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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

 

 

FORM 8-K

 

 

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): December 8, 2021

 

 

Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   1-11535   27-1754839

(State or Other Jurisdiction

of Incorporation)

 

(Commission

File Number)

 

(IRS Employer

Identification No.)

 

2650 Lou Menk Drive, Fort Worth, TX   76131
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)   (Zip Code)

(800) 795-2673

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

(Not Applicable)

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

 

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

 

Trading

Symbol(s)

 

Name of each exchange

on which registered

None   None   None

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company  ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

 

 

 


Item 1.01.

Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

See description of the Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture in Item 8.01.

 

Item 2.03.

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

See Item 8.01.

 

Item 8.01.

Other Events.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC (“BNSF”) entered into an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) dated November 29, 2021, with Barclays Capital Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as representatives of the several underwriters listed therein (collectively, the “Underwriters”), pursuant to which BNSF agreed to sell and the Underwriters agreed to purchase, subject to and upon terms and conditions set forth therein, $625,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of 2.875% Debentures due June 15, 2052, as described in the prospectus supplement dated November 29, 2021, filed pursuant to BNSF’s shelf registration statement on Form S-3, Registration No. 333-231290.

The debentures were issued under the Indenture dated as of December 1, 1995, the Fifth Supplemental Indenture dated as of February 11, 2010 and the Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture dated as of December 8, 2021, between BNSF and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (formerly known as The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A.), as successor-in-interest to The First National Bank of Chicago, as trustee, and an officers’ certificate providing for the issuance of the debentures.

A copy of the Underwriting Agreement, Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture and other documents relating to this transaction are attached as exhibits to this Current Report on Form 8-K and are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 9.01.

Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

 

    

Exhibit Number and Description

  1.1    Underwriting Agreement, dated November 29, 2021, among Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC and Barclays Capital Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as representatives of the several underwriters named therein.
  4.1    Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of December 8, 2021, to Indenture dated as of December 1, 1995, between Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as Trustee.
  4.2    Certificate of Determination as to the terms of BNSF’s 2.875% Debentures due June 15, 2052.
  5.1    Opinion of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, as to the validity of the securities being offered.
23.1    Consent of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).
104    Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

    BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE, LLC
Date: December 8, 2021     By:  

/s/ Paul W. Bischler

    Name:   Paul W. Bischler
    Title:   Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Exhibit 1.1

Execution Version

Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

November 29, 2021

Barclays Capital Inc.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

Wells Fargo Securities, LLC

As Representatives of the several

Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Company”), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein (the “Underwriting Agreement”), between the Company on the one hand and you, as Representatives of the several underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”), on the other hand, to issue and sell to the Underwriters the Securities specified in Schedule II hereto (the “Securities”). All provisions contained in the document entitled Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC Underwriting Agreement Standard Provisions (Debt Securities), a copy of which is attached hereto (the “Standard Provisions”), are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety and shall be deemed to be a part of this Agreement to the same extent as if such provisions had been set forth in full herein. Unless otherwise defined herein, terms defined in the Standard Provisions are used herein as therein defined.

The Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses referred to in Section 6(a) of the Standard Provisions are set forth on Schedule III hereto, and any additional documents incorporated by reference referred to in Section 2(d) of the Standard Provisions are set forth on Schedule III hereto. The form of final term sheet referred to in Section 5(a) of the Standard Provisions is attached hereto as Schedule IV. Each reference to the Representatives herein and in the Standard Provisions shall be deemed to refer to you. The Representatives are to act on behalf of each of the Underwriters of the Securities.

Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein and in the Standard Provisions, the Company agrees to issue and sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the “Time of Delivery” (as specified in Schedule II hereto) and at the purchase price to the Underwriters set forth in Schedule II hereto, the principal amount of Securities set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto.

 

1


For the purposes of this Agreement, the following information is the only information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter for use in the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus:

 

  a.

The second paragraph of text under the caption “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest)” in the Prospectus Supplement, concerning the terms of the offering by the Underwriters;

 

  b.

The second sentence of the third paragraph of text under the caption “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest)” in the Prospectus Supplement, concerning market making by the Underwriters; and

 

  c.

The fourth, fifth and sixth paragraphs of text under the caption “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest)” in the Prospectus Supplement, concerning stabilization and short positions created by the Underwriters.

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

2


If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and return to us one counterpart hereof, and upon the acceptance hereof by you, on behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and such acceptance hereof shall constitute a binding agreement between each of the Underwriters and the Company. It is understood that your acceptance of this letter on behalf of each of the Underwriters is pursuant to the authority set forth in a form of Agreement among Underwriters, the form of which shall be submitted to the Company for examination upon request, but without warranty on your part as to the authority of the signers thereof.

 

Very truly yours,
BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE, LLC
By:   /s/ Paul W. Bischler
Name:   Paul W. Bischler
Title:   Executive Vice President and Chief
  Financial Officer

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]


Accepted as of the date hereof:
BARCLAYS CAPITAL INC.
By:   /s/ Kenneth Chang
Name: Kenneth Chang
Title:   Managing Director
MORGAN STANLEY & CO. LLC
By:   /s/ Yurij Slyz
Name: Yurij Slyz
Title:   Executive Director
WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC
By:   /s/ Carolyn Hurley
Name: Carolyn Hurley
Title:   Managing Director

On behalf of itself and each of the other Underwriters

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]


Schedule I

 

Underwriters   

Principal Amount of
Debentures

to be Purchased

 

Barclays Capital Inc.

   $ 177,083,000  

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

   $ 177,084,000  

Wells Fargo Securities, LLC

   $ 177,083,000  

PNC Capital Markets LLC

   $ 31,250,000  

Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC

   $ 31,250,000  

U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.

   $ 31,250,000  
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ 625,000,000  

 

Schedule I


Schedule II

2.875% Debentures due June 15, 2052

Title of Securities:

2.875% Debentures due June 15, 2052 (the “Debentures”)

Aggregate Principal Amount:

$625,000,000

Price to Public:

99.435% of the principal amount, plus accrued interest, if any, from December 8, 2021

Purchase Price by Underwriters:

98.735% of the principal amount, plus accrued interest, if any, from December 8, 2021

Specified Funds for Payment of Purchase Price:

By wire transfer to a bank account specified by the Company in immediately available funds

Indenture:

Indenture, dated as of December 1, 1995, between the Company (as successor-in-interest to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation) and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (formerly known as The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A.), as successor-in-interest to The First National Bank of Chicago, as Trustee (the “Trustee”), as supplemented by the Fifth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of February 11, 2010, among Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, R Acquisition Company, LLC and the Trustee, and the Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture, to be dated as of December 8, 2021, between the Company and the Trustee

Maturity: June 15, 2052

Interest Rate: 2.875% per annum

Interest Payment Dates:

June 15 and December 15, commencing on June 15, 2022

 

Schedule II-1


Redemption Provisions:

At any time prior to December 15, 2051, the Debentures will be redeemable as a whole or in part, at the option of the Company, at a redemption price equal to the greater of (i) 100% of the principal amount of the Debentures to be redeemed or (ii) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the Debentures to be redeemed (not including any portion of such interest accrued as of the redemption date and assuming that the Debentures mature on December 15, 2051) discounted to the redemption date semiannually (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the Treasury Rate plus 20 basis points, plus in either case any accrued and unpaid interest on the Debentures to be redeemed to the date of redemption. The Independent Investment Banker will calculate the redemption price.

At any time on or after December 15, 2051, the Debentures will be redeemable as a whole or in part, at the option of the Company, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Debentures to be redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest on the Debentures to be redeemed to the date of redemption.

“Reference Treasury Dealer” means each of (i) Barclays Capital Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC and their respective successors and (ii) one other nationally recognized investment banking firm that is a primary U.S. Government securities dealer in New York City (a “Primary Treasury Dealer”) specified from time to time by the Company; provided, however, that if any of the foregoing shall cease to be a Primary Treasury Dealer, the Company shall replace that former dealer with another Primary Treasury Dealer.

Change of Control Provisions:

If a Change of Control Repurchase Event occurs, unless the Company has exercised its right to redeem the Debentures as described above, the Company will be required to make an offer to each holder of Debentures to repurchase all or any part (in integral multiples of $1,000) of that holder’s Debentures at a repurchase price in cash equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount of Debentures repurchased plus any accrued and unpaid interest on the Debentures repurchased to, but not including, the date of repurchase. Within 30 days following a Change of Control Repurchase Event or, at the Company’s option, prior to a Change of Control, but after the public announcement of the Change of Control, the Company will mail a notice to each holder of Debentures, with a copy to the Trustee, describing the transaction or transactions that constitute or may constitute the Change of Control Repurchase Event and offering to repurchase Debentures on the payment date specified in the notice, which date will be no earlier than 30 days and no later than 60 days from the date such notice is mailed. The notice shall, if mailed prior to the date of consummation of the Change of Control, state that the offer to purchase is conditioned on a Change of Control Repurchase Event occurring on or prior to the payment date specified in the notice. The Company will comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act, and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent those laws and regulations are applicable in connection with the repurchase of the Debentures as a result of a Change of Control Repurchase Event. To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with the Change of Control Repurchase Event provisions of the Debentures, the Company will comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and will not be deemed to have breached its obligations under the Change of Control Repurchase Event provisions of the Debentures by virtue of such conflict.

 

Schedule II-2


Sinking Fund Provisions:

No sinking fund provisions

Defeasance Provisions:

Legal defeasance and covenant defeasance permitted upon compliance with conditions set forth in the Indenture

Additional Terms:

Except as otherwise provided in this Schedule II, such other terms are specified in the Pricing Prospectus. Capitalized terms used herein and not defined herein have the meanings specified in the Pricing Prospectus.

Time of Sale:

3:00 P.M., Eastern Time, on November 29, 2021

Time of Delivery:

9:30 A.M., Eastern Time, on December 8, 2021

Closing Location:

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, 825 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10019-7475

Names and Addresses of Representatives:    

Designated Representatives:

Barclays Capital Inc.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

Wells Fargo Securities, LLC

Address for Notices, etc.:

c/o Barclays Capital Inc.

745 Seventh Avenue

New York, New York 10019

Attention: Syndicate Registration

Facsimile: (646) 834-8133

c/o Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

1585 Broadway

New York, New York 10036

Attention: Investment Banking Division

Facsimile: (212) 507-8999

 

Schedule II-3


c/o Wells Fargo Securities, LLC

550 South Tryon Street, 5th floor

Charlotte, North Carolina 28202

Attention: Transaction Management

Facsimile: (704) 410-0326

 

Schedule II-4


Schedule III

Materials in Addition to the Pricing Prospectus comprising the Disclosure Package:

Final Term Sheet, dated November 29, 2021

Other Free Writing Prospectuses:

None

Documents Incorporated by Reference:

None

 

Schedule III


Schedule IV

Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC

$625,000,000 2.875% Debentures due June 15, 2052

Final Term Sheet

 

Issuer:    Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC
Note Type:    Senior Unsecured Debentures
Offering Format:    SEC Registered
Trade Date:    November 29, 2021
Settlement Date*:    December 8, 2021 (T+7)
Maturity Date:    June 15, 2052
Final Terms   
Principal Amount:    $625,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the 2.875% Debentures due June 15, 2052
Benchmark Treasury:    UST 2.000% due August 15, 2051
Benchmark Treasury Price / Yield:    102-21 / 1.883%
Re-offer Spread:    T + 102 bps
Re-offer Yield:    2.903%
Coupon:    2.875%
Price to Public:    99.435% of the principal amount
Coupon Dates:    June 15 and December 15
First Coupon Date:    June 15, 2022
Make-Whole Call:    T + 20 bps (at any time before December 15, 2051)
Par Call:    At any time on or after December 15, 2051
Day Count Convention:    30/360

 

Schedule IV-1


Denominations:    $2,000 x $1,000
CUSIP / ISIN:    12189L BH3 / US12189LBH33
Joint Book-Running Managers:   

Barclays Capital Inc.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

Wells Fargo Securities, LLC

Co-Managers:   

PNC Capital Markets LLC

Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC

U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.

 

*

We expect to deliver the Debentures against payment therefor in New York City on or about December 8, 2021, which will be the seventh business day following the date of the prospectus supplement and of the pricing of the Debentures. Under Rule 15c6-l of the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade Debentures on the pricing date or the next four succeeding business days will be required by virtue of the fact that the Debentures initially will settle in seven business days (T+7) to specify alternative settlement arrangements to prevent failed settlement.

The issuer has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the SEC for the offering to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration statement and other documents the issuer has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the issuer and this offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC Web site at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, the issuer, any underwriter or any dealer participating in the offering will arrange to send you the prospectus if you request it by calling Barclays Capital Inc. at 1-888-603-5847, calling Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC at (866) 718-1649 or calling or emailing Wells Fargo Securities, LLC at (800) 645-3751 or wfscustomerservice@wellsfargo.com.

No PRIIPs KID. Not for retail investors in the EEA. No PRIIPs key information document (KID) has been prepared as not available to retail in EEA.

 

Schedule IV-2


Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC

Underwriting Agreement

Standard Provisions

(Debt Securities)

From time to time Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Company”), may enter into one or more underwriting agreements that provide for the sale of debt securities (the “Securities”) to the several underwriters named therein. The standard provisions set forth herein may be incorporated by reference in any such underwriting agreement (an “Underwriting Agreement”). The Underwriting Agreement, including the provisions incorporated therein by reference, is herein referred to as “this Agreement.” Terms defined in the Underwriting Agreement are used herein as therein defined.

The terms and rights of any particular issuance of Securities shall be as specified in this Agreement and in or pursuant to the indenture (the “Indenture”) identified in this Agreement.

1. Particular sales of Securities may be made from time to time to the Underwriters of such Securities, for whom the firms as representatives of the Underwriters of such Securities in the Underwriting Agreement relating thereto will act as representatives (the “Representatives”). The term “Representatives” also refers to a single firm acting as sole representative of the Underwriters and to Underwriters who act without any firm being designated as their representative. The obligations of the Underwriters under this Agreement shall be several and not joint.

2. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters that:

(a) An “automatic shelf registration statement” as defined under Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), on Form S-3 (File No. 333-231290) in respect of the Securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) not earlier than three years prior to the date hereof; such registration statement, and any post-effective amendment thereto, became effective on filing; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of such registration statement or any part thereof has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or threatened by the Commission, and no notice of objection of the Commission to the use of such registration statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Securities Act has been received by the Company (the base prospectus filed as part of such registration statement, in the form in which it has most recently been filed with the Commission on or prior to the date of this Agreement, is hereinafter called the “Basic Prospectus”; any preliminary prospectus, including any preliminary prospectus supplement, relating to the Securities filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act is hereinafter called a “Preliminary Prospectus”; the various parts of such registration statement, including all exhibits thereto but excluding Form T-1 and including any prospectus supplement relating to the Securities that is filed with the Commission and deemed by virtue of Rule 430B to be part of such registration statement, each as amended at the time such part of the registration statement became effective, are hereinafter collectively called the

 

1


“Registration Statement”; the Basic Prospectus, as amended and supplemented immediately prior to the Time of Sale (as defined in Section 2(c) hereof), is hereinafter called the “Pricing Prospectus”; the form of the final prospectus relating to the Securities filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof is hereinafter called the “Prospectus”; any reference herein to the Basic Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act, as of the date of such prospectus; any reference to any amendment or supplement to the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, any prospectus supplement relating to the Securities filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act and any documents filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and incorporated therein, in each case after the date of the Basic Prospectus, such Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to any amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to refer to and include any annual report of the Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the effective date of the Registration Statement that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement; and any “issuer free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act relating to the Securities and identified as such on Schedule III to the Underwriting Agreement is hereinafter called an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”);

(b) The Company was a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act (i) at the time of filing the Registration Statement, (ii) at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purpose of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or form of prospectus filed pursuant to the Securities Act), and (iii) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) under the Securities Act) made any offer relating to the Securities in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 under the Securities Act; and the Company was not an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act at the earliest time after the filing of the Registration Statement that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Securities Act) of the Securities;

(c) For the purposes of this Agreement, the “Time of Sale” will be the date and time of day specified in Schedule II to the Underwriting Agreement; the Pricing Prospectus as supplemented by those Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses and other documents so specified in Schedule III to the Underwriting Agreement and by the final term sheet in the form attached to the Underwriting Agreement as Schedule IV, prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(a) hereof, taken together (collectively, the “Disclosure Package”) as of the Time of Sale, did not include any 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; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to statements or omissions made in the Disclosure Package in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein; and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus;

 

2


(d) The documents incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto, when such documents become effective or are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and will not 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, and no such documents were filed with the Commission since the Commission’s close of business on the business day immediately prior to the date of this Agreement and prior to the execution of this Agreement, except as set forth on Schedule III to the Underwriting Agreement and except for such other documents as were delivered to you prior to the Time of Sale;

(e) The Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, as of the date thereof, do not and will not contain any 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, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to statements or omissions made in the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein;

(f) No order preventing or suspending the use of the Registration Statement has been issued by the Commission;

(g) The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement will conform, in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”), and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and do not and will not, as of the applicable effective date as to each part of the Registration Statement and as of the applicable filing date as to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, contain any 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, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter of Securities through the Representatives expressly for use therein;

(h) Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Pricing Prospectus, there has not been any change in the capitalization or any material change in long-term debt of the Company and its subsidiaries or any material adverse change, or any development that the Company has a reasonable cause to believe involves a prospective material adverse change, in the business, financial position, member’s equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus;

 

3


(i) The Company has been duly formed and is validly existing as a limited liability company in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with power and authority (limited liability company and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Pricing Prospectus, and has been duly qualified as a foreign limited liability company for the transaction of business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or the ownership or leasing of its property requires such qualification, except where failure to qualify would not in the aggregate have a material adverse effect upon the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; and BNSF Railway Company (hereinafter referred to as the “Significant Subsidiary”) has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation;

(j) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus, and all of the membership interests in the Company have been duly and validly issued, are non-assessable; and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Significant Subsidiary have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and except as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims;

(k) The Securities have been duly authorized and, when the Securities are issued and delivered pursuant to this Agreement, will have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered and will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits provided by the Indenture, which will be substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement; assuming the due authorization and execution by the Trustee, the Indenture has been duly authorized and duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act and, at the Time of Delivery for such Securities (as defined in Section 4 hereof), the Indenture will constitute a valid and legally binding instrument, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforcement, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles; and the Indenture conforms, and the Securities will conform, to the descriptions thereof contained in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus;

(l) The issue and sale of the Securities and the compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of the Securities, the execution and delivery of the Indenture and this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein and therein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject except for such conflicts, breaches, violations or defaults that will not individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on the business, financial position, member’s equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the Certificate of Formation or Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Operating Agreement of the Company or any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties except for such violations (other than with respect to the Company’s Certificate of Formation or Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Operating Agreement) that will not individually or in the

 

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aggregate have a material adverse effect on the business, financial position, member’s equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the issue and sale of the Securities or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Indenture, except such as have been, or will have been prior to the Time of Sale, obtained under the Securities Act and the Trust Indenture Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters;

(m) Other than as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject which, in either case, the Company has reasonable cause to believe will individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on the financial position, member’s equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; and, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or threatened by others;

(n) Deloitte & Touche LLP is an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder;

(o) The Company maintains a system of internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and has been designed by the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or persons under their supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is effective and the Company is not aware of any material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting;

(p) The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act; such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within those entities; and such disclosure controls and procedures are effective; and

(q) The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof, will not be an “investment company”, or an entity “controlled” by an investment company as such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).

3. Upon the execution of this Agreement and authorization by the Representatives of the release of the Securities, the several Underwriters propose to offer the Securities for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus.

 

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4. Securities to be purchased by each Underwriter pursuant to this Agreement will be represented by one or more definitive global Securities in book-entry form which will be deposited by or on behalf of the Company with The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its designated custodian. The Company will deliver the Securities to the Representatives for the account of such Underwriter, against payment by such Underwriter or on its behalf of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of such funds as may be specified in Schedule II to the Underwriting Agreement, all at the place and time and date specified in this Agreement or at such other place and time and date as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon in writing, such time and date being herein called the “Time of Delivery”.

5. The Company agrees with each of the Underwriters:

(a) To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by the Representatives, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed, 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 or, if applicable, such earlier time as may be required by Rule 424(b); to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus after the date of this Agreement and prior to the Time of Delivery without giving you advance notice thereof and an opportunity to comment thereon; to advise the Representatives promptly of any such amendment or supplement after such Time of Delivery and furnish the Representatives with copies thereof, if requested by the Underwriters; to prepare a final term sheet, containing a description of the Securities, in a form approved by you and to file such term sheet pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act within the time required by such Rule; to file promptly all material required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act; to file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act for so long as the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Securities Act) is required in connection with the offering or sale of the Securities, and during such same period to advise the Representatives, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any supplement to the Prospectus or any amended Prospectus has been filed with the Commission, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of the Registration Statement or any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus in respect of the Securities, of any notice of objection of the Commission to the use of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Securities Act, of the suspension of the qualification of such Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement or Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any such stop order or of any such order preventing or suspending the use of any prospectus relating to the Securities or suspending any such qualification, to use promptly its best efforts to obtain its withdrawal, and in the event of any such issuance of a notice of objection, promptly to take such steps including, without limitation, amending the Registration Statement or filing a new registration statement at the Company’s expense, as may be necessary to permit offers and sales of the Securities by the Underwriters (references herein to the Registration Statement shall include any such amendment or new registration statement);

 

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(b) If required by Rule 430B(h) under the Securities Act, to prepare a form of prospectus in a form approved by you and to file such form of prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act not later than may be required by Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act; and to make no further amendment or supplement to such form of prospectus which shall be disapproved by you promptly after reasonable notice thereof;

(c) Promptly from time to time to take such action as the Representatives may reasonably request to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions in the United States 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 Securities, provided that in connection therewith the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign limited liability company or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction;

(d) To furnish the Underwriters with electronic copies of the Prospectus as you may from time to time reasonably request, and, if the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Securities Act) is required at any time prior to the expiration of nine months after the time of issue of the Prospectus in connection with the offering or sale of the Securities and if at such time any event shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Securities Act) is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus or to file under the Exchange Act any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus in order to comply with the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or the Trust Indenture 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 electronic copies as the Representatives may from time to time reasonably request of an amended Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; and in case any Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Securities Act) in connection with sales of any of the Securities at any time nine months or more after the time of issue of the Prospectus, upon your request but at the expense of such Underwriter, to prepare and deliver to such Underwriter as many electronic copies as you may request of an amended or supplemented Prospectus complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

(e) To make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than eighteen months after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c)), an earnings statement of the Company and its subsidiaries (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (including at the option of the Company Rule 158);

(f) To pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the Securities within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1) under the Securities Act without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Securities Act;

 

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(g) During the period beginning from the date of this Agreement and continuing to and including the Time of Delivery, not to offer, sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of any debt securities of the Company which mature more than one year after such Time of Delivery and which are substantially similar to the Securities, without the prior written consent of the Representatives; and

(h) That in accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the Underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.

6. (a) The Company represents and agrees that, other than any final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(a) hereof, without the prior consent of the Representatives, the Company has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, and any such free writing prospectus the use of which has been so consented to is listed on Schedule III to the Underwriting Agreement.

(b) The Company has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Securities Act applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission or retention where required and legending; and

(c) The Company agrees that if at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and prior to the Time of Delivery any event occurred or occurs as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus would conflict with the information in the Registration Statement, the Pricing 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 then prevailing, not misleading, the Company will give prompt notice thereof to the Representatives and, if requested by the Representatives, will prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or other document which will correct such conflict, statement or omission; provided, however, that this covenant shall not apply to any statements or omissions in an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.

7. (a) Each Underwriter represents and agrees that, other than one or more term sheets relating to the Securities containing customary information that do not require the filing of any material pursuant to Rule 433(d) except for the final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(a) hereof, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute a free writing prospectus (any such free writing prospectus referred to as an “Underwriter Free Writing Prospectus”); and

(b) Each of the Underwriters has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Securities Act applicable to any Underwriter Free Writing Prospectus prepared or used by it, including timely filing with the Commission or retention where required and legending.

 

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8. The Company covenants and agrees with the several Underwriters that the Company will pay or cause to be paid the following: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and its independent registered public accounting firm in connection with the registration of the Securities under the Securities Act and all other expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and amendments and supplements thereto, and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus; (ii) the cost of printing or reproducing this Agreement, any Indenture, and the Blue Sky Memorandum and any other documents in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Securities; (iii) all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Securities for offering and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 5(c) hereof, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky survey; (iv) any fees charged by securities rating services for rating the Securities; (v) the cost of preparing the Securities; (vi) the fees and expenses of any Trustee and any agent of any Trustee and the fees and disbursements of counsel for any Trustee in connection with any Indenture and the Securities (to the extent the Trustee does not pay such fees); (vii) the filing fees incident to, and the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with, any required review by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. of the terms of the sale of the Securities; and (viii) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section. It is understood, however, that, except as provided in this Section, Section 10 and Section 14 hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees of their counsel, transfer taxes on resale of any of the Securities by them, and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.

9. The obligations of the Underwriters of any Securities under this Agreement shall be subject, in the discretion of the Representatives, to the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of the Company in or incorporated by reference in this Agreement are, at and as of the Time of Delivery, true and correct in all material respects, the condition that the Company shall have performed all of its obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following additional conditions:

(a) The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by the rules and regulations under the Securities Act and in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof; the final term sheet contemplated by Section 5(a) hereof, and any other material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time periods prescribed for such filings by Rule 433; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission, and no notice of objection of the Commission to use of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Securities Act shall have been received; and all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied with to the Representatives’ reasonable satisfaction;

(b) Baker Botts L.L.P., counsel for the Underwriters, using reasonable efforts, shall have furnished to the Representatives such opinion or opinions, dated the Time of Delivery, with respect to the valid existence of the Company, the validity of the Securities, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and other related matters as the Representatives may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters;

 

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(c) Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, counsel for the Company, using reasonable efforts, shall have furnished to the Representatives such opinions, dated the Time of Delivery, substantially in the form attached hereto as Annex I;

(d) Dustin Almaguer, Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of the Company, shall have furnished to the Representatives his written opinion, dated the Time of Delivery, substantially in the form attached hereto as Annex II;

(e) On the date of this Agreement, at the Time of Sale, and at the Time of Delivery, Deloitte & Touche LLP shall have furnished to the Representatives a letter, dated the date of this Agreement and a letter dated such Time of Delivery, respectively, to the effect set forth in Annex III hereto, and with respect to such letter dated such Time of Delivery, as to such other matters as the Representatives may reasonably request and in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives;

(f) (i) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall have sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing 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, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, and (ii) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Pricing Prospectus, there shall not have been any change in the capitalization or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in the business, financial position, member’s equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is in the reasonable 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 Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;

(g) On or after the Time of Sale, (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded the Company’s debt securities by Moody’s Investors Service, or S&P Global Ratings, a division of S&P Global, Inc., and (ii) neither organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, its rating of any of the Company’s debt securities; and

(h) The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to the Representatives at the Time of Delivery of the Securities a certificate or certificates of officers of the Company satisfactory to the Representatives as to the accuracy in all material respects of the representations and warranties of the Company herein at and as of such Time of Delivery, as to the performance by the Company of all of its obligations hereunder to be performed at or prior to such Time of Delivery, and as to the matters set forth in subsections (a) and (f) of this Section.

 

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10. (a) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which such Underwriter may become subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, or arise out of or are based upon 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, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement relating to such Securities or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and provided, further, that the Company shall not be liable to any Underwriter under the indemnity agreement in this subsection (a) to the extent that (i) any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in any Preliminary Prospectus, any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, (ii) the Company has informed the Underwriters of such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission in writing at least 24 hours prior to the Time of Sale, (iii) the Company has filed on Form 8-K an amended Preliminary Prospectus or Pricing Prospectus or Issuer Free Writing Prospectus with the Commission correcting such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission prior to the Time of Sale, (iv) the Company has provided to the Underwriters an amended Preliminary Prospectus or Pricing Prospectus or Issuer Free Writing Prospectus correcting such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission at least 24 hours prior to the Time of Sale and requested in writing that the Underwriters deliver such amended Preliminary Prospectus or Pricing Prospectus or Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to the persons to whom the Underwriters are selling the Securities, and (v) such loss, claim, damage or liability results from the fact that such Underwriter has sold Securities to a person to whom such Underwriter has failed to deliver such amended Preliminary Prospectus or Pricing Prospectus or Issuer Free Writing Prospectus.

(b) Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, will indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may become subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or arise out of or are

 

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based upon 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, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus as amended or supplemented, or any such amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein; and will reimburse the Company for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred.

(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under such subsection. In case any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party who shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party, and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party under such subsection for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall more than one such separate counsel in each jurisdiction where an action is commenced be retained for all indemnified parties together and neither the indemnified party nor the indemnifying party, in the instance where the indemnifying party has assumed the defense of the indemnified party, shall settle any action, proceeding or investigation with respect to the indemnified party without the written consent of the other, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 10 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters of the Securities on the other hand from the offering of the Securities. If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law or if the indemnified party failed to give the notice required under subsection (c) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters of the Securities on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable

 

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considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and such Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from such offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriters. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand or such Underwriters on the other and the parties’ relative intent, prejudice resulting from any failure to give notice of any action under sub-section (c), knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection (d) were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this subsection (d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (d), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the applicable Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which 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 obligations of the Underwriters of Securities in this subsection (d) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations with respect to such Securities and not joint.

(e) The obligations of the Company under this Section 10 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act; and the obligations of the Underwriters under this Section 10 shall be in addition to any liability which the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each officer and director of the Company and to each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act.

11. (a) If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the Securities which it has agreed to purchase under this Agreement, the Representatives may in their discretion arrange for themselves or another party or other parties to purchase such Securities on the terms contained herein. If within thirty-six hours after such default by any Underwriter the Representatives do not arrange for the purchase of such Securities, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of thirty-six hours within which to procure another party or other parties reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives to purchase such Securities on such terms. In the event that, within the respective prescribed period, the Representatives notify the Company that they have so arranged for the purchase of such Securities, or the Company notifies the Representatives that it has so arranged for the purchase of such Securities, the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Time of Delivery for a period of not more than seven days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration

 

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Statement or the Prospectus, each as amended or supplemented, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which in the opinion of the Representatives may thereby be made necessary. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any person substituted under this Section with like effect as if such person had originally been a party to this Agreement.

(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the Representatives and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate principal amount of such Securities which remains unpurchased does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate principal amount of the Securities, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the principal amount of Securities which such Underwriter agreed to purchase under this Agreement and, in addition, to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata share (based on the principal amount of Securities which such Underwriter agreed to purchase under this Agreement) of the Securities of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the Representatives and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate principal amount of Securities which remains unpurchased exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate principal amount of the Securities, as referred to in subsection (b) above, or if the Company shall not exercise the right described in subsection (b) above to require non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters, then this Agreement shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except for the expenses to be borne by the Company and the Underwriters as provided in Section 8 hereof and the indemnity and contribution agreements in Section 10 hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

12. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof) made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any controlling person of any Underwriter, or the Company, or any officer or director or controlling person of the Company, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Securities.

13. This Agreement shall be subject to termination by the Representatives by notice to the Company if, on or after the Time of Sale, there shall have occurred any of the following: (i) a suspension or material limitation in trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange; (ii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities in New York declared by either Federal or New York State authorities; or (iii) the outbreak or escalation of hostilities involving the United States or the declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war; if the effect of any such event specified in this clause (iii) in the reasonable judgment of the Representatives, makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated by the Prospectus.

 

14


14. If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 11 or Section 13 hereof, the Company shall not then be under any liability to any Underwriter with respect to the Securities covered by this Agreement except as provided in Section 8 and Section 10 hereof; but, if for any other reason Securities are not delivered by or on behalf of the Company as provided herein, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters through the Representatives for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses approved in writing by the Representatives, including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel, incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of such Securities, but the Company shall then be under no further liability to any Underwriter with respect to such Securities except as provided in Section 8 and Section 10 hereof.

15. In all dealings hereunder, the Representatives shall act on behalf of each of such Underwriters, and the parties hereto shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request, notice or agreement on behalf of any Underwriter made or given by such Representatives jointly or by such of the Representatives, if any, as may be designated for such purpose in this Agreement.

All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail or facsimile transmission to the address of the Representatives as set forth in this Agreement; and if to the Company, shall be delivered or sent by e-mail transmission to secretary@bnsf.com or by mail transmission to the address of the Company set forth in the Registration Statement: Attention: Secretary; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 10(c) hereof shall be delivered or sent by mail, express delivery (e.g. FedEx, UPS, etc.) or facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its Underwriters’ Questionnaire, which address will be supplied to the Company by the Representatives upon request. Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.

16. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit of, the Underwriters, the Company and, to the extent provided in Section 10 and Section 12 hereof, the officers and directors of the Company and each person who controls the Company or any Underwriter, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement. No purchaser of any of the Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.

17. Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement. As used herein, “business day” shall mean any day when the Commission’s office in Washington, D.C. is open for business.

18. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other, (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to such transaction, each Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, (iii) no Underwriter has assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby

 

15


(irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement and (iv) the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. The Company agrees that it will not claim that the Underwriters, or any of them, has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owes a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto, or the financial, tax or other related consequences of the transaction for the Company.

19. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.

20. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

21. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts (which may include counterparts delivered by any standard form of electronic or telecommunication), each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement. Counterparts may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature covered by the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act or other applicable law, e.g., www.docusign.com) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.

22. (a) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

(b) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

(c) As used in this Section:

(i) “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k).

(ii) “Covered Entity” means any of the following:

(A) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b);

 

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(B) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or

(C) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b).

(iii) “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.

(iv) “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

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Annex I

Form of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP Opinions


Annex II

Form of Almaguer Opinion


Annex III

Comfort Letter of

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Exhibit 4.1

EXECUTION VERSION

 

 

 

BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE, LLC

and

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

Trustee

 

 

TWENTY-FIFTH SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE

Dated as of December 8, 2021

to

INDENTURE

Dated as of December 1, 1995

 

 

2.875% Debentures due June 15, 2052

 

 

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

 

ARTICLE I   
Definitions   

SECTION 1.01.

 

Definition of Terms

     2  
ARTICLE II   
General Terms and Conditions of the Debentures   

SECTION 2.01.

 

Designation and Principal Amount

     2  

SECTION 2.02.

 

Maturity

     2  

SECTION 2.03.

 

Further Issues

     2  

SECTION 2.04.

 

Form and Payment

     3  

SECTION 2.05.

 

Global Securities

     3  

SECTION 2.06.

 

Definitive Form

     3  

SECTION 2.07.

 

Interest

     3  

SECTION 2.08.

 

Authorized Denominations

     3  

SECTION 2.09.

 

Redemption

     4  

SECTION 2.10.

 

Change of Control

     5  

SECTION 2.11.

 

Appointment of Agents

     8  

SECTION 2.12.

 

Replacement Capital Covenant Waiver

     8  

ARTICLE III

  
Form of Debentures   

SECTION 3.01.

 

Form of Debentures

     8  
ARTICLE IV   
Original Issue of Debentures   

SECTION 4.01.

 

Original Issue of Debentures

     9  
ARTICLE V   
Miscellaneous   

SECTION 5.01.

 

Ratification of Indenture

     9  

SECTION 5.02.

 

Trustee Not Responsible for Recitals

     9  

SECTION 5.03.

 

Governing Law

     9  

 

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SECTION 5.04.

 

Separability

     9  

SECTION 5.05.

 

Counterparts

     9  

SECTION 5.06.

 

Certain Rights of the Trustee

     9  

SECTION 5.07.

 

Waiver of Trial by Jury

     10  

SECTION 5.08.

 

Submission to Jurisdiction

     11  

SECTION 5.09.

 

Notices

     11  

SECTION 5.10.

 

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA)

     12  

SECTION 5.11.

 

Force Majeure

     12  

EXHIBIT A         Form of Debentures

 

 

ii


TWENTY-FIFTH SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE, dated as of December 8, 2021 (this “Supplemental Indenture”), between Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC, a limited liability company duly formed and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (as successor-in-interest to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation), having its principal office at 2650 Lou Menk Drive, Fort Worth, Texas 76131-2830 (the “Company”), and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (formerly known as The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A.), a national banking association, as successor-in-interest to J.P. Morgan Trust Company, National Association, as successor-in-interest to Bank One Trust Company, N.A., as successor-in-interest to The First National Bank of Chicago, as trustee (the “Trustee”), having a corporate trust office at 601 Travis Street, 16th Floor, Houston, Texas 77002 (such address, as changed from time to time by the Trustee with notice to the Holders, the “Corporate Trust Office”).

WHEREAS, the Company executed and delivered the indenture, dated as of December 1, 1995, to the Trustee, as supplemented by the Fifth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of February 11, 2010 (as heretofore supplemented, the “Indenture”), to provide for the issuance of the Company’s debentures, notes or other evidences of indebtedness (the “Securities”), to be issued in one or more series;

WHEREAS, pursuant to the terms of the Indenture, the Company desires to provide for the establishment of a new series of Securities under the Indenture to be known as its “2.875% Debentures due June 15, 2052” (the “Debentures”), the form and substance of such series and the terms, provisions and conditions thereof to be set forth as provided in the Indenture and this Supplemental Indenture;

WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company, pursuant to the resolutions duly adopted by the Board of Managers of the Company on May 6, 2019 and the resolutions duly adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company on June 2, 2021 has duly authorized the issuance of the Debentures, and has authorized the proper officers of the Company to execute any and all appropriate documents necessary or appropriate to effect each such issuance;

WHEREAS, this Supplemental Indenture is being entered into pursuant to the provisions of Section 901(7) of the Indenture;

WHEREAS, the Company has requested that the Trustee execute and deliver this Supplemental Indenture; and

WHEREAS, all things necessary to make this Supplemental Indenture a valid agreement of the Company, in accordance with its terms, and to make the Debentures, when manually or electronically executed by the Company and manually or electronically authenticated and delivered by the Trustee, the valid obligations of the Company, have been performed, and the execution and delivery of this Supplemental Indenture has been duly authorized in all respects;


NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the purchase and acceptance of the Debentures by the Holders thereof, and for the purpose of setting forth, as provided in the Indenture, the forms and terms of the Debentures, the Company covenants and agrees with the Trustee, as follows:

ARTICLE I

Definitions

SECTION 1.01. Definition of Terms. Unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) each term defined in the Indenture has the same meaning when used in this Supplemental Indenture;

(b) the singular includes the plural and vice versa; and

(c) headings are for convenience of reference only and do not affect interpretation.

ARTICLE II

General Terms and Conditions of the Debentures

SECTION 2.01. Designation and Principal Amount. There is hereby authorized and established a series of Securities under the Indenture, designated as the “2.875% Debentures due June 15, 2052”, which is not limited in aggregate principal amount. The aggregate principal amount of the Debentures to be issued shall be as set forth in any Company Order for the authentication and delivery of the Debentures, pursuant to Section 303 of the Indenture.

SECTION 2.02. Maturity. The Stated Maturity of principal for the Debentures will be June 15, 2052.

SECTION 2.03. Further Issues. The Company may from time to time, without the consent of the Holders of the Debentures, issue additional debentures of that series. Any such additional debentures will have the same ranking, interest rate, maturity date and other terms as the Debentures, except for the issue date and, if applicable, the initial interest accrual date and the initial Interest Payment Date. Any such additional debentures, together with the Debentures herein provided for, will constitute a single series of Securities under the Indenture.

 

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SECTION 2.04. Form and Payment. Payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on the Debentures will be made at the office or agency of the Company maintained for that purpose in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts; provided, however, that at the option of the Company payment of interest may be made by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address shall appear in the Security Register. If any Interest Payment Date, Redemption Date or Stated Maturity of the Debentures shall not be a Business Day in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, then payment of the principal (and premium, if any) or interest need not be made on such date, but may be made on the next succeeding Business Day at such office or agency with the same force and effect as if made on the Interest Payment Date or Redemption Date, or at the Stated Maturity, without any interest or other payment in respect of such delay.

SECTION 2.05. Global Securities. Upon the original issuance, the Debentures will be represented by one or more Global Securities registered in the name of Cede & Co., the nominee of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”). The Company will issue the Debentures in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof and will deposit the Global Securities with DTC or its custodian and register the Global Securities in the name of Cede & Co. DTC shall be the initial Depositary for the Debentures.

SECTION 2.06. Definitive Form. If (a) (i) the Depositary has notified the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as depositary for the Debentures or (ii) the Depositary has ceased to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, and in either case a successor Depositary is not appointed by the Company within 90 days of notice thereof, (b) an Event of Default has occurred with regard to the Debentures and has not been cured or waived, or (c) the Company at any time and in its sole discretion and subject to the procedures of the Depositary determines not to have the Debentures represented by Global Securities, the Company may issue the Debentures in definitive form in exchange for such Global Securities. In any such instance, an owner of a beneficial interest in Debentures will be entitled to physical delivery in definitive form of Debentures, equal in principal amount to such beneficial interest and to have Debentures registered in its name as shall be established in a Company Order.

SECTION 2.07. Interest. The Debentures will bear interest (computed on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) from December 8, 2021 at the rate of 2.875% per annum, payable semi-annually; interest payable on each Interest Payment Date will include interest accrued from December 8, 2021, or from the most recent Interest Payment Date to which interest has been paid or duly provided for; the Interest Payment Dates on which such interest shall be payable are June 15 and December 15, commencing on June 15, 2022; and the Regular Record Date for the interest payable on any Interest Payment Date is the close of business on the June 1 or December 1, as the case may be, immediately preceding the relevant Interest Payment Date, whether or not that day is a Business Day.

SECTION 2.08. Authorized Denominations. The Debentures shall be issuable in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.

 

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SECTION 2.09. Redemption. At any time before December 15, 2051, the Debentures are subject to redemption upon not less than 10 and not more than 60 days’ notice, as a whole or in part, at the election of the Company, at a Redemption Price equal to the greater of (i) 100% of the principal amount of the Debentures to be redeemed or (ii) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest thereon (not including any portion of such interest accrued as of the Redemption Date and assuming for these purposes that the Debentures mature on December 15, 2051) discounted to the Redemption Date on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the Treasury Rate (as defined below), plus 20 basis points, plus in either case any accrued and unpaid interest thereon to the Redemption Date. The Independent Investment Banker (as defined below) will calculate the Redemption Price.

At any time on or after December 15, 2051, the Debentures are subject to redemption upon not less than 10 and not more than 60 days’ notice, as a whole or in part, at the election of the Company, at a Redemption Price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Debentures to be redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to the Redemption Date.

Treasury Rate” means, with respect to any Redemption Date, the rate per annum equal to the semi-annual equivalent yield to maturity of the Comparable Treasury Issue, assuming a price for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for such Redemption Date.

Comparable Treasury Issue” means the United States Treasury security selected by the Independent Investment Banker as having a maturity comparable to the remaining term of the Debentures (assuming for these purposes that the Debentures mature on December 15, 2051) that would be used, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity with the remaining term of the Debentures.

Comparable Treasury Price” means, with respect to any Redemption Date, (i) the average of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for such Redemption Date, after excluding the highest and lowest such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, or (ii) if the Independent Investment Banker obtains fewer than four such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all such quotations.

Independent Investment Banker” means one of the Reference Treasury Dealers appointed by the Company.

Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations” means, with respect to each Reference Treasury Dealer and any Redemption Date, the average, as determined by the Independent Investment Banker, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount) quoted in writing to the Independent Investment Banker by such Reference Treasury Dealer at 5:00 p.m. on the third Business Day preceding such Redemption Date.

 

4


Reference Treasury Dealer” means each of Barclays Capital Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC and one other nationally recognized investment banking firm that is a primary U.S. Government securities dealer in New York City (a “Primary Treasury Dealer”) specified from time to time by the Company; provided, however, that if any of the foregoing shall cease to be a Primary Treasury Dealer, the Company shall replace that former dealer with another Primary Treasury Dealer.

Notice of any redemption will be transmitted at least 10 days but not more than 60 days before the Redemption Date to each Holder of the Debentures to be redeemed. Notwithstanding Section 1104 of the Indenture, such notice, if relating to a redemption under the first paragraph of this Section, need not set forth the Redemption Price but only the manner of calculation thereof. The Company shall give the Trustee notice of such Redemption Price promptly after the calculation thereof and the Trustee shall have no responsibility for such calculation.

Unless the Company defaults in payment of the Redemption Price and accrued interest, on and after the Redemption Date interest will cease to accrue on the Debentures or portions thereof called for redemption.

SECTION 2.10. Change of Control. (a) Upon the occurrence of a Change of Control Repurchase Event, unless the Company has exercised its right to redeem all Debentures in accordance with the redemption terms as set forth in the Debentures by giving notice of such redemption to the Holders of the Debentures pursuant to Section 1104 of the Indenture (as supplemented and amended by Section 2.09 of this Supplemental Indenture) prior to the 30th day following the Change of Control Repurchase Event, the Company shall make an irrevocable offer to each Holder of Debentures to repurchase all or any part (in integral multiples of $1,000) of such Holder’s Debentures at a repurchase price in cash equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount of Debentures repurchased plus any accrued and unpaid interest on the Debentures repurchased to, but not including, the date of repurchase (the “Repurchase Price”).

(b) Within 30 days following any Change of Control Repurchase Event or, at the Company’s option, prior to any Change of Control, but in either case, after the public announcement of the transaction that constitutes or may constitute the Change of Control, the Company shall transmit to each Holder of Debentures, with a copy to the Trustee, a notice:

(i) describing the transaction or transactions that constitute or may constitute the Change of Control Repurchase Event;

(ii) offering to repurchase all Debentures tendered;

(iii) setting forth the payment date for the repurchase of the Debentures, which date will be no earlier than 30 days and no later than 60 days from the date such notice is transmitted (the “Repurchase Date”);

 

5


(iv) if transmitted prior to the date of consummation of the Change of Control, stating that the offer to repurchase is conditioned on a Change of Control Repurchase Event occurring on or prior to the Repurchase Date;

(v) disclosing that any Debenture not tendered for repurchase will continue to accrue interest; and

(vi) specifying the procedures for tendering Debentures.

(c) The Company shall comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act, and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent those laws and regulations are applicable in connection with the repurchase of the Debentures as a result of a Change of Control Repurchase Event. To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with the provisions of this Section 2.10, the Company shall comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and will not be deemed to have breached its obligations under this Section 2.10 by virtue of such conflict.

(d) On the Repurchase Date following a Change of Control Repurchase Event, the Company shall, to the extent lawful:

(i) accept for payment all Debentures or portions thereof properly tendered pursuant to such offer;

(ii) deposit with the Trustee an amount equal to the aggregate Repurchase Price in respect of all Debentures or portions thereof properly tendered; and

(iii) deliver or cause to be delivered to the Trustee the Debentures properly accepted, together with an Officers’ Certificate of the Company stating the aggregate principal amount of Debentures or portions thereof being repurchased by the Company.

(e) The Trustee will promptly transmit to each Holder of Debentures properly tendered the Repurchase Price for such Debentures, and the Trustee, upon the execution and delivery by the Company of such Debentures, will promptly authenticate and cause to be transferred by book-entry to each Holder a new Debenture equal in principal amount to any unpurchased portion of any Debentures surrendered; provided that each new Debenture will be in a principal amount of a minimum denomination of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.

(f) The Company shall not be required to make an offer to repurchase the Debentures upon a Change of Control Repurchase Event if a third party makes such an offer in the manner, at the times and otherwise in compliance with the requirements for an offer made by the Company and such third party purchases all Debentures properly tendered and not withdrawn under its offer.

 

6


(g) Solely for purposes of this Section 2.10 in connection with the Debentures, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

Below Investment Grade Ratings Event” means that on any day within the 60-day period (which period shall be extended so long as the rating of the Debentures is under publicly announced consideration for a possible downgrade by any of the Rating Agencies) after the earlier of (i) the occurrence of a Change of Control; or (ii) public notice of the occurrence of a Change of Control or the intention by the Company to effect a Change of Control, the Debentures are rated below Investment Grade by each of the Rating Agencies. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Below Investment Grade Ratings Event otherwise arising by virtue of a particular reduction in rating shall not be deemed to have occurred in respect of a particular Change of Control (and thus shall not be deemed a Below Investment Grade Ratings Event for purposes of the definition of Change of Control Repurchase Event hereunder) if the Rating Agencies making the reduction in rating to which this definition would otherwise apply do not announce or publicly confirm or inform the Trustee in writing that the reduction was the result, in whole or in part, of any event or circumstance comprised of or arising as a result of, or in respect of, the applicable Change of Control (whether or not the applicable Change of Control shall have occurred at the time of such ratings reduction).

Change of Control” means the consummation of any transaction (including, without limitation, any merger or consolidation) the result of which is that any “person” or “group” (as those terms are used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), other than Berkshire Hathaway Inc., its Subsidiaries, or its or such Subsidiaries’ employee benefit plans, becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the combined voting power of the Company’s Voting Stock or other Voting Stock into which the Company’s Voting Stock is reclassified, consolidated, exchanged or changed, measured by voting power rather than number of shares.

Change of Control Repurchase Event” means the occurrence of both a Change of Control and a Below Investment Grade Ratings Event.

Investment Grade” means a rating of Baa3 or better by Moody’s (or its equivalent under any successor ratings category of Moody’s); a rating of BBB- or better by S&P (or its equivalent under any successor ratings category of S&P); and the equivalent investment grade credit rating from any additional Rating Agency or Rating Agencies selected by the Company.

Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and its successors.

Rating Agency” means (a) each of Moody’s and S&P; and (b) if either of Moody’s or S&P ceases to rate the Debentures or fails to make a rating of the Debentures publicly available for reasons outside of the Company’s control, a “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” within the meaning of Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act, selected by the Company (as certified by a written consent or resolution of the Company’s board of directors) as a replacement agency for Moody’s or S&P, or both of them, as the case may be.

 

7


S&P” means S&P Global Ratings, a division of S&P Global Inc., and its successors.

Voting Stock” of any specified “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) as of any date means the capital stock (or other equity interests) of such person that is at the time entitled to vote generally in the election of the board of directors (or other equivalent body) of such person.

SECTION 2.11. Appointment of Agents. The Trustee will initially be the Security Registrar and Paying Agent for the Debentures and will act through its designated offices in New York, New York.

SECTION 2.12. Replacement Capital Covenant Waiver. Each Holder of a Debenture by its acceptance of a Debenture shall be deemed to have consented to the elimination of the Replacement Capital Covenant (“Replacement Capital Covenant”), dated as of December 15, 2005, by the Company, as successor-in-interest to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, in favor of and for the benefit of each Covered Debtholder (as defined therein) and all obligations of the Company pursuant to the Replacement Capital Covenant. This consent shall be deemed to have been made on the date of issuance of the Debentures and on each day that the Debentures remain Outstanding, although the elimination of the Replacement Capital Covenant will become operative only if the Debentures are designated to be the Covered Debt (as defined in the Replacement Capital Covenant) for purposes of the Replacement Capital Covenant. The Trustee is authorized to take any action requested by the Company to evidence such consent without further notice to or approval of the Holders of the Debentures.

ARTICLE III

Form of Debentures

SECTION 3.01. Form of Debentures. The Debentures and the Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication to be endorsed thereon are to be substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit A hereto.

ARTICLE IV

Original Issue of Debentures

SECTION 4.01. Original Issue of Debentures. The Debentures may, upon execution of this Supplemental Indenture, be executed by the Company and delivered to the Trustee for authentication, and the Trustee shall, upon Company Order, authenticate and deliver such Debentures as in such Company Order provided.

 

8


ARTICLE V

Miscellaneous

SECTION 5.01. Ratification of Indenture. The Indenture, as supplemented by this Supplemental Indenture, is in all respects ratified and confirmed, and this Supplemental Indenture shall be deemed part of the Indenture in the manner and to the extent herein and therein provided; provided that the provisions of this Supplemental Indenture apply solely with respect to the Debentures.

SECTION 5.02. Trustee Not Responsible for Recitals. The recitals herein contained are made by the Company and not by the Trustee, and the Trustee assumes no responsibility for the correctness thereof. The Trustee makes no representation as to the validity or sufficiency of this Supplemental Indenture.

SECTION 5.03. Governing Law. This Supplemental Indenture and the Debentures shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

SECTION 5.04. Separability. In case any one or more of the provisions contained in this Supplemental Indenture or the Debentures shall for any reason be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provisions of this Supplemental Indenture or of the Debentures, but this Supplemental Indenture and the Debentures shall be construed as if such invalid or illegal or unenforceable provision had never been contained herein or therein.

SECTION 5.05. Counterparts. This Supplemental Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts (which may include counterparts delivered by any standard form of electronic or telecommunication), each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument. Counterparts may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature covered by the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act or other applicable law, e.g., www.docusign.com) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.

SECTION 5.06. Certain Rights of the Trustee. No provision of the Indenture or this Supplemental Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties thereunder, or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers, with respect to the Debentures or this Supplemental Indenture, if it shall have reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.

 

9


The Trustee shall not be deemed to have notice or knowledge of any default or Event of Default with respect to a series of Debentures unless a Responsible Officer of the Trustee in its Corporate Trust Office has received actual written or electronic notice of any event which is in fact such a default, and such notice references the existence of a default or Event of Default, the Debentures of such series and this Indenture. When used in this paragraph, the term “default” means any event which is, or after notice or lapse of time or both would become, an Event of Default with respect to a series of Debentures. The Trustee agrees to accept notice pursuant to this paragraph sent by unsecured electronic transmission; provided, however, that (1) the party providing such written notice, subsequent to such transmission of written notice, shall provide the originally executed notice to the Trustee in a timely manner, and (2) such originally executed notice shall be signed by an authorized representative of the party providing such notice. The Trustee shall not be liable for any losses, costs or expenses arising directly or indirectly from the Trustee’s reasonable reliance upon such notice notwithstanding such notice is inconsistent with a subsequent notice.

The Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer, unless it shall be proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts.

The Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Debentures.

Delivery of reports, information and documents to the Trustee, pursuant to Section 704 of the Indenture, is for informational purposes only and the Trustee’s receipt of such shall not constitute actual or constructive notice or knowledge of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Company’s compliance with any of its covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on Officers’ Certificates).

With respect to this Supplemental Indenture and the Debentures, in no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for special, indirect, punitive or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, loss of profit) irrespective of whether the Trustee has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action.

SECTION 5.07. Waiver of Trial by Jury. EACH OF THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE, THE DEBENTURES OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED THEREBY.

 

10


SECTION 5.08. Submission to Jurisdiction. The Company and the Trustee each hereby irrevocably submits to the jurisdiction of any New York State court sitting in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York or any federal court sitting in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York in respect of any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Supplemental Indenture and the Debentures, and irrevocably accepts for itself and in respect of its property, generally and unconditionally, jurisdiction of the aforesaid courts.

SECTION 5.09. Notices. The Trustee shall have the right to accept and act upon instructions, including funds transfer instructions (“Instructions”) given pursuant to this Supplemental Indenture and delivered using Electronic Means; provided, however, that the Company, as applicable, shall provide to the Trustee an incumbency certificate listing officers with the authority to provide such Instructions (“Authorized Officers”) and containing specimen signatures of such Authorized Officers, which incumbency certificate shall be amended by the Company, as applicable, whenever a person is to be added or deleted from the listing. If the Company, as applicable, elects to give the Trustee Instructions using Electronic Means and the Trustee in its discretion elects to act upon such Instructions, the Trustee’s understanding of such Instructions shall be deemed controlling. The Company understands and agrees that the Trustee cannot determine the identity of the actual sender of such Instructions and that the Trustee shall conclusively presume that directions that purport to have been sent by an Authorized Officer listed on the incumbency certificate provided to the Trustee have been sent by such Authorized Officer. The Company shall be responsible for ensuring that only Authorized Officers transmit such Instructions to the Trustee and that the Company and all Authorized Officers are solely responsible to safeguard the use and confidentiality of applicable user and authorization codes, passwords and/or authentication keys upon receipt by the Company, as applicable. The Trustee shall not be liable for any losses, costs or expenses arising directly or indirectly from the Trustee’s reliance upon and compliance with such Instructions notwithstanding such directions conflict or are inconsistent with a subsequent written instruction. The Company agrees: (i) to assume all risks arising out of the use of Electronic Means to submit Instructions to the Trustee, including without limitation the risk of the Trustee acting on unauthorized Instructions, and the risk of interception and misuse by third parties; (ii) that it is fully informed of the protections and risks associated with the use of Electronic Means for transmitting Instructions to the Trustee and that there may be more secure methods of transmitting Instructions than the Electronic Means selected by the Company, as applicable; (iii) that the security procedures (if any) to be followed in connection with its transmission of Instructions provide to it a commercially reasonable degree of protection in light of its particular needs and circumstances; and (iv) to notify the Trustee immediately upon learning of any compromise or unauthorized use of the security procedures. “Electronic Means” shall mean the following communications methods: e-mail, facsimile transmission, secure electronic transmission containing applicable authorization codes, passwords and/or authentication keys issued by the Trustee, or another method or system specified by the Trustee as available for use in connection with its services hereunder.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Supplemental Indenture or any Debenture, where this Supplemental Indenture or any Debenture provides for notice of any event or any other communication (including any notice of redemption or repurchase) to a holder of a Global Security (whether by mail or otherwise), such notice shall be sufficiently given if given to DTC (or its designee) pursuant to the standing instructions from DTC or its designee, including by electronic mail in accordance with accepted practices at DTC.

 

11


SECTION 5.10. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). The Company agrees (i) to provide the Trustee with such reasonable information as it has in its possession to enable the Trustee to determine whether any payments pursuant to the Indenture are subject to the withholding requirements described in Section 1471(b) of the US Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”) or otherwise imposed pursuant to Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code and any regulations, or agreements thereunder or official interpretations thereof (“Applicable Law”), and (ii) that the Trustee shall be entitled to make any withholding or deduction from payments under the Indenture to the extent necessary to comply with Applicable Law, for which the Trustee shall not have any liability.

SECTION 5.11. Force Majeure. In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control, including, without limitation, strikes, work stoppages, accidents, acts of war or terrorism, civil or military disturbances, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, epidemics or pandemics, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services; it being understood that the Trustee shall use reasonable efforts which are consistent with accepted practices in the banking industry to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances.

 

12


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Supplemental Indenture to be duly executed, all as of the day and year first above written.

 

BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE, LLC

    By

 

/s/ Paul W. Bischler

 

Name: Paul W. Bischler

Title: Executive Vice President and Chief           Financial Officer

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON

TRUST COMPANY, N.A., as Trustee

    By  

/s/ Lawrence M. Kusch

 

Name: Lawrence M. Kusch

Title: Vice President


EXHIBIT A

FORM OF DEBENTURES

Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC

2.875% Debenture due June 15, 2052

 

REGISTERED    $
No. R-    CUSIP No. 12189L BH3

[Unless this certificate is presented by an authorized representative of The Depository Trust Company, a New York Corporation (“DTC”), to the Company or its agent for registration of transfer, exchange, or payment, and any certificate issued is registered in the name of Cede & Co. or in such other name as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC (and any payment is made to Cede & Co. or to such other entity as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE, OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL inasmuch as the registered owner hereof, Cede & Co., has an interest herein.]

This Security is a Global Security within the meaning of the Indenture hereinafter referred to and is registered in the name of a Depositary or a nominee thereof. This Security may not be exchanged in whole or in part for a Security registered, and no transfer of this Security in whole or in part may be registered, in the name of any Person other than such Depositary or a nominee thereof, except in the limited circumstances described in the Indenture.

BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE, LLC, a limited liability company duly formed and existing under the laws of Delaware (herein called the “Company”, which term includes any successor Person under the Indenture hereinafter referred to), for value received, hereby promises to pay to CEDE & CO., or registered assigns, the principal sum of         ($         ) on June 15, 2052, and to pay interest thereon from December 8, 2021 or from the most recent Interest Payment Date to which interest has been paid or duly provided for, semi-annually on June 15 and December 15 in each year, commencing June 15, 2022, at the rate of 2.875% per annum, until the principal hereof is paid or made available for payment. The interest so payable, and punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date will, as provided in such Indenture, be paid to the Person in whose name this Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest, which shall be the June 1 or December 1 (whether or not a Business Day), as the case may be, immediately preceding such Interest Payment Date. Any such interest not so punctually paid or duly provided for will forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder on such Regular Record Date and may either be paid to the Person in whose name this Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest to be fixed by the Trustee, notice whereof shall be given to Holders of Securities of this series not less than 10 days prior to such Special Record Date, or be paid at any time in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which the Securities of this series may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange, all as more fully provided in said Indenture.


Payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on this Security will be made at the office or agency of the Company maintained for that purpose in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts; provided, however, that at the option of the Company payment of interest may be made by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address shall appear in the Security Register. If any Interest Payment Date, Redemption Date or Stated Maturity of this Security shall not be a Business Day in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, then payment of the principal (and premium, if any) or interest need not be made on such date, but may be made on the next succeeding Business Day at such office or agency with the same force and effect as if made on the Interest Payment Date or Redemption Date, or at the Stated Maturity, without any interest or other payment in respect of such delay.

Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this Security set forth on the reverse hereof, which further provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as if set forth at this place.

Unless the certificate of authentication hereon has been executed by the Trustee referred to on the reverse hereof by manual or electronic signature, this Security shall not be entitled to any benefit under the Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose.


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this instrument to be duly executed.

Dated:

 

BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE, LLC

    by  

 

 

Name: Paul W. Bischler

Title: Executive Vice President and Chief           Financial Officer

 

Attest:

 

Name: Dustin J. Almaguer
Title:   Assistant Secretary


CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

This is one of the Securities of the series designated therein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.

 

Dated:     THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., as Trustee
        by  

     

      Authorized Signatory


[REVERSE OF DEBENTURE]

This Security is one of a duly authorized issue of securities of the Company (herein called the “Securities”), issued and to be issued in one or more series under an Indenture, dated as of December 1, 1995, between the Company, as successor-in-interest to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (formerly known as The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A.), as successor-in-interest to J.P. Morgan Trust Company, National Association, as successor-in-interest to Bank One Trust Company, N.A., as successor-in-interest to The First National Bank of Chicago, as Trustee (herein called the “Trustee”, which term includes any successor trustee under the Indenture), as supplemented by the Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of December 8, 2021, between the Company and the Trustee (herein called the “Indenture”, which term shall have the meaning assigned to it in such instrument), and reference is hereby made to the Indenture for a statement of the respective rights, limitations of rights, duties and immunities thereunder of the Company, the Trustee and the Holders of the Securities and of the terms upon which the Securities are, and are to be, authenticated and delivered. This Security is one of the series designated on the face hereof, initially limited in the aggregate principal amount of $625,000,000. The Company may, without the consent of the Holders of the Securities of this series, issue additional Securities of this series and thereby increase such principal amount in the future, on the same terms and conditions and with the same CUSIP number as this Security, except as provided in said Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture.

At any time before December 15, 2051, the Securities of this series are subject to redemption upon not less than 10 and not more than 60 days’ notice, as a whole or in part, at the election of the Company, at a Redemption Price equal to the greater of (i) 100% of the principal amount of the Securities of this series to be redeemed or (ii) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest thereon (not including any portion of such interest accrued as of the Redemption Date and assuming for these purposes that the Debentures mature on December 15, 2051) discounted to the Redemption Date on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the Treasury Rate (as defined in said Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture), plus 20 basis points, plus in either case any accrued and unpaid interest thereon to the Redemption Date. The Independent Investment Banker (as defined in said Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture) will calculate the Redemption Price.

At any time on or after December 15, 2051, the Securities of this series are subject to redemption upon not less than 10 and not more than 60 days’ notice, as a whole or in part, at the election of the Company, at a Redemption Price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Securities of this series to be redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to the Redemption Date.

In the event of redemption of this Security in part only, a new Security or Securities of this series and of like tenor for the unredeemed portion hereof will be issued in the name of the Holder, upon the cancellation hereof.


Upon the occurrence of a Change of Control Repurchase Event (as defined in said Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture), unless the Company has exercised its right of redemption as described above by giving notice of such redemption to the Holders of the Securities of this series pursuant to Section 1104 of the Indenture (as supplemented and amended by Section 2.09 of said Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture) prior to the 30th day following the Change of Control Repurchase Event, each Holder of Securities of this series shall have the right to require the Company to repurchase all or any part (in integral multiples of $1,000) of such Holder’s Securities pursuant to the Change of Control notice as provided in, and subject to the terms of, said Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture at a purchase price in cash equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of this series repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the date of repurchase.

As provided in the Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture, each Holder of a Debenture by its acceptance of a Debenture shall be deemed to have consented to the elimination of the Replacement Capital Covenant (“Replacement Capital Covenant”), dated as of December 15, 2005, by the Company, as successor-in-interest to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, in favor of and for the benefit of each Covered Debtholder (as defined therein) and all obligations of the Company pursuant to the Replacement Capital Covenant. This consent shall be deemed to have been made on the date of issuance of the Debentures and on each day that the Debentures remain Outstanding, although the elimination of the Replacement Capital Covenant will become operative only if the Debentures are designated to be the Covered Debt (as defined in the Replacement Capital Covenant) for purposes of the Replacement Capital Covenant. The Trustee is authorized to take any action requested by the Company to evidence such consent without further notice to or approval of the Holders of the Debentures.

The Indenture contains provisions for defeasance at any time of the entire indebtedness of this Security or certain restrictive covenants and Events of Default with respect to this Security, in each case upon compliance with certain conditions set forth in the Indenture.

If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of this series shall occur and be continuing, the principal of the Securities of this series may be declared due and payable in the manner and with the effect provided in the Indenture.

The Indenture permits, with certain exceptions as therein provided, the amendment thereof and the modification of the rights and obligations of the Company and the rights of the Holders of the Securities of each series to be affected under the Indenture at any time by the Company and the Trustee with the consent of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities at the time Outstanding of each series to be affected. The Indenture also contains provisions permitting the Holders of specified percentages in principal amount of the Securities of each series at the time Outstanding, on behalf of the Holders of all Securities of such series, to waive compliance by the Company with certain provisions of the Indenture and certain past defaults under the Indenture and their consequences. Any such consent or waiver by the Holder of this Security shall be conclusive and binding upon such Holder and upon all future Holders of this Security and of any Security issued upon the registration of transfer hereof or in exchange herefor or in lieu hereof, whether or not notation of such consent or waiver is made upon this Security.


As provided in and subject to the provisions of the Indenture, the Holder of this Security shall not have the right to institute any proceeding with respect to the Indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee or for any other remedy thereunder, unless such Holder shall have previously given the Trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Securities of this series, the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Securities of this series at the time Outstanding shall have made written request to the Trustee to institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default as Trustee and offered the Trustee reasonable indemnity, and the Trustee shall not have received from the Holders of a majority in principal amount of Securities of this series at the time Outstanding a direction inconsistent with such request, and the Trustee shall have failed to institute any such proceeding, for 60 days after receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity. The foregoing shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Holder of this Security for the enforcement of any payment of principal hereof or any premium or interest hereon on or after the respective due dates expressed herein (or in the case of a redemption on or after the Redemption Date).

No reference herein to the Indenture and no provision of this Security or of the Indenture shall alter or impair the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay the principal of and any premium and interest on this Security at the times, place and rate, and in the coin or currency, herein prescribed.

As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein set forth, the transfer of this Security is registrable in the Security Register, upon surrender of this Security for registration of transfer at the office or agency of the Company in any place where the principal of and any premium and interest on this Security are payable, duly endorsed by, or accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Security Registrar duly executed by, the Holder hereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing, and thereupon one or more new Securities of this series and of like tenor, of authorized denominations and for the same aggregate principal amount, will be issued to the designated transferee or transferees.

The Securities of this series are issuable only in registered form without coupons in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof. As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein set forth, Securities of this series are exchangeable for a like aggregate principal amount of Securities of this series and of like tenor of a different authorized denomination, as requested by the Holder surrendering the same.

No service charge shall be made for any such registration of transfer or exchange, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection therewith.


Prior to due presentment of this Security for registration of transfer, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the Person in whose name this Security is registered as the owner hereof for all purposes, whether or not this Security is overdue, and neither the Company, the Trustee nor any such agent shall be affected by notice to the contrary.

All terms used in this Security which are defined in the Indenture shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture.

Exhibit 4.2

EXECUTION VERSION

BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE, LLC

Certificate of Determination

Dated as of December 8, 2021

The undersigned, Beth A. Miller, Treasurer, and Paul W. Bischler, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, each of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC (successor-in-interest to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation), a Delaware limited liability company (the “Company”), do hereby certify that pursuant to the authority granted in the resolutions of the Board of Managers of the Company adopted on May 6, 2019 (the “2019 Resolutions”) and in the resolutions of the Board of Directors of the Company adopted on June 2, 2021 (together with the 2019 Resolutions, the “Resolutions”) and pursuant to Sections 201, 301 and 303 of the Indenture, dated as of December 1, 1995, between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (formerly known as The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A.), as successor-in-interest to J.P. Morgan Trust Company, National Association, as successor-in-interest to Bank One Trust Company, N.A., as successor-in-interest to The First National Bank of Chicago, as Trustee (the “Trustee”), as supplemented by the Fifth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of February 11, 2010, among Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, R Acquisition Company, LLC and the Trustee, and further supplemented by the Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of December 8, 2021 (the “Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture”), between the Company and the Trustee (together with the Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture, the “Indenture”), there was established as of December 8, 2021 one series of securities under the Indenture with the following terms:

 

  1.

The securities of the series are entitled “2.875% Debentures due June 15, 2052” (the “Debentures”).

 

  2.

The Debentures are initially being offered in the aggregate principal amount of $625,000,000 (except for Debentures authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Debentures pursuant to Section 304, 305, 306, 906 or 1107 of the Indenture and any Debentures which pursuant to Section 303 are deemed never to have been authenticated and delivered thereunder). The Company may, without the consent of the Holders of the Debentures of a series, issue additional Debentures of such series and thereby increase such principal amount, on the same terms and conditions and with the same CUSIP number as the Debentures of such series.

 

  3.

The principal amount of the Debentures will mature on June 15, 2052, subject to the provisions of the Indenture relating to acceleration.

 

  4.

The Debentures will bear interest from December 8, 2021 or from the most recent Interest Payment Date (as defined below) to which interest has been paid or provided for, at the rate of 2.875% per annum, payable semi-annually in arrears on June 15 and December 15 of each year (each, an “Interest Payment Date”), commencing June 15, 2022 to the persons in whose names the Debentures are registered on the close of business on the immediately preceding June 1 and December 1, respectively, whether or not such day is a Business Day (each, a “Regular Record Date”).


  5.

Subject to paragraph 11 below, the principal of and premium (if any) and interest on the Debentures will be payable at the office or agency of the Company maintained for that purpose, pursuant to the Indenture, in The City of New York, which shall be initially the corporate trust office of the Trustee; provided, however, that at the option of the Company, such payment of interest may be made by check mailed to the person entitled thereto as provided in the Indenture.

 

  6.

The Debentures will be redeemable as a whole or in part at the option of the Company, at any time, as set forth in the Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture.

 

  7.

Holders of the Debentures shall have the right to require the Company to repurchase all or any part (in integral multiples of $1,000) of such holder’s Debentures upon the occurrence of a Change of Control Repurchase Event (as defined in the Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture), as set forth in the Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture.

 

  8.

The Debentures shall not be entitled to the benefit of any sinking fund, nor shall the Debentures be repayable at the option of the registered Holders thereof.

 

  9.

Subject to paragraph 11 below, the Debentures shall be issued in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.

 

  10.

Each Holder by its acceptance of a Debenture shall be deemed to have consented to the elimination of the Replacement Capital Covenant (“Replacement Capital Covenant”), dated as of December 15, 2005, by the Company in favor of and for the benefit of each Covered Debtholder (as defined therein) and all obligations of the Company pursuant to the Replacement Capital Covenant. This consent shall be deemed to have been made on the date of issuance of the Debentures and on each day that the Debentures remain outstanding, although the elimination of the Replacement Capital Covenant will become operative only if the Debentures are designated to be the Covered Debt (as defined in the Replacement Capital Covenant) for purposes of the Replacement Capital Covenant. The Trustee is authorized to take any action requested by the Company to evidence such consent without further notice to or approval of the Holders of the Debentures.


  11.

Upon issuance, the Debentures will be represented by one or more Global Securities deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company (the “Depositary”). Settlement for the Debentures will be made by the Underwriters (as hereinafter defined) in immediately available funds. All payments of principal and interest shall be made by the Company in immediately available funds as long as the Debentures are represented by Global Securities. As long as the Debentures are represented by Global Securities registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee, the Debentures will trade in the Depositary’s Same-Day Funds Settlement System, and secondary market trading activity in the Debentures will therefore settle in immediately available funds. Except as set forth in the Indenture or in the Prospectus Supplement relating to the Debentures, the Debentures will not be issuable in definitive form.

Furthermore, we hereby (i) approve the forms of and authorize the execution and delivery of the Debentures (copies of which are attached as Exhibit A-1 and Exhibit A-2), and the Underwriting Agreement, dated November 29, 2021, among the Company and Barclays Capital Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as representatives of the several underwriters listed therein (a copy of which is attached as Exhibit B), and (ii) ratify the execution and delivery of the Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture (a copy of which is attached as Exhibit C).

All capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings given such terms in the Indenture.

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank. Signature page follows.]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we have set our hands as of the date above first written.

 

By  

/s/ Beth A. Miller

  Name:Beth A. Miller
  Title:  Treasurer
By  

/s/ Paul W. Bischler

  Name:Paul W. Bischler
 

Title:  Executive Vice President and Chief

  Financial Officer

[Signature Page to Officers’ Certificate to the Trustee (Certificate of Determination)]

Exhibit 5.1

 

LOGO

December 8, 2021

Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC

$625,000,000 Principal Amount of 2.875% Debentures due June 15, 2052

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as counsel for Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Company”), in connection with the public offering and sale by the Company of $625,000,000 principal amount of 2.875% Debentures due June 15, 2052 (the “Securities”) to be issued pursuant to an indenture dated as of December 1, 1995, between the Company (as successor-in-interest to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Predecessor”)) and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as successor Trustee (the “Trustee”), the Fifth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of February 11, 2010, among the Predecessor, R Acquisition Company, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (subsequently renamed Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC), and the Trustee (the Indenture, as so supplemented, the “Base Indenture”) and the Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of December 8, 2021, between the Company and the Trustee (the “Twenty-Fifth Supplemental Indenture” and, together with the Base Indenture, the “Indenture”).

In that connection, we have examined originals, or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such documents, corporate records and other instruments as we have deemed necessary or appropriate for the purposes of this opinion, including the Indenture and the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-231290), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on May 8, 2019 (the “Registration Statement”), for registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) of an indeterminate amount of debt securities of the Company, to be issued from time to time by the Company. As to various questions of fact material to this opinion, we have relied upon representations of officers or directors of the Company and documents furnished to us by the Company without independent verification of their accuracy. In expressing the opinions set forth herein, we have


assumed, with your consent and without independent investigation or verification, the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity and competency of all natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals and the conformity to authentic original documents of all documents submitted to us as duplicates or copies and that the Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by, and represents a legal, valid and binding obligation of, the Trustee.

Based on the foregoing and subject to the qualifications set forth herein, we are of opinion that when the Securities are authenticated in accordance with the provisions of the Indenture and delivered and paid for the Securities will constitute legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company (subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent transfer and other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and to general principles of equity, including, without limitation, concepts of materiality, reasonableness, good faith and fair dealing, regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to our firm under the caption “Validity of the Debentures” in the Prospectus Supplement dated November 29, 2021 forming a part of the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are included in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission.

We are admitted to practice in the State of New York, and we express no opinion as to matters governed by any laws other than the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, the laws of the State of New York and the Federal laws of the United States of America.

 

Very truly yours,
/s/ Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP

Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC

2650 Lou Menk Drive

Fort Worth, Texas 76131-2830

 

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