a manner consistent with such Regulations. In the event the Tax Matters Partner shall determine in good faith and on a commercially reasonable basis that it is prudent to modify the manner in which the Capital Accounts, or any debits or credits thereto, are computed in order to comply with such Regulations, the Tax Matters Partner may amend this Agreement without the consent of any other Partner notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement (including Section 13.6 ) to make such modification; provided that the Tax Matters Partner shall promptly give each other Partner written notice of such modification. The Tax Matters Partner also shall, in good faith and on a commercially reasonable basis, (A) make any adjustments to the Capital Accounts that are necessary or appropriate to maintain equality between the aggregate Capital Accounts of the Partners and the amount of capital reflected on the Partnership’s balance sheet, as computed for book purposes, in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(q) and (B) make any appropriate modifications to the Capital Accounts in the event unanticipated events might otherwise cause this Agreement not to comply with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b).

Capital Contributions ” means, with respect to any Partner, (i) the amount of cash, cash equivalents or the initial Gross Asset Value of any Property (other than cash) contributed or deemed contributed to the Partnership by such Partner or (ii) current distributions that a Partner is entitled to receive but otherwise waives.

Capital Lease ” means any lease of (or other arrangement conveying the right to use) real or personal property, or a combination thereof, which obligations are required to be classified and accounted for as a capital lease on a consolidated balance sheet of the Partnership and its subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP.

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 2.1 , as such Certificate of Limited Partnership may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

 

3


Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and in effect from time to time. Any reference herein to a specific section or sections of the Code shall be deemed to include a reference to any corresponding provision of any successor law.

Default Interest Amount ” is defined in Section 4.5(c) .

Default Interest Rate ” means the lesser of (a) eight percent (8%) per annum and (b) the maximum rate of interest permitted by Applicable Law.

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

Delinquent Partner ” is defined in Section 4.5(a) .

Depreciation ” means, for each Allocation Year, an amount equal to the depreciation, amortization or other cost recovery deduction allowable with respect to an asset for such Allocation Year for federal income tax purposes, except that (i) if the Gross Asset Value of an asset differs from its adjusted tax basis for federal income tax purposes at the beginning of such Allocation Year and such difference is being eliminated by use of the “remedial allocation method” as defined in Regulations Section 1.704-3(d), Depreciation for such Allocation Year shall equal the amount of book basis recovered for such period under the rules prescribed in Regulations Section 1.704-3(d) and (ii) with respect to any other asset whose Gross Asset Value differs from its adjusted tax basis for federal income tax purposes at the beginning of such Allocation Year, Depreciation shall be an amount that bears the same ratio to such beginning Gross Asset Value as the federal income tax depreciation, amortization or other cost recovery deduction for such Allocation Year bears to such beginning adjusted tax basis; provided , however , that if the adjusted basis for federal income tax purposes of an asset at the beginning of such Allocation Year is zero, Depreciation shall be determined with reference to such beginning Gross Asset Value using any reasonable method selected by the General Partner.

Distributable Cash ” means, with respect to any Quarter: (i) the sum of all cash and cash equivalents of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries on hand at the end of such Quarter; less (ii) the amount of any cash reserves established by the General Partner to (A) provide for the proper conduct of the business of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries (including reserves for future capital or operating expenditures and for anticipated future credit needs of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries) subsequent to such Quarter; and (B) comply with Applicable Law or any loan agreement, security agreement, mortgage, debt instrument or other agreement or obligation to which the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them is bound or any of their respective assets are subject.

Effective Date ” is defined in the introductory paragraph.

Fiscal Year ” means a calendar year ending December 31.

GAAP ” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.

 

4


General Partner ” is defined in the introductory paragraph, provided that such term shall also include such entity’s successors and permitted assigns that are admitted to the Partnership as general partner and any additional general partner of the Partnership, each in its capacity as general partner of the Partnership.

General Partner Interest ” means the equity interest of the General Partner in the Partnership (in its capacity as a general partner without reference to any Limited Partner Interest held by it) 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.

Governmental Authority ” means any federal, state, local or foreign government or any provincial, departmental or other political subdivision thereof, or any entity, body or authority exercising executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory, administrative or other governmental functions or any court, department, commission, board, bureau, agency, instrumentality or administrative body of any of the foregoing.

Gross Asset Value ” means, with respect to any asset, the asset’s adjusted basis for federal income tax purposes, except as follows:

(i) The initial Gross Asset Value of any Property contributed by a Partner to the Partnership shall be the gross fair market value of such asset as agreed to by each Partner or, in the absence of any such agreement, as determined by the General Partner;

(ii) The Gross Asset Values of all items of Property shall be adjusted to equal their respective fair market values as determined by the General Partner as of the following times: (A) the acquisition of an additional interest in the Partnership by any new or existing Partner in exchange for more than a de minimis Capital Contribution, (B) the distribution by the Partnership to a Partner of more than a de minimis amount of Property as consideration for an interest in the Partnership, (C) the issuance of additional Partnership Interests as consideration for the provision of services, (D) the liquidation of the Partnership within the meaning of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g) (other than pursuant to Section 708(b)(1)(B) of the Code), (E) the issuance of a Noncompensatory Option, or (F) any other event to the extent determined by the Partners to be necessary to properly reflect the Gross Asset Values in accordance with the standards set forth in Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(q); provided , however , that in the event of the issuance of an interest in the Partnership pursuant to the exercise of a Noncompensatory Option where the right to share in Partnership capital represented by the Partnership interest differs from the consideration paid to acquire and exercise the Noncompensatory Option, the Gross Asset Value of each Property immediately after the issuance of the Partnership interest shall be adjusted upward or downward to reflect any unrealized gain or unrealized loss attributable to the Property and the Capital Accounts of the Partners shall be adjusted in a manner consistent with Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(s); and provided further , however , if any Noncompensatory Options are outstanding upon the occurrence of an event described in this paragraph (ii)(A) through (ii)(F), the Partnership shall adjust the Gross Asset Values of its properties in accordance with Treasury Regulations Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f) and 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(h)(2);

 

5


(iii) The Gross Asset Value of any item of Property distributed to any Partner shall be adjusted to equal the fair market value of such item on the date of distribution as determined by the General Partner; and

(iv) The Gross Asset Value of each item of Property shall be increased (or decreased) to reflect any adjustments to the adjusted basis of such assets pursuant to Code Sections 734(b) or 743(b), but only to the extent that such adjustments are taken into account in determining Capital Accounts pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m) and subparagraph (vi) of the definition of Profits and Losses; provided , however , that Gross Asset Values shall not be adjusted pursuant to this subparagraph (iv) to the extent that an adjustment pursuant to subparagraph (ii) is required in connection with a transaction that would otherwise result in an adjustment pursuant to this subparagraph (iv).

If the Gross Asset Value of an asset has been determined or adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (i), subparagraph (ii) or subparagraph (iv), such Gross Asset Value shall thereafter be adjusted by the Depreciation taken into account with respect to such asset for purposes of computing Profits and Losses.

Guarantees ” by any Person means any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of such Person directly or indirectly guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person or in any manner providing for the payment of any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person or otherwise protecting the holder of such Indebtedness or other obligations against loss (whether arising by virtue of organizational agreements, by obtaining letters of credit, by agreement to keep-well, to take-or-pay or to purchase assets, goods, securities or services, or otherwise); provided that the term “Guarantee” shall not include endorsements for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business.

Indebtedness ” of any Person means, without duplication, (i) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money or with respect to deposits or advances of any kind, (ii) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, (iii) all obligations of such Person upon which interest charges are customarily paid, (iv) all obligations of such Person under conditional sale or other title retention agreements relating to property or assets purchased by such Person, (v) all obligations of such Person issued or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property or services (excluding trade accounts payable, trade advertising and accrued obligations), (vi) all Indebtedness of others secured by (or for which the holder of such Indebtedness has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to be secured by) any lien on property owned or acquired by such Person, whether or not the obligations secured thereby have been assumed, (vii) all Guarantees by such Person of Indebtedness of others, (viii) all Capital Lease obligations of such Person, (ix) all obligations of such Person in respect of interest rate protection agreements, foreign currency exchange agreements or other interest rate hedging arrangements and (x) all obligations of such Person as an account party in respect of letters of credit and bankers’ acceptances. The Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any partnership in which such Person is a general partner, other than to the extent that the instrument or agreement evidencing such Indebtedness expressly limits the Liability of such Person in respect thereof.

 

6


Indemnitee ” means (i) any Partner, (ii) any Person who is or was an Affiliate of a Partner, (iii) any Person who is or was a member, manager, partner, director, officer, fiduciary or trustee of a Partner or any Affiliate of a Partner, (iv) any Person who is or was serving at the request of a Partner or any Affiliate of a Partner as a member, manager, partner, director, officer, 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 (v) any Person the General Partner designates as an “Indemnitee” for purposes of this Agreement because such Person’s status, service or relationship exposes such Person to potential claims, demands, suits or proceedings relating to the business and affairs of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries.

IPO Date ” means the date of the closing of the initial public offering of common units representing limited partner interests in NBLX.

Liability ” means any Indebtedness, obligation or other liability, whether arising under Applicable Law, contract or otherwise, known or unknown, fixed or contingent, real or potential, tangible or intangible, now existing or hereafter arising.

Limited Partner ” is defined in the introductory paragraph, provided that such term shall also include such entity’s successors and permitted assigns that are admitted as a limited partner of the Partnership and each additional Person who becomes a limited partner of the Partnership pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, in each case, in such Person’s capacity as a limited partner of the Partnership.

Limited Partner Interest ” means an equity interest of a Limited Partner in the Partnership (in its capacity as a limited partner without reference to any General Partner Interest held by it) 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 pursuant to the terms and provisions of this Agreement.

Make-Up Contribution ” is defined in Section 4.5(c) .

Minimum Gain ” is defined in Regulations Sections 1.704-2(b)(2) and 1.704-2(d).

NBLX ” means Noble Midstream Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership.

NBLX Partnership Agreement ” means the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of NBLX, substantially in the form attached as an exhibit to NBLX’s registration statement on Form S-1 (file no. 333-207560), that will be entered into in connection with NBLX’s initial public offering, as it may be amended, modified, supplemented or restated from time to time, or any successor agreement.

NDP Amount ” is defined in Section 4.5(b) .

Noncompensatory Option ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.721-2(f).

Nonrecourse Deductions ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(1) and 1.704-2(c).

 

7


Nonrecourse Liability ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(3).

Original LP Agreement ” is defined in the Recitals.

Partner ” means a General Partner or a Limited Partner.

Partner Nonrecourse Debt ” is defined in Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(4).

Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain ” means an amount, with respect to each Partner Nonrecourse Debt, equal to the Minimum Gain that would result if such Partner Nonrecourse Debt were treated as a Nonrecourse Liability, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(3).

Partner Nonrecourse Deductions ” is defined in Regulations Sections 1.704-2(i)(1) and 1.704-2(i)(2).

Partnership ” is defined in the introductory paragraph.

Partnership Interest ” means any equity interest, including any class or series of equity interest, in the Partnership, which shall include any Limited Partner Interests and the General Partner Interest.

Percentage Interest ” means, with respect to any Partner, the percentage interest set forth opposite such Partner’s name on Exhibit A attached hereto. In the event any Partnership Interest is transferred in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, the transferee of such interest shall succeed to the Percentage Interest of his transferor to the extent it relates to the transferred interest.

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

Profits ” and “ Losses ” mean, for each Allocation Year, an amount equal to the Partnership’s taxable income or loss for such Allocation Year, determined in accordance with Code Section 703(a) (for this purpose, all items of income, gain, loss or deduction required to be stated separately pursuant to Code Section 703(a)(1) shall be included in taxable income or loss), with the following adjustments (without duplication):

(i) The Partnership shall be treated as owning directly its proportionate share (as determined by the General Partner) of any other partnership, limited liability company, unincorporated business or other entity classified as a partnership or disregarded entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes of which the Partnership is, directly or indirectly, a partner, member or other equity-holder;

(ii) Any income of the Partnership that is exempt from federal income tax and not otherwise taken into account in computing Profits or Losses pursuant to this definition of Profits and Losses shall be added to such taxable income or loss;

 

8


(iii) Any expenditures of the Partnership described in Code Section 705(a)(2)(B) or treated as Code Section 705(a)(2)(B) expenditures pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(i), and not otherwise taken into account in computing Profits or Losses pursuant to this definition of Profits and Losses, shall be subtracted from such taxable income or loss;

(iv) In the event the Gross Asset Value of any item of Property is adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (ii) or subparagraph (iii) of the definition of Gross Asset Value, the amount of such adjustment shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the Gross Asset Value of the item of Property) or an item of loss (if the adjustment decreases the Gross Asset Value of the item of Property) from the disposition of such asset and shall be taken into account for purposes of computing Profits or Losses;

(v) Gain or loss resulting from any disposition of any Property with respect to which gain or loss is recognized for federal income tax purposes shall be computed by reference to the Gross Asset Value of the item of Property disposed of, notwithstanding that the adjusted tax basis of such Property differs from its Gross Asset Value;

(vi) In lieu of the depreciation, amortization and other cost recovery deductions taken into account in computing such taxable income or loss, there shall be taken into account Depreciation for such Allocation Year, computed in accordance with the definition of Depreciation;

(vii) To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any item of Property pursuant to Code Sections 734(b) or 743(b) is required, pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts as a result of a distribution other than in liquidation of a Partner’s Partnership Interest, the amount of such adjustment shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the item of Property) or loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis) from the disposition of such item of Property and shall be taken into account for purposes of computing Profits or Losses; and

(viii) Notwithstanding any other provision of this definition, any items that are specially allocated pursuant to Section 5.3 or Section 5.4 shall not be taken into account in computing Profits or Losses.

The amounts of the items of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction available to be specially allocated pursuant to Section 5.3 and Section 5.4 shall be determined by applying rules analogous to those set forth in subparagraph (i) through subparagraph (viii) above. For the avoidance of doubt, any guaranteed payment that accrues with respect to an Allocation Year will be treated as an item of deduction of the Partnership for purposes of computing Profits and Losses in accordance with the provisions of Regulations Section 1.707-1(c).

Property ” means all real and personal property acquired by the Partnership, including cash, and any improvements thereto, and shall include both tangible and intangible property.

 

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Quarter ” means, unless the context requires otherwise, a fiscal quarter of the Partnership or, with respect to the fiscal quarter of the Partnership which includes the IPO Date, the portion of such fiscal quarter from and after the IPO Date.

Regulations ” means the Income Tax Regulations, including Temporary Regulations, promulgated under the Code, as such regulations are amended from time to time.

Regulatory Allocations ” is defined in Section 5.4 .

Representative ” is defined in Section 8.3(a) .

Required Contribution ” is defined in Section 4.4(a) .

Subsidiary ” means, with respect to any Person, (a) a corporation of which more than 50% of the voting power of shares entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors or other governing body of such corporation is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof, (b) a partnership (whether general or limited) in which such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of determination, a general or limited partner of such partnership, but only if more than 50% of the general partner interests of such partnership is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof or (c) any other Person (other than a corporation or a partnership) in which such Person, one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, has (i) at least a majority ownership interest or (ii) the power to elect or direct the election of a majority of the directors or other governing body of such Person.

Tax Matters Partner ” is defined in Section 5.9(a) .

Transaction Documents ” is defined in the NBLX Partnership Agreement.

Unanimous Approval Matter ” is defined in Section 8.2 .

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, 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. The General Partner has the power to construe and interpret this Agreement and to act upon any such construction or interpretation. To the fullest extent permitted by law, any construction or interpretation of this Agreement by the General Partner, any action taken pursuant thereto and any determination made by the General Partner in good faith shall, in each case, be conclusive and binding on all Limited Partners, each other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest and all other Persons for all purposes.

 

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ARTICLE II

BUSINESS PURPOSE AND TERM OF PARTNERSHIP

Section 2.1 Formation . The Partnership was previously formed as a limited partnership by the filing of the Certificate of Limited Partnership with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act and the execution of the Original LP Agreement. This Agreement amends and restates the Original LP Agreement in its entirety. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, the rights, duties, liabilities and obligations of the Partners and the administration, dissolution and termination of the Partnership shall be governed by the Delaware Act. All Partnership Interests shall constitute personal property of the owner thereof for all purposes.

Section 2.2 Name . The name of the Partnership shall be “San Juan River DevCo LP”. Subject to Applicable Law, 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, without the consent of any Limited Partner, amend this Agreement and the Certificate of Limited Partnership to 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 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware 19801, and the registered agent for service of process on the Partnership in the State of Delaware at such registered office shall be The Corporation Trust Company. The principal office of the Partnership shall be located at 1001 Noble Energy Way, Houston, Texas 77070, 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 the address set forth on Exhibit A , or such other place as the General Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the Limited Partners. The address of the initial Limited Partner shall be the address set forth on Exhibit A , or such other place as the initial Limited Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the General Partner. The address of each additional Limited Partner shall be the place such Limited Partner designates from time to time by notice to the General Partner.

Section 2.4 Purpose and Business . The purpose and nature of the business to be conducted by the Partnership shall be to engage directly or indirectly in any business activity that is approved by the General Partner and that lawfully may be conducted by a limited partnership organized pursuant to the Delaware Act; provided , however , that the General Partner shall not cause the Partnership to engage, directly or indirectly, in any business activity that the General Partner determines would be reasonably likely to cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the General Partner shall have no duty or obligation to propose or approve the conduct by the Partnership of any business and may decline

 

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to do so free of any fiduciary duty or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership, any Limited Partner or any other Person 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 other agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity, and the General Partner in determining whether to propose or approve the conduct by the Partnership of any business shall be permitted to do so in its sole and absolute discretion.

Section 2.5 Powers . The Partnership shall be empowered to do any and all acts and things necessary, appropriate, proper, advisable, incidental to or convenient for the furtherance and accomplishment of the purposes and business described in Section 2.4 and for the protection and benefit of the Partnership.

Section 2.6 Term . The term of the Partnership commenced upon the filing of the Certificate of Limited Partnership in accordance with the Delaware Act and shall continue 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 Property . Title to Property, 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 Property or any portion thereof. Title to any or all of the Property may be held in the name of the Partnership, the General Partner, one or more Affiliates of the General Partner or one or more nominees of the General Partner or its Affiliates, as the General Partner may determine. The General Partner hereby declares and warrants that any Property for which record title is held in the name of the General Partner or one or more Affiliates of the General Partner or one or more nominees of the General Partner or its Affiliates 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 any successor General Partner. All Property shall be recorded as the property of the Partnership in its books and records, irrespective of the name in which record title to such Property is held.

ARTICLE III

PARTNERS

Section 3.1 Partners; Percentage Interests . The names of the Partners, their respective Percentage Interests, and the type of Partnership Interest held by each Partner are set forth on Exhibit A to this Agreement.

 

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Section 3.2 Adjustments in Percentage Interests . The respective Percentage Interests of the Partners shall be adjusted (a) at the time of any transfer of all or a portion of such Partner’s Partnership Interest pursuant to Section 9.1 , (b) at the time of the issuance of additional Partnership Interests pursuant to Section 8.2(b) and (c) at the time of the admission of each new Partner in accordance with this Agreement, in each case to take into account such transfer, issuance or admission of a new Partner. The General Partner is authorized to amend Exhibit A to this Agreement to reflect any such adjustment without the consent of any other Partner.

Section 3.3 Limitation of Liability . The Limited Partners shall have no liability under this Agreement except as expressly provided in this Agreement or the Delaware Act.

ARTICLE IV

CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Section 4.1 Capitalization of the Partnership . Subject to Section 8.2 , the Partnership is authorized to issue two classes of Partnership Interests. The Partnership Interests shall be designated as General Partner Interests and Limited Partner Interests, each having such rights, powers, preferences and designations as set forth in this Agreement.

Section 4.2 Additional Capital Contributions . The Partners shall make additional Capital Contributions to the Partnership at such times and in such amounts as determined by the Partners in accordance with this Agreement.

Section 4.3 Withdrawal of Capital; Interest . No Partner may withdraw capital or receive any distributions from the Partnership except as specifically provided herein. No interest shall accrue or be payable by the Partnership on any Capital Contributions.

Section 4.4 Capital Contribution Events .

(a) Notwithstanding anything in Section 4.2 to the contrary, whenever the General Partner determines in good faith that additional Capital Contributions in cash from the Partners are necessary to fund the Partnership’s operations, the General Partner may issue a notice to each Partner (a “ Call Notice ”) for an additional Capital Contribution by each Partner (a “ Required Contribution ”) in an amount equal to such Partner’s pro rata portion (based on the Percentage Interests of the Partners) of the aggregate additional Capital Contribution determined to be necessary by the General Partner not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the date the General Partner determines such additional Capital Contributions shall be made by the Partners.

(b) All Call Notices shall be expressed in U.S. dollars and shall state the date on which payment is due and the bank(s) or account(s) to which payment is to be made. Each Call Notice shall specify in reasonable detail the purpose(s) for which such Required Contribution is required and the amount of the Required Contribution to be made by each Partner pursuant to such Call Notice. Each Partner shall contribute its Required Contribution within five (5) Business Days of the date of delivery of the relevant Call Notice. The Partnership shall use the proceeds of such Required Contributions exclusively for the purpose specified in the relevant Call Notice.

 

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Section 4.5 Failure to Contribute .

(a) If a Partner fails to contribute all or any portion of a Required Contribution that such Partner (a “ Delinquent Partner ”) is required to make as provided in this Agreement, then, while such Partner is a Delinquent Partner, each non-Delinquent Partner may (but shall have no obligation to) elect to fund all or any portion of the Delinquent Partner’s Required Contribution as a Capital Contribution pursuant to this Section 4.5 . If a non-Delinquent Partner so desires to fund such amount, such non-Delinquent Partner shall so notify each of the other non-Delinquent Partners, who shall have five (5) days thereafter to elect to participate in such funding.

(b) The portion that each participating non-Delinquent Partner may fund as a Capital Contribution pursuant to this Section 4.5 (the “ NDP Amount ”) shall be equal to the product of (x) the delinquent amount of such Required Contribution multiplied by (y) a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the Percentage Interest then held by such participating non-Delinquent Partner and the denominator of which shall be the aggregate Percentage Interest held by all such participating non-Delinquent Partners; provided , that if any participating non-Delinquent Partner elects to fund less than its full allocation of such amount, the fully participating non-Delinquent Partners shall be entitled to take up such shortfall (allocated, as necessary, based on their respective Percentage Interests). Upon such funding as a Capital Contribution, the Partnership Interest and Percentage Interest of each Partner shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect all such funding (based on total Capital Contributions).

(c) Notwithstanding anything in this Section 4.5 to the contrary, the Delinquent Partner may cure such delinquency (i) by contributing its Required Contribution prior to the Capital Contribution being made by another Partner or (ii) on or before the sixtieth (60th) day following the date that the participating non-Delinquent Partner(s) satisfied the Required Contribution, by making a Capital Contribution to the Partnership in an amount equal to the Required Contribution (a “ Make-Up Contribution ”) and paying to each participating non-Delinquent Partner an amount equal to its respective NDP Amount multiplied by the Default Interest Rate for the period from the date such participating non-Delinquent Partner funded its NDP Amount to the date that the Delinquent Partner makes its Make-Up Contribution (the “ Default Interest Amount ”). If a Delinquent Partner cures its delinquency pursuant to Section 4.5(c)(ii) by making a Make-Up Contribution and paying the Default Interest Amount, then (A) first, the Partnership shall distribute to each existing Partner that is a participating non-Delinquent Partner the NDP Amount that such participating non-Delinquent Partner funded pursuant to Section 4.5(b) , (B) second, the respective Capital Accounts and Percentage Interests of the Partners shall be adjusted with all necessary increases or decreases to return the Partners’ Capital Accounts and Percentage Interests status quo ante application of Section 4.5(b) and (C) third, the Percentage Interest and Partnership Interests of each Partner shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect the Make-Up Contribution (based on total Capital Contributions). If the delinquency is remedied (i) by the Delinquent Partner making its Required Contribution or Make-Up Contribution pursuant to this Section 4.5(c) or (ii) by funding by the non-Delinquent Partner(s) as a Capital Contribution pursuant to Section 4.5(b) , the Delinquent Partner shall no longer be deemed to be a Delinquent Partner with respect to the unfunded Required Contribution.

 

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ARTICLE V

ALLOCATIONS AND OTHER TAX MATTERS

Section 5.1 Profits . After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 5.3 and Section 5.4 , and any allocation of Profits set forth in Section 5.2(b) , Profits for any Allocation Year shall be allocated among the Partners in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests.

Section 5.2 Losses .

(a) After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 5.3 and Section 5.4 , Losses for any Allocation Year shall be allocated among the Partners in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests.

(b) The Losses allocated pursuant to Section 5.2(a) shall not exceed the maximum amount of Losses that can be so allocated without causing any Partner to have an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit at the end of any Allocation Year. In the event some but not all of the Partners would have Adjusted Capital Account Deficits as a result of an allocation of Losses pursuant to Section 5.2(a) , Losses that would otherwise be allocated to a Partner pursuant to Section 5.2(a) but for the limitation set forth in this Section 5.2(b) shall be allocated to the remaining Partners in proportion to their relative Percentage Interests. All remaining Losses in excess of the limitation set forth in this Section 5.2(b) shall be allocated to the General Partner. Profits for any Allocation Year subsequent to an Allocation Year for which the limitation set forth in this Section 5.2(b) was applicable shall be allocated (i) first, to reverse any Losses allocated to the General Partner pursuant to the third sentence of this Section 5.2(b) and (ii) second, to reverse any Losses allocated to the Partners pursuant to the second sentence of this Section 5.2(b) and in proportion to how such Losses were allocated.

Section 5.3 Special Allocations . The following special allocations shall be made in the following order:

(a) Minimum Gain Chargeback . Except as otherwise provided in Regulations Section 1.704-2(f), notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V , if there is a net decrease in Minimum Gain during any Allocation Year, each Partner shall be specially allocated items of Partnership income and gain for such Allocation Year (and, if necessary, subsequent Allocation Years) in an amount equal to such Partner’s share of the net decrease in Minimum Gain, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(g). Allocations pursuant to the previous sentence shall be made in proportion to the respective amounts required to be allocated to each Partner pursuant thereto. The items to be so allocated shall be determined in accordance with Regulations Sections 1.704-2(f)(6) and 1.704-2(g)(2). This Section 5.3(a) is intended to comply with the minimum gain chargeback requirement in Regulations Section 1.704-2(f) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(b) Partner Minimum Gain Chargeback . Except as otherwise provided in Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(4), notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V , if there is a net decrease in Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain attributable to a Partner Nonrecourse Debt during any Allocation Year, each Partner who has a share of the Partner Nonrecourse Debt

 

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Minimum Gain attributable to such Partner Nonrecourse Debt, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(5), shall be specially allocated items of Partnership income and gain for such Allocation Year (and, if necessary, subsequent Allocation Years) in an amount equal to such Partner’s share of the net decrease in Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain attributable to such Partner Nonrecourse Debt, determined in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(4). Allocations pursuant to the previous sentence shall be made in proportion to the respective amounts required to be allocated to each Partner pursuant thereto. The items to be so allocated shall be determined in accordance with Regulations Sections 1.704-2(i)(4) and 1.704-2(j)(2). This Section 5.3(b) is intended to comply with the minimum gain chargeback requirement in Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(4) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(c) Qualified Income Offset . In the event that any Partner unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations or distributions described in Regulations Sections 1.704- 1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5) or 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6), items of Partnership income and gain shall be allocated to such Partner in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate, to the extent required by the Regulations, the Adjusted Capital Account Deficit of such Partner as quickly as possible; provided that an allocation pursuant to this Section 5.3(c) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would have an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit after all other allocations provided for in this Article V have been tentatively made as if this Section 5.3(c) were not in this Agreement.

(d) Gross Income Allocation . In the event that any Partner has an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit at the end of any Allocation Year, each such Partner shall be allocated items of Partnership income and gain in the amount of such deficit as quickly as possible; provided that an allocation pursuant to this Section 5.3(d) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would have an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit after all other allocations provided for in this Article V have been tentatively made as if Section 5.3(c) and this Section 5.3(d) were not in this Agreement.

(e) Nonrecourse Deductions . Nonrecourse Deductions for any Allocation Year shall be allocated among the Partners in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests.

(f) Partner Nonrecourse Deductions . Any Partner Nonrecourse Deductions for any Allocation Year shall be specially allocated to the Partner who bears the economic risk of loss with respect to the Partner Nonrecourse Debt to which such Partner Nonrecourse Deductions are attributable in accordance with Regulations Section 1.704-2(i)(1).

(g) Nonrecourse Liabilities . Nonrecourse Liabilities of the Partnership described in Regulations Section 1.752-3(a)(3) shall be allocated among the Partners in the manner chosen by the General Partner and consistent with such section of the Regulations.

(h) Section 754 Adjustments . To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Property, pursuant to Code Section 734(b) or Code Section 743(b) is required, pursuant to Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(2) or 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts as the result of a distribution to a Partner in complete liquidation of such Partner’s Partnership Interest, the amount of such adjustment to Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the asset) or

 

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loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis) and such gain or loss shall be specially allocated to the Partners in accordance with their interests in the Partnership in the event Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(2) applies, or to the Partner to whom such distribution was made in the event Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m)(4) applies.

Section 5.4 Curative Allocations . The allocations set forth in Section 5.3 (the “ Regulatory Allocations ”) are intended to comply with certain requirements of the Regulations. It is the intent of the Partners that, to the extent possible, the Regulatory Allocations shall be offset either with special allocations of other items of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to this Section 5.4 . Therefore, notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V (other than the Regulatory Allocations), the Tax Matters Partner shall make such offsetting special allocations of Partnership income, gain, loss or deduction in whatever manner it determines appropriate so that, after such offsetting allocations are made, each Partner’s Capital Account balance is, to the extent possible, equal to the Capital Account balance such Partner would have had if the Regulatory Allocations were not part of this Agreement and all Partnership items were allocated pursuant to Section 5.1 , Section 5.2 and Section 5.3 (other than the Regulatory Allocations). In exercising its discretion under this Section 5.4 , the Tax Matters Partner shall take into account future Regulatory Allocations that, although not yet made, are likely to offset other Regulatory Allocations previously made.

Section 5.5 Other Allocation Rules .

(a) Profits, Losses and any other items of income, gain, loss, or deduction shall be allocated to the Partners pursuant to this Article V as of the last day of each Fiscal Year; provided that Profits, Losses and such other items shall also be allocated at such times as the Gross Asset Values of the Partnership’s assets are adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (ii) of the definition of “Gross Asset Value” in Section 1.1 .

(b) For purposes of determining the Profits, Losses or any other items allocable to any period, Profits, Losses and any such other items shall be determined on a daily proration basis by the General Partner under Code Section 706 and the Regulations thereunder.

Section 5.6 Tax Allocations: Code Section 704(c) .

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Section 5.6 , each item of income, gain, loss and deduction of the Partnership for federal income tax purposes shall be allocated among the Partners in the same manner as such items are allocated for book purposes under this Article V . In accordance with Code Section 704(c) and the Regulations thereunder, income, gain, loss and deduction with respect to any Property contributed to the capital of the Partnership shall, solely for tax purposes, be allocated among the Partners so as to take account of any variation between the adjusted basis of such Property to the Partnership for federal income tax purposes and its initial Gross Asset Value (computed in accordance with the definition of Gross Asset Value). Such allocation shall be made in accordance with the “remedial method” described by Regulations Section 1.704-3(d).

(b) In the event the Gross Asset Value of any Property is adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (ii) of the definition of Gross Asset Value, subsequent allocations of income, gain,

 

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loss and deduction with respect to such Property shall take account of any variation between the adjusted basis of such Property for federal income tax purposes and its Gross Asset Value in the same manner as under Code Section 704(c) and the Regulations thereunder. Such allocation shall be made in accordance with the “remedial method” described by Regulations Section 1.704-3(d).

(c) In accordance with Regulations 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 Property shall, to the extent possible, after taking into account other required allocations of gain pursuant to this Section 5.6(c) , 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.”

(d) Any elections or other decisions relating to such allocations shall be made by the General Partner in any manner that reasonably reflects the purpose and intention of this Agreement. Allocations pursuant to this Section 5.6 are solely for purposes of federal, state and local taxes and shall not affect, or in any way be taken into account in computing, any Partner’s Capital Account or share of Profits, Losses, other items or distributions pursuant to any provision of this Agreement.

Section 5.7 Tax Elections .

(a) The Partners intend that the Partnership be treated as a partnership or a “disregarded entity” for federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, neither the Tax Matters Partner nor any Limited Partner shall file any election or return on its own behalf or on behalf of the Partnership that is inconsistent with that intent.

(b) The Partnership shall make the election under Code Section 754 in accordance with the applicable Regulations issued 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 Partners.

(c) Any elections or other decisions relating to tax matters that are not expressly provided herein, shall be made jointly by the Partners in any manner that reasonably reflects the purpose and intention of this Agreement.

Section 5.8 Tax Returns .

(a) The Partnership shall cause to be prepared and timely filed all federal, state, local and foreign income tax returns and reports required to be filed by the Partnership and its subsidiaries. The Partnership shall provide copies of all the Partnership’s federal, state, local and foreign tax returns (and any schedules or other required filings related to such returns) that reflect items of income, gain, deduction, loss or credit that flow to separate Partner returns, to the Partners for their review and comment prior to filing, except as otherwise agreed by the Partners. The Partners agree in good faith to resolve any difference in the tax treatment of any item affecting such returns and schedules. However, if the Partners are unable to resolve the dispute, the position of the Tax Matters Partner shall be followed if nationally recognized tax counsel acceptable to the Partners provides an opinion that substantial authority exists for such position.

 

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Substantial authority shall be given the meaning ascribed to it for purposes of applying Code Section 6662. If the Partners are unable to resolve the dispute prior to the due date for filing the return, including approved extensions, the position of the Tax Matters Partner shall be followed, and amended returns shall be filed if necessary at such time the dispute is resolved. The costs of the dispute shall be borne by the Partnership. The Partners agree to file their separate federal income tax returns in a manner consistent with the Partnership’s return, the provisions of this Agreement and in accordance with Applicable Law.

(b) The Partnership shall elect the most rapid method of depreciation and amortization allowed under Applicable Law, unless the Partners agree otherwise.

(c) The Partners shall provide each other with copies of all correspondence or summaries of other communications with the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority (other than routine correspondence and communications) regarding the tax treatment of the Partnership’s operations. No Partner shall enter into settlement negotiations with the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority with respect to any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits if the tax adjustment attributable to such issue (assuming the then current aggregate tax rate) would be $100,000 or greater, without first giving reasonable advance notice of such intended action to the other Partners.

Section 5.9 Tax Matters Partner .

(a) The General Partner shall be the “ Tax Matters Partner ” of the Partnership within the meaning of Section 6231(a)(7) of the Code, and shall act in any similar capacity under the Applicable Law of any state, local or foreign jurisdiction, but only with respect to returns for which items of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit flow to the separate returns of the Partners. If at any time there is more than one General Partner, the Tax Matters Partner shall be the General Partner with the largest Percentage Interest following such admission.

(b) The Tax Matters Partner shall incur no Liability (except as a result of the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Tax Matters Partner) to the Partnership or the other Partners including, but not limited to, Liability for any additional taxes, interest or penalties owed by the other Partners due to adjustments of Partnership items of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit at the Partnership level.

Section 5.10 Duties of Tax Matters Partner .

(a) Except as provided in Section 5.10(b) , the Tax Matters Partner shall cooperate with the other Partners and shall promptly provide the other Partners with copies of notices or other materials from, and inform the other Partners of discussions engaged with, the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority and shall provide the other Partners with notice of all scheduled proceedings, including meetings with agents of the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority, technical advice conferences, appellate hearings, and similar conferences and hearings, as soon as possible after receiving notice of the scheduling of such proceedings, but in any case prior to the date of such scheduled proceedings.

 

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(b) The duties of the Tax Matters Partner under Section 5.10(a) shall not apply with respect to notices, materials, discussions, proceedings, meetings, conferences, or hearings involving any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits if the tax adjustment attributable to such issue (assuming the then current aggregate tax rate) would be less than $100,000 except as otherwise required under Applicable Law.

(c) The Tax Matters Partner shall not extend the period of limitations or assessments without the consent of the other Partners, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

(d) The Tax Matters Partner shall not file a petition or complaint in any court, or file any claim, amended return or request for an administrative adjustment with respect to partnership items, after any return has been filed, with respect to any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits if the tax adjustment attributable to such issue (assuming the then current aggregate tax rate) would be $100,000 or greater, unless agreed by the other Partners. If the other Partners do not agree, the position of the Tax Matters Partner shall be followed if nationally recognized tax counsel acceptable to all Partners issues an opinion that a reasonable basis exists for such position. Reasonable basis shall be given the meaning ascribed to it for purposes of applying Code Section 6662. The costs of the dispute shall be borne by the Partnership.

(e) The Tax Matters Partner shall not enter into any settlement agreement with the Internal Revenue Service or any state, local or foreign taxing authority, either before or after any audit of the applicable return is completed, with respect to any issue concerning the Partnership’s income, gains, losses, deductions or credits, unless any of the following apply:

(i) all Partners agree to the settlement;

(ii) the tax effect of the issue if resolved adversely would be, and the tax effect of settling the issue is, proportionately the same for all Partners (assuming each otherwise has substantial taxable income);

(iii) the Tax Matters Partner determines that the settlement of the issue is fair to the Partners; or

(iv) tax counsel acceptable to all Partners determines that the settlement is fair to all Partners and is one it would recommend to the Partnership if all Partners were owned by the same person and each had substantial taxable income.

In all events, the costs incurred by the Tax Matters Partner in performing its duties hereunder shall be borne by the Partnership.

(f) The Tax Matters Partner may request extensions to file any tax return or statement without the written consent of, but shall so inform, the other Partners.

Section 5.11 Survival of Provisions . To the fullest extent permitted by law, the provisions of this Agreement regarding the Partnership’s tax returns and Tax Matters Partner shall survive the termination of the Partnership and the transfer of any Partner’s interest in the Partnership and shall remain in effect for the period of time necessary to resolve any and all matters regarding the federal, state, local and foreign taxation of the Partnership and items of Partnership income, gain, loss, deduction and credit.

 

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ARTICLE VI

DISTRIBUTIONS

Section 6.1 Distributions of Distributable Cash . Within 40 days following the end of each Quarter commencing with the Quarter that includes the IPO Date, the Partnership shall distribute to the Partners pro rata in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests an amount equal to 100% of Distributable Cash. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Partnership shall not make a distribution to any Partner on account of its interest in the Partnership if such distribution would violate the Delaware Act or other Applicable Law.

Section 6.2 Liquidating Distributions . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article VI (other than the last sentence of Section 6.1 ), distributions with respect to the Quarter in which a dissolution of the Partnership occurs shall be made in accordance with Article XII .

Section 6.3 Distribution in Kind . The Partnership shall not distribute to the Partners any assets in kind unless approved by the Partners in accordance with this Agreement. If cash and property in kind are to be distributed simultaneously, the Partnership shall distribute such cash and property in kind in the same proportion to each Partner, unless otherwise approved by the Partners in accordance with this Agreement.

ARTICLE VII

BOOKS AND RECORDS

Section 7.1 Books and Records; Examination . The General Partner shall keep or cause to be kept such books of account and records with respect to the Partnership’s business as it may deem necessary and appropriate. Each Partner and its duly authorized representatives shall have the right, for any purpose reasonably related to its interest in the Partnership, at any time to examine, or to appoint independent certified public accountants (the fees of which shall be paid by such Partner) to examine, the books, records and accounts of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries, their operations and all other matters that such Partner may wish to examine, including all documentation relating to actual or proposed transactions between the Partnership and any Partner or any Affiliate of a Partner. The Partnership’s books of account shall be kept using the method of accounting determined by the General Partner.

Section 7.2 Reports . The General Partner shall prepare and send to each Partner (at the same time) promptly such financial information of the Partnership as a Partner shall from time to time reasonably request, for any purpose reasonably related to its interest in the Partnership. The General Partner shall, for any purpose reasonably related to a Partner’s interest in the Partnership, permit examination and audit of the Partnership’s books and records by both the internal and independent auditors of its Partners.

 

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ARTICLE VIII

MANAGEMENT AND VOTING

Section 8.1 Management . The General Partner shall conduct, direct and manage the business of the Partnership. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, all management powers over the business and affairs of the Partnership shall be exclusively vested in the General Partner, and no Limited Partner shall have any management power over the business and affairs of the Partnership. In addition to the powers now or hereafter granted a general partner of a limited partnership under the Delaware Act or which are granted to the General Partner under any other provision of this Agreement, the General Partner, subject to Section 8.2 , shall have full power and authority to do all things on such terms as it, in its sole discretion, may deem necessary or appropriate to conduct the business of the Partnership and to effectuate the purposes set forth in Section 2.4 . The Partnership shall reimburse the General Partner, on a monthly basis or such other basis as the General Partner may determine, for all direct and indirect costs and expenses incurred by the General Partner or payments made by the General Partner, in its capacity as the general partner of the Partnership, for and on behalf of the Partnership. Except as provided in this Section 8.1 , and elsewhere in this Agreement, the General Partner shall not be compensated for its services as the general partner of the Partnership.

Section 8.2 Matters Constituting Unanimous Approval Matters . Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement or the Delaware Act to the contrary, and subject to the provisions of Section 8.3(c) , each of the following matters, and only the following matters, shall constitute a “ Unanimous Approval Matter ” which requires the prior approval of all of the Partners pursuant to Section 8.3(c) :

(a) any merger, consolidation, reorganization or similar transaction between or among the Partnership and any Person (other than a transaction between the Partnership and a direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of the Partnership) or any sale or lease of all or substantially all of the Partnership’s assets to any Person (other than a direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of the Partnership);

(b) the creation of any new class of Partnership Interests, the issuance of any additional Partnership Interests or the issuance of any security that is convertible into or exchangeable for a Partnership Interest;

(c) the admission or withdrawal of any Person as a Partner other than pursuant to (i) the third sentence of Section 9.2 , (ii)  Section 9.4 or (iii) any transfer of Partnership Interests pursuant to Section 9.1(b) , as applicable;

(d) the commencement of a voluntary case with respect to the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar Applicable Law now or hereafter in effect, or the consent to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case under any such Applicable Law, or the consent to the appointment of or the taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee or sequestrator (or similar official) of the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries or for any substantial part of the Partnership’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ property, or the making of any general assignment for the benefit of creditors;

 

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(e) the modification, alteration or amendment of the amount, timing, frequency or method of calculation of distributions to the Partners from that provided in Article VI ;

(f) (i) the approval of any distribution by the Partnership to the Partners of any assets in kind (other than cash or cash equivalents), (ii) the approval of any distribution by the Partnership to the Partners of cash or property in kind on a non-pro rata basis and (iii) the determination of the value assigned to distributions of property in kind;

(g) other than pursuant to Section 4.4 , the making of any additional Capital Contributions to the Partnership; and

(h) any other provision of this Agreement expressly requiring the approval, consent or other form of authorization of all of the Partners.

Section 8.3 Meetings and Voting .

(a) Representatives . For purposes of this Article VIII and subject to the General Partner’s authority under Section 8.1 , each Partner shall be represented by a designated representative (each, a “ Representative ”), who shall be appointed by, and may be removed with or without cause by, the Partner that designated such Person. Each Representative shall have the full authority to act on behalf of the Partner who designated such Representative. To the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, each Representative shall be deemed the agent of the Partner that appointed him, and each Representative shall not be an agent of the Partnership or the other Partners. The action of a Representative at a meeting of the Partners (or through a written consent) shall bind the Partner that designated that Representative, and the other Partners shall be entitled to rely upon such action without further inquiry or investigation as to the actual authority (or lack thereof) of such Representative.

(b) Meetings and Voting . Meetings of Partners shall be at such times and locations as the General Partner shall determine in its sole discretion. The General Partner shall provide notice to the Limited Partners of any meetings of Partners in any manner that it deems reasonable and appropriate under the circumstances. The holders of a majority, by Percentage Interest, of Partnership Interests for which a meeting has been called (including Partnership Interests owned by the General Partner) represented in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of Partners unless any such action by the Partners requires approval by holders of a greater Percentage Interest, in which case the quorum shall be such greater Percentage Interest. At any meeting of the Partners duly called and held in accordance with this Agreement at which a quorum is present, the act of Partners holding Partnership Interests that, in the aggregate, represent a majority of the Percentage Interests 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. 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 Interests specified in this Agreement. In the absence of a quorum, any meeting of

 

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Partners may be adjourned from time to time by the affirmative vote of Partners with at least a majority of the Percentage Interests of the Partners entitled to vote at such meeting (including the General Partner) represented either in person or by proxy, but no other business may be transacted.

(c) Unanimous Approval Matters . All Unanimous Approval Matters shall be approved by the unanimous affirmative vote of all of the Partners. Each Partner acknowledges and agrees that all references in this Agreement to any approval, consent or other form of authorization by “all Partners,” “each of the Partners” or similar phrases shall be deemed to mean that such approval, consent or other form of authorization shall constitute a Unanimous Approval Matter that requires the unanimous approval of all of the Partners in accordance with this Section 8.3(c) .

(d) Action Without a Meeting . Any action that may be taken at a meeting of the Partners may be taken without a meeting and without prior notice if an approval in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by the Partners owning not less than the minimum Percentage Interests of the Partnership Interests that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all of the Partners were present and voted. Prompt notice of the taking of action without a meeting shall be given to the Partners who have not approved such action in writing.

Section 8.4 Reliance by Third Parties . Persons dealing with the Partnership are entitled to rely conclusively upon the power and authority of the General Partner set forth in this Agreement. Neither a Limited Partner nor its Representative shall have the authority to bind the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries.

Section 8.5 Reimbursement of the General Partner . The General Partner shall be reimbursed on a monthly basis, or such other basis as the General Partner may determine, for (i) all direct and indirect expenses it incurs or payments it makes on behalf of the Partnership (including salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to any Person, including Affiliates of the General Partner, to perform services for the Partnership or for the General Partner in the discharge of its duties to the Partnership) and (ii) all other expenses allocable to the Partnership or otherwise incurred by the General Partner or its Affiliates in connection with managing and operating the Partnership’s business and affairs (including expenses allocated to the General Partner by its Affiliates). The General Partner shall determine the expenses that are allocable to the Partnership. Reimbursements pursuant to this Section 8.5 shall be in addition to any reimbursement to the General Partner as a result of indemnification pursuant to Section 10.3 . Any allocation of expenses to the Partnership by the General Partner in a manner consistent with its or its Affiliates’ past business practices shall be permitted by, and not constitute a breach of, this Agreement or any duty owed by the General Partner to the Partnership, the Partners, or any other Person bound by this Agreement.

 

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ARTICLE IX

TRANSFER OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

Section 9.1 Restrictions on Transfers .

(a) General . Except as expressly provided by this Article IX , no Partner shall transfer all or any part of its Partnership Interests to any Person without first obtaining the written approval of each of the other Partners, which approval may be granted or withheld in their sole discretion.

(b) Transfer by Operation of Law . In the event a Partner shall be party to a merger, consolidation or similar business combination transaction with another Person or sell all or substantially all its assets to another Person, such Partner may transfer all or part of its Partnership Interests to such other Person without the approval of any other Partner.

(c) Consequences of an Unpermitted Transfer . To the fullest extent permitted by law, any transfer of a Partner’s Partnership Interest in violation of the applicable provisions of this Agreement shall be void.

Section 9.2 Conditions for Admission . No transferee of all or a portion of the Partnership Interests of any Partner shall be admitted as a Partner hereunder unless such Partnership Interests are transferred in compliance with the applicable provisions of this Agreement. Each such transferee shall have executed and delivered to the Partnership such instruments as the General Partner deems necessary or appropriate in its sole discretion to effectuate the admission of such transferee as a Partner and to confirm the agreement of such transferee to be bound by all the terms and provisions of this Agreement. The admission of a transferee shall be effective immediately prior to such transfer and, immediately following such admission, the transferor shall cease to be a Partner (to the extent it transferred its entire Partnership Interest). If the General Partner transfers its entire General Partner Interest in the Partnership, the transferee General Partner, to the extent admitted as a substitute General Partner, is hereby authorized to, and shall, continue the Partnership without dissolution.

Section 9.3 Allocations and Distributions . Subject to applicable Regulations, upon the transfer of all the Partnership Interests of a Partner as herein provided, the Profit or Loss of the Partnership attributable to the Partnership Interests so transferred for the Fiscal Year in which such transfer occurs shall be allocated between the transferor and transferee as of the effective date of the assignment, and such allocation shall be based upon any permissible method agreed to by the Partners that is provided for in Code Section 706 and the Regulations issued thereunder.

Section 9.4 Restriction on Resignation or Withdrawal . Except in connection with a transfer permitted pursuant to Section 9.1 or as contemplated by Section 12.1 , no Partner shall withdraw from the Partnership without the consent of each of the other Partners. To the extent permitted by law, any purported withdrawal from the Partnership in violation of this Section 9.4 shall be null and void.

 

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ARTICLE X

LIABILITY, EXCULPATION AND INDEMNIFICATION

Section 10.1 Liability for Partnership Obligations . Except as otherwise required by the Delaware Act, the Liabilities of the Partnership shall be solely the Liabilities of the Partnership, and no Indemnitee (other than the General Partner) shall be obligated personally for any such Liability of the Partnership solely by reason of being an Indemnitee.

Section 10.2 Disclaimer of Duties and Exculpation .

(a) Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by law, no Indemnitee shall have any duty (fiduciary or otherwise) or obligation to the Partnership, the Partners or to any other Person bound by this Agreement, and in taking, or refraining from taking, any action required or permitted under this Agreement or under Applicable Law, each Indemnitee shall be entitled to consider only such interests and factors as such Indemnitee deems advisable, including its own interests, and need not consider any interest of or factors affecting, any other Indemnitee or the Partnership notwithstanding any duty otherwise existing at law or in equity. To the extent that an Indemnitee is required or permitted under this Agreement to act in “good faith” or under another express standard, such Indemnitee shall act under such express standard and shall not be subject to any other or different standard under this Agreement or otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity.

(b) The provisions of this Agreement, to the extent that they restrict or eliminate the duties (including fiduciary duties) and Liabilities of an Indemnitee otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity, are agreed by the Partners to replace such other duties and Liabilities of such Indemnitee in their entirety, and no Indemnitee shall be liable to the Partnership, the Partners or any other Person bound by this Agreement for its good faith reliance on the provisions of this Agreement.

(c) To the fullest extent permitted by law, no Indemnitee shall be liable to the Partnership, the Partners or any other Person bound by this Agreement for any cost, expense, loss, damage, claim or Liability incurred by reason of any act or omission performed or omitted by such Indemnitee in such capacity, whether or not such Person continues to be an Indemnitee at the time of such cost, expense, loss, damage, claim or Liability is incurred or imposed, if the Indemnitee acted in good faith reliance on the provisions of this Agreement, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, such Indemnitee had no reasonable cause to believe its conduct was unlawful.

(d) An Indemnitee shall be fully protected from liability to the Partnership, the Partners and any other Person bound by this Agreement in acting or refraining from acting in good faith reliance upon the records of the Partnership and such other information, opinions, reports or statements presented to the Partnership by any Person as to any matters the Indemnitee reasonably believes are within such other Person’s professional or expert competence and who has been selected with reasonable care by or on behalf of the Partnership, including information, opinions, reports or statements as to the value and amount of the assets, Liabilities, Profits and Losses of the Partnership.

 

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Section 10.3 Indemnification .

(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law but subject to the limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, all Indemnitees shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Partnership from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other amounts arising from any and all threatened, pending or completed claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, and whether formal or informal and including appeals, in which any Indemnitee may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of its status as an Indemnitee and acting (or refraining to act) in such capacity on behalf of or for the benefit of the Partnership; 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 engaged in intentional fraud, willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful; provided, further , no indemnification pursuant to this Section 10.3 shall be available to any Affiliate of the Partnership, or to any other Indemnitee, with respect to any such Affiliate’s obligations pursuant to the Transaction Documents. Any indemnification or advancement of expenses pursuant to this Section 10.3 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 or advancement of expenses and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Partnership to enable it to effectuate such indemnification or advancement of expenses.

(b) To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses (including legal fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnitee who is entitled to be indemnified pursuant to Section 10.3(a) in 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 10.3 , 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 10.3 .

(c) The indemnification provided by this Section 10.3 shall be in addition to any other rights to which an Indemnitee may be entitled under any agreement, 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, executors and administrators of the Indemnitee.

(d) The Partnership may purchase and maintain (or reimburse the General Partner or its Affiliates for the cost of) insurance, on behalf of the General Partner, its Affiliates and such other Persons as the General Partner shall determine, against any liability that may be asserted against or expense that may be incurred by such Person in connection with the Partnership’s activities or such Person’s activities on behalf of the Partnership, regardless of whether the Partnership would have the power to indemnify such Person against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement.

 

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(e) For purposes of this Section 10.3 , 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 10.3(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 subjectively believed by it not to be adverse to the interests of the participants and beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose that is on behalf of and for the benefit of the Partnership and not adverse to the interests of the Partnership.

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

(g) An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in whole or in part under this Section 10.3 solely because the Indemnitee had an interest in the transaction with respect to which the indemnification applies.

(h) The provisions of this Section 10.3 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 10.3 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 10.3 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.

ARTICLE XI

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Section 11.1 Transactions with Affiliates . The Partnership and its Subsidiaries shall be permitted to enter into or renew or extend the term of any agreement or transaction with a Partner or an Affiliate of a Partner on such terms and conditions as the General Partner shall approve in its sole discretion, without the approval of any Limited Partner.

Section 11.2 Outside Activities . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement or any duty otherwise existing at law or in equity, (a) the engaging in activities by any Indemnitee that are competitive with the business of the Partnership is hereby approved by all Partners, (b) it shall not be a breach of any fiduciary duty or any other duty or obligation of a Partner under this Agreement or otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity for such Indemnitee to engage in such activities in preference to or to the exclusion of the Partnership, (c) an Indemnitee shall have no obligation under this Agreement or as a result of any duty (including

 

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any fiduciary duty) otherwise existing under Applicable Law or in equity, to present business opportunities to the Partnership and (d) the doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any analogous doctrine, shall not apply to any Indemnitee; provided such Indemnitee does not engage in such activity as a result of or using confidential or proprietary information provided by or on behalf of the Partnership to such Indemnitee.

ARTICLE XII

DISSOLUTION AND TERMINATION

Section 12.1 Dissolution . The Partnership shall be dissolved and its business and affairs wound up upon the earliest to occur of any one of the following events:

(a) at any time there are no Limited Partners of the Partnership, unless the business of the Partnership is continued in accordance with the Delaware Act;

(b) the written consent of all the Partners;

(c) an “event of withdrawal” (as defined in the Delaware Act) of the General Partner; or

(d) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Partnership pursuant to Section 17-802 of the Delaware Act.

The bankruptcy, involuntary liquidation or dissolution of a Partner shall cause that Partner to cease to be a partner of the Partnership. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Partnership shall not be dissolved and its business and affairs shall not be wound up upon the occurrence of any event specified in clause (c) above if, at the time of occurrence of such event, there is at least one remaining General Partner (who is hereby authorized to, and shall, carry on the business of the Partnership) and at least one Limited Partner, or if within ninety (90) days after the date on which such event occurs, the remaining Partners elect in writing to continue the business of the Partnership and to the appointment, effective as of the date of such event, if required, of one or more additional General Partners of the Partnership. Except as provided in this paragraph, and to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware Act, the occurrence of an event that causes a Partner to cease to be a Partner of the Partnership shall not, in and of itself, cause the Partnership to be dissolved or its business or affairs to be wound up, and upon the occurrence of such an event, the business of the Partnership shall, to the extent permitted by the Delaware Act, continue without dissolution.

Section 12.2 Winding Up of Partnership . Upon dissolution, the Partnership’s business shall be wound up in an orderly manner. The General Partner shall (unless the General Partner (or, if no General Partner, the remaining Limited Partners) elects to appoint a liquidating trustee) wind up the affairs of the Partnership pursuant to this Agreement. In performing its duties, the General Partner or liquidating trustee is authorized to sell, distribute, exchange or otherwise dispose of the assets of the Partnership in accordance with the Delaware Act and in any reasonable manner that the General Partner or liquidating trustee shall determine to be not adverse to the interests of the Partners or their successors-in-interest. The General Partner or liquidating trustee shall take full account of the Partnership’s Liabilities and Property and shall cause the Property or the proceeds from the sale thereof, to the extent sufficient therefor, to be

 

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applied and distributed, to the maximum extent permitted by Applicable Law, in the following order:

(a) First, to creditors, including Partners who are creditors, to the extent permitted by law, in satisfaction of all of the Partnership’s Liabilities (whether by payment or the making of reasonable provision for payment thereof to the extent required by Section 17-804 of the Delaware Act), other than Liabilities for distribution to Partners under Section 17-601 or 17-604 of the Delaware Act;

(b) Second, to the Partners and former Partners of the Partnership in satisfaction of Liabilities for distributions under Sections 17-601 or 17-604 of the Delaware Act; and

(c) The balance, if any, to the Partners in accordance with the positive balance in their respective Capital Accounts, after giving effect to all contributions, distributions and allocations for all periods.

Section 12.3 Compliance with Certain Requirements of Regulations; Deficit Capital Accounts . In the event the Partnership is “liquidated” within the meaning of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g), distributions shall be made pursuant to this Article XII to the Partners who have positive Capital Accounts in compliance with Regulations Section 1.704- 1(b)(2)(ii)(b)(2). If any Partner has a deficit balance in its Capital Account (after giving effect to all contributions, distributions and allocations for all Allocation Years, including the Allocation Year during which such liquidation occurs), such Partner shall have no obligation to make any contribution to the capital of the Partnership with respect to such deficit, and such deficit shall not be considered a debt owed to the Partnership or to any other Person for any purpose whatsoever.

Section 12.4 Deemed Distribution and Recontribution . Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article XII , in the event the Partnership is liquidated within the meaning of Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g) but no actual dissolution and winding up under the Delaware Act has occurred, the Property shall not be liquidated, the Partnership’s debts and other Liabilities shall not be paid or discharged, and the Partnership’s affairs shall not be wound up. Instead, solely for federal income tax purposes, the Partnership shall be deemed to have contributed all its Property and Liabilities to a new limited partnership in exchange for an interest in such new limited partnership and, immediately thereafter, the Partnership will be deemed to liquidate by distributing interests in the new limited partnership to the Partners.

Section 12.5 Distribution of Property . In the event the General Partner determines that it is necessary in connection with the winding up of the Partnership to make a distribution of property in kind, such property shall be transferred and conveyed to the Partners so as to vest in each of them as a tenant in common an undivided interest in the whole of such property, but otherwise in accordance with Section 12.3 .

Section 12.6 Termination of Partnership . The Partnership shall terminate when all assets of the Partnership, after payment of or due provision for all Liabilities of the Partnership, shall have been distributed to the Partners in the manner provided for in this Agreement, and the Certificate of Limited Partnership shall have been canceled in the manner provided by the Delaware Act.

 

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ARTICLE XIII

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 13.1 Notices . Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, all notices, demands, requests, or other communications required or permitted to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be given either (a) in person, (b) by United States mail or (c) by expedited delivery service (charges prepaid) with proof of delivery. The Partnership’s address for notice shall be the principal place of business of the Partnership, as set forth in Section 2.3 . The address for notices and other communications to the General Partner shall be the address set forth in Section 2.3 . The address for notices and other communications to any Limited Partner shall be the address set forth in or designated pursuant to Section 2.3 . Addresses for notices and communications hereunder may be changed by the Partnership, the General Partner or any Limited Partner, as applicable, giving notice in writing, stating its new address for notices, to the other. For purposes of the foregoing, any notice required or permitted to be given shall be deemed to be delivered and given on the date actually delivered to the address specified in this Section 13.1 .

Section 13.2 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 13.3 Assignment . A Partner shall not assign all or any of its rights, obligations or benefits under this Agreement to any other Person otherwise than (i) in connection with a transfer of its Partnership Interests pursuant to Article IX or (ii) with the prior written consent of each of the other Partners, which consent may be withheld in such Partner’s sole discretion, and any attempted assignment not in compliance with Article IX or this Section 13.3 shall be void.

Section 13.4 Parties in Interest . 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 13.5 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.

Section 13.6 Amendment; Waiver . Subject to the definition of Capital Account, Section 2.2 and Section 3.2 , this Agreement may not be amended except in a written instrument signed by each of the Partners and expressly stating it is an amendment to this Agreement. Any failure or delay on the part of any Partner in exercising any power or right hereunder shall not operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power hereunder or otherwise available under Applicable Law or in equity.

Section 13.7 Severability . If any term, provision, covenant, or restriction in this Agreement or the application thereof to any Person or circumstance, at any time or to any extent,

 

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is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or other Governmental Authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement (or the application of such provision in other jurisdictions or to Persons or circumstances other than those to which it was held invalid or unenforceable) shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated, and to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, any such term, provision, covenant or restriction shall be restricted in applicability or reformed to the minimum extent required for such to be enforceable. This provision shall be interpreted and enforced to give effect to the original written intent of the Partners prior to the determination of such invalidity or unenforceability.

Section 13.8 Governing Law . THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO THE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW THEREOF. ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY WITH RESPECT TO ANY CLAIM OR PROCEEDING RELATED TO OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT, OR ANY TRANSACTION OR CONDUCT IN CONNECTION HEREWITH, IS HEREBY WAIVED BY EACH OF THE PARTNERS.

Section 13.9 No Bill for Accounting . To the fullest extent permitted by law, in no event shall any Partner have any right to file a bill for an accounting or any similar proceeding.

Section 13.10 Waiver of Partition . Each Partner hereby waives any right to partition of the Property.

Section 13.11 Third Parties . Nothing herein expressed or implied is intended or shall be construed to confer upon or give any Person (other than Indemnitees) other than the Partners and their respective successors, legal representatives and permitted assigns any rights, remedies or basis for reliance upon, under or by reason of this Agreement.

[Signature pages follow]

 

32


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have signed this Agreement as of the Effective Date.

 

GENERAL PARTNER:
SAN JUAN RIVER DEVCO GP LLC

By:

 

 

Name:

 

Title:

 

 

Signature Page to

First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of

San Juan River DevCo LP


LIMITED PARTNER:
NBL MIDSTREAM, LLC
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

Signature Page to

First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of

San Juan River DevCo LP


Exhibit A

 

Partner

  

Percentage
Interest

  

Type of

Partnership

Interest

San Juan River DevCo GP LLC

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, Texas 77070

   5%    General Partner Interest

NBL Midstream, LLC

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, Texas 77070

   95%    Limited Partner Interest

 

Exhibit A – Page 1

Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Partners

Noble Midstream Partners LP:

We consent to the use of our report dated July 24, 2015, with respect to the balance sheet of Noble Midstream Partners LP as of July 17, 2015, included herein and to the reference to our firm under the heading “Experts” in the prospectus.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Houston, Texas

November 6, 2015

Exhibit 23.2

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors

Noble Energy, Inc.:

We consent to the use of our report dated July 24, 2015, with respect to the combined balance sheets of Noble Midstream Partners LP Predecessor as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the related combined statements of operations, changes in net parent investment and cash flows for the years then ended, included herein and to the reference to our firm under the heading “Experts” in the prospectus.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Houston, Texas

November 6, 2015

Exhibit 23.5

Consent of Prospective Director

Pursuant to Rule 438 of Regulation C promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (the “Registration Statement”) of Noble Midstream Partners LP, the undersigned hereby consents to being named and described as a person who will become a director of Noble Midstream GP LLC in the Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement to any prospectus included in such Registration Statement, any amendment to such Registration Statement or any subsequent Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act and to the filing or attachment of this consent with such Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement thereto.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this consent as of the 6 day of November, 2015.

 

/s/ Hallie A. Vanderhider
Hallie A. Vanderhider