UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Form 10-Q

 

(Mark One)

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2015

OR

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                       to                       .

Commission File Number 001-33147

 

Sanchez Production Partners LP

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Delaware

11-3742489

(State of

organization)

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

 

1000 Main Street, Suite 3000

Houston, Texas

77002

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

(Zip Code)

Telephone Number: (713) 783-8000

none

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes       No    

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes       No    

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Large accelerated filer

Accelerated filer

 

 

 

 

Non-accelerated filer

  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

Smaller reporting company

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes       No    

 

Common units outstanding as of August 13, 2015 : Approximately 3,149,551 units (subject to finalization of reverse split rounding).

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Page    

PART I—Financial Information  

3

Item 1.

Financial Statements

3

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

3

 

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

4

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

5

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Members’ Equity/Partners’ Capital

6

 

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

7

Item 2.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

21

 

Results of Operations

23

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

29

Item 3.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

31

Item  4 .

Controls and Procedures

31

PART II—Other Information  

32

Item 1.

Legal Proceedings

32

Item1A.

Risk Factors

32

Item 2.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

33

Item 3.

Defaults Upon Senior Securities

33

Item 4.

Mine Safety Disclosures

34

Item 5.

Other Information

34

Item 6.

Exhibits

35

Signatures  

37

 

 

2


 

PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION  

Item 1. Financial Statements

 

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP and SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

(In thousands, except per unit data)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Six Months Ended

 

June 30,

 

June 30,

 

2015

 

2014

 

2015

 

2014

Revenues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natural gas sales

$

3,642 

 

$

6,575 

 

$

10,216 

 

$

12,599 

Oil and liquids sales

 

1,139 

 

 

5,514 

 

 

6,489 

 

 

11,231 

Total revenues  

 

4,781 

 

 

12,089 

 

 

16,705 

 

 

23,830 

Expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lease operating expenses

 

5,358 

 

 

5,182 

 

 

10,258 

 

 

10,302 

Cost of sales

 

125 

 

 

434 

 

 

330 

 

 

794 

Production taxes

 

583 

 

 

995 

 

 

953 

 

 

1,767 

General and administrative

 

3,746 

 

 

5,591 

 

 

13,293 

 

 

9,162 

Gain on sale of assets

 

(54)

 

 

(16)

 

 

(113)

 

 

(23)

Depreciation, depletion and amortization

 

3,079 

 

 

4,320 

 

 

6,199 

 

 

8,370 

Asset impairments

 

862 

 

 

45 

 

 

83,727 

 

 

194 

Accretion expense

 

264 

 

 

150 

 

 

517 

 

 

300 

Total operating expenses  

 

13,963 

 

 

16,701 

 

 

115,164 

 

 

30,866 

Other expenses (income):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest expense

 

1,122 

 

 

533 

 

 

1,768 

 

 

1,058 

Other expense (income)

 

37 

 

 

(134)

 

 

100 

 

 

(144)

Total other expenses  

 

1,159 

 

 

399 

 

 

1,868 

 

 

914 

Total expenses  

 

15,122 

 

 

17,100 

 

 

117,032 

 

 

31,780 

Net loss

 

(10,341)

 

 

(5,011)

 

 

(100,327)

 

 

(7,950)

Less:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Preferred unit paid-in-kind distributions

 

(524)

 

 

 -

 

 

(524)

 

 

 -

Net loss attributable to common unitholders

$

(10,865)

 

$

(5,011)

 

$

(100,851)

 

$

(7,950)

Loss per unit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss per unit prior to conversion (1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A units - Basic and diluted

$

 -

 

$

(2.07)

 

$

(0.38)

 

$

(1.52)

Class B units - Basic and diluted

$

 -

 

$

(1.73)

 

$

(0.31)

 

$

(2.76)

Weighted Average Units Outstanding prior to conversion (1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A units - Basic and diluted

 

 -

 

 

48,451 

 

 

48,451 

 

 

104,664 

Class B units - Basic and diluted

 

 -

 

 

2,830,538 

 

 

2,879,163 

 

 

2,825,999 

Net loss per unit after conversion (1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common units - Basic and diluted

$

(3.49)

 

$

 -

 

$

(32.37)

 

$

 -

Weighted Average Units Outstanding after conversion (1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common units - Basic and diluted

 

3,113,428 

 

 

 -

 

 

3,087,431 

 

 

 -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1) Amounts adjusted for 1-for-10 reverse split completed August 3, 2015.  See Note 13.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements .

 

 

3


 

 

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP and SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets  

(In thousands, except unit data)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 30,

 

December 31,

 

2015

 

2014

 

(unaudited)

 

 

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$

5,224 

 

$

4,238 

Restricted cash

 

600 

 

 

1,748 

Accounts receivable

 

2,735 

 

 

3,901 

Accounts receivable - related entities

 

2,541 

 

 

959 

Prepaid expenses

 

1,375 

 

 

1,783 

Fair value of derivative instruments

 

11,434 

 

 

14,671 

Total current assets

 

23,909 

 

 

27,300 

Oil and natural gas properties and related equipment (successful efforts method)

 

 

 

 

 

Oil and natural gas properties, equipment and facilities

 

732,827 

 

 

651,493 

Material and supplies

 

1,056 

 

 

1,056 

Less accumulated depreciation, depletion, amortization, and impairments

 

(606,607)

 

 

(517,239)

Oil and natural gas properties and equipment, net

 

127,276 

 

 

135,310 

Other assets

 

 

 

 

 

Debt issuance costs

 

1,660 

 

 

689 

Fair value of derivative instruments

 

4,426 

 

 

8,158 

Other non-current assets

 

2,521 

 

 

1,790 

Total assets

$

159,792 

 

$

173,247 

LIABILITIES AND MEMBERS' EQUITY/PARTNERS' CAPITAL

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities  

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

$

7,522 

 

$

5,759 

Royalties payable

 

735 

 

 

1,134 

Fair value of derivative instruments

 

257 

 

 

 -

Total current liabilities  

 

8,514 

 

 

6,893 

Other liabilities  

 

 

 

 

 

Asset retirement obligation

 

18,395 

 

 

17,031 

Long-term debt

 

106,000 

 

 

42,500 

Total other liabilities  

 

124,395 

 

 

59,531 

Total liabilities

 

132,909 

 

 

66,424 

Commitments and contingencies (See Note 9)

 

 

 

 

 

Members' equity / Partners' capital

 

 

 

 

 

Class A units, Zero and 48,451 (1) units issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2015 and

 

 

 

 

 

   December 31, 2014, respectively

 

 -

 

 

1,930 

Class B units, Zero and 2,879,258 (1) units issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2015 and

 

 

 

 

 

   December 31, 2014, respectively

 

 -

 

 

104,893 

Class A preferred units, 10,859,375 and zero units issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2015

 

 

 

 

 

  and December 31, 2014, respectively

 

14,566 

 

 

 -

Common units, 3,145,060 (1) and zero units issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2015 and

 

 

 

 

 

   December 31, 2014, respectively

 

12,317 

 

 

 -

Total members' equity/partners' capital

 

26,883 

 

 

106,823 

Total liabilities and members' equity/partners' capital

$

159,792 

 

$

173,247 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1) Amounts adjusted for 1-for-10 reverse split completed August 3, 2015.  See Note 13.

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

4


 

 

 

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP and SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows  

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Six Months Ended

 

June 30,  

 

2015

 

2014

Cash flows from operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

$

(100,327)

 

$

(7,950)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to cash provided by operating activities

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation, depletion and amortization

 

6,199 

 

 

8,370 

Asset impairments

 

83,727 

 

 

194 

Amortization of debt issuance costs

 

324 

 

 

127 

Accretion expense

 

517 

 

 

300 

Equity earnings in affiliate

 

48 

 

 

(70)

Gain from disposition of property and equipment

 

(113)

 

 

(23)

Bad debt expense

 

122 

 

 

112 

Total mark-to-market losses on commodity derivative contracts

 

1,066 

 

 

8,805 

Cash mark-to-market settlements on commodity derivative contracts

 

8,950 

 

 

2,107 

Unit-based compensation programs

 

2,388 

 

 

1,130 

Changes in Operating Assets and Liabilities:  

 

 

 

 

 

(Increase) decrease in accounts receivable

 

1,721 

 

 

(3,489)

Increase in accounts receivable - related entities

 

(1,582)

 

 

 -

Decrease in prepaid expenses

 

408 

 

 

1,272 

(Increase) decrease in other assets

 

(981)

 

 

Increase (decrease)  in accounts payable/accrued liabilities

 

2,788 

 

 

(4,957)

Increase (decrease) in royalties payable

 

(399)

 

 

96 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

4,856 

 

 

6,026 

Cash flows from investing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

Cash paid for acquisitions

 

(81,378)

 

 

(1,351)

Development of oil and natural gas properties

 

(1,056)

 

 

(3,819)

Proceeds from sale of assets

 

344 

 

 

58 

Distributions from equity affiliate

 

15 

 

 

140 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(82,075)

 

 

(4,972)

Cash flows from financing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from issuance of preferred units

 

17,375 

 

 

 -

Payments for offering costs

 

(810)

 

 

 -

Proceeds from issuance of debt

 

106,000 

 

 

5,750 

Repayment of debt

 

(42,500)

 

 

(4,500)

Issuance of common units

 

52 

 

 

 -

Repurchase of Class A, Class C and Class D interests

 

 -

 

 

(2,468)

Units tendered by employees for tax withholdings

 

(618)

 

 

(157)

Debt issuance costs

 

(1,294)

 

 

(136)

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

 

78,205 

 

 

(1,511)

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

 

986 

 

 

(457)

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

 

4,238 

 

 

4,894 

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

$

5,224 

 

$

4,437 

Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:

 

 

 

 

 

Change in accrued capital expenditures

$

(149)

 

$

(542)

Accrual for cancellation of Class A units

 

 -

 

 

818 

Acquisition of oil and natural gas properties in exchange for common units

 

2,000 

 

 

 -

Cash paid during the period for interest

 

(1,154)

 

 

(950)

Cash paid during the period for income taxes

 

(2)

 

 

(2)

 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

5


 

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP and SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Members’ Equity /Partners’ Capital

(In thousands, except unit data)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A Units

 

Class B Units

 

Class A Preferred Units

 

Common Units

 

Total

 

Units (1)

 

Amount

 

Units (1)

 

Amount

 

Units

 

Amount

 

Units (1)

 

Amount

 

Equity/Capital

Members' Equity, December 31, 2013

161,502 

 

$

2,591 

 

2,846,218 

 

$

96,314 

 

 -

 

$

 -

 

 -

 

$

 -

 

$

98,905 

Units tendered by employees for tax

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   withholding

 -

 

 

 -

 

(16,018)

 

 

(415)

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 

(415)

Unit-based compensation programs

 -

 

 

 -

 

49,058 

 

 

1,298 

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 

1,298 

Cancellation of units

(113,051)

 

 

(851)

 

 -

 

 

(1,617)

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 

(2,468)

Net income

 -

 

 

190 

 

 -

 

 

9,313 

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 

9,503 

Members' Equity, December 31, 2014

48,451 

 

$

1,930 

 

2,879,258 

 

$

104,893 

 

 -

 

$

 -

 

 -

 

$

 -

 

$

106,823 

Units tendered by employees for tax

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   withholding

 -

 

 

 -

 

(1,557)

 

 

(21)

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 

(21)

Unit-based compensation programs

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 

 -

   Net loss (January 1st - March 5th)

 -

 

 

(18)

 

 -

 

 

(905)

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 

(923)

Members' Equity, March 5, 2015

48,451 

 

$

1,912 

 

2,877,701 

 

$

103,967 

 

 -

 

$

 -

 

 -

 

$

 -

 

$

105,879 

  Class A Units converted to common units

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      upon limited partnership conversion

(48,451)

 

 

(1,912)

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

58,729 

 

 

1,912 

 

 

 -

  Class B Units converted to common units

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      upon limited partnership conversion

 -

 

 

 -

 

(2,877,701)

 

 

(103,967)

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

2,877,701 

 

 

103,967 

 

 

 -

  Units tendered by employees for tax

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       withholding

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

(32,269)

 

 

(597)

 

 

(597)

  Unit-based compensation programs

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

132,766 

 

 

2,388 

 

 

2,388 

  Private placement of Class A Preferred Units, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      net of offering costs of $810

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

10,859,375 

 

 

16,565 

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 

16,565 

  Beneficial conversion feature of Class A

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      preferred units

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

(2,523)

 

 -

 

 

2,523 

 

 

 -

  Common units issued for acquisition of

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      properties

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

105,263 

 

 

2,000 

 

 

2,000 

  Issuance of common units

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 

 

 

 

 

2,870 

 

 

52 

 

 

52 

  Preferred unit paid-in-kind distributions

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

524 

 

 -

 

 

(524)

 

 

 -

  Net loss (March 6th - June 30th)

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

 -

 

 -

 

 

(99,404)

 

 

(99,404)

Partners' Capital, June 30, 2015

 -

 

$

 -

 

 -

 

$

 -

 

10,859,375 

 

$

14,566 

 

3,145,060 

 

$

12,317 

 

$

26,883 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1) Amounts adjusted for 1-for-10 reverse split completed August 3, 2015.  See Note 13.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

6


 

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS L P   AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

1. ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Organization

      Sanchez Production Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“SPP”, “we”, “us”, “our” or the “Partnership”), is an oil and gas ex ploration and production limited partnership focused on the acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas properties and other integrated assets . SPP completed its initial public offering on November 20, 2006, as Constellation Energy Partners LLC (“CEP” or the “Company”). In August 2013, Sanchez Energy Partners I, LP (“SEP I”), an affiliate of Sanchez Oil & Gas Corporation (“SOG”) , contributed certain oil and natural gas properties in Texas and Louisiana to CEP in exchange for equity interests in CEP. On May 8, 2014, the Company and SP Holdings, LLC (the “Manager”) , the sole member of our general partner, entered into a Shared Services Agreement (the “Services Agreement”) pursuant to which the Manager agreed to provide services that the Partnership requires to operate its business, including overhead, technical, administrative, marketing, accounting, operational, information systems, financial, compliance, insurance and acquisition, disposition and financing services.  The Services Agreement became effective as of July 1, 2014. CEP’s name was subsequently changed to Sanchez Production Partners LLC and on March 6, 2015, the Company’s unitholders approved the conversion of Sanchez Production Partners LLC to a Delaware limited partnership and the name was changed to Sanchez Production Partners LP .   T he Manager owns the general partner of SPP and all of SPP’s incentive distribution rights. Our common units are currently listed on the NYSE MKT under the symbol “SPP.”

        SOG is a private company engaged in the management of oil and natural gas properties on behalf of its related companies, with whom it has various service agreements encompassing a wide range of activities, including, but not limited to, management, administrative and operational services. SEP I and SP Holdings, LLC are related to SOG through services agreements, and SOG owns a 0.5% general partner interest in SEP I.   Our proved reserves are currently located in the Cherokee Basin in Oklahoma and Kansas, the Woodford Shale in the Arkoma Basin in Oklahoma, the Central Kansas Uplift in Kansas, the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas and in other areas of Texas and Louisiana .  

Basis of Presentation

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of SPP and our wholly-owned subsidiaries.  All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.  We operate our oil and natural gas properties as one business segment: the exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas.  Our management evaluates performance based on one business segment as there are not different economic environments within the operation of our oil and natural gas properties.

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).  Certain information and footnote disclosures, normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”), have been condensed or omitted pursuant to those rules and regulations.  We believe that the disclosures made are adequate to make the information presented not misleading.  In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary to fairly state the financial position, results of operations and cash flows with respect to the interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been included.  The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results for the entire year. 

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto of the Company and our subsidiaries included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, which was filed with the SEC on March 5, 2015.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying footnotes.  These estimates and the underlying assumptions affect the amounts of assets and liabilities reported, disclosures about contingent assets and liabilities and reported amounts of revenues and expenses.  The estimates that are particularly significant to our financial statements include estimates of our reserves of oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (“NGLs”); future cash flows from oil and natural gas properties; depreciation, depletion and amortization; asset retirement obligations; certain revenues and operating expenses; fair values of commodity derivatives and fair values of assets and liabilities.  As fair value is a market-based measurement, it is determined based on the assumptions that market participants would use.  These estimates and assumptions are based on management’s best estimates and judgment.  Management evaluates its estimates and assumptions on an on-going basis using historical experience and other factors, including the current economic environment, which management believes to be reasonable under the circumstances.  Such estimates and assumptions are adjusted when facts and circumstances dictate.  As future events and their effects cannot be determined with precision, actual results

7


 

could differ from the estimates.  Any changes in estimates resulting from continuing changes in the economic environment will be reflected in the financial statements in future periods.

Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications have been made to the prior period to conform to the current period presentation.  These reclassifications had no effect on total assets, total liabilities, total unitholders’ equity, net income or net cash provided by or used in operating, investing or financing activities.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), which are adopted by us as of the specified effective date.  Unless otherwise discussed, management believes that the impact of recently issued standards, which are not effective, will not have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

In April 2015, FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2015-03, “Interest – Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs.” This guidance is intended to more closely align the presentation of debt issuance costs under U.S. GAAP with the presentation requirements under International Financial Reporting Standards.  Under this new standard, debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability will be presented on the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the debt liability, similar to the presentation of debt discounts, rather than as a separate asset as previously presented.  This guidance is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015.  The guidance is to be applied retrospectively to each prior period presented.  Early adoption is permitted.  The effects of this accounting standard on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows are not expected to be material.

In February 2015, the FASB issued an ASU No. 2015-02, “Consolidation (Topic 810): Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis” to improve consolidation guidance for certain types of legal entities. The guidance modifies the evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities are variable interest entities (“VIEs”) or voting interest entities, eliminates the presumption that a general partner should consolidate a limited partnership, affects the consolidation analysis of reporting entities that are involved with VIEs, particularly those that have fee arrangements and related party relationships, and provides a scope exception from consolidation guidance for certain money market funds. These provisions are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and interim periods within those annual periods, with early adoption permitted. These provisions may also be adopted using either a full retrospective or a modified retrospective approach. We are currently assessing the impact that adopting this new accounting guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements and footnote disclosures, but we do not expect the impact to be material.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606).”  This guidance outlines a new, single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance.  This new revenue recognition model provides a five-step analysis in determining when and how revenue is recognized.  The new model will require revenue recognition to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration a company expects to receive in exchange for those goods and services.  The new guidance is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017.  Early adoption is not permitted.  The guidance may be applied retrospectively to each prior period presented or retrospectively with the cumulative effect recognized as of the date of initial application.  We are currently in the process of evaluating the impact of adoption of this guidance on our consolidated financial statements, but do not expect the impact to be material.

Other accounting standards that have been issued by the FASB or other standards-setting bodies are not expected to have a material impact on the Partnership’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

 

2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Our significant accounting policies are consistent with those discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 201 4 .

Cash

All highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less are considered cash.  Checks-in-transit are included in our consolidated balance sheets as accounts payable or as a reduction of cash, depending on the type of bank account the checks were drawn on.  There were no checks-in-transit reported in accounts payable at June 30 , 2015 and December 31, 2014.

8


 

Restricted  Cash

Restricted cash, as of   June 30 , 2015 and December 31, 2014, of $ 0.6 million and $1.7 million, respectively, was being held in escrow.  The balance as of June 30 , 2015 is related to a vendor dispute, and will remain in the escrow account until the dispute has been resolved. 

Accounts Receivable, Net

Our accounts receivable are primarily from purchasers of oil and natural gas and counterparties to our financial instruments.  Oil receivables are generally collected within 30 days after the end of the month.  Natural gas receivables are generally collected within 60 days after the end of the month.  We review all outstanding accounts receivable balances and record a reserve for amounts that we expect will not be fully recovered.  Actual balances are not applied against the reserves until substantially all collection efforts have been exhausted.  At June 30 , 2015 and December 31, 2014, we had an allowance for doubtful accounts receivable of $0.4 million and $0.2 million, respectively.         

3. ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURE S

 

Eagle Ford Acquisition

 

On March 31, 2015, we completed an acquisition of wellbore interests in certain producing oil and natural gas properties in Gonzales County, Texas (the “Eagle Ford properties,” and such acquisition, the “Eagle Ford acquisition”) located in the Eagle Ford Shale in Gonzales County, Texas from Sanchez Energy Corporation (“SN”) for a purchase price of $85 million, subject to normal and customary closing adjustments.  The effective date of the transaction was January 1, 2015. The acquisition included initial conveyed working interests and net revenue interests for each property which escalate on January 1 for each year from 2016 through 2019, at which point, SPP’s interests in the Eagle Ford properties will stay constant for the remainder of the respective lives of the assets. 

 

The adjusted purchase price of $83.4 million was funded at closing with net proceeds from the private placement of 10,625,000 newly created Class A Preferred Units (the “Preferred Units”) which were issued for a cash purchase price of $1.60 per unit, resulting in gross proceeds to SPP of $17.0 million, the issuance of 1,052,632 common units (approximately 105,263 common units after adjusting for reverse unit split) to SN, borrowings under the Partnership’s Credit Agreement (as defined in Note 7, “Long-Term Debt”), and available cash. The total purchase price was allocated to the assets purchased and liabilities assumed based upon their fair values on the date of acquisition as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proved developed reserves

$

73,024 

Facilities

 

8,017 

Fair value of hedges assumed

 

3,408 

Fair value of assets acquired

 

84,449 

Asset retirement obligations

 

(877)

Ad valorem tax liability

 

(194)

Fair value of net assets acquired

$

83,378 

 

Pro Forma Operating Results


        The following pro forma combined results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014 reflect the consolidated results of operations of the Partnership as if the Eagle Ford acquisition and related financing had occurred on January 1, 2014. The pro forma information includes adjustments primarily for revenues and expenses from the acquired properties, depreciation, depletion, amortization and accretion, interest expense and debt issuance cost amortization for acquisition debt, and paid-in-kind units issued in connection with the preferred units.

 

        The unaudited pro forma combined financial statements give effect to the events set forth below:

 

         • The Eagle Ford acquisition completed on March 31, 2015.


         • The increase in borrowings under the Credit Agreement to finance a portion of the Eagle Ford acquisition, and the related   

            adjustments to interest expense.


         • Issuance of Class A Preferred Units to finance a portion of the Eagle Ford acquisition, and the related adjustments to preferred 

           paid-in-kind distributions.  


         • Issuance of common units to finance a portion of the Eagle Ford acquisition and the related effect on net income (loss) per 

           common unit (in thousands, except per unit amounts).

9


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Six Months Ended

 

June 30,

 

June 30,

 

2015

 

2014

 

2015

 

2014

Revenues

$

4,781 

 

$

25,715 

 

$

19,933 

 

$

50,728 

Net income (loss) attributable to common unitholders

$

(10,865)

 

$

2,818 

 

$

(101,316)

 

$

7,307 

Net income (loss) per unit prior to conversion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A units - Basic and diluted (1)

$

 -

 

$

1.16 

 

$

(24.89)

 

$

1.40 

Class B units - Basic and diluted (1)

$

 -

 

$

0.94 

 

$

(19.80)

 

$

2.44 

Net loss per unit after conversion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common units - Basic and diluted (1)

$

(3.61)

 

$

 -

 

$

(13.65)

 

$

 -

 

(1)   Amounts adjusted for 1-for-10 reverse split completed August 3, 2015.  See Note 13.

 

The unaudited pro forma combined financial information is for informational purposes only and is not intended to represent or to be indicative of the combined results of operations that the Partnership would have reported had the Eagle Ford acquisition and related financings been completed as of the date set forth in this unaudited pro forma combined financial information and should not be taken as indicative of the Partnership’s future combined results of operations. The actual results may differ significantly from that reflected in the unaudited pro forma combined financial information for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to, differences in assumptions used to prepare the unaudited pro forma combined financial information and actual results.

 

Post-Acquisition Operating Results

 

The amounts of revenue and excess o f revenues over direct operating expenses included in the Partnership’s condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2015, for the Eagle Ford acquisition are shown in the table that follows.  Direct operating expenses include lease operating expenses and production and ad valorem taxes (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

Three and Six

 

Months Ended

 

June 30, 2015

Revenues

$

3,328 

Excess of revenues over direct operating expenses

$

1,025 

 

 

4. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

  Measurements of fair value of derivative instruments are classified according to the fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs to the valuation techniques used to measure fair value. Fair value is the price that would be received upon the sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Fair value measurements are classified and disclosed in one of the following categories:

        Level 1:     Measured based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities. Active markets are considered those in which transactions for the assets or liabilities occur in sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.

        Level 2:     Measured based on quoted prices in markets that are not active, or inputs which are observable, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability. This category includes those derivative instruments that can be valued using observable market data. Substantially all of these inputs are observable in the marketplace throughout the term of the derivative instrument, can be derived from observable data, or supported by observable levels at which transactions are executed in the marketplace.

        Level 3:     Measured based on prices or valuation models that require inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and less observable from objective sources (i.e., supported by little or no market activity). The valuation models used to

10


 

value derivatives associated with the Partnership's oil and natural gas production are primarily industry standard models that consider various inputs including: (a) quoted forward prices for commodities, (b) time value, and (c) current market and contractual prices for the underlying instruments, as well as other relevant economic measures. Although third party quotes are utilized to assess the reasonableness of the prices and valuation techniques, there is not sufficient corroborating evidence to support classifying these assets and liabilities as Level 2.

        Financial assets and liabilities are classified based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Management's assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement requires judgment, and may affect the valuation of the fair value of assets and liabilities and their placement within the fair value hierarchy levels.

The following tables summarize the fair value of our assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of June 30 , 2015 and December 31, 2014 (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fair Value Measurements at June 30, 2015

 

Active Markets for

 

Observable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Identical Assets

 

Inputs

 

Unobservable Inputs

 

Netting Cash and

 

Fair Value at

 

(Level 1)

 

(Level 2)

 

(Level 3)

 

Collateral

 

June 30, 2015

Derivative assets

$

 -

 

$

16,121 

 

$

 -

 

$

(261)

 

$

15,860 

Derivative liabilities

 

 -

 

 

(518)

 

 

 -

 

 

261 

 

 

(257)

Total net assets

$

 -

 

$

15,603 

 

$

 -

 

$

 -

 

$

15,603 

The following table summarizes the fair value of our assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2014 (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2014

 

Active Markets for

 

Observable

 

Significant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Identical Assets

 

Inputs

 

Unobservable Inputs

 

Netting Cash and

 

Fair Value at

 

(Level 1)

 

(Level 2)

 

(Level 3)

 

Collateral

 

December 31, 2014

Derivative assets

$

 -

 

$

22,919 

 

$

 -

 

$

(90)

 

$

22,829 

Derivative liabilities

 

 -

 

 

(90)

 

 

 -

 

 

90 

 

 

 -

Total net assets

$

 -

 

$

22,829 

 

$

 -

 

$

 -

 

$

22,829 

As of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the estimated fair value of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, other current assets and current liabilities approximated their carrying value due to their short-term nature.

Fair Value on a Non-Recurring Basis

 

The Partnership follows the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 820-10 for nonfinancial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis. The fair value measurements of assets acquired and liabilities assumed are based on inputs that are not observable in the market and therefore represent Level 3 inputs under the fair value hierarchy. The fair values of oil and natural gas properties and asset retirement obligations were measured using valuation techniques that convert future cash flows to a single discounted amount. Significant inputs to the valuation of oil and natural gas properties include estimates of: (i) reserves; (ii) future operating and development costs; (iii) future commodity prices; (iv) estimated future cash flows; and (v) a market-based weighted average cost of capital rate. These inputs require significant judgments and estimates by the Partnership’s management at the time of the valuation and are the most sensitive and subject to change.   Our purchase price allocation for the Eagle Ford acquisition is presented in Note 3, ‘‘Acquisitions and Divestitures.”   A reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of the Partnership’s asset retirement obligations is presented in Note 8, ‘‘Asset Retirement Obligations.’’

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair value guidance requires certain fair value disclosures, such as those on our debt and derivatives, to be presented in both interim and annual reports.  The estimated fair value amounts of financial instruments have been determined using available market information and valuation methodologies described below.

Credit Agreement – We believe that the carrying value of long-term debt for our Credit Agreement approximates its fair value because the interest rates on the debt approximate market interest rates for debt with similar terms.  The debt is classified as a Level 2 input in the fair value hierarchy and represents the amount at which the instrument could be valued in an exchange during a current transaction between willing parties.  Our Credit Agreement is discussed further in Note 7, “Long-Term Debt.”

11


 

        Derivative Instruments – The income valuation approach, which involves discounting estimated cash flows, is primarily used to determine recurring fair value measurements of our derivative instruments classified as Level 2 inputs.  Our commodity derivatives are valued using the terms of the individual derivative contracts with our counterparties, expected future levels of oil and natural gas prices and an appropriate discount rate.  Our interest rate derivatives are valued using the terms of the individual derivative contracts with our counterparties, expected future levels of the LIBOR interest rates and an appropriate discount rate.  We did not have any interest rate derivatives as of June 30, 2015. We prioritize the use of the highest level inputs available in determining fair value such that fair value measurements are determined using the highest and best use as determined by market participants and the assumptions that they would use in determining fair value.

5. DERIVATIVE AND FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

To reduce the impact of fluctuations in oil and natural gas prices on our revenues, we periodically enter into derivative contracts with respect to a portion of our projected oil and natural gas production through various transactions that fix or modify the future prices to be realized.  These transactions are normally price swaps whereby we will receive a fixed price for our production and pay a variable market price to the contract counterparty.  These hedging activities are intended to support oil and natural gas prices at targeted levels and to manage exposure to oil and natural gas price fluctuations.  It is never our intention to enter into derivative contracts for speculative trading purposes.

Under ASC Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging , all derivative instruments are recorded on the condensed consolidated balance sheets at fair value as either short-term or long-term assets or liabilities based on their anticipated settlement date.  We will net derivative assets and liabilities for counterparties where we have a legal right of offset.  Changes in the derivatives’ fair values are recognized currently in earnings unless specific hedge accounting criteria are met.  We have not elected to designate any of our current derivative contracts as hedges; however, changes in the fair value of all of our derivative instruments are recognized in earnings and included in natural gas sales and oil and liquids sales in the condensed consolidated statements of operations.

As of June 30 , 2015, we had the following derivative contracts in place for the periods indicated, all of which are accounted for as mark-to-market activities:

Fixed Price Basis Swaps–West Texas Intermediate (WTI)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Quarter Ended (in Bbls)

 

March 31,

 

June 30,

 

September 30,

 

December 31,

 

Total

 

 

 

Average

 

 

 

Average

 

 

 

Average

 

 

 

Average

 

 

 

Average

 

Volume

 

Price

 

Volume

 

Price

 

Volume

 

Price

 

Volume

 

Price

 

Volume

 

Price

2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

118,097 

 

$

75.10 

 

109,582 

 

$

75.64 

 

227,679 

 

$

75.37 

2016

121,005 

 

$

73.53 

 

113,226 

 

$

73.77 

 

106,483 

 

$

73.95 

 

100,525 

 

$

74.10 

 

441,239 

 

$

73.82 

2017

57,953 

 

$

64.80 

 

54,554 

 

$

64.80 

 

51,570 

 

$

64.80 

 

48,926 

 

$

64.80 

 

213,003 

 

$

64.80 

2018

56,798 

 

$

65.40 

 

54,197 

 

$

65.40 

 

51,851 

 

$

65.40 

 

49,709 

 

$

65.40 

 

212,555 

 

$

65.40 

2019

52,760 

 

$

65.65 

 

50,784 

 

$

65.65 

 

48,960 

 

$

65.65 

 

47,264 

 

$

65.65 

 

199,768 

 

$

65.65 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,294,244 

 

 

 

 

Fixed Price Swaps—NYMEX (Henry Hub)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Quarter Ended (in MMBtu)

 

March 31,

 

June 30,

 

September 30,

 

December 31,

 

Total

 

 

 

Average

 

 

 

Average

 

 

 

Average

 

 

 

Average

 

 

 

Average

 

Volume

 

Price

 

Volume

 

Price

 

Volume

 

Price

 

Volume

 

Price

 

Volume

 

Price

2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,171,767 

 

$

4.16 

 

1,118,334 

 

$

4.17 

 

2,290,101 

 

$

4.17 

2016

1,098,689 

 

$

4.13 

 

1,048,146 

 

$

4.14 

 

998,394 

 

$

4.14 

 

963,327 

 

$

4.14 

 

4,108,556 

 

$

4.14 

2017

80,563 

 

$

3.52 

 

75,829 

 

$

3.52 

 

71,672 

 

$

3.52 

 

67,984 

 

$

3.52 

 

296,048 

 

$

3.52 

2018

79,042 

 

$

3.58 

 

75,404 

 

$

3.58 

 

72,115 

 

$

3.58 

 

69,122 

 

$

3.58 

 

295,683 

 

$

3.58 

2019

73,432 

 

$

3.62 

 

70,648 

 

$

3.62 

 

68,088 

 

$

3.62 

 

65,720 

 

$

3.62 

 

277,888 

 

$

3.62 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7,268,276 

 

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

12


 

                                                                               The following table sets forth a reconciliation of the changes in fair value of the Partnership’s commodity derivatives for the three months ended June 30, 2015 and the year ended December 31, 2014 (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 30,

 

December 31,

 

2015

 

2014

Beginning fair value of commodity derivatives

$

22,829 

 

$

10,601 

Net gains on crude oil derivatives

 

351 

 

 

13,983 

Net gains on natural gas derivatives

 

1,992 

 

 

5,871 

Net settlements on derivative contracts:

 

 

 

 

 

Crude oil

 

(6,151)

 

 

69 

Natural gas

 

(3,418)

 

 

(7,695)

Ending fair value of commodity derivatives

$

15,603 

 

$

22,829 

 

The effect of derivative instruments on our condensed consolidated statements of operations was as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amount of Loss in Income

 

 

Location of Gain/(Loss)

 

For the Three Months Ended June 30,

 

For the Six Months Ended June 30,

Derivative Type

 

in Income

 

2015

 

2014

 

2015

 

2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commodity – Mark-to-Market

 

Oil and natural gas sales

 

$

(5,897)

 

$

(4,730)

 

$

(1,064)

 

$

(8,805)

 

 

 

Derivative instruments expose us to counterparty credit risk.  Our commodity derivative instruments are currently with three counterparties.  We generally execute commodity derivative instruments under master agreements which allow us, in the event of default, to elect early termination of all contracts with the defaulting counterparty.  If we choose to elect early termination, all asset and liability positions with the defaulting counterparty would be net cash settled at the time of election. We include a measure of counterparty credit risk in our estimates of the fair values of derivative instruments. As of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the impact of non-performance credit risk on the valuation of our derivative instruments was not significant.

Hedges Novated in the Eagle Ford Acquisition

As a part of the Eagle Ford acquisition, we received by novation from the seller certain hedges covering approximately 95% ,   90% ,   85% ,   85% and 80% of estimated 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 oil and natural gas production from the acquired assets, respectively.  The counterparty for the hedges is a lender in the Partnership’s Credit Agreement. The Partnership is responsible for all future periodic settlements of these transactions .  As of June 30, 2015, the fair value of the hedges assumed resulted in a less than $0.1 million asset in our condensed consolidated balance sheet. 

6. OIL AND NATURAL GAS PROPERTIES

Oil and natural gas properties consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 30,

 

December 31,

 

2015

 

2014

Oil and natural gas properties and related equipment

 

 

 

 

 

(successful efforts method)

 

 

 

 

 

Property costs

 

 

 

 

 

Proved property

$

730,743 

 

$

649,432 

Unproved property

 

1,583 

 

 

1,560 

   Land

 

501 

 

 

501 

Total property costs

 

732,827 

 

 

651,493 

Materials and supplies

 

1,056 

 

 

1,056 

Total

 

733,883 

 

 

652,549 

Less: Accumulated depreciation, depletion, amortization and impairments

 

(606,607)

 

 

(517,239)

Oil and natural gas properties and equipment, net

$

127,276 

 

$

135,310 

 

13


 

Impairment of Oil and Natural Gas Properties and Other Non-Current Assets

The Partnership evaluates the impairment of its proved oil and natural gas properties on a field-by-field basis whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. The carrying values of proved properties are reduced to fair value when the expected undiscounted future cash flows of proved and risk-adjusted probable and possible reserves are less than net book value. The fair values of proved properties are measured using valuation techniques consistent with the income approach, converting future cash flows to a single discounted amount. Significant inputs used to determine the fair values of proved properties include estimates of: (i) reserves; (ii) future operating and development costs; (iii) future commodity prices; and (iv) a market-based weighted average cost of capital rate. These inputs require significant judgments and estimates by the Partnership’s management at the time of the valuation and are the most sensitive and subject to change.

 

For the three and six months ended June 30, 2015, we recorded non-cash charges of $0.9 million and $83.7 million, respectively, to impair the value of our Cherokee Basin properties, Woodford Shale properties and our Texas and Louisiana properties acquired prior to the Eagle Ford acquisition.  For the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, we recorded non-cash charges of $0.1 million and $0.2 million, respectively, to impair the value of our Texas and Louisiana properties. The current impairment was primarily the result of a decline in commodity prices. The carrying values of the impaired proved properties were reduced to fair value, estimated using inputs characteristic of a Level 3 fair value measurement.

Exploration and Dry Hole Costs

Exploration and dry hole costs represent abandonments of drilling locations, dry hole costs, delay rentals, geological and geophysical costs and the impairment, amortization and abandonment associated with leases on our unproved properties. We recorded no exploration and dry hole costs for the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014.    

7. LONG-TERM DEBT

Credit Agreement

On March 31, 2015, the Partnership, as borrower, entered into a Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement with Royal Bank of Canada, as administrative agent and collateral agent and the lenders party thereto, providing for a reserve-based credit facility with a maximum commitment of $500 million and a maturity date of March 31, 2020 (the “Credit Agreement”).  The Partnership used $106.0 million in borrowings under the Credit Agreement on March 31, 2015 to finance the Eagle Ford acquisition, in part, and to repay $42.5 million due under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, with Societe Generale as administrative and collateral agent and a syndicate of lenders, which had a maximum commitment of $350 million and a borrowing base of $70.0 million immediately prior to its retirement. 

Borrowings under the Credit Agreement are secured by various mortgages of oil and natural gas properties that the Partnership and certain of its subsidiaries own as well as various security and pledge agreements among the Partnership and certain of its subsidiaries and the administrative agent.

The amount available for borrowing at any one time under the Credit Agreement is limited to the borrowing base for the Partnership’s oil and natural gas properties. Borrowings under the Credit Agreement are available for acquisition, exploration, operation, maintenance and development of oil and natural gas properties, payment of expenses incurred in connection with the Credit Agreement, working capital and general business purposes. The Credit Agreement has a sub-limit of $15 million which may be used for the issuance of letters of credit. The borrowing base as of June 30, 2015 was $110 million, of which we had $106 million outstanding. The borrowing base is re-determined semi-annually in the second and fourth quarters of the year, and may be re-determined at our request more frequently and by the lenders, in their sole discretion, based on reserve reports as prepared by petroleum engineers, using, among other things, the oil and natural gas pricing prevailing at such time.  Outstanding borrowings in excess of our borrowing base must be repaid or we must pledge other oil and natural gas properties as additional collateral.  We may elect to pay any borrowing base deficiency in three equal monthly installments such that the deficiency is eliminated in a period of three months.  Any increase in our borrowing base must be approved by all of the lenders.

 

At the Partnership’s election, interest for borrowings under the Credit Agreement are determined by reference to (i) the London interbank rate, or LIBOR, plus an applicable margin between 1.75% and 2.75% per annum based on utilization or (ii) a domestic bank rate (“ABR”) plus an applicable margin between 0.75% and 1.75% per annum based on utilization plus (iii) a commitment fee between 0.375% and 0.500% per annum based on the unutilized borrowing base. Interest on the borrowings for ABR loans and the commitment fee are generally payable quarterly. Interest on the borrowings for LIBOR loans are generally payable at the applicable maturity date.

 

The Credit Agreement contains various covenants that limit, among other things, the Partnership’s ability and certain of its subsidiaries’ ability to incur certain indebtedness, grant certain liens, merge or consolidate, sell all or substantially all of the Partnership’s assets, make certain loans, acquisitions, capital expenditures and investments, and pay distributions. Furthermore, the Credit Agreement contains financial covenants that require the Partnership to satisfy certain specified financial ratios, including (i) current assets to current

14


 

liabilities of at least 1.0 to 1.0 at all times and (ii) total net debt to consolidated Adjusted EBITDA for the last twelve months of not greater than 4. 0 to 1.0 as of the last day of any fiscal quarter.

 

The Credit Agreement also includes customary events of default, including events of default related to non-payment of principal, interest or fees, inaccuracy of representations and warranties when made or when deemed made, violation of covenants, cross-defaults, bankruptcy and insolvency events, certain unsatisfied judgments, loan documents not being valid and a change in control. A change in control is generally defined as the occurrence of one of the following events:  (i) the Partnership’s existing general partner (the “General Partner”) ceases to be the sole general partner of the Partnership or (ii) certain specified persons shall cease to own more than 50% of the equity interests of the General Partner or shall cease to control, directly or indirectly, such General Partner. If an event of default occurs, the lenders may accelerate the maturity of the Credit Agreement and exercise other rights and remedies.

 

The Credit Agreement limits the Partnership’s ability to pay distributions to unitholders. The Partnership has the ability to pay distributions to unitholders from available cash, including cash from borrowings under the Credit Agreement, as long as no event of default exists and provided that no distributions to unitholders may be made if the borrowings outstanding, net of available cash, under the Credit Agreement exceed 90% of the borrowing base, after giving effect to the proposed distribution. The Partnership’s available cash is reduced by any cash reserves established by the board of directors of the General Partner for the proper conduct of the Partnership’s business and the payment of fees and expenses.

The Credit Agreement permits us to hedge our projected monthly production, provided that (a) for the immediately ensuing twenty four-month period, the volumes of production hedged in any month may not exceed our projected monthly production from proved developed and producing reserves (or 90% of our projected monthly production from proved reserves); (b) for the immediately following twenty-four month period, volumes of production hedged in any month may not exceed 90% of our projected monthly production from proved developed and producing reserves (or 85% of our projected monthly production from proved reserves); (c) for the immediately following twelve month period, volumes of production hedged in any month may not exceed 85% our projected monthly production from proved developed and producing reserves (or 80% of our projected monthly production from proved reserves); and (d) no hedges may have a tenor beyond five years.  The Credit Agreement also permits us to hedge the interest rate on up to 75% of the then-outstanding principal amounts of our indebtedness for borrowed money.

We monitor compliance with the covenants of the Credit Agreement on an ongoing basis.  As of June 30, 2015, the Partnership's ratio of total net debt to Adjusted EBITDA, calculated in accordance with the terms of the Credit Agreement, exceeded 4.0 to 1.0.  On August 12, 2015, the Partnership and its lenders executed a waiver and amendment that allows for the exclusion of approximately $1.4 million in non-recurring general and administrative expenses recorded in the second quarter 2015 for purposes of calculating the ratio of total net debt to Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter ended June 30, 2015 and each subsequent compliance period in which June 30, 2015 results would factor into the calculation of total net debt to Adjusted EBITDA.  As a result of the waiver and amendment, the Partnership was deemed to be in compliance with the total net debt to Adjusted EBITDA covenant as of June 30, 2015 and currently forecasts that its ratio of total net debt to Adjusted EBITDA will not exceed 4.0 to 1.0 for the next twelve months.  

Debt Issuance Costs

         As of June 30, 2015, our unamortized debt issuance costs were $1.7 million . These costs are amortized to interest expense in our consolidated statement of operations over the life of our Credit Agreement.  At December 31, 2014, our unamortized debt issuance costs were $0.7 million.

8. ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATION

We recognize the fair value of a liability for an asset retirement obligation (“ARO”) in the period in which it is incurred if a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made. Each period, we accrete the ARO to its then present value. The associated asset retirement cost (“ARC”) is capitalized as part of the carrying amount of our oil and natural gas properties, equipment and facilities. Subsequently, the ARC is depreciated using a systematic and rational method over the asset’s useful life. The AROs recorded by us relate to the plugging and abandonment of oil and natural gas wells, and decommissioning of oil and natural gas gathering and other facilities.

Inherent in the fair value calculation of ARO are numerous assumptions and judgments, including the ultimate settlement amounts, inflation factors, credit adjusted discount rates, timing of settlement and changes in the legal, regulatory, environmental and political environments. To the extent future revisions to these assumptions result in adjustments to the recorded fair value of the existing ARO, a corresponding adjustment is made to the ARC capitalized as part of the oil and natural gas property balance.

 

The changes in the ARO for the six months ended June 30, 2015 and the year ended December 31, 2014 were as follows (in thousands):

15


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 30,

 

December 31,

 

2015

 

2014

Asset retirement obligation, beginning balance

$

17,031 

 

$

9,513 

Liabilities added from acquisitions

 

877 

 

 

80 

Liabilities added from drilling

 

 -

 

 

59 

Sold

 

(11)

 

 

 -

Revisions to cost estimates

 

 -

 

 

6,780 

Settlements

 

(19)

 

 

(5)

Accretion expense

 

517 

 

 

604 

Asset retirement obligation, ending balance

$

18,395 

 

$

17,031 

 

       Additional AROs increase the liability associated with new oil and natural gas wells and other facilities as these obligations are incurred. Actual expenditures for abandonments of oil and natural gas wells and other facilities reduce the liability for AROs. As of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, there were no significant expenditures for abandonments and there were no assets legally restricted for purposes of settling existing AROs.

9. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES         

         We did not have any material commitments and contingencies as of June 30 , 2015.

10. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Unit Ownership

As of June 30, 2015, SEP I, an indirect subsidiary of SOG, owned 5,951,482   (approximately 595,148 common units after adjusting for reverse unit split) , or 18.9% of our common units, and a subsidiary of SN owned 1,052,632   (approximately 105,263 common units after adjusting for reverse unit split) , or 3.3% of our common units.

Sanchez-Related Agreements

On May 8, 2014, the Company and the Manager, an affiliate of SOG, entered into the Services Agreement pursuant to which the Manager provides services that we require to operate our business, including overhead, technical, administrative, marketing, accounting, operational, information systems, financial, compliance, insurance, professionals and acquisition, disposition and financing services.  Compensation for services provided under the Services Agreement consists of: (i) a quarterly fee equal to 0.375% of the value of our properties other than our assets located in the Mid-Continent region, (ii) a $1,000,000 administrative fee, which was paid during 2014, (iii) reimbursement for all allocated overhead costs as well as any direct third-party costs incurred and (iv) for each asset acquisition, asset disposition and financing, a fee not to exceed 2% of the value of such transaction.  Each of these fees, not including the reimbursement of costs, will be paid in cash unless the Manager elects for such fee to be paid in our equity.

The Services Agreement has a ten -year term and will be automatically renewed for an additional ten years unless both the Manager and the Company provide notice to terminate the agreement.  During the six months ended June 30, 2015, we paid $2.4 million to the Manager under the Services Agreement, which included a prepayment of $0.5 million to be applied in the third quarter of 2015.

 

Additionally, as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the Partnership had a net receivable from related parties of $2.5 million and $1.0 million, respectively, which are included in “Accounts receivable – related entities” in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The net receivables as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 consist primarily of revenues receivable from oil and natural gas production, offset by costs associated with that production and obligations for general and administrative costs. 

In August 2013, the Company entered into a Registration Rights Agreement with SEP I and on May 8, 2014, the Company and SOG entered into a Contract Operating Agreement, the Company, the Manager and SOG entered into a Transition Agreement, and the Company, SOG and certain subsidiaries of the Company entered into a Geophysical Seismic Data Use License Agreement (the “License Agreement”). For further discussion of these agreements, refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014.

 

        On March 6, 2015, amendments to the Services Agreement and License Agreement were executed in order to replace the Company with the Partnership as counterparty to the agreements.  No other material amendments have been made to the agreements mentioned herein.  The amendments are attached as exhibits to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.       

 

        On March 31, 2015, the Partnership and SN entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement for the acquisition of the Eagle Ford properties for a purchase price of $85 million.  See further discussion of the transaction in Note 3, “Acquisitions and Divestitures.”

16


 

  11. UNIT-BASED COMPENSATION

Prior to our conversion to a Delaware limited partnership on March 6, 2015, we granted restricted common unit awards to certain employees in Texas under the 2009 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan (the “Omnibus Plan”).  The Omnibus Plan provided for a variety of unit-based and performance-based awards, including unit options, restricted units, unit grants, notional units, unit appreciation rights, performance awards and other unit-based awards.  Additionally, prior to March 6, 2015, we granted restricted common unit awards to certain field employees in Kansas and Oklahoma and to certain employees in Texas under our previous Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “Previous LTIP”).

After the conversion to a limited partnership, both the Omnibus Plan and the Previous LTIP had no outstanding units remaining.  Effective March 6, 2015, the Omnibus Plan was amended and restated and renamed the Sanchez Production Partners LP Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “LTIP”). Restricted unit activity under the Omnibus Plan, the Previous LTIP, and the LTIP during the period, after adjusting for the reverse split, is presented in the following table:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Number of

 

Weighted Average

 

Restricted

 

Grant Date Fair

 

Units

 

Value Per Unit

Outstanding at December 31, 2014

10,082

 

$

31.10

Granted

132,766

 

 

17.08

Vested

(83,381)

 

 

18.79

Returned/Cancelled

(33,826)

 

 

17.30

Outstanding at June 30, 2015

25,641

 

$

16.50

 

During the three months ended June 30, 2015, the Partnership issued 38,860 restricted common units ( 3,886 common units after adjusting for reverse unit split) pursuant to the LTIP to one director of the Partnership’s general partner that vested immediately on the date of the grant.  The unit based compensation expense for the award was based on its grant date fair value of $1.93 per unit ($ 19.30 per unit after adjusting for reverse unit split) (the closing price of the Partnership’s common units on the grant date).

 

The remaining unvested units as of June 30, 2015 belong to one employee of a subsidiary of the Partnership and are due upon request.  As such, we have accelerated the recognition of the expense associated with these awards into the six months ended June 30, 2015. 

12. DISTRIBUTIONS TO UNITHOLDERS

           Beginning in June 2009, we suspended our quarterly distributions to unitholders. For each of the quarterly periods since June 2009, we were restricted from paying distributions to unitholders as we had no available cash (taking into account the cash reserves set by our board for the proper conduct of our business) from which to pay distributions .

13. MEMBERS’ EQUITY /PARTNERS’ CAPITAL  

Outstanding Units 

As of June 30, 2015, we had 10,859,375 Class A preferred units outstanding and 31,450,596   common units outstanding (approximately 3,145,060 common units after adjusting for reverse unit split) , which included 256,410 unvested restricted common units ( 25,641 common units after adjusting for reverse unit split) issued under the LTIP.

Conversion 

 

The Company’s board of managers approved a Plan of Conversion (the “Conversion”) providing for the Conversion of the Company from a limited liability company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware into Sanchez LP, a limited partnership formed under the laws of the State of Delaware. This plan was approved by the vote of the unitholders of the Company on March 6, 2015. After the Conversion, all of the rights, privileges and obligations of the Company prior to the Conversion were transferred and are now held by the Partnership. The Conversion converted each outstanding common unit of the Company into one common unit of the Partnership. The outstanding Class A units of the Company were converted into common units of the Partnership in a number equal to 2% of the Partnership’s common units outstanding immediately after the Conversion (after taking into account the conversion of such Class A units), and the outstanding Class Z unit of the Company was cancelled. In addition, a non-economic general partner interest in the Partnership was issued to our general partner, and the incentive distribution rights of the Partnership were issued to the Manager.

 

Common Unit Issuances


17


 

         The Partnership issued a total of 28,700 common units ( 2,870 common units after adjusting for reverse unit split) under its at-the-market facility during the three months ended June 30, 2015, for total net proceeds of less than $0.1 million. 

 

Preferred Unit Issuance

 

Class A Preferred Unit Offerings: On March 31, 2015, the Partnership entered into a Class A Preferred Unit Purchase Agreement (the “Preferred Unit Purchase Agreement”) with the purchasers named on Schedule A thereto (collectively, the “Purchasers”), pursuant to which the Partnership sold, and the Purchasers purchased, 10,625,000 of the Partnership’s newly created Class A Preferred Units (the “Class A Preferred Units”) in a privately negotiated transaction (the “Private Placement”) for an aggregate cash purchase price of $1.60 per Class A Preferred Unit resulting in gross proceeds to the Partnership of $17 million.  The Partnership used the net proceeds from this transaction, together with common units issued to SN, borrowings under the Credit Agreement, and available cash on hand, to pay the consideration in the Eagle Ford acquisition.

 

Additionally, on April 15, 2015, the Partnership entered into a Class A Preferred Unit Purchase Agreement (the “April Preferred Unit Purchase Agreement”) with the purchasers named on Schedule A thereto (colle ctively, the “ April Purchasers”), pursuant to which the Partnership sold, and the April Purchasers purchased, 234,375 of the Partnership’s Class A Preferred Units in a privately negotiated transaction for an aggregate cash purchase price of $1.60 per Class A Preferred Unit resulting in gross proceeds to the Partnership of $375,000 .  The Partnership plans to use the proceeds for general working capital purposes.

 

Commencing with the three months ended June 30, 2015 and through the date on which the Class A Preferred Units are converted into common units, the holders of the Class A Preferred Units shall be entitled to receive distributions. For the three months ended June 30, 2015, through and including the three months ending June 30, 2016, the distributions will be paid in kind with additional Class A Preferred Units; thereafter, distributions will be paid in-kind or in cash at the discretion of the board of directors of our general partner.  For the first year after the issuance date, the distribution rate will be 10% per annum, or 2.5% per quarter; for the second year after the issuance date, the distribution rate will be 11.5% per annum, or 2.875% per quarter; and thereafter, the distribution rate will be 12.5% per annum, or 3.125% per quarter.  Distributions will be made on or about the last day of each of February, May, August and November following the end of each quarter commencing with the three months ended June 30, 2015.

 

On August 10, 2015, the board of directors of our general partner declared a distribution to holders of Class A Preferred Units as of August 14, 2015 to be paid in kind and distributed to the holders on August 31, 2015.

 

Earnings per Unit


         For the period prior to our conversion, the basic net income per unit was computed from the two-class method by dividing net income (loss) attributable to unitholders by the weighted average number of units outstanding during each period.  To determine net income (loss) allocated to each class of ownership (Class A and Class B), we first allocated net income (loss) in accordance with the amount of distributions made for the period by each class, if any.  The remaining net income (loss) was allocated to each class in proportion to the class weighted average number of units outstanding for the period, as compared to the weighted average number of units for all classes for the period.

 

Post conversion, net income (loss) per common unit for the period is based on any distributions that are made to the unitholders (common units) plus an allocation of undistributed net income based on provisions of the partnership agreement, divided by the weighted average number of common units outstanding. The two-class method dictates that net income for a period be reduced by the amount of distributions and that any residual amount representing undistributed net income be allocated to common unitholders and other participating unitholders to the extent that each unit may share in net income as if all of the net income for the period had been distributed in accordance with the partnership agreement. Unit-based awards granted but unvested are eligible to receive distributions. The underlying unvested restricted unit awards are considered participating securities for purposes of determining net income per unit. Undistributed income is allocated to participating securities based on the proportional relationship of the weighted average number of common units and unit-based awards outstanding. Undistributed losses (including those resulting from distributions in excess of net income) are allocated to common units based on provisions of the partnership agreement. Undistributed losses are not allocated to unvested restricted unit awards as they do not participate in net losses. Distributions declared and paid in the period are treated as distributed earnings in the computation of earnings per common unit even though cash distributions are not necessarily derived from current or prior period earnings.

 

Our general partner does not have an economic interest in the Partnership and, therefore, does not participate in the Partnership’s net income. 

The following table presents the weighted average basic and diluted units outstanding for the periods indicated:

 

18


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

 

 

March 6 - June 30

 

January 1 - March 6

 

June 30,

 

 

June 30,

 

 

 

2015

 

2015

 

2015

 

 

2014

Class A units - Basic and diluted

 

 

 -

 

 

484,505 

 

 

 -

 

 

484,505 

Class B Common units - Basic and diluted

 

 

 -

 

 

28,791,626 

 

 

 -

 

 

28,305,380 

Common units - Basic and diluted

 

 

30,874,312 

 

 

 -

 

 

31,134,285 

 

 

 -

Weighted Average basic and diluted units prior to reverse split

 

 

30,874,312 

 

 

29,276,131 

 

 

31,134,285 

 

 

28,789,885 

Adjustment for reverse split

 

 

(27,786,881)

 

 

(26,348,518)

 

 

(28,020,857)

 

 

(25,910,896)

Weighted Average basic and diluted units after reverse split

 

 

3,087,431 

 

 

2,927,613 

 

 

3,113,428 

 

 

2,878,989 

 

 

 

 

            At June 30 , 2015, we had 256,410 common units that were restricted unvested common units granted and outstanding.  No losses were allocated to participating restricted unvested units because such securities do not have a contractual obligation to share in the Partnership’s losses.

 

The following table presents our basic and diluted loss per unit for the period from January 1, 2015 to March 6, 2015 (the date of conversion to a limited partnership) (in thousands, except for per unit amounts):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

Class A Units

 

Class B Units

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assumed net loss to be allocated January 1 - March 6

 

$

(923)

 

$

(18)

 

$

(905)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted loss per unit prior to reverse split

 

 

 

 

$

(0.04)

 

$

(0.03)

Basic and diluted loss per unit after reverse split

 

 

 

 

$

(0.38)

 

$

(0.31)

 

 

The following table presents our basic and diluted loss per unit for the period from March 6, 2015 through June 30, 2015 (the period after conversion to a limited partnership) (in thousands, except for per unit amounts):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

Common Units

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assumed net loss attributable to common unitholders to be allocated March 6 - June 30

 

$

(99,928)

 

$

(99,928)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted loss per unit prior to reverse split

 

 

 

 

$

(3.23)

Basic and diluted loss per unit after reverse split

 

 

 

 

$

(32.37)

 

Net loss per unit increased significantly for the period from March 6, 2015 through June 30, 2015 as compared to the period from January 1, 2015 through March 5, 2015 as it included non-cash impairment charges of $83.7 million. There was no impairment charge recorded for the period from January 1, 2015 through March 5, 2015.

 

The following table presents our basic and diluted loss per unit for the three months ended June 30, 2014 (in thousands, except for per unit amounts):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

Class A Units

 

Class B Units

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assumed net loss to be allocated

 

$

(5,011)

 

$

(100)

 

$

(4,911)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted loss per unit prior to reverse split

 

 

 

 

$

(0.21)

 

$

(0.17)

Basic and diluted loss per unit after reverse split

 

 

 

 

$

(2.07)

 

$

(1.73)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following table presents our basic and diluted loss per unit for the six months ended June 30, 2014 (in thousands, except for per unit amounts):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

Class A Units

 

Class B Units

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assumed net loss to be allocated

 

$

(7,950)

 

$

(159)

 

$

(7,791)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted loss per unit prior to reverse split

 

 

 

 

$

(0.15)

 

$

(0.28)

Basic and diluted loss per unit after reverse split

 

 

 

 

$

(1.52)

 

$

(2.76)

 

 

19


 

14. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

On August 3, 2015, the Partnership completed a 1-for-10 reverse split on its common units , pursuant to which c ommon unitholders received one common unit for every ten common units held at the close of trading on August 3, 2015.  All fractional units created by the reverse split were rounded to the nearest whole unit.  Each unitholder received at least one unit.

 

 

                                                                                                                                            

20


 

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the summary of significant accounting policies and notes included herein and in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Overview

Sanchez Production Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“SPP”, “we”, “us”, “our” or the “Partnership”), is an oil and gas exploration and production limited partnership focused on the acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas properties and other integrated assets. SPP completed its initial public offering on November 20, 2006, as Constellation Energy Partners LLC (“CEP” or the “Company”), a master limited partnership. In August 2013, Sanchez Energy Partners I, LP (“SEP I”), an affiliate of Sanchez Oil & Gas Corporation (“SOG”), contributed certain oil and natural gas properties in Texas and Louisiana to CEP in exchange for equity interests in CEP. On May 8, 2014, the Company and SP Holdings, LLC (the “Manager”) entered into a Shared Services Agreement (the “Services Agreement”) pursuant to which the Manager agreed to provide services that the Partnership requires to operate its business, including overhead, technical, administrative, marketing, accounting, operational, information systems, financial, compliance, insurance, professionals and acquisition, disposition and financing services.  The Services Agreement became effective as of July 1, 2014. CEP’s name was subsequently changed to Sanchez Production Partners LLC, and on March 6, 2015, the Company’s unitholders approved the conversion of Sanchez Production Partners LLC to a Delaware limited partnership. As of the March 6, 2015 conversion date, the Manager owns the general partner of SPP and all of SPP’s incentive distribution rights. Our common units are currently listed on the NYSE MKT under the symbol “SPP.”

        Our proved reserves are currently located in the Cherokee Basin in Oklahoma and Ka nsas, the Woodford Shale in the Arkoma Basin in Oklahoma, the Central Kansas Uplift in Kansas, the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas and in other areas of Texas and Louisiana ,   although we have engaged a financial advisor related to the possible sale of our Oklahoma and Kansas assets. Our primary business objective is to create long-term value and to generate stable cash flows that allow us to resume and grow our distribution over time. We plan to achieve our objective by executing our business strategy, which is to:

 

·

Pursue the possible sale of our Oklahoma and Kansas assets in 2015;

 

·

Align our asset base, interests and operations with our sponsor, SOG;

·

Grow our business by acquiring cash producing assets involved in production, gathering, and processing activities with minimal maintenance capital requirements and low overhead; and

·

Reduce the volatility in our cash flows resulting from changes in oil and natural gas commodity prices and interest rates through efficient hedging programs.

 

Unless the context requires otherwise, any reference in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to “Sanchez Production Partners,” “we,” “our,” “us,” “SPP,” or the “Partnership” means Sanchez Production Partners LP and its subsidiaries, while references to the “Company” are to Sanchez Production Partners LLC.  References in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to “SOG” and “SEP I” are to Sanchez Oil & Gas Corporation and Sanchez Energy Partners I, LP, respectively. 

How We Evaluate our Operations

Non-GAAP Financial Measure—Adjusted EBITDA

We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) adjusted by:

interest (income) expense, net which includes:

interest expense

interest expense net (gain) loss on interest rate derivative contracts

interest (income)

depreciation, depletion and amortization;

asset impairments;

accretion expense;

(gain) loss on sale of assets;

(gain) loss from equity investment;

unit-based compensation programs;  and

21


 

(gain) loss on mark-to-market activities.

Adjusted EBITDA is a significant performance metric used by our management to indicate (prior to the establishment of any cash reserves by the board of directors of our general partner) the distributions we would expect to pay to our unitholders. Specifically, this financial measure indicates to investors whether or not we are generating cash flow at a level that can sustain or support a quarterly distribution or any increase in our quarterly distribution rates. Adjusted EBITDA is also used as a quantitative standard by our management and by external users of our financial statements such as investors, research analysts, our lenders and others to assess: 

the financial performance of our assets without regard to financing methods, capital structure or historical cost basis;

the ability of our assets to generate cash sufficient to pay interest costs and support our indebtedness; and

our operating performance and return on capital as compared to those of other companies in our industry, without regard to financing or capital structure.

Our Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as a substitute for net income, operating income, cash flows from operating activities or any other measure of financial performance or liquidity presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our Adjusted EBITDA excludes some, but not all, items that affect net income and operating income and these measures may vary among other companies. Therefore, our Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

         The following table presents a reconciliation of net loss to Adjusted EBITDA, our most directly comparable U.S. GAAP performance measure, for each of the periods presented (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Three Months Ended

 

For the Six Months Ended

 

June 30,

 

June 30,

 

2015

 

2014

 

2015

 

2014

Net loss

$

(10,341)

 

$

(5,011)

 

$

(100,327)

 

$

(7,950)

Adjusted by:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest expense, net

 

1,122 

 

 

533 

 

 

1,768 

 

 

1,058 

Depreciation, depletion and amortization

 

3,079 

 

 

4,320 

 

 

6,199 

 

 

8,370 

Asset impairments

 

862 

 

 

45 

 

 

83,727 

 

 

194 

Accretion expense

 

264 

 

 

150 

 

 

517 

 

 

300 

Gain on sale of assets

 

(54)

 

 

(16)

 

 

(113)

 

 

(23)

Unit-based compensation programs

 

396 

 

 

1,029 

 

 

2,388 

 

 

1,130 

Loss on mark-to-market activities

 

9,902 

 

 

5,915 

 

 

10,634 

 

 

10,912 

Adjusted EBITDA

$

5,230 

 

$

6,965 

 

$

4,793 

 

$

13,991 

 

          Significant Operational Factors

•      Production. Our production for the six months ended June 30 ,   2015, was 7 25 MBOE, or an average of 4, 007 BOE per day, compared with approximately 755 MBOE , or an average of 4,173   BOE per day, for the six months ended June 30 , 201 4 .     We expect this production to increase during the remainder of 2015 with the addition of production from the Eagle Ford properties on March 31, 2015. 

•   Capital Expenditures .   For the six months ended June 30, 2015, we spent approximately $84.2   million in capital expenditures, consisting of $83.4 million for the purchase of oil and natural gas properties in the Palmetto Field in Gonzales County, Texas (the “Eagle Ford properties” and such acquisition, the “ Eagle Ford acquisition”) , $0. 5 million in development expenditures focused on pr operties in Texas and Louisiana and $0.3 million in development expenditures focused on oil compl etions in the Cherokee Basin.     These expenditures were funded with cash on hand , borrowings under our Credit Agreement and the issuance of common units as part of our consideration given in the Eagle Ford acquisition.

•      Hedging Activities . All of our commodity derivatives are accounted for as mark-to-market activities. For the six months ended June 30 , 201 5 , the non-cash mark-to -market loss for our commodity derivatives was approximately $10.6 million , compared to a loss of $10.9 million for the same period in 2014.

22


 

  Results of Operations

Three months ended June 30 , 2015 compared to three months ended June 30, 2014

The following table sets forth the selected financial and operating data for the periods indicated (dollars in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Three Months Ended

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 30,

 

Variance

 

2015

 

2014

 

$

 

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natural gas sales at market price

$

3,618 

 

$

6,346 

 

$

(2,728)

 

(43.0%)

Natural gas hedge settlements

 

1,877 

 

 

1,596 

 

 

281 

 

17.6% 

Natural gas mark-to-market activities

 

(2,219)

 

 

(2,232)

 

 

13 

 

(0.6%)

Natural gas total

 

3,276 

 

 

5,710 

 

 

(2,434)

 

(42.6%)

Oil sales

 

6,194 

 

 

9,028 

 

 

(2,834)

 

(31.4%)

Oil hedge settlements

 

2,128 

 

 

(412)

 

 

2,540 

 

*

Oil mark-to-market activities

 

(7,683)

 

 

(3,683)

 

 

(4,000)

 

108.6% 

Oil total

 

639 

 

 

4,933 

 

 

(4,294)

 

(87.0%)

Natural gas liquids sales

 

500 

 

 

581 

 

 

(81)

 

(13.9%)

Miscellaneous income

 

366 

 

 

865 

 

 

(499)

 

(57.7%)

Total revenues

 

4,781 

 

 

12,089 

 

 

(7,308)

 

(60.5%)

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lease operating expenses

 

5,358 

 

 

5,182 

 

 

176 

 

3.4% 

Cost of sales

 

125 

 

 

434 

 

 

(309)

 

(71.2%)

Production taxes

 

583 

 

 

995 

 

 

(412)

 

(41.4%)

General and administrative

 

3,746 

 

 

5,591 

 

 

(1,845)

 

(33.0%)

Gain on sale of assets

 

(54)

 

 

(16)

 

 

(38)

 

237.5% 

Depreciation, depletion and amortization

 

3,079 

 

 

4,320 

 

 

(1,241)

 

(28.7%)

Asset impairments

 

862 

 

 

45 

 

 

817 

 

*

Accretion expenses

 

264 

 

 

150 

 

 

114 

 

76.0% 

Total operating expenses

 

13,963 

 

 

16,701 

 

 

(2,738)

 

(16.4%)

Other expenses (income):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest expense

 

1,122 

 

 

533 

 

 

589 

 

110.5% 

Other (income) expense

 

37 

 

 

(134)

 

 

171 

 

(127.6%)

Total other expenses

 

1,159 

 

 

399 

 

 

760 

 

190.5% 

Total expenses

 

15,122 

 

 

17,100 

 

 

(1,978)

 

(11.6%)

Net loss

$

(10,341)

 

$

(5,011)

 

$

(5,330)

 

106.4% 

 

*      Not Meaningful

23


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Three Months Ended

 

June 30,

 

Variance

 

2015

 

2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net production:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natural gas production (MMcf)

 

1,553 

 

 

1,675 

 

 

(122)

 

(7.3%)

Oil production (MBbl)

 

112 

 

 

89 

 

 

22 

 

25.1% 

Natural gas liquids production (MBbl)

 

31 

 

 

15 

 

 

16 

 

107.5% 

Total production (BOE)

 

402 

 

 

383 

 

 

18 

 

4.7% 

Average daily production (BOE/d)

 

4,414 

 

 

4,212 

 

 

202 

 

4.8% 

Average sales prices:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natural gas price per Mcf with hedge settlements

$

3.54 

 

$

4.74 

 

$

(1.20)

 

(25.4%)

Natural gas price per Mcf without hedge settlements

$

2.33 

 

$

3.79 

 

$

(1.46)

 

(38.5%)

Oil price per Bbl with hedge settlements

$

74.43 

 

$

96.42 

 

$

(21.98)

 

(22.8%)

Oil price per Bbl without hedge settlements

$

55.40 

 

$

101.03 

 

$

(45.63)

 

(45.2%)

Liquid price per Bbl without hedge settlements

$

16.18 

 

$

38.99 

 

$

(22.82)

 

(58.5%)

Total price per BOE with hedge settlements

$

35.65 

 

$

44.69 

 

$

(9.04)

 

(20.2%)

Total price per BOE without hedge settlements

$

25.68 

 

$

41.60 

 

$

(15.93)

 

(38.3%)

Average unit costs per BOE:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Field operating expenses ⁽ᵃ⁾

$

14.79 

 

$

16.11 

 

$

(1.31)

 

(8.2%)

Lease operating expenses

$

13.34 

 

$

13.51 

 

$

(0.17)

 

(1.3%)

Production taxes

$

1.45 

 

$

2.59 

 

$

(1.14)

 

(44.1%)

General and administrative expenses

$

9.33 

 

$

14.58 

 

$

(5.25)

 

(36.0%)

General and administrative expenses without unit-based compensation

$

8.34 

 

$

11.90 

 

$

(3.56)

 

(29.9%)

Depreciation, depletion and amortization

$

7.67 

 

$

11.26 

 

$

(3.59)

 

(31.9%)

  (a)      Field operating expenses include lease operating expenses (average production costs) and production taxes.

 

Production.  For the three months ended June 30 , 2015, 28 % of our production was oil, 8% was NGLs and 6 4 %   was natural gas as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2014, where 23% of our production was oil, 4% was NGLs and 73% was natural gas.  The production mix between the periods has remained fairly consistent.  The amount of oil as a percentage of total production has increased during the three months ended June 30, 2015 due to the addition of production from the Eagle Ford properties acquired on March 31, 2015,   which are significantly more weighted towards oil than our previous asset base. We expect this product mix to remain relatively consistent for the remainder of 2015.

Oil, NGL and natural gas sales. Unhedged oil sales decreased $ 2.8 million, or 3 1 %, to $ 6.2   million for the three months ended June 30 , 2015, compared to $9.0 million for the same period in 2014. NGL sales decreased $0.1 million, or 14 %, to $0.5 million for the three months ended June 30 ,   2015, compared to $0.6 million for the same period in 2014. Unhedged natural gas sales decreased $2. 7 million, or 43 %, to $3. 6 million for the three months ended June 30 , 2015, compared to $6.3 million for the same period in 2014.

Including hedges and mark-to-market activities, our total revenue decreased $ 7.3 million , compared to the same period in 2014.  This decrease was the result of a $4.0 million increase in losses on mark-to-market activities and $8.0 million attributable to lower market prices for our natural gas, offset by a   $2.4 million increase related to higher sales volume s and a $2.8 million increase in settlements on our commodity derivatives .  The remainder of the decrease is related to a decrease between the periods of $0.5 million in miscellaneous income.

24


 

The following tables provide an analysis of the impacts of changes in average realized prices and production volumes between the periods on our unhedged revenues from the three months ended June 30, 2014 to the three months ended June 30, 2015 (dollars in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q2 2015

 

Q2 2014

 

Production

 

Q2 2014

 

Revenue

 

Production

 

Production

 

Volume

 

Average

 

Increase/(Decrease)

 

Volume

 

Volume

 

Difference

 

Sales Price

 

due to Production

Oil (MBbl)

 

112 

 

 

89 

 

 

22 

 

$

101.03 

 

$

2,267 

Natural gas liquids (MBbl)

 

31 

 

 

15 

 

 

16 

 

$

38.99 

 

$

624 

Natural gas (MMcf)

 

1,553 

 

 

1,675 

 

 

(122)

 

$

3.79 

 

$

(462)

Total oil equivalent (BOE)

 

402 

 

 

383 

 

 

18 

 

$

41.60 

 

$

754 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q2 2015

 

Q2 2014

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue

 

Average

 

Average

 

Average Sales

 

Q2 2015

 

Decrease

 

Sales Price

 

Sales Price

 

Price Difference

 

Volume

 

due to Price

Oil (MBbl)

$

55.40 

 

$

101.03 

 

$

(45.63)

 

 

112 

 

$

(5,101)

Natural gas liquids (MBbl)

$

16.18 

 

$

38.99 

 

$

(22.82)

 

 

31 

 

$

(705)

Natural gas (MMcf)

$

2.33 

 

$

3.79 

 

$

(1.46)

 

 

1,553 

 

$

(2,266)

Total oil equivalent (BOE)

$

25.68 

 

$

41.60 

 

$

(15.93)

 

 

402 

 

$

(6,397)

 

A 10% increase or decrease in our average realized sales prices, excluding the impact of derivatives, would have increased or decreased our revenues for the three months ended June  3 0 , 2015 by $1.0 million.

  Hedging activities. We apply mark-to-market accounting to our derivative contracts; therefore, the full volatility of the non-cash change in fair value of our outstanding contracts is reflected in oil and gas revenues.  For the three months ended June  3 0, 2015, the non-cash mark-to-market loss was $9.9 million , compared to a loss of $5. 9 million for the same period in 2014. The 2015 and 2014 non-cash losses were the result of the impact of higher future expected oil and natural gas prices on these derivative transactions. Cash settlements, including settlements receivable, for our commodity derivatives were $4.0 million for the three months ended June  3 0, 2015, compared to $1.2 million for the three months ended June  3 0, 2014. This difference was primarily due to changes in market prices for oil and natural gas during 2015 and 2014.

Field operating expenses. Our field operating expenses generally consist of lease operating expenses, labor, vehicles, supervision, transportation, minor maintenance, tools and supplies expenses, as well as production and ad valorem taxes.

For the three months ended June 30 , 2015, lease operating expenses in creased $0.2 million, or 3 .4%, to $ 5.4 million , compared to expenses of $ 5.2 million for the same period in 2014. This in crease in lease oper ating expenses was related to an increase of $0.2 million in ad valorem taxes relating to the Palmetto properties.

For the three months ended June  3 0 , 201 5, per unit lease operating expenses were $ 13.34 per BOE compared to $13.51 per BOE for the same period in 2014. This decrease is due to in creased production volumes combined with a consistent amount of lease operating expenses between the periods .

General and administrative expenses.   General and administrative expenses include the costs of our employees, related benefits, field office expenses, professional fees, direct and indirect costs billed by the Manager in connection with the Services Agreement and other costs not directly associated with field operations. Genera l and administrative expenses decreased $ 1.8 million, or 33 %, to 3.8   million for the three months ended June 30, 2015, compared to $5.6 million for the same period in 2014. Our general and administrative expenses were lower in 2015 due to a   $1.0 million decrease in labor and incentive compensation co sts relating to severance costs and a $1.0 million decrease in unit-based compensation .  These decreases were offset by a $0. 2 million increase in legal and professional services.

Our general and administrative expenses were $ 9.33 per BOE for the three months ended June 30, 2015, compared to $14.58 per BOE for the same period in 2014.  Excluding unit-based compensation, our general and administrative costs were $ 8.34 per BOE for the three months ended June 30 , 201 5, compared to $11.90 per BOE for the same period in 2014.  These decreases resulted from the decreased costs noted above as well as the increased production between the periods.

25


 

Depreciation, depletion and amortization expense.   Depreciation, depletion and amortization expense includes the depreciation, depletion and amortization of acquisition costs and equipment costs. Depletion is calculated using units-of-production under the successful efforts method of accounting. Assuming other variables remain constant, as oil, NGL and natural gas production increases or decreases, our depletion expense would increase or decrease as well.

Our depreciation, depletion and amortization expense for the three months ended June  3 0 ,   2015 was $3.1 million, or $ 7.67 per BOE , compared to $4. 3 million, or $ 11.26 per BOE , for the same period in 2014. This overall decrease is the result of lower property values due to non-cash impairment charges previously recorded as well as increases to total proved reserves between the periods impacting the depletion rate.  The overall expense decrease, combined with the increased production between periods, resulted in the decrease in the per BOE expense. Our non-oil and gas properties are depreciated using the straight-line basis.

Impairment expense. For the three months ended June  3 0, 2015, we recorded non-cash charges of $0.9 million to impair the value of our oil and natural gas fields in Texas and Louisiana.  During the same period in 2014 , our non-cash impairment charges were less than $0.1 million to impair the value of our oil and natural gas fields in Texas and Louisiana .  The impairment expense recorded during the three months ended June 30, 2015 resulted from decreases in expectations for oil and natural gas prices in the future as well as changes to our expected future production estimates in certain areas.

Interest expense. Inte rest expense for the three months ended June  3 0 ,   2015 increased $0.6 million, or 110%, to $1.1 million, compared to $0.5 million for the same period in 2014. This increase was due to the increase in borrowings under our Credit Agreement to finance a portion of the Eagle Ford acquisition on March 31, 2015. 

Six months ended June 30, 2015 compared to six months ended June 30, 2014

The following table sets forth the selected financial and operating data for the periods indicated (dollars in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Six Months Ended

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Variance

 

2015

 

2014

 

$

 

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natural gas sales at market price

$

6,837 

 

$

14,769 

 

$

(7,932)

 

(53.7%)

Natural gas hedge settlements

 

3,418 

 

 

2,603 

 

 

815 

 

31.3% 

Natural gas mark-to-market activities

 

(1,570)

 

 

(6,406)

 

 

4,836 

 

(75.5%)

Natural gas total

 

8,685 

 

 

10,966 

 

 

(2,281)

 

(20.8%)

Oil sales

 

8,515 

 

 

15,383 

 

 

(6,868)

 

(44.6%)

Oil hedge settlements

 

6,152 

 

 

(496)

 

 

6,648 

 

*

Oil mark-to-market activities

 

(9,064)

 

 

(4,506)

 

 

(4,558)

 

101.2% 

Oil total

 

5,603 

 

 

10,381 

 

 

(4,778)

 

(46.0%)

Natural gas liquids sales

 

886 

 

 

850 

 

 

36 

 

4.2% 

Miscellaneous income

 

1,531 

 

 

1,633 

 

 

(102)

 

(6.2%)

Total revenues

 

16,705 

 

 

23,830 

 

 

(7,125)

 

(29.9%)

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lease operating expenses

 

10,258 

 

 

10,302 

 

 

(44)

 

(0.4%)

Cost of sales

 

330 

 

 

794 

 

 

(464)

 

(58.4%)

Production taxes

 

953 

 

 

1,767 

 

 

(814)

 

(46.1%)

General and administrative

 

13,293 

 

 

9,162 

 

 

4,131 

 

45.1% 

Gain on sale of assets

 

(113)

 

 

(23)

 

 

(90)

 

*

Depreciation, depletion and amortization

 

6,199 

 

 

8,370 

 

 

(2,171)

 

(25.9%)

Asset impairments

 

83,727 

 

 

194 

 

 

83,533 

 

*

Accretion expenses

 

517 

 

 

300 

 

 

217 

 

72.3% 

Total operating expenses

 

115,164 

 

 

30,866 

 

 

84,298 

 

*

Other expenses (income):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest expense

 

1,768 

 

 

1,058 

 

 

710 

 

67.1% 

Other (income) expense

 

100 

 

 

(144)

 

 

244 

 

*

Total other expenses

 

1,868 

 

 

914 

 

 

954 

 

104.4% 

Total expenses

 

117,032 

 

 

31,780 

 

 

85,252 

 

*

Net loss

$

(100,327)

 

$

(7,950)

 

$

(92,377)

 

*

 

 

*      Not Meaningful

26


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Six Months Ended

 

June 30,

 

Variance

 

2015

 

2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net production:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natural gas production (MMcf)

 

3,124 

 

 

3,416 

 

 

(292)

 

(8.5%)

Oil production (MBbl)

 

156 

 

 

154 

 

 

 

1.3% 

Natural gas liquids production (MBbl)

 

48 

 

 

32 

 

 

17 

 

52.2% 

Total production (BOE)

 

725 

 

 

755 

 

 

(30)

 

(4.0%)

Average daily production (BOE/d)

 

4,007 

 

 

4,171 

 

 

(164)

 

(3.9%)

Average sales prices:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natural gas price per Mcf with hedge settlements

$

3.28 

 

$

5.09 

 

$

(1.80)

 

(35.5%)

Natural gas price per Mcf without hedge settlements

$

2.19 

 

$

4.32 

 

$

(2.14)

 

(49.4%)

Oil price per Bbl with hedge settlements

$

93.94 

 

$

96.60 

 

$

(2.65)

 

(2.7%)

Oil price per Bbl without hedge settlements

$

54.54 

 

$

99.81 

 

$

(45.28)

 

(45.4%)

Liquid price per Bbl without hedge settlements

$

18.31 

 

$

26.74 

 

$

(8.43)

 

(31.5%)

Total price per BOE with hedge settlements

$

35.59 

 

$

43.84 

 

$

(8.25)

 

(18.8%)

Total price per BOE without hedge settlements

$

22.39 

 

$

41.05 

 

$

(18.66)

 

(45.5%)

Average unit costs per BOE:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Field operating expenses ⁽ᵃ⁾

$

15.46 

 

$

15.98 

 

$

(0.52)

 

(3.3%)

Lease operating expenses

$

14.14 

 

$

13.64 

 

$

0.50 

 

3.7% 

Production taxes

$

1.31 

 

$

2.34 

 

$

(1.03)

 

(43.8%)

General and administrative expenses

$

18.33 

 

$

12.13 

 

$

6.20 

 

51.1% 

General and administrative expenses without unit-based compensation

$

15.04 

 

$

10.63 

 

$

4.40 

 

41.4% 

Depreciation, depletion and amortization

$

8.55 

 

$

11.08 

 

$

(2.53)

 

(22.8%)

  (a)      Field operating expenses include lease operating expenses (average production costs) and production taxes.

Production:  For the six months ended June 30 ,   2015, 2 2 % of our production was oil, 7% was NGLs and 7 1 % was natural gas as compared to the six months ended June 30 , 2014, where 21% of our production was oil, 4% was NGLs and 75% was natural gas.  The production mix between the periods has remained fairly consistent.  We expect the amount of oil as a percentage of total production to increase during the remainder of 2015 as production from the newly acquired Eagle Ford properties,   which are significantly more weighted towards oil than our previous asset base, are included in our reported production.  

Oil, NGL and natural gas sales. Unhedged oil sales decreased $ 6.9 million, or 45 %, to $8. 5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015, compared to $15.4 million for the same period in 2014. NGL sales remained flat at $0.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015, compared to $0.9 million for the same period in 2014. Unhedged natural gas sales decreased approximately $ 7.9 million, or 5 4 %, to $6. 8   million for the six months ended June 30, 2015, compared to $14.8 million for the same period in 2014.

Including hedges and mark-to-market activities, our total revenue decreased $7. 1 million , compared to the same period in 2014.  This decrease was the result of a $ 14.1 million decrease attributable to lower market prices for our natural gas and a  $ 0.6 million decrease related to higher sales volume s, offset by a $0.3 million increase in gains on mark-to-market activities and a $7.4 million increase in settlements on our commodity derivatives .  The remainder of the decrease is related to a decrease between the periods of $0. 1   million in miscellaneous income.

27


 

The following tables provide an analysis of the impacts of changes in average realized prices and production volumes between the periods on our unhedged revenues from the six months ended June 30, 2014 to the six months ended June 30, 2015 (dollars in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YTD 2015

 

YTD 2014

 

Production

 

YTD 2014

 

Revenue

 

Production

 

Production

 

Volume

 

Average

 

Increase/(Decrease)

 

Volume

 

Volume

 

Difference

 

Sales Price

 

due to Production

Oil (MBbl)

 

156 

 

 

154 

 

 

 

$

99.81 

 

$

201 

Natural gas liquids (MBbl)

 

48 

 

 

32 

 

 

17 

 

$

26.74 

 

$

444 

Natural gas (MMcf)

 

3,124 

 

 

3,416 

 

 

(292)

 

$

4.32 

 

$

(1,261)

Total oil equivalent (BOE)

 

725 

 

 

755 

 

 

(30)

 

$

41.05 

 

$

(1,232)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YTD 2015

 

YTD 2014

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue

 

Average

 

Average

 

Average Sales

 

YTD 2015

 

Decrease

 

Sales Price

 

Sales Price

 

Price Difference

 

Volume

 

due to Price

Oil (MBbl)

$

54.54 

 

$

99.81 

 

$

(45.28)

 

 

156 

 

$

(7,069)

Natural gas liquids (MBbl)

$

18.31 

 

$

26.74 

 

$

(8.43)

 

 

48 

 

$

(408)

Natural gas (MMcf)

$

2.19 

 

$

4.32 

 

$

(2.14)

 

 

3,124 

 

$

(6,671)

Total oil equivalent (BOE)

$

22.39 

 

$

41.05 

 

$

(18.66)

 

 

725 

 

$

(13,532)

 

A 10% increase or decrease in our average realized sales prices, excluding the impact of derivatives, would have increased or decreased our revenues for the six months ended June 30 , 2015 by $1.6 million .

  Hedging activities. We apply mark-to-market accounting to our derivative contracts; therefore, the full volatility of the non-cash change in fair value of our outstanding contracts is reflected in oil and gas revenues.  For the six months ended June 30, 2015, the non-cash mark-to-market loss was $10.6 million , compared to a loss of $ 10.9 million for the same period in 2014. The 2015 and 2014 non-cash losses were the result of the impact of higher future expected oil and natural gas prices on these derivative transactions. Cash settlements, including settlements receivable, for our commodity derivatives were $9.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015, compared to $2.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2014. This difference was primarily due to changes in market prices for oil and natural gas during 2015 and 2014.

Field operating expenses. Our field operating expenses generally consist of lease operating expenses, labor, vehicles, supervision, transportation, minor maintenance, tools and supplies expenses, as well as production and ad valorem taxes.

For the six months ended June 30 , 2015, lease operating expenses remained flat when compared to the same period in 2014. On a per unit basis, lease operating expenses were $ 14.14 per BOE compared to $13.64 per BOE for the same period in 2014. This in crease is due to relatively consistent expense as noted above with a decrease in production volumes between the periods. 

General and administrative expenses.   General and administrative expenses include the costs of our employees, related benefits, field office expenses, professional fees, direct and indirect costs billed by the Manager in connection with the Services Agreement and other costs not directly associated with field operations. Genera l and administrative expenses increased $ 4.1 million, or 4 5 %, to $13. 3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015, compared to $9. 2 million for the same period in 2014. Our general and administrative expenses were higher in 2015 due to $2.5 million increase in labor and incentive compensation costs relating to severance costs associated with the departure of our former Chief Executive Officer, a $0.9 million increase in unit-based compensation and a $0. 7 million increase in legal and professional services.

Our general and administrative expenses were $ 18.33 per BOE for the six months ended June 30, 2015, compared to $12.13 per BOE for the same period in 2014.  Excluding unit-based compensation, our general and administrative costs were $ 15.04 per BOE for the six months ended June 30 , 201 5, compared to $10.63 per BOE for the same period in 2014. 

Depreciation, depletion and amortization expense.   Depreciation, depletion and amortization expense includes the depreciation, depletion and amortization of acquisition costs and equipment costs. Depletion is calculated using units-of-production under the successful efforts method of accounting. Assuming other variables remain constant, as oil, NGL and natural gas production increases or decreases, our depletion expense would increase or decrease as well.

28


 

Our depreciation, depletion and amortization expense for the six months ended June 30 ,   2015 was $6. 2 million, or $ 8.55 per BOE, compared to $8.4 million, or $11.08 per BOE, for the same period in 2014. This overall decrease is the result of lower property values due to non-cash impairment charges previously recorded   as well as increases to total proved reserves between the periods impacting the depletion rate. Our non-oil and gas properties are depreciated using the straight-line basis.

Impairment expense. For the six months ended June 30, 2015, we recorded non-cash charges of $83.7 million to impair the value of our Cherokee Basin properties, Woodford Shale properties and our Texas and Louisiana properties acquired prior to the Eagle Ford acquisition.  During the same period in 2014 our non-cash impairment charges were approximately $0.2 million to impair the value of our oil and natural gas fields in Texas and Louisiana .  The impairment expense recorded during the six months ended June 30, 2015 resulted from decreases in expectations for oil and natural gas prices in the future as well as changes to our expected future production estimates in certain areas.

Interest expense. Inte rest expense for the six months ended June 30, 2015 increased $0.7 million, or 67.1%, to $1.8 million, compared to $1.1 million for the same period in 2014. This increase was due in part to the write off of debt issuance costs which resulted from the modification of our Credit Agreement in March 2015, and the removal of one of the banks from our lending syndicate. The remainder of the increase is the result of increased borrowings under our Credit Agreement to finance a portion of the Eagle Ford acquisition on March 31, 2015.

The interest rate on our outstanding debt was approximately 2.9% and 3.2% as of June 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.    

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of June 30, 2015, we had approximately $5.2 million in cash and cash equivalents, $0.6 million in restricted cash, and $4.0 million available under the $110 million current borrowing base of our Credit Agreement.

Our capital expenditures during the six months ended June 30, 2015 were funded with cash on hand, borrowings under our Credit Agreement, a private placement of preferred units and the issuance of common units as part of our consideration given in the Eagle Ford acquisition.  Our current expectation is that we will continue managing our business to operate within the cash flows that are generated. Our quarterly distributions to our unitholders currently remain suspended and we are restricted from paying distributions to unitholders as we have no available cash (taking into account the cash reserves set by the board of directors of our general partner for the proper conduct of our business) from which to pay distributions.

Our future success in growing our asset base will be highly dependent on the capital resources available to us and our success in acquiring additional reserves or other assets and managing the costs associated with our operations. We routinely monitor and adjust our capital expenditures and operating expenses in response to changes in oil and natural gas prices, production and acquisition costs, industry conditions, availability of funds under our Credit Agreement and internally generated cash flow. Based upon current oil and natural gas price expectations, our existing hedge position and expected production levels in 2015, we anticipate that our cash flow from operations can meet our planned capital expenditures and other cash requirements for the next twelve months without increasing our debt. If needed, or in connection with the acquisition of additional assets, we may issue additional debt or equity securities to raise additional capital. Future cash flow and our borrowing capacity are subject to a number of variables, including oil and natural gas production, the market prices for those products and our hedge position. There can be no assurance that operations and other capital resources will provide cash in sufficient amounts to maintain our debt level, planned levels of capital expenditures, operating expenses or any cash distributions that we may make to unitholders.

As previously disclosed, we have engaged a financial advisor related to the possible sale of our Oklahoma and Kansas assets. As a result of this proposed sale, we anticipate minimal drilling activities in the Mid-Continent region during the remainder of 2015, which will reduce our capital expenditures for 2015 and result in a continued decline of our production during the remainder of 2015.

Sources of Debt and Equity Financing

As of June 30 , 201 5, the borrowing base under our Credit Agreement was $ 110 million and we had $ 106 million of debt outstanding under the facility, leaving us with $ 4 million in unused borrowing capacity.  Our Credit Agreement matures on March 31, 2020.

 

In May 2015, we executed an at-the-market facility that allows us to sell up to $18.6 million of common units , with any proceeds from such sales to be used for general limited partnership purposes. As of June 30, 2015, we had sold 28,700 common units (2,870 common units after adjusting for reverse unit split) for total net proceeds of less than $0.1 million .  During the second quarter of 2015, we paid de minimis commissions to the sales agent in connection with the at-the-market facility .

29


 

Open Commodity Hedge Position

We enter into hedging arrangements to reduce the impact of oil and natural gas price volatility on our operations. By removing the price volatility from a significant portion of our oil and natural gas production, we have mitigated, but not eliminated, the potential effects of changing prices on our cash flow from operations. While mitigating the negative effects of falling commodity prices, these derivative contracts also limit the benefits we might otherwise receive from increases in commodity prices. These derivative contracts also limit our ability to have additional cash flows to fund higher severance taxes, which are usually based on market prices for oil and natural gas. Our operating cash flows are also impacted by the cost of oilfield services. In the event of inflation increasing service costs or administrative expenses, our hedging program will limit our ability to have increased operating cash flows to fund these higher costs. Increases in the market prices for oil and natural gas will also increase our need for working capital as our commodity hedging contracts cash settle prior to our receipt of cash from our sales of the related commodities to third parties.

It is our policy to enter into derivative contracts only with counterparties that are creditworthy financial institutions deemed by management as competent and competitive market makers. As of June 30, 2015, each of the financial institutions with whom we have entered into derivative contracts had an investment grade credit rating. All of our derivatives are currently collateralized by the assets securing our Credit Agreement and, therefore, we are not currently required to post cash collateral in connection with our hedging activities. 

  Net Cash Provided by Operations

We had net cash flows provided by operating activities for the si x months ended June 30, 2015 of $ 4.9 million, compared to net cash flow provided by operating activities of $6.0 million for the same period in 2014.  This decrease was primarily related to lower average commodity prices between the periods. 

One of the primary sources of variability in our cash flows from operating activities is fluctuations in commodity prices, the impact of which we mitigate by entering into commodity derivatives.  Sales volumes also impact cash flow.  Our cash flows from operating activities are also dependent on the costs related to continued operations and debt service. Our future cash flow from operations will depend on our ability to maintain and increase production through our development program, acquisitions and successful execution of our hedging program. For additional information on our business plan, refer to Outlook .  

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities

We had net cash flows used in investing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2015 of $8 2.1 million, which included $81. 4 million provided as cash consideration paid in the Eagle Ford acquisition, as well as $0.3 million in development expenditures focused on oil completions in the Cherokee Basin and $0. 7 million in development expenditures focused on properties in Texas and Louisiana, offset by $0.3 million in proceeds from the sale of assets during the period.

During the six months ended June 30, 2014, our cash capital expenditures were $5.2 million, consisting of $1.4 million for the purchase of oil and natural gas properties in LaSalle Parish, Louisiana, $2.3 million in development expenditures focused on oil completions in the Cherokee Basin and $1.5 million in development expenditures focused on properties in Texas and Louisiana. We completed four net wells and four net recompletions during the six months ended June 30, 2014 and had one net well and net recompletion in progress at June 30, 2014.  

Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Financing Activities

Net cash flows provided by financing activities was $ 78.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015, compared to $1.5 million used in financing activities for the same period in 2014.  During the six months ended June 30, 2015, we had borrowings under our Credit Agreement of $106.0 million, $42.5 million of which was paid to satisfy amounts due under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, which was refinanced on March 31, 2015.  We received $17.4 million from the private placement of Class A Preferred Units during the period, while incurring $0.8 million in offering expenses.  We also incurred $1.3 million in debt issuance costs associated with the modification of our Credit Agreement on March 31, 2015. We used $0.6 million to fund the cost of units tendered by employees for tax withholdings related to the vesting of units during the period.

Our net cash used by financing activities was $1.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2014.  W e had borrowings under our Credit Agreement of $5.8 million for working capital purposes and repayments of $4.5 million.  W e used $1.65 million to purchase the Class C and Class D interests from the owner thereof to settle litigation. We used $0.8 million for the payment of another litigation settlement of $6.5 million, which had been accrued at December 30, 2013, but was not paid until the second quarter of 2014. We used $0.2 million during the six months ended June 30, 2014 to fund the cost of units tendered by employees for tax withholdings for unit-based compensation.

 

30


 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of June 30 , 201 5, we had no off-balance sheet arrangements with third parties, and we maintained no debt obligations that contained provisions requiring accelerated payment of the related obligations in the event of specified levels of declines in credit ratings.

Credit Markets and Counterparty Risk

We actively monitor the credit exposure and risks associated with our counterparties. Additionally, we continue to monitor global credit markets to limit our potential exposure to credit risk where possible. Our primary credit exposures result from the sale of oil and natural gas and our use of derivatives. Through June 30, 2015, we have not suffered any significant losses with our counterparties as a result of non-performance.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Certain accounting policies involve judgments and uncertainties to such an extent that there is reasonable likelihood that materially different amounts could have been reported under different conditions, or if different assumptions had been used. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on a regular basis. We base our estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions. The results of these estimates and assumptions form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of our financial statements.

As of June 30, 2015, there were no changes with regard to the critical accounting policies disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, which was filed with the SEC on March 5, 2015. The policies disclosed included the accounting for oil and natural gas properties, oil and natural gas reserve quantities, revenue recognition and hedging activities. Please read Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements for a discussion of additional accounting policies and estimates made by management.

New Accounting Pronouncements

            See Note 1 to our condensed consolidated financial statements included in this report for information on new accounting pronouncements.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

This section is not applicable to smaller reporting companies.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, with SPP have been detected. These inherent limitations include error by personnel in executing controls due to faulty judgment or simple mistakes, which could occur in situations such as when personnel performing controls are new to a job function or when inadequate resources are applied to a process. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons or by collusion of two or more people.

The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no absolute assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions; over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or personnel, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Interim Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of the general partner of SPP have evaluated the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act)) as of June 30, 2015 (the Evaluation Date). Based on such evaluation, the Interim Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of the Evaluation Date, our disclosure controls and procedures are effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and is

31


 

accumulated and communicated to our management, including the Interim Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

During the three months ended June 30, 2015, there were no changes in SPP’s internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, SPP’s internal control over financial reporting.

Part II— Other Information

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

 

    We did not have any material legal proceedings as of June 30 , 2015.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

There have been no material changes to the risk factors previously disclosed in our Current Report on Form 8-K that was filed with the SEC on March 6, 2015, with the exception of those described below. An investment in our common units involves various risks. When considering an investment in us, careful consideration should be given to the risk factors described in such Form 8-K. These risks and uncertainties are not the only ones facing us, and there may be additional matters that are not known to us or that we currently consider immaterial. All of these risks and uncertainties could adversely affect our business, financial condition or future results and, thus, the value of an investment in us.  

 

Common unitholders may be required to pay taxes on income from us, including their share of ordinary income and any capital gains on dispositions of properties by us, even if they do not receive any cash distributions from us.

Common unitholders are required to pay U.S. federal income and other taxes and, in some cases, state and local income taxes, on their share of our taxable income, whether or not they receive cash distributions from us. Generally, should we generate taxable income for a particular tax year and not pay any cash distributions, our common unitholders will be required to pay the actual U.S. federal income tax liability that results from their share of such taxable income even though they received no cash distributions from us. We did not make any distributions to our common unitholders in 2014.  If we do not make any distributions in 2015, our common unitholders will likely be required to pay U.S. federal income tax on their share of our taxable income for 2015, if any, without the benefit of any cash distributions from us.

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

The present U.S. federal income tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships, including us, or an investment in our limited partner interests may be modified by administrative, legislative or judicial interpretation at any time. For example, from time to time the Obama Administration and members of the U.S. Congress propose and consider substantive changes to the existing federal income tax laws that would adversely affect publicly traded partnerships. One such Obama Administration budget proposal for fiscal year 2016 would, if enacted, tax publicly traded partnerships with “fossil fuels” activities as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes beginning in 2021. Any modification to the U.S. federal income tax laws and interpretations thereof may or may not be applied retroactively and could make it more difficult or impossible for us to meet the exception to be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We are unable to predict whether any of these changes, or other proposals, will ultimately be enacted. Any such changes could adversely affect an investment in our common units.

At the state level, changes in current state law may subject us to additional entity-level taxation by individual states. Due to widespread state budget deficits and for other reasons, several states are evaluating ways to subject partnerships to entity-level taxation through the imposition of state income, franchise and other forms of taxation. Imposition of any such taxes may materially reduce the cash available for distribution to our unitholders.

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

 

32


 

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

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

A successful IRS challenge to these methods or allocations could adversely affect the timing or amount of taxable income or loss being allocated to our unitholders. It also could affect the amount of gain from our unitholders’ sale of common units and could have a negative impact on the value of the common units or result in audit adjustments to our unitholders’ tax returns without the benefit of additional deductions.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains “forward-looking statements” as defined by the SEC that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control.  These statements may include discussions about our:

business strategy;

acquisition strategy;

financial strategy;

ability to resume, maintain and grow distributions;

drilling locations;

oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids reserves;

realized oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids prices;

production volumes;

lease operating expenses, general and administrative expenses and developmental costs;

future operating results; and

plans, objectives, expectations, forecasts, outlook and intentions.

All of these types of statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may be found in Item 2. and other items within this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “project,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “pursue,” “target,” “continue,” the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology.

 

         The forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are largely based on our expectations, which reflect estimates and assumptions made by our management. These estimates and assumptions reflect our best judgment based on currently known market conditions and other factors. Although we believe such estimates and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently uncertain and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that are beyond our control. In addition, management’s assumptions about future events may prove to be inaccurate. Management cautions all readers that the forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are not guarantees of future performance, and we cannot assure any reader that such statements will be realized or the forward-looking events and circumstances will occur. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements due to factors listed in the “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and other than as required by law, we do not intend to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.  These cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf.

 

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

 

 

None.

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

None.

33


 

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

None.

Item 5. Other Information

None.

34


 

Item 6. Exhibits  

(a) The following documents are filed as a part of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q:

1. Financial Statements:

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations– Sanchez Production Partners LP and subsidiaries for the three and six months ended June 30 , 201 5 and June 30, 2014

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets – Sanchez Production Partners LP and subsidiaries at June 30 , 201 5 and December 31, 2014

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows – Sanchez Production Partners LP and subsidiaries for the six months ended June 30 , 201 5 and June 30 , 201 4  

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Members’ Equity/Partners’ Capital – Sanchez Production Partners LP and subsidiaries for the year ended December 31, 2014 and the six months ended June 30 , 201 5  

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

 

35


 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit

Number

 

Description

 

 

 

   *10.1 —

Amendment and Waiver of Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of August 12, 2015, between Sanchez Production Partners LP, the Lenders party thereto and Royal Bank of Canada, as Administrative Agent and as Collateral Agent.

    *3.1 —

Amendment No. 1 to Limited Liability Company Agreement of Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC.

*31.1 —

Certification of Interim Chief Executive Officer of Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

*31.2 —

Certification of Chief Financial Officer of Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

*32.1 —

Certification of Interim Chief Executive Officer of Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

*32.2 —

Certification of Chief Financial Officer of Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

*101.INS—

XBRL Instance Document

 

 

*101.SCH—

XBRL Schema Document

 

 

*101.CAL—

XBRL Calculation Linkbase Document

 

 

*101.LAB—

XBRL Label Linkbase Document

*101.PRE—

XBRL Presentation Linkbase Document

*101.DEF—

XBRL Definition Linkbase Document

 

 

 

*        Filed herewith

 

36


 

SIGNATU RES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Sanchez Production Partners LP, the Registrant, has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP

(REGISTRANT)

BY: Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC, its general partner

 

 

 

 

Date: August 14 , 2015

 

By

/s/ Charles C. Ward

 

 

 

Charles C. Ward

 

 

 

Chief Financial Officer and Secretary

 

37


             Exhibit 3.1

AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

OF

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP

 

 

 

 


 

              

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

 

 

 

Article I

DEFINITIONS

Section 1.1

Definitions

Section 1.2

Construction

23 

Article II

ORGANIZATION

Section 2.1

Formation

23 

Section 2.2

Name

23 

Section 2.3

Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices

23 

Section 2.4

Purpose and Business

24 

Section 2.5

Powers

24 

Section 2.6

Term

24 

Section 2.7

Title to Partnership Assets

24 

Article III

RIGHTS OF LIMITED PARTNERS

Section 3.1

Limitation of Liability

25 

Section 3.2

Management of Business

25 

Section 3.3

Outside Activities of the Limited Partners

25 

Section 3.4

Rights of Limited Partners

25 

Article IV

CERTIFICATES; RECORD HOLDERS; TRANSFER OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS; REDEMPTION OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

Section 4.1

Certificates

26 

Section 4.2

Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates

27 

Section 4.3

Record Holders

28 

Section 4.4

Transfer Generally

28 

Section 4.5

Registration and Transfer of Limited Partner Interests

28 

Section 4.6

Transfer of the General Partner’s General Partner Interest

29 

Section 4.7

Restrictions on Transfers

30 

Section 4.8

Eligibility Certificates; Ineligible Holders

31 

Section 4.9

Redemption of Partnership Interests of Ineligible Holders

32 

Article V

CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND ISSUANCE OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

Section 5.1

Organizational Contributions

34 

Section 5.2

Interest and Withdrawal

34 

Section 5.3

Capital Accounts

34 

Section 5.4

Issuances of Additional Partnership Interests

38 

Section 5.5

Limited Preemptive Right

39 

Section 5.6

Splits and Combinations

39 

 

-i-

 

 


 

              

 

Section 5.7

Fully Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Limited Partner Interests

39 

Section 5.8

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

40 

Section 5.9

Establishment of Class A Preferred Units.

41 

Article VI

ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

Section 6.1

Allocations for Capital Account Purposes

49 

Section 6.2

Allocations for Tax Purposes

58 

Section 6.3

Distributions; Characterization of Distributions; Distributions to Record Holders

61 

Section 6.4

Distributions from Operating Surplus

61 

Section 6.5

Distributions from Capital Surplus

62 

Section 6.6

Adjustment of Target Distribution Levels

62 

Section 6.7

Special Provisions Relating to the Holders of IDR Reset Common Units

63 

Section 6.8

Entity-Level Taxation

63 

Section 6.9

Special Provisions Relating to the Class A Preferred Holders.

64 

Article VII

MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS

Section 7.1

Management

64 

Section 7.2

Replacement of Fiduciary Duties

66 

Section 7.3

Certificate of Limited Partnership

67 

Section 7.4

Restrictions on the General Partner’s Authority

67 

Section 7.5

Reimbursement of the General Partner

67 

Section 7.6

Outside Activities

68 

Section 7.7

Indemnification

69 

Section 7.8

Liability of Indemnitees

71 

Section 7.9

Standards of Conduct and Modification of Duties

72 

Section 7.10

Other Matters Concerning the General Partner and Indemnitees

74 

Section 7.11

Purchase or Sale of Partnership Interests

75 

Section 7.12

Registration Rights of the General Partner and its Affiliates

75 

Section 7.13

Reliance by Third Parties

78 

Article VIII

BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS

Section 8.1

Records and Accounting

78 

Section 8.2

Fiscal Year

79 

Section 8.3

Reports

79 

Article IX

TAX MATTERS

Section 9.1

Tax Returns and Information

79 

Section 9.2

Tax Elections

80 

Section 9.3

Tax Controversies

80 

Section 9.4

Withholding; Tax Payments

80 

 

-ii-

 

 


 

              

 

Article X

ADMISSION OF PARTNERS

Section 10.1

Admission of Limited Partners

81 

Section 10.2

Admission of Successor General Partner

81 

Section 10.3

Amendment of Agreement and Certificate of Limited Partnership

81 

Article XI

WITHDRAWAL OR REMOVAL OF PARTNERS

Section 11.1

Withdrawal of the General Partner

82 

Section 11.2

Removal of the General Partner

83 

Section 11.3

Interest of Departing General Partner and Successor General Partner

84 

Section 11.4

Withdrawal of Limited Partners

85 

Article XII

DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION

Section 12.1

Dissolution

86 

Section 12.2

Continuation of the Business of the Partnership After Dissolution

86 

Section 12.3

Liquidator

87 

Section 12.4

Liquidation

87 

Section 12.5

Cancellation of Certificate of Limited Partnership

88 

Section 12.6

Return of Contributions

88 

Section 12.7

Waiver of Partition

88 

Section 12.8

Capital Account Restoration

88 

Article XIII

AMENDMENT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT; MEETINGS; RECORD DATE

Section 13.1

Amendments to be Adopted Solely by the General Partner

88 

Section 13.2

Amendment Procedures

90 

Section 13.3

Amendment Requirements

90 

Section 13.4

Special Meetings

91 

Section 13.5

Notice of a Meeting

92 

Section 13.6

Record Date

92 

Section 13.7

Adjournment

92 

Section 13.8

Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting; Approval of Minutes

92 

Section 13.9

Quorum and Voting

93 

Section 13.10

Conduct of a Meeting

93 

Section 13.11

Action Without a Meeting

93 

Section 13.12

Right to Vote and Related Matters

94 

Section 13.13

Voting of Incentive Distribution Rights

94 

Article XIV

MERGER OR CONSOLIDATION

Section 14.1

Authority

95 

Section 14.2

Procedure for Merger or Consolidation

95 

Section 14.3

Approval by Limited Partners

96 

Section 14.4

Certificate of Merger

98 

Section 14.5

Effect of Merger or Consolidation

98 

 

-iii-

 

 


 

              

 

Article XV

RIGHT TO ACQUIRE LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS

Section 15.1

Right to Acquire Limited Partner Interests

98 

Article XVI

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Section 16.1

Addresses and Notices; Written Communications

100 

Section 16.2

Further Action

100 

Section 16.3

Binding Effect

100 

Section 16.4

Integration

101 

Section 16.5

Creditors

101 

Section 16.6

Waiver

101 

Section 16.7

Third-Party Beneficiaries

101 

Section 16.8

Counterparts

101 

Section 16.9

Applicable Law; Forum, Venue and Jurisdiction

101 

Section 16.10

Invalidity of Provisions

102 

Section 16.11

Consent of Partners

102 

Section 16.12

Facsimile and Email Signatures

102 

 

-iv-

 

 

 

 


 

              

A MENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF
SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP

This AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP dated as of August 3, 2015 , is entered into by and between Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as the General Partner, and any other Persons who become Partners in the Partnership or parties hereto as provided herein.  In consideration of the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE  I
DEFINITIONS

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

Additional Book Basis means , with respect to any Adjusted Property, the portion of the Carrying Value of such Adjusted Property that is attributable to positive adjustments made to such Carrying Value as determined in accordance with the provisions set forth below in this definition of Additional Book Basis .  For purposes of determining the extent to which Carrying Value constitutes Additional Book Basis:

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

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

Additional Book Basis Derivative Items means any Book Basis Derivative Items that are computed with reference to Additional Book Basis.  To the extent that the Additional Book Basis attributable to all of the Partnership s Adjusted Property as of the beginning of any taxable period exceeds the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of the beginning of such period (the Excess Additional Book Basis ), the Additional Book Basis Derivative Items for such period shall be reduced by the amount that bears the same ratio to the amount of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items determined without regard to this sentence as the Excess Additional Book Basis bears to the Additional Book Basis as of the beginning of such period.  With respect to a Disposed of Adjusted Property, the Additional Book Basis Derivative Items shall be the amount of Additional Book Basis taken into account in computing gain or loss from the disposition of such

 

 


 

              

Disposed of Adjusted Property ;   provided that the provisions of the immediately preceding sentence shall apply to the determination of the Additional Book Basis Derivative Items attributable to Disposed of Adjusted Property.

Adjusted Capital Account means , with respect to any Partner, the balance in such Partner s Capital Account at the end of each taxable period of the Partnership after giving effect to the following adjustments: (a) credit to such Capital Account any amount which such Partner is (i) obligated to restore under the standards set by Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(c) or (ii) deemed obligated to restore pursuant to the penultimate sentences of Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(g)(1) and 1.704-2(i)(5)) and (b) debit to such Capital Account the items described in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5) and 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6) .  The foregoing definition of Adjusted Capital Account is intended to comply with the provisions of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.  The Adjusted Capital Account of a Partner in respect of any Partnership Interest shall be the amount that such Adjusted Capital Account would be if such Partnership Interest were the only interest in the Partnership held by such Partner from and after the date on which such Partnership Interest was first issued.

Adjusted Property means any property the Carrying Value of which has been adjusted pursuant to Section 5.3(d) .

Advisers is defined in Section 7.10(b) .

Affiliate means, with respect to any Person, any other Person that directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries controls, is controlled by or is under common control with, the Person in question. As used herein, the term “control” means the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a Person, whether through ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise. For avoidance of doubt, for purposes of this Agreement, the Partnership, on the one hand, and the Unit Purchasers, on the other hand, shall not be considered Affiliates.

Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units is defined in Section 5.8(a) .

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

Agreed Allocation means any allocation, other than a Required Allocation, of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.1 , including a Curative Allocation (if appropriate to the context in which the term Agreed Allocation is used).

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

- 2 -


 

              

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

Associate means, when used to indicate a relationship with any Person, (a) any corporation or organization of which such Person is a director, officer, manager, member, general partner or managing member or is, directly or indirectly, the owner of 20% or more of any class of voting stock or other voting interest; (b) any trust or other estate in which such Person has at least a 20% beneficial interest or as to which such Person serves as trustee or in a similar fiduciary capacity; and (c) any relative or spouse of such Person, or any relative of such spouse, who has the same principal residence as such Person.

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

(a)       the sum of:

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

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

(b)       the amount of any cash reserves established by the General Partner (or the Partnership s   proportionate share of cash reserves in the case of Subsidiaries that are not wholly owned) to:

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

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

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

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

- 3 -


 

              

for purposes of determining Available Cash, within such Quarter if the General Partner so determines.

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

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

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

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

Book-Tax Disparity means with respect to any item of Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, as of the date of any determination, the difference between the Carrying Value of such Contributed Property or Adjusted Property and the adjusted basis thereof for U.S. federal income tax purposes as of such date.  A Partner s share of the Partnership s Book-Tax Disparities in all of its Contributed Property and Adjusted Property will be reflected by the difference between such Partner s Capital Account balance as maintained pursuant to Section 5.3 and the hypothetical balance of such Partner s Capital Account computed as if it had been maintained strictly in accordance with U.S. federal income tax accounting principles.

Book-Up Event   means   a Revaluation Event that gives rise to a Net Termination Gain .

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

Capital Account means the capital account maintained for a Partner pursuant to Section 5.3 .  The Capital Account of a Partner in respect of any Partnership Interest shall be the amount that such Capital Account would be if such Partnership Interest were the only interest in the Partnership held by such Partner from and after the date on which such Partnership Interest was first issued.

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

Capital Improvement means any (a) replacement, improvement, addition or expansion of capital assets owned by any Group Member, (b) acquisition of existing or new capital assets (through an asset acquisition, merger, stock acquisition or other form of investment) or construction or development of new capital assets by any Group Member, or (c) capital

- 4 -


 

              

contribution by a Group Member to a Person that is not a Subsidiary in which a Group Member had or has, or after such capital contribution had or will have, directly or indirectly, an equity interest, to fund such Group Member s pro rata share of the cost of any replacement, improvement, addition or expansion of capital assets or acquisition of existing or new capital assets or construction or development of new capital assets, by such Person, in each case if and to the extent such replacement, improvement, addition, expansion, acquisition, construction or development is made to increase over the long-term, the operating capacity, operating income or asset base of the Partnership Group, in the case of clauses (a) and (b), or such Person, in the case of clause (c), from the operating capacity, operating income or asset base of the Partnership Group or such Person, as the case may be, existing immediately prior to such replacement, improvement, addition, expansion, acquisition, construction, development or Capital Contribution.

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

Carrying Value means (a) with respect to a Contributed Property or an Adjusted Property, the Agreed Value of such property reduced (but not below zero) by all depreciation, Simulated Depletion, amortization and other cost recovery deductions charged to the Partners Capital Accounts in respect of such property, and (b) with respect to any other Partnership property, the adjusted basis of such property for U.S. federal income tax purposes, all as of the time of determination.  The Carrying Value of any property shall be adjusted from time to time in accordance with Section 5.3(d) and to reflect changes, additions or other adjustments to the Carrying Value for dispositions and acquisitions of Partnership properties, as deemed appropriate by the General Partner.

Cause means a court of competent jurisdiction has entered a final, non-appealable judgment finding the General Partner is liable to the Partnership or any Limited Partner for actual fraud or willful or wanton misconduct in its capacity as a general partner of the Partnership.

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

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

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

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

Class A Conversion Notice ” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.9(b)(ii) .

Class A Holder Optional Conversion Date ” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.9(b)(ii) .

- 5 -


 

              

Class A Preferred Distribution Rate ” means an amount per Class A Preferred Unit equal to the following percentages of the applicable Class A Preferred Unit Price:  (i) from the Class A Preferred Issue Date applicable to such Class A Preferred Unit through and including March 31, 2016, 10.0% per annum (2.5% per quarter), (ii) from April 1, 2016 through and including March 31, 2017 , 11.5% per annum (2.875% per quarter) and (iii) from and after April 1, 2017, 12.5% per annum (3.125% per quarter).

Class A Preferred Holder ”   means a holder of a Class A Preferred Unit.

Class A Preferred Issue Date ” means, with respect to a Class A Preferred Holder, the definition set forth for the term “Closing Date” in the Class A Preferred Unit Purchase Agreement to which such Class A Preferred Holder is a party.

Class A Preferred Quarterly Distribution ” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.9(c)(i) .

Class A Preferred Unit ” means a Partnership Interest representing a fractional part of the Partnership Interests of all Limited Partners and assignees, and having the rights and obligations specified with respect to a Class A Preferred Unit in this Agreement, including PIK Units, provided that such PIK Units shall be subject to such restrictions as are set forth herein. A Class A Preferred Unit that is convertible into a Common Unit shall not constitute a Common Unit until such conversion occurs.

Class A Preferred Unit Price ” means, with respect to a Class A Preferred Unit, an amount equal to ten (10) times the amount set forth in the definition for the term “Purchase Price” in the Class A Preferred Unit Purchase Agreement pursuant to which such Class A Preferred Unit was issued.

Class A Preferred Unit Purchase Agreement ” means the applicable purchase agreement between the Partnership and a Class A Preferred Holder with respect to such Class A Preferred Holder’s Class A Preferred Units.

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

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

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

Closing Price means, in respect of any class of Limited Partner Interests, as of the date of determination, the last sale price on such day, regular way, or in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices on such day, regular way, in either case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted to trading on the principal National Securities Exchange on which the respective Limited Partner Interests are listed or admitted to trading or, if such Limited Partner Interests are not listed or admitted to trading on any National Securities Exchange, the last quoted price on such day or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low asked prices on such day in the over-

- 6 -


 

              

the-counter market, as reported by the primary reporting system then in use in relation to such Limited Partner Interests of such class, or, if on any such day such Limited Partner Interests of such class are not quoted by any such organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices on such day as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in such Limited Partner Interests of such class selected by the General Partner, or if on any such day no market maker is making a market in such Limited Partner Interests of such class, the fair value of such Limited Partner Interests on such day as determined by the General Partner.

Code means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and in effect from time to time.  Any reference herein to a specific section or sections of the Code shall be deemed to include a reference to any corresponding provision of any successor law.

Combined Interest is defined in Section 11.3(a) .

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

Commission means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

Common Unit   means a Partnership Interest representing a fractional part of the Partnership Interests of all Limited Partners and assignees, and having the rights and obligations specified with respect to the Common Units in this Agreement. A Class A Preferred Unit will not constitute a Common Unit until the Preferred Conversion Date .  

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

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

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

Conversion Price ”   means (i) on or prior to the first Mandatory Conversion Date or after the first Mandatory Conversion Date with respect to PIK Units issued pursuant to Section

- 7 -


 

              

5.9(b)(xiii) , the lesser of (A) the Class A Preferred Unit Price applicable to the Class A Preferred Unit that is converted and (B) the lowest price after March 31, 2015 and on or prior to the applicable Preferred Conversion Date for which a Common Unit is issued by the Partnership (including pursuant to a Qualified Public Offering), other than in connection with an at-the-market offering or pursuant to the LTIP and (ii) after the first Mandatory Conversion Date (other than with respect to PIK Units issued pursuant to Section 5.9(b)(xiii) ), the price determined on the first Mandatory Conversion Date.

  Conversion Rate ” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.9(b)(i) .  

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

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

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

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

Departing General Partner means a former General Partner from and after the effective date of any withdrawal or removal of such former General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 .

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

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

Eligibility Certificate is defined in Section 4.8(b) .

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

Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount is defined in Section 6.8 .

Estimated Maintenance Capital Expenditures means an estimate made in good faith by the Board of Directors of the average quarterly Maintenance Capital Expenditures that the Partnership will need to i ncur to maintain, over the long - term, the operating capacity, operating income or asset base of the Partnership Group existing at the time the estimate is made.  The Board of Directors will be permitted to make such estimate in any manner it determines reasonable.  The estimate will be made at least annually and whenever an event occurs that is likely to result in a material adjustment to the amount of future Estimated Maintenance Capital Expenditures.  The Partnership shall disclose to its Partners any change in the amount of Estimated Maintenance

- 8 -


 

              

Capital Expenditures in its reports made in accordance with Section 8.3 to the extent not previously disclosed.  Any adjustments to Estimated Maintenance Capital Expenditures shall be prospective only.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

First Target Distribution means $0.575 per Unit per Quarter (or, with respect to periods of more or less than one fiscal quarter, it means the product of such amount multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator is the number of days in such period, and the denominator is the total number of days in such fiscal quarter), subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 5.8 ,   Section 6.6 and Section 6.8 .

General Partner means Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and its successors and permitted assigns that are admitted to the Partnership as

- 9 -


 

              

general partner of the Partnership, in their capacities as general partner of the Partnership (except as the context otherwise requires).

General Partner Interest   means the non-economic management interest of the General Partner in the Partnership (in its capacity as a general partner and without any reference to any Limited Partner Interest held by it) and includes any and all rights, powers and benefits to which the General Partner is entitled as provided in this Agreement, together with all obligations of the General Partner to comply with the terms and provisions of this Agreement.  The General Partner Interest does not include any rights to ownership or profits or losses or any rights to receive distributions from operations or upon the liquidation or winding-up of the Partnership

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

Group means two or more Persons that with or through any of their respective Affiliates or Associates have any contract, arrangement, understanding or relationship for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (except voting pursuant to a revocable proxy or consent given to such Person in response to a proxy or consent solicitation made to 10 or more Persons), exercising investment power or disposing of any Partnership Interests.

Group Member means a member of the Partnership Group.

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

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

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

IDR Reset Common Unit is defined in Section 5.8(a) .

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

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

- 10 -


 

              

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

Incremental Income Taxes is defined in Section 6.8 .

Indemnified Persons is defined in Section 7.12(c) .

Indemnitee means (a) any General Partner, (b) any Departing General Partner, (c) any Person who is or was an Affiliate of the General Partner or any Departing General Partner, (d) any Person who is or was a manager, managing member, general partner, director, officer, employee, agent, fiduciary or trustee of any Group Member, a General Partner, any Departing General Partner or any of their respective Affiliates, (e) any Person who is or was serving at the request of a General Partner, any Departing General Partner or any of their respective Affiliates as an officer, director, manager, managing member, general partner, employee, agent, fiduciary or trustee of another Person owing a fiduciary or similar duty to any Group Member; provided that a Person shall not be an Indemnitee by reason of providing, on a fee-for-services basis, trustee, fiduciary or custodial services, (f) any Person who controls a General Partner or Departing General Partner and (g) any Person the General Partner designates as an Indemnitee for purposes of this Agreement because such Person s service, status or relationship exposes such Person to potential claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings relating to the Partnership Group s business and affairs.

Ineligible Holder is defined in Section 4.8(c) .

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

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

Initial Unit Price means (a) with respect to the Common Units, the initial public offering price per Predecessor Unit at which they were sold on the Closing Date or (b) with respect to any other class or series of Units, the price per Unit at which such class or series of Units is initially sold by the Partnership, as determined by the General Partner, in each case adjusted as the General Partner determines to be appropriate to give effect to any distribution, subdivision or combination of Units.

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

Investment Capital Expenditures means capital expenditures other than Maintenance Capital Expenditures and Expansion Capital Expenditures.

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

- 11 -


 

              

Limited Partner means, unless the context otherwise requires, each Person who holds Predecessor Units or Converted Units   on the Conversion Date, each additional Person that becomes a Limited Partner pursuant to the terms of this Agreement and any Departing General Partner upon the change of its status from General Partner to Limited Partner pursuant to Section 11.3 , in each case, in such Person s capacity as a limited partner of the Partnership.

Limited Partner Interest means the ownership interest of a Limited Partner in the Partnership, which may be evidenced by Common Units, Incentive Distribution Rights or other Partnership Interests or a combination thereof or interest therein, and includes any and all benefits to which such Limited Partner is entitled as provided in this Agreement, together with all obligations of such Limited Partner to comply with the terms and provisions of this Agreement.

Liquidation Date means (a) in the case of an event giving rise to the dissolution of the Partnership of the type described in clauses (a) and (b) of the first sentence of Section 12.2 , the date on which the applicable time period during which the holders of Outstanding Units have the right to elect to continue the business of the Partnership has expired without such an election being made, and (b) in the case of any other event giving rise to the dissolution of the Partnership, the date on which such event occurs.

Liquidation Preference ” means, with respect to each Class A Preferred Unit, an amount equal to the amount set forth in the definition for the term “Purchase Price” in the Class A Preferred Unit Purchase Agreement pursuant to which such Class A Preferred Unit was issued, plus all accrued and unpaid distributions on such Class A Preferred Unit to the applicable Preferred Conversion Date.

  Liquidator means one or more Persons selected by the General Partner to perform the functions described in Section 12.4 as liquidating trustee of the Partnership within the meaning of the Delaware Act.

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

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

Mandatory Conversion Date ” means (a) the earlier of (i) March 31, 2018 and (ii) the Trading Day immediately before the date that the Partnership files with the Commission a preliminary prospectus supplement for a Qualified Public Offering, (b) with respect to any Class A Preferred Units that remain Outstanding because of the proviso in Section 5.9(b)(i) or Section 5.9(b)(xiv) , each such date that the Outstanding Common Units beneficially owned by the applicable Class A Preferred Holder together with its Affiliates and Associates does not exceed 19.99% of the Outstanding Common Units after taking into account the conversion of such Class  A Preferred Units and (c) to the extent not converted earlier under clause (a) hereof, with respect to PIK Units issued pursuant to Section 5.9(b)(xiii) , the Trading Day immediately before the

- 12 -


 

              

Record Date established for the distribution of a Minimum Quarterly Distribution on the Common Units.

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

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

Merger Agreement is defined in Section 14.1 .

Minimum Quarterly Distribution means $0. 5 0 per Unit per Quarter (or with respect to periods of more or less than a full fiscal quarter, it means the product of such amount multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator is the number of days in such period and the denominator is the total number of days in such fiscal quarter), subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 5.8 ,   Section 6.6 and Section 6.8 .

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

Net Agreed Value means, (a) in the case of any Contributed Property, the Agreed Value of such property reduced by any Liabilities either assumed by the Partnership upon such contribution or to which such property is subject when contributed and (b) in the case of any property distributed to a Partner by the Partnership, the Partnership s Carrying Value of such property (as adjusted pursuant to Section 5.3(d)(ii) ) at the time such property is distributed, reduced by any Liabilities either assumed by such Partner upon such distribution or to which such property is subject at the time of distribution.

Net Income means, for any taxable period, the excess, if any, of the Partnership s items of income and gain (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable period over the Partnership s items of loss and deduction (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable period.  The items included in the calculation of Net Income shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.3 and shall include Simulated Gain but shall not include any items specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) or Section 6.1(e) ;   provided , that the determination of the items that have been specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) or Section 6.1(e) shall be made without regard to any reversal of such items under Section 6.1(d)(xiii) .

Net Loss means, for any taxable period, the excess, if any, of the Partnership s items of loss and deduction (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable period over the Partnership s items of income and gain (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable period.  The items included in the calculation of Net Loss shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.3 and shall include

- 13 -


 

              

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

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

Net Termination Gain means, for any taxable period, (a) the sum, if positive, of all items of income, gain, loss or deduction (determined in accordance with Section 5.3 ) that are recognized by the Partnership (i) after the Liquidation Date or (ii) upon the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership Group, taken as a whole, in a single transaction or a series of related transactions (excluding any disposition to a member of the Partnership Group), or (b)  the excess, if any, of the aggregate amount of Unrealized Gain over the aggregate amount of Unrealized Loss deemed recognized by the Partnership pursuant to Section 5.3(d) on the date of a Revaluation Event ;   provided ,   however , that the items included in the determination of Net Termination Gain shall include Simulated Gain, but shall not include any items of income, gain or loss specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) or Section 6.1(e) .

Net Termination Loss means, for any taxable period, (a) the sum, if negative, of all items of income, gain, loss or deduction (determined in accordance with Section 5.3 ) that are recognized by the Partnership (i) after the Liquidation Date or (ii) upon the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership Group, taken as a whole, in a single transaction or a series of related transactions (excluding any disposition to a member of the Partnership Group), or (b)  the excess, if any, of the aggregate amount of Unrealized Loss over the aggregate amount of Unrealized Gain deemed recognized by the Partnership pursuant to Section 5.3(d) on the date of a Revaluation Event ;   provided ,   however , that the items included in the determination of Net Termination Loss shall include Simulated Gain, but shall not include any items of income, gain or loss specially allocated under Section 6.1(d) or Section 6.1(e) .

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

Nonrecourse Built-in Gain means with respect to any Contributed Properties or Adjusted Properties that are subject to a mortgage or pledge securing a Nonrecourse Liability, the amount of any taxable gain that would be allocated to the Partners pursuant to Section 6.2(d) if such properties were disposed of in a taxable transaction in full satisfaction of such liabilities and for no other consideration.

Nonrecourse Deductions means any and all items of loss, deduction or expenditure (including any expenditure described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code), Simulated Depletion or Simulated Loss that, in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(b), are attributable to a Nonrecourse Liability.

Nonrecourse Liability has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-1(a)(2).

- 14 -


 

              

Notice of Election to Purchase is defined in Section 15.1(b) .

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

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

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

(c)       Operating Expenditures shall not include (i) Expansion Capital Expenditures, (ii) actual Maintenance Capital Expenditures, (iii) Investment Capital Expenditures, (iv) payment of transaction expenses ( including taxes) relating to Interim Capital Transactions, (v) distributions to Partners (including in respect of Incentive Distribution Rights)   or (vi) repurchases of Partnership Interests, other than repurchases of Partnership Interests to satisfy obligations under employee benefit plans, or reimbursements of expenses of the Gen eral Partner for such purchases .  If capital expenditures are made in part for Maintenance Capital Expenditures and in part for other purposes, the General Partner shall determine the allocation of such capital expenditures between the amounts paid for each; and

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

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

(a)       the sum of (i) $20.0 million, (ii) all cash receipts of the Partnership Group (or the Partnership s proportionate share of cash receipts in the case of Subsidiaries that are not wholly owned) for the period beginning on the Closing Date and ending on the last day of such period, but excluding cash receipts from Interim Capital Transactions and provided that cash receipts from the termination of any Hedge Contract prior to its stipulated settlement or termination date shall be amortized in equal quarterly installments over what would have been the remaining scheduled term of such Hedge Contract had it not been so terminated, (iii) all cash receipts of the Partnership Group (or the Partnership s proportionate share of cash receipts in the case of Subsidiaries that are not wholly owned) after the end of such period but on or before the date of determination of Operating Surplus with respect to such period resulting from Working Capital Borrowings, and

- 15 -


 

              

(iv) the amount of cash distributions paid (including incremental Incentive Distributions) in respect of equity issued, other than equity issued in the Initial Offering, to finance all or a portion of the Expansion Capital Expenditures and paid in respect of the period beginning on the date that the Group Member entered or enters into a binding obligation to commence the replacement, improvement, addition, expansion, acquisition, construction or development of a Capital Improvement and ending on the earlier to occur of the Commercial Service Commencement Date for such Capital Improvement and the date on which such Capital Improvement is abandoned or disposed of (equity issued, other than equity issued in the Initial Offering, to fund the construction period interest payments on debt incurred (including periodic net payments under related interest rate swap agreements), or construction period distributions on equity issued (including incremental Incentive Distributions), to finance the Expansion Capital Expenditures shall also be deemed to be equity issued to finance the replacement, improvement, addition, expansion, acquisition, construction or development of a Capital Improvement for purposes of this clause (iv)) ; less

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

provided ,   however , that the General Partner s estimates of disbursements made (including contributions to a Group Member or disbursements on behalf of a Group Member), the General Partner s   estimates of cash received, or cash reserves established, increased or reduced after the end of such period but on or before the date of determination of cash or cash equivalents to be distributed with respect to such period shall be deemed to have been made, received, established, increased or reduced, for purposes of determining Operating Surplus, within such period if the General Partner so determines.

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

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

Outstanding ” means, with respect to Partnership Interests, all Partnership Interests that are issued by the Partnership and reflected as outstanding on the Partnership’s books and records as of the date of determination; provided ,   however , that if at any time any Person or Group (other than the General Partner or its Affiliates) beneficially owns 20% or more of the Outstanding Partnership Interests of any class then Outstanding (other than the Class A Preferred Units), none of the Partnership Interests owned by such Person or Group shall be entitled to be voted on any

- 16 -


 

              

matter or be considered to be Outstanding when sending notices of a meeting of Limited Partners to vote on any matter (unless otherwise required by law or approved by the Board of Directors), calculating required votes, determining the presence of a quorum or for other similar purposes under this Agreement, except that Partnership Interests so owned shall be considered to be Outstanding for purposes of Section 11.1(b) (iv) (such Partnership Interests shall not, however, be treated as a separate class of Partnership Interests for purposes of this Agreement or the Delaware Act); provided ,   further , that the foregoing limitation shall not apply to (i) any Person or Group who acquired 20% or more of the Outstanding Partnership Interests of any class then Outstanding directly from the General Partner or its Affiliates (other than the Partnership), (ii) any Person or Group who acquired 20% or more of the Outstanding Partnership Interests of any class then Outstanding directly or indirectly from a Person or Group described in clause (i)  provided that the General Partner shall have notified such Person or Group in writing that such limitation shall not apply, or (iii) any Person or Group who acquired 20% or more of any Partnership Interests issued by the Partnership provided that the General Partner shall have notified such Person or Group in writing that such limitation shall not apply; provided, moreover , that if any Person or Group beneficially owns 20% or more of the Outstanding Partnership Interests of any class then Outstanding solely as a result of actions taken by the Partnership, then the 20% threshold specified herein shall be increased, with respect to such Person, to a percentage equal to such Person’s new beneficial ownership after the taking of such action plus the difference between 20% and  such Person’s beneficial ownership prior to such action.

Partner Nonrecourse Debt has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(b)(4).

Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(2).

Partner Nonrecourse Deductions means any and all items of loss, deduction, expenditure (including any expenditure described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code), Simulated Depletion or Simulated Loss that, in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i), are attributable to a Partner Nonrecourse Debt.

Partners means the General Partner and the Limited Partners (and, as applicable, the Members prior to the Conversion Date).

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

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

Partnership Interest   means any class or series of equity interest in the Partnership, which shall include any General Partner Interest and Limited Partner Interest (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any Class A Preferred Unit and Incentive Distribution Right), but shall exclude any options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to an equity interest in the Partnership (and, as applicable, Member Interests prior to the Conversion Date).

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

- 17 -


 

              

Partnership Optional Conversion Date ” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.9(b)(v) .

Percentage Interest means as of any date of determination as to any Unitholder with respect to Units, the quotient obtained by dividing the number of Units held by such Unitholder, by the total number of Outstanding Units. The Percentage Interest with respect to the General Partner Interest   and an Incentive Distribution Right shall at all times be zero.

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

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

PIK Unit ” means a Class A Preferred Unit issued pursuant to a Class A Preferred Unit Distribution in accordance with Section 5.9(c) .

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

Preferred Conversion Date ” means the Mandatory Conversion Date, the Partnership Optional Conversion Date or the Class A Holder Optional Conversion Date, as applicable.  

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

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

Purchase Date means the date determined by the General Partner as the date for purchase of all Outstanding Limited Partner Interests of a certain class (other than Limited Partner Interests owned by the General Partner and its Affiliates) pursuant to Article XV .

Qualified Public Offering ” means a firm commitment underwritten public offering by the Partnership of Common Units that is anticipated to result in the Partnership receiving gross proceeds (before underwriting discounts, commissions, fees and expenses) of not less than $75,000,000 (based on the number of Common Units listed in the preliminary prospectus supplement filed with the Commission with respect to such offering multiplied by the closing price of the Common Units on the National Securities Exchange on the Trading Day immediately preceding such filing) .

- 18 -


 

              

Quarter means, unless the context requires otherwise, a fiscal quarter of the Partnership or, with respect to the fiscal quarter of the Partnership in which the Conversion Date occurs, the portion of such fiscal quarter after the Conversion Date.

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

Recapture Income means any gain recognized by the Partnership (computed without regard to any adjustment required by Section 734 or Section 743 of the Code) upon the disposition of any property or asset of the Partnership, which gain is characterized as ordinary income because it represents the recapture of deductions previously taken with respect to such property or asset.

Record Date means the date established by the General Partner or otherwise in accordance with this Agreement for determining (a) the identity of the Record Holders entitled to notice of, or to vote at, any meeting of Limited Partners or entitled to vote by ballot or give approval of Partnership action in writing without a meeting or entitled to exercise rights in respect of any lawful action of Limited Partners or (b) the identity of Record Holders entitled to receive any report or distribution or to participate in any offer.

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

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

Registration Statement means , collectively, the Registration Statement s on Form S-4 (Registration No s . 333- 198440 and 333- 202526 ) as they may have been or as they may be amended or supplemented from time to time, filed by SPP LLC with the Commission under the Securities Act to register the Common Units issued to the holders of the Predecessor Units and Converted Units   in connection with the conversion of the Predecessor Units and Converted Units into Common Units .  

Remaining Net Positive Adjustments means as of the end of any taxable period, (i) with respect to the Unitholders, the excess of (a) the Net Positive Adjustments of the Unitholders as of the end of such period over (b) the sum of those Partners Share of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items for each prior taxable period ,   and (ii)    with respect to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights, the excess of (a) the Net Positive Adjustments of the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights as of the end of such period over (b) the sum of the Share of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items of the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights for each prior taxable period.

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

- 19 -


 

              

Reset MQD is defined in Section 5.8(a) .

Reset Notice is defined in Section 5.8(b) .

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

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

Second Target Distribution means $0. 625 per Unit per Quarter (or, with respect to periods of more or less than a full fiscal quarter, it means the product of such amount multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator is the number of days in such period, and the denominator is the total number of days in such fiscal quarter), subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 5.8 ,   Section 6.6 and Section 6.8 .

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

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

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

Share of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items means in connection with any allocation of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items for any taxable period, (i) with respect to the Unitholders, the amount that bears the same ratio to such Additional Book Basis Derivative Items as the Unitholders Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of the end of such taxable period bears to the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of that time ,   and (ii)   with respect to the Partners holding Incentive Distribution Rights, the amount that bears the same ratio to such Additional Book Basis Derivative Items as the Remaining Net Positive Adjustments of the Partners holding the Incentive Distribution Rights as of the end of such taxable period bears to the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of that time.

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

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

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

- 20 -


 

              

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

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

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

Subsidiary means, with respect to any Person, (a) a corporation of which more than 50% of the voting power of shares entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors or other governing body of such corporation is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof, (b) a partnership (whether general or limited) in which such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of determination, a general partner of such partnership, but only if such Person, directly or by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, controls such partnership on the date of determination or (c) any other Person in which such Person, one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, has (i) at least a majority ownership interest or (ii) the power to elect or direct the election of a majority of the directors or other governing body of such Person.

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

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

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

Third Target Distribution means $0. 875 per Unit per Quarter (or, with respect to periods of more or less than a full fiscal quarter, it means the product of such amount multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator is the number of days in such period, and the denominator is the total number of days in such fiscal quarter), subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 5.8 ,   Section 6.6 and Section 6.8 .

Trading Day means, for the purpose of determining the Current Market Price of any class of Limited Partner Interests, a day on which the principal National Securities Exchange on which such class of Limited Partner Interests is listed or admitted to trading is open for the transaction of business or, if Limited Partner Interests of a class are not listed or admitted to trading on any National Securities Exchange, a day on which banking institutions in New York City generally are open.

Transaction Agreements means (i) the Shared Services Agreement, (ii) that certain Contract Operating Agreement, dated May 8, 2014, between SPP LLC and Sanchez Oil & Gas Corporation, (iii) that certain Geophysical Seismic Data Use License Agreement, dated May 8,

- 21 -


 

              

2014, between SPP LLC, certain subsidiaries thereof and Sanchez Oil & Gas Corporation, and (iv) that certain Transition and Assistance Agreement, dated May 8, 2014, between SPP LLC, SP Holdings, LLC and Sanchez Oil & Gas Corporation.

transfer is defined in Section 4.4(a) .

Transfer Agent means such bank, trust company or other Person (including the General Partner or one of its Affiliates) as may be appointed from time to time by the Partnership to act as registrar and transfer agent for any class of Partnership Interests; provided , that if no Transfer Agent is specifically designated for any class of Partnership Interests, the General Partner shall act in such capacity.

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

Unit Purchasers ” means each of the Persons named on Schedule A to a Class A Preferred Unit Purchase Agreement.

Unitholders means the holders of Units.

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

Unrealized Gain attributable to any item of Partnership property means, as of any date of determination, the excess, if any, of (a) the fair market value of such property as of such date (as determined under Section 5.3(d) ) over (b) the Carrying Value of such property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made pursuant to Section 5.3(d) as of such date).

Unrealized Loss attributable to any item of Partnership property means, as of any date of determination, the excess, if any, of (a) the Carrying Value of such property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made pursuant to Section 5.3(d) as of such date) over (b) the fair market value of such property as of such date (as determined under Section 5.3(d) ).

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

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

- 22 -


 

              

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

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

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

Section 1.2       Construction .  Unless the context requires otherwise: (a) any pronoun used in this Agreement shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine or neuter forms; (b) references to Articles and Sections refer to Articles and Sections of this Agreement; (c) the terms include,   includes,   including and words of like import shall be deemed to be followed by the words without limitation ; and (d) the terms hereof,   herein and hereunder refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement.  The table of contents and headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only, and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.  The General Partner has the power to construe and interpret this Agreement and to act upon any such construction or interpretation.  Any construction or interpretation of this Agreement and any action taken pursuant thereto and any determination, in each case, made by the General Partner in good faith shall, in each case, be conclusive and binding on any Limited Partner, any Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest and any other Person who is bound by this Agreement.

Article II
ORGANIZATION

Section 2.1       Formation .  On the Conversion Date, SPP LLC converted from a limited liability company to the Partnership, with the Partnership continuing in all of the rights, privileges and powers of S PP LLC.  This Agreement shall become effective on the Conversion Date.  Except as expressly pro vided to the contrary in this Agreement, the rights, duties (including fiduciary duties), liabilities and obligations of the Partners and the administration, dissolution and termination of the Partnership shall be governed by the Delaware Act.

Section 2.2       Name .  The name of the Partnership shall be Sanchez Production Partners LP .  The Partnership s business may be conducted under any other name or names as determined by the General Partner, including the name of the General Partner.  The words Limited Partnership,   L.P.,   Ltd. or similar words or letters shall be included in the Partnership s name where necessary for the purpose of complying with the laws of any jurisdiction that so requires.  The General Partner may change the name of the Partnership at any time and from time to time and shall notify the Limited Partners of such change in the next regular communication to the Limited Partners.

Section 2.3       Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices .  Unless and until changed by the General Partner, the registered office of the Partnership in the State of Delaware shall be located at Corporation Service Company, 2711 Centerville Road, Suite

- 23 -


 

              

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

Section 2.4       Purpose and Business .  The purpose and nature of the business to be conducted by the Partnership shall be to (a) engage directly in, or enter into or form, hold and dispose of any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other arrangement to engage indirectly in, any business activity that is approved by the General Partner, in its sole discretion, and that lawfully may be conducted by a limited partnership organized pursuant to the Delaware Act and, in connection therewith, to exercise all of the rights and powers conferred upon the Partnership pursuant to the agreements relating to such business activity, and (b) do anything necessary or appropriate to the foregoing, including the making of capital contributions or loans to a Group Member; provided, however , that the General Partner shall not cause the Partnership to engage, directly or indirectly, in any business activity that the General Partner determines would be reasonably likely to cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes.  To the fullest extent permitted by law, the General Partner shall have no duty or obligation to propose or approve, and may, in its sole discretion, decline to propose or approve, the conduct by the Partnership of any business and may, in its sole discretion, decline to so propose or approve free of any duty ( fiduciary or otherwise )   or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership , any Limited Partner or any Person who acquires an interest in the Partnership or is bound by this Agreement and, in declining to so propose or approve, shall not be required to act in good faith or pursuant to any other standard imposed by this Agreement, any Group Member Agreement, any other agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity.

Section 2.5       Powers .  The Partnership shall be empowered to do any and all acts and things necessary, appropriate, proper, advisable, incidental to or convenient for the furtherance and accomplishment of the purposes and business described in Section 2.4 and for the protection and benefit of the Partnership.

Section 2.6       Term .  The term of the Partnership commenced on the date of formation of SPP LLC in accordance with the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act and shall continue until the dissolution of the Partnership in accordance with the provisions of Article XII .  The existence of the Partnership as a separate legal entity shall continue until the cancellation of the Certificate of Limited Partnership as provided in the Delaware Act.

Section 2.7       Title to Partnership Assets .  Title to Partnership assets, whether real, personal or mixed and whether tangible or intangible, shall be deemed to be owned by the Partnership as an entity, and no Partner, individually or collectively, shall have any ownership interest in such Partnership assets or any portion thereof.  Title to any or all of the Partnership

- 24 -


 

              

assets may be held in the name of the Partnership, the General Partner, one or more of its Affiliates or one or more nominees, as the General Partner may determine.  The General Partner hereby declares and warrants that any Partnership assets for which record title is held in the name of the General Partner or one or more of its Affiliates or one or more nominees shall be held by the General Partner or such Affiliate or nominee for the use and benefit of the Partnership in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement; provided, however, that the General Partner shall use reasonable efforts to cause record title to such assets (other than those assets in respect of which the General Partner determines that the expense and difficulty of conveyancing makes transfer of record title to the Partnership impracticable) to be vested in the Partnership or one or more of the Partnership s designated Affiliates as soon as reasonably practicable; provided, further, that, prior to the withdrawal or removal of the General Partner or as soon thereafter as practicable, the General Partner shall use reasonable efforts to effect the transfer of record title to the Partnership and, prior to any such transfer, will provide for the use of such assets in a manner satisfactory to the General Partner.  All Partnership assets shall be recorded as the property of the Partnership in its books and records, irrespective of the name in which record title to such Partnership assets is held.

Article III
RIGHTS OF LIMITED PARTNERS

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

Section 3.2       Management of Business .  No Limited Partner, in its capacity as such, shall participate in the operation, management or control (within the meaning of the Delaware Act) of the Partnership s business, transact any business in the Partnership s name or have the power to sign documents for or otherwise bind the Partnership.  All actions taken by any Affiliate of the General Partner or any officer, director, employee, manager, member, general partner, agent or trustee of the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, or any officer, director, employee, manager, member, general partner, agent or trustee of a Group Member, in its capacity as such, shall not be deemed to be participating in the control of the business of the Partnership by a limited partner of the Partnership (within the meaning of Section 17-303(a) of the Delaware Act) and shall not affect, impair or eliminate the limitations on the liability of the Limited Partners under this Agreement.

Section 3.3       Outside Activities of the Limited Partners .  Subject to the provisions of Section 7.6 , which shall continue to be applicable to the Persons referred to therein, regardless of whether such Persons shall also be Limited Partners, each Limited Partner shall be entitled to and may have business interests and engage in business activities in addition to those relating to the Partnership, including business interests and activities in direct competition with the Partnership Group.  Neither the Partnership nor any of the other Partners shall have any rights by virtue of this Agreement in any business ventures of any Limited Partner.

Section 3.4       Rights of Limited Partners.

(a)       Each Limited Partner shall have the right, for a purpose that is reasonably related, as determined by the General Partner, to such Limited Partner s interest as a Limited Partner in

- 25 -


 

              

the Partnership, upon reasonable written demand stating the purpose of such demand and at such Limited Partner s own expense, to obtain:

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

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

(iii)       a copy of this Agreement and the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all amendments thereto, together with copies of the executed copies of all powers of attorney pursuant to which this Agreement, the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all amendments thereto have been executed;

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

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

(b)       The General Partner may keep confidential from the Limited Partners, for such period of time as the General Partner deems reasonable, (i) any information that the General Partner reasonably believes to be in the nature of trade secrets or (ii) other information the disclosure of which the General Partner believes (A) is not in the best interests of the Partnership Group, (B) could damage the Partnership Group or its business or (C) that any Group Member is required by law or by agreement with any third party to keep confidential (other than agreements with Affiliates of the Partnership the primary purpose of which is to circumvent the obligations set forth in this Section 3.4 ).

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

Article IV
CERTIFICATES; RECORD HOLDERS; TRANSFER OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS; REDEMPTION OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

Section 4.1       Certificates .  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, unless the General Partner shall determine otherwise in respect of some or all of any or all classes of

- 26 -


 

              

Partnership Interests, Partnership Interests shall not be evidenced by certificates.  Certificates that may be issued shall be executed on behalf of the Partnership by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President or any Executive Vice President or Vice President and the Chief Financial Officer or the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary of the General Partner.  No Certificate for a class of Partnership Interests shall be valid for any purpose until it has been countersigned by the Transfer Agent for such class of Partnership Interests; provided, however, that if the General Partner elects to cause the Partnership to issue Partnership Interests of such class in global form, the Certificate shall be valid upon receipt of a certificate from the Transfer Agent certifying that the Partnership Interests have been duly registered in accordance with the directions of the Partnership.  The Transfer Agent may, and is hereby authorized to, effect any countersignature of any Certificate authorized or required by this Agreement either in manual form or by facsimile signature.

Section 4.2       Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates.

(a)       If any mutilated Certificate is surrendered to the Transfer Agent, the appropriate officers of the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership shall execute, and the Transfer Agent shall countersign and deliver in exchange therefor, a new Certificate evidencing the same number and type of Partnership Interests as the Certificate so surrendered.

(b)       The appropriate officers of the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership shall execute and deliver, and the Transfer Agent shall countersign, a new Certificate in place of any Certificate previously issued if the Record Holder of the Certificate:

(i)       makes proof by affidavit, in form and substance satisfactory to the General Partner, that a previously issued Certificate has been lost, destroyed or stolen;

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

(iii)       if requested by the General Partner, delivers to the General Partner a bond, in form and substance satisfactory to the General Partner, with surety or sureties and with fixed or open penalty as the General Partner may direct to indemnify the Partnership, the Partners, the General Partner and the Transfer Agent against any claim that may be made on account of the alleged loss, destruction or theft of the Certificate; and

(iv)       satisfies any other reasonable requirements imposed by the General Partner or the Transfer Agent.

If a Limited Partner fails to notify the General Partner within a reasonable period of time after such Limited Partner has notice of the loss, destruction or theft of a Certificate, and a transfer of the Limited Partner Interests represented by the Certificate is registered before the Partnership, the General Partner or the Transfer Agent receives such notification, the Limited Partner shall be precluded from making any claim against the Partnership, the General Partner or the Transfer Agent for such transfer or for a new Certificate.

- 27 -


 

              

(c)       As a condition to the issuance of any new Certificate under this Section 4.2 , the General Partner may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Transfer Agent) reasonably connected therewith.

Section 4.3       Record Holders .  The Partnership shall be entitled to recognize the Record Holder as the Partner with respect to any Partnership Interest and, accordingly, shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to, or interest in, such Partnership Interest on the part of any other Person, regardless of whether the Partnership shall have actual or other notice thereof, except as otherwise provided by law or any applicable rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which such Partnership Interests are listed or admitted to trading.  Without limiting the foregoing, when a Person (such as a broker, dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation or an agent of any of the foregoing) is acting as nominee, agent or in some other representative capacity for another Person in acquiring and/or holding Partnership Interests, as between the Partnership on the one hand, and such other Persons on the other, such representative Person shall be (a) the Record Holder of such Partnership Interest and (b) bound by this Agreement and shall have the rights and obligations of a Partner hereunder as, and to the extent, provided herein.

Section 4.4       Transfer Generally.

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

(b)       No Partnership Interest shall be transferred, in whole or in part, except in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Article IV .  Any transfer or purported transfer of a Partnership Interest not made in accordance with this Article IV shall be, to the fullest extent permitted by law, null and void.

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

Section 4.5       Registration and Transfer of Limited Partner Interests.

(a)       The General Partner shall keep or cause to be kept on behalf of the Partnership a register in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe and subject to the provisions of Section 4.5(b) , the Partnership will provide for the registration and transfer of Limited Partner Interests.

- 28 -


 

              

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

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

(d)       By acceptance of the transfer of any Limited Partner Interests in accordance with this Section 4.5 and except as provided in Section 4.7 , each transferee of a Limited Partner Interest (including any nominee holder or an agent or representative acquiring such Limited Partner Interests for the account of another Person) (i) shall be admitted to the Partnership as a Limited Partner with respect to the Limited Partner Interests so transferred to such Person when any such transfer or admission is reflected in the books and records of the Partnership and such Limited Partner becomes the Record Holder of the Limited Partner Interests so transferred, (ii) shall become bound by the terms of this Agreement, (iii) represents that the transferee has the capacity, power and authority to enter into this Agreement and (iv) makes the consents, acknowledgements and waivers contained in this Agreement, all with or without execution of this Agreement by such Person.  The transfer of any Limited Partner Interests and the admission of any new Limited Partner shall not constitute an amendment to this Agreement.

(e)       Subject to (i) the foregoing provisions of this Section 4.5 , (ii)  Section 4.4 , (iii)  Section 4.7 , (iv) with respect to any class or series of Limited Partner Interests, the provisions of any statement of designations or an amendment to this Agreement establishing such class or series, (v) any contractual provisions binding on any Limited Partner and (vi) provisions of applicable law including the Securities Act, Limited Partner Interests shall be freely transferable.

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

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

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

- 29 -


 

              

(b)       Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, no transfer by the General Partner of all or any part of its General Partner Interest to another Person shall be permitted unless (i) the transferee agrees to assume the rights and duties of the General Partner under this Agreement and to be bound by the provisions of this Agreement, (ii) the Partnership receives an Opinion of Counsel that such transfer would not result in the loss of limited liability under Delaware law of any Limited Partner or cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes (to the extent not already so treated or taxed) and (iii) such transferee also agrees to purchase all (or the appropriate portion thereof, if applicable) of the partnership or membership interest held by the General Partner as the general partner or managing member, if any, of each other Group Member.  In the case of a transfer pursuant to and in compliance with this Section 4.6 , the transferee or successor (as the case may be) shall, subject to compliance with the terms of Section 10.2 , be admitted to the Partnership as the General Partner effective immediately prior to the transfer of the General Partner Interest, and the business of the Partnership shall continue without dissolution.

Section 4.7       Restrictions on Transfers.

(a)       Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Article IV , no transfer of any Partnership Interests shall be made if such transfer would (i) violate the then applicable federal or state securities laws or rules and regulations of the Commission, any state securities commission or any other governmental authority with jurisdiction over such transfer, (ii) terminate the existence or qualification of the Partnership under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation, or (iii) cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes (to the extent not already so treated or taxed).

(b)       The General Partner may impose restrictions on the transfer of Partnership Interests if it determines, with the advice of counsel, that such restrictions are necessary or advisable to (i) avoid a significant risk of the Partnership becoming taxable as a corporation or otherwise becoming taxable as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes or (ii) preserve the uniformity of the Limited Partner Interests (or any class or classes thereof).  The General Partner may impose such restrictions by amending this Agreement; provided ,   however , that any amendment that would result in the delisting or suspension of trading of any class of Limited Partner Interests on the principal National Securities Exchange on which such class of Limited Partner Interests is then listed or admitted to trading must be approved, prior to such amendment being effected, by the holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests of such class.

(c)       Nothing contained in this Agreement, other than Section 4.7(a) , shall preclude the settlement of any transactions involving Partnership Interests entered into through the facilities of any National Securities Exchange on which such Partnership Interests are listed or admitted to trading.

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

(e)       Transfer Restrictions on Class A Preferred Units.

- 30 -


 

              

(i)       Except as otherwise provided in this Section 4.7(e) , no Class A Preferred Unit shall be transferrable by any Class A Preferred Holder.

(ii)       Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, a Class A Preferred Holder shall be permitted to transfer any Class A Preferred Units held by such Class A Preferred Holder to an Affiliate of such Class A Preferred Holder or another Unit Purchaser or its Affiliates, provided that any such transfer would not result in the Partnership being considered terminated for purposes of Section 708 of the Code.

(iii)       Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, no Class A Preferred Holder shall transfer any Class A Preferred Units to any Person that (a) is an operating company (and not a financial institution) and (b) engages in the upstream energy business or otherwise provides similar services or engages in similar business as the Partnership at any time during the twelve months preceding the proposed transfer.

(iv)       Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, (A) in connection with any transfer of Class A Preferred Units, the transferring Class A Preferred Holder must transfer to the transferee of such Class A Preferred Units all PIK Units issued as distributions thereon, and (B) in connection with any transfer of PIK Units, the transferring Class A Preferred Holder must transfer to the transferee of such PIK Units all Class A Preferred Units in connection with which such PIK Units were distributed; provided, however , that in the event that compliance with this   Section 4.7(e)(iv)   would result in the transfer of any fractional Class A Preferred Unit or PIK Unit, the number of Class A Preferred Units or PIK Units to be transferred shall be rounded down to the nearest whole Class A Preferred Unit or PIK Unit, as the case may be.

Section 4.8       Eligibility Certificates; Ineligible Holders .

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

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

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

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

- 31 -


 

              

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

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

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

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

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

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

Section 4.9       Redemption of Partnership Interests of Ineligible Holders.

(a)       If at any time a Limited Partner fails to furnish an Eligibility Certificate or other information requested within the period of time specified in amendments adopted pursuant to Section 4.8 , or if upon receipt of such Eligibility Certificate or other information the General

- 32 -


 

              

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

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

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

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

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

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

(c)       Nothing in this Section 4.9 shall prevent the recipient of a notice of redemption from transferring his Limited Partner Interest before the redemption date if such transfer is otherwise permitted under this Agreement.  Upon receipt of notice of such a transfer, the General Partner shall withdraw the notice of redemption, provided the transferee of such Limited Partner Interest certifies to the satisfaction of the General Partner that he is an Eligible Holder.  If the

- 33 -


 

              

transferee fails to make such certification, such redemption will be effected from the transferee on the original redemption date.

Article V
CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND ISSUANCE OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

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

Section 5.2       Interest and Withdrawal .  No interest shall be paid by the Partnership on Capital Contributions .  No Partner shall be entitled to the withdrawal or return of its Capital Contribution, except to the extent, if any, that distributions made pursuant to this Agreement or upon liquidation of the Partnership may be considered as such by law and then only to the extent provided for in this Agreement.  Except to the extent expressly provided in this Agreement, no Partner shall have priority over any other Partner either as to the return of Capital Contributions or as to profits, losses or distributions.  Any such return shall be a compromise to which all Partners agree within the meaning of Section 17-502(b) of the Delaware Act.

Section 5.3       Capital Accounts .

(a)       The Partnership shall maintain for each Partner (or a beneficial owner of Partnership Interests held by a nominee in any case in which the nominee has furnished the identity of such owner to the Partnership in accordance with Section 6031(c) of the Code or any other method acceptable to the General Partner) owning a Partnership Interest a separate Capital Account with respect to such Partnership Interest in accordance with the rules of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv). Such Capital Account shall be increased by (i) the amount of all Capital Contributions made to the Partnership with respect to such Partnership Interest (including, with respect to the Class A Preferred Units, the net amount of cash contributed for the Class A Preferred Units by the holders thereof pursuant to a Class A Preferred Unit Purchase Agreement) and (ii) all items of Partnership income and gain (including Simulated Gain and income and gain exempt from tax) computed in accordance with Section 5.3(b) and allocated with respect to such Partnership Interest pursuant to Section 6.1 , and decreased by (x) the amount of cash or Net Agreed Value of all actual and deemed distributions of cash or property (other than PIK Units) made with respect to such Partnership Interest and (y) all items of Partnership deduction and loss (including Simulated Depletion and Simulated Loss) computed in accordance with Section 5.3(b) and allocated with respect to such Partnership Interest pursuant to Section 6.1 . In connection with the foregoing, the Partnership shall adopt the methodology set forth in the noncompensatory option regulations under Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-1 and 1.721-2 with respect to the issuance and conversion of Class A Preferred Units, unless otherwise required by applicable law.

- 34 -


 

              

(b)       For purposes of computing the amount of any item of income, gain, loss, deduction, Simulated Depletion, Simulated Gain or Simulated Loss that is to be allocated pursuant to Article VI and is to be reflected in the Partners Capital Accounts, the determination, recognition and classification of any such item shall be the same as its determination, recognition and classification for U.S. federal income tax purposes (including any method of depreciation, cost recovery or amortization used for that purpose), provided , that:

(i)       Solely for purposes of this Section 5.3 , the Partnership shall be treated as owning directly its proportionate share (as determined by the General Partner based upon the provisions of the applicable Group Member Agreement) of all property owned by (x) any other Group Member that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and (y) any other partnership, limited liability company, unincorporated business or other entity classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes of which a Group Member is, directly or indirectly, a partner, member or other equity holder.

(ii)       All fees and other expenses incurred by the Partnership to promote the sale of (or to sell) a Partnership Interest that can neither be deducted nor amortized under Section 709 of the Code, if any, shall, for purposes of Capital Account maintenance, be treated as an item of deduction at the time such fees and other expenses are incurred and shall be allocated among the Partners pursuant to Section 6.1 .

(iii)       Except as otherwise provided in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), the computation of all items of income, gain, loss, deduction, Simulated Depletion, Simulated Gain and Simulated Loss shall be made without regard to any election under Section 754 of the Code that may be made by the Partnership and, as to those items described in Section 705(a)(1)(B) or 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code, without regard to the fact that such items are not includable in gross income or are neither currently deductible nor capitalized for U.S. federal income tax purposes.  To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Partnership asset pursuant to Section 734(b) or 743(b) of the Code (including pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.734-2(b)(1)) is required, pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts, the amount of such adjustment in the Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain or loss.

(iv)       In the event the Carrying Value of Partnership property is adjusted pursuant to Section 5.3(d) , any Unrealized Gain resulting from such adjustment shall be treated as an item of gain, and any Unrealized Loss resulting from such adjustment shall be treated as an item of loss.

(v)       Any income, gain, loss, Simulated Gain or Simulated Loss attributable to the taxable disposition of any Partnership property shall be determined as if the adjusted basis of such property as of such date of disposition were equal in amount to the property s Carrying Value as of such date.

(vi)       Any deductions for depreciation, cost recovery, amortization or Simulated Depletion attributable to any Contributed Property or Adjusted Property shall be determined under the rules prescribed by Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-3(d)(2) as if

- 35 -


 

              

the adjusted basis of such property were equal to the Carrying Value of such property immediately following such adjustment.

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

(c)       (i) Except as provided in this Section 5.3(c) , a transferee of a Partnership Interest shall succeed to a pro rata portion of the Capital Account of the transferor relating to the Partnership Interest so transferred.

(i i )       Subject to Section 6.7(b) , immediately prior to the transfer of an IDR Reset Common Unit by a holder thereof (other than a transfer to an Affiliate unless the General Partner elects to have this subparagraph  Section 5.3(c)(ii) apply), the Capital Account maintained for such Person with respect to its IDR Reset Common Units will (A)  first , be allocated to the IDR Reset Common Units to be transferred in an amount equal to the product of (x) the number of such IDR Reset Common Units to be transferred and (y) the Per Unit Capital Amount for a Common Unit, and (B)  second , any remaining balance in such Capital Account will be retained by the transferor, regardless of whether it has retained any IDR Reset Common Units.  Following any such allocation, the transferor s Capital Account, if any, maintained with respect to the retained IDR Reset Common Units, if any, will have a balance equal to the amount allocated under clause (B) hereinabove, and the transferee s Capital Account established with respect to the transferred IDR Reset Common Units will have a balance equal to the amount allocated under clause (A) above.

(d)       (i)   Consistent with Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f) and 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(h)(2), on an issuance of additional Partnership Interests for cash or Contributed Property, the issuance of a Noncompensatory Option, the issuance of Partnership Interests as consideration for the provision of services, the issuance of IDR Reset Common Units pursuant to Section 5.8 , the conversion of the Combined Interest to Common Units pursuant to Section 11.3(b) , or the conversion of a Class A Preferred Unit in accordance with Section 5.9(b) , the Carrying Value of each Partnership property immediately prior to such issuance (or, in the case of a Preferred Conversion Date, immediately after such Preferred Conversion Date) shall be adjusted upward or downward to reflect any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to such Partnership property, as if such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss had been recognized on an actual sale of each such property for an amount equal to its fair market value immediately prior to such issuance; provided, however , that in the event of the issuance of a Partnership Interest pursuant to the exercise of a Noncompensatory Option where the right to share in Partnership capital represented by such Partnership Interest differs from the consideration paid to acquire and exercise such option, the Carrying Value of each Partnership property immediately after the issuance of such Partnership Interest shall be adjusted upward or downward to reflect any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to such Partnership property and the Capital Accounts of the Partners shall be adjusted in a manner consistent with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(s); provided, further , that in the event of an issuance of Partnership Interests for

- 36 -


 

              

a de minimis amount of cash or Contributed Property, in the event of an issuance of a Noncompensatory Option to acquire a de minimis Partnership Interest, or in the event of an issuance of a de minimis amount of Partnership Interests as consideration for the provision of services, the General Partner may determine that such adjustments are unnecessary for the proper administration of the Partnership. Any such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss (or items thereof) shall be allocated (A) if the operation of this sentence is triggered by the conversion of a Class A Preferred Unit, first among the Partners holding Common Units as may be necessary to cause the Capital Account attributable to each such Common Unit to be the same, and (B) any remaining Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss shall be allocated among the Partners pursuant to Section 6.1 in the same manner as any item of gain or loss actually recognized would have been allocated. If the Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss allocated as a result of the occurrence of a Preferred Conversion Date is not sufficient to cause the Capital Account attributable to each Common Unit to be the same, then Capital Account balances shall be reallocated between the Partners holding such Common Units so as to cause the Capital Account attributable to each such Common Unit to be the same, in accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(s)(3). In determining Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss in connection with the issuance of additional Partnership Interests or a Preferred Conversion Date, the aggregate cash amount and fair market value of all Partnership assets (including cash or cash equivalents) immediately prior to the issuance of additional Partnership Interests (or, in the case of a Revaluation Event resulting from the exercise of a Noncompensatory Option (including conversion of a Class A Preferred Unit), immediately after the issuance of the Partnership Interest acquired pursuant to the exercise of the Noncompensatory Option) shall be determined by the General Partner using such method of valuation as it may adopt. For this purpose, the General Partner may first determine an aggregate value for the assets of the Partnership that takes into account the current trading price of the Common Units, the fair market value of all other Partnership Interests at such time (on a fully converted basis), and the amount of Partnership liabilities, and, if before the Preferred Conversion Date of any Class A Preferred Units, may adjust the fair market value of all Partnership assets to reflect the difference, if any, between the fair market value of any Class A Preferred Units for which the Preferred Conversion Date has not occurred and the aggregate Capital Accounts attributable to such Class A Preferred Units to the extent of any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss that has not been reflected in the Partners’ Capital Accounts previously, consistent with the methodology of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(h)(2). The General Partner shall allocate such aggregate value among the individual properties of the Partnership (in such manner as it determines appropriate). Absent a contrary determination by the General Partner, the aggregate fair market value of all Partnership assets (including, without limitation, cash or cash equivalents) immediately prior to a Revaluation Event (including conversion of a Class A Preferred Unit) shall be the value that would result in the Capital Account for each Common Unit that is Outstanding prior to such Revaluation Event being equal to the Event Issue Value.

(i i )       In accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), immediately prior to any distribution to a Partner of any Partnership property (other than a distribution of cash that is not in redemption or retirement of a Partnership Interest), the Carrying Value of all Partnership property shall be adjusted upward or downward to reflect any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to such Partnership property, and any such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss shall be treated, for purposes of maintaining Capital Accounts, as if it had been recognized on an actual sale of each such property immediately prior to such distribution for an amount equal to its fair market value, and had

- 37 -


 

              

been allocated among the Partners, at such time, pursuant to Section 6.1(c) in the same manner as any item of gain, loss, Simulated Gain or Simulated Loss actually recognized following an event giving rise to the dissolution of the Partnership would have been allocated.  In determining such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss, the aggregate fair market value of all Partnership property (including cash or cash equivalents) immediately prior to a distribution shall (A) in the case of a   distribution other than a distribution made pursuant to Section 12.4 , be determined in the same manner as that provided in Section 5.3(d)(i) or (B) in the case of a liquidating distribution pursuant to Section 12.4 , be determined by the Liquidator using such method of valuation as it may adopt.

Section 5.4       Issuances of Additional Partnership Interests .

(a)       The Partnership may issue additional Partnership Interests and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to the Partnership Interests for any Partnership purpose at any time and from time to time to such Persons for such consideration and on such terms and conditions as the General Partner in its sole discretion shall determine, all without the approval of any Limited Partners.

(b)       Each additional Partnership Interest authorized to be issued by the Partnership pursuant to Section 5.4(a) may be issued in one or more classes, or one or more series of any such classes , with such designations, preferences, rights, powers and duties (which may be senior to existing classes and series of Partnership Interests), as shall be fixed by the General Partner, including (i) the right to share in Partnership profits and losses or items thereof; (ii) the right to share in Partnership distributions; (iii) the rights upon dissolution and liquidation of the Partnership; (iv) whether, and the terms and conditions upon which, the Partnership may or shall be required to redeem the Partnership Interest (including sinking fund provisions); (v) whether such Partnership Interest is issued with the privilege of conversion or exchange and, if so, the terms and conditions of such conversion or exchange; (vi) the terms and conditions upon which each Partnership Interest will be issued, evidenced by certificates and assigned or transferred; (vii) the method for determining the Percentage Interest as to such Partnership Interest; and (viii) the right, if any, of each such Partnership Interest to vote on Partnership matters, including matters relating to the relative rights, preferences and privileges of such Partnership Interest.

(c)       The General Partner shall take all actions that it determines in its sole discretion to be necessary or appropriate in connection with (i) each issuance of Partnership Interests and options , rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to Partnership Interests pursuant to this Section 5.4 , (ii) the conversion of the Combined Interest into Units pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, (iii) the issuance of Common Units pursuant to Section 5.8 , (iv) reflecting admission of such additional Limited Partners in the books and records of the Partnership as the Record Holders of such Limited Partner Interests and (v) all additional issuances of Partnership Interests.  The General Partner shall determine the relative rights, powers and duties of the holders of the Units or other Partnership Interests being so issued.  The General Partner shall do all things necessary to comply with the Delaware Act and is authorized and directed to do all things that it determines in its sole discretion to be necessary or appropriate in connection with any future issuance of Partnership Interests or in connection with the conversion of the Combined Interest into Units pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, including compliance with any statute, rule, regulation or guideline of any federal, state or other governmental agency or any National

- 38 -


 

              

Securities Exchange on which the Units or other Partnership Interests are listed or admitted to trading.

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

Section 5.5       Limited Preemptive Right Except as otherwise provided in a separate agreement by the Partnership, no Person shall have any preemptive, preferential or other similar right with respect to the issuance of any Partnership Interest, whether unissued, held in the treasury or hereafter created.

Section 5.6       Splits and Combinations .

(a)       Subject to Section 5.6(d) , the Partnership may make a Pro Rata distribution of Partnership Interests to all Record Holders or may effect a subdivision or combination of Partnership Interests so long as, after any such event, each Partner shall have the same Percentage Interest in the Partnership as before such event, and any amounts calculated on a per Unit basis or stated as a number of Units are proportionately adjusted retroactive to the beginning of the Partnership.

(b)       Whenever such a distribution, subdivision or combination of Partnership Interests is declared, the General Partner shall select a Record Date as of which the distribution, subdivision or combination shall be effective and shall send notice thereof at least 20 days prior to such Record Date to each Record Holder as of a date not less than 10 days prior to the date of such notice.  The General Partner also may cause a firm of independent public accountants selected by it to calculate the number of Partnership Interests to be held by each Record Holder after giving effect to such distribution, subdivision or combination.  The General Partner shall be entitled to rely on any certificate provided by such firm as conclusive evidence of the accuracy of such calculation.

(c)       Promptly following any such distribution, subdivision or combination, the Partnership may issue Certificates or uncertificated Partnership Interests to the Record Holders of Partnership Interests as of the applicable Record Date representing the new number of Partnership Interests held by such Record Holders, or the General Partner may adopt such other procedures that it determines to be necessary or appropriate to reflect such changes.  If any such combination results in a smaller total number of Partnership Interests Outstanding, the Partnership shall require, as a condition to the delivery to a Record Holder of such new Certificate, the surrender of any Certificate held by such Record Holder immediately prior to such Record Date.

(d)       The Partnership shall not issue fractional Units upon any distribution, subdivision or combination of Units.  If a distribution, subdivision or combination of Units would result in the issuance of fractional Units but for the provisions of Section 5.4(d) and this Section 5.6(d) , each fractional Unit shall be rounded to the nearest whole Unit (with fractional Units equal to or greater than 0.5 Unit rounded to the next higher Unit).

Section 5.7       Fully Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Limited Partner Interests .  All Limited Partner Interests issued pursuant to, and in accordance with the requirements of, this Article V shall be fully paid and non-assessable Limited Partner Interests in the Partnership, except as such non-assessability may be affected by Section 17-607 or 17-804 of the Delaware Act.

- 39 -


 

              

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

(a)       Subject to the provisions of this Section 5.8 , the holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights (or, if there is more than one holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights, the holders of a majority in interest of the Incentive Distribution Rights) shall have the right, at any time when the Partnership has made a distribution pursuant to Section 6.4(f) for each of the four most recently completed Quarters, to make an election (the IDR Reset Election ) to cause the Target Distributions to be reset in accordance with the provisions of Section 5.8(e) and, in connection therewith, the holder or holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights will become entitled to receive their respective proportionate share of a number of Common Units (the IDR Reset Common Units ) derived by dividing (i) the amount of cash distributions made by the Partnership in respect of the Incentive Distribution Rights for the two full Quarters immediately preceding the giving of the Reset Notice (as defined in Section 5.8(b) ) by (ii) the average of the cash distributions made by the Partnership in respect of each Common Unit during each of the two full Quarters immediately preceding the giving of the Reset Notice (the Reset MQD ) (the number of Common Units determined by such quotient is referred to herein as the Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units ).  If at the time of any IDR Reset Election the General Partner and its Affiliates are not the holders of a majority in interest of the Incentive Distribution Rights, then the IDR Reset Election shall be subject to the prior written concurrence of the General Partner that the conditions described in the immediately preceding sentence have been satisfied.  The making of the IDR Reset Election in the manner specified in Section 5.8(b) shall cause the Target Distributions to be reset in accordance with the provisions of Section 5.8(e) and, in connection therewith, the holder or holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights will become entitled to receive Common Units on the basis specified above, without any further approval required by the General Partner or the Unitholders, at the time specified in Section 5.8(c) unless the IDR Reset Election is rescinded pursuant to Section 5.8(d) .

(b)       To exercise the right specified in Section 5.8(a) , the holder of the Incentive   Distribution Rights (or, if there is more than one holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights, the holders of a majority in interest of the Incentive Distribution Rights) shall deliver a written notice (the Reset Notice ) to the Partnership.  Within 10 Business Days after the receipt by the Partnership of such Reset Notice, the Partnership shall deliver a written notice to the holder or holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights of the Partnership s determination of the aggregate number of Common Units that each holder of Incentive Distribution Rights will be entitled to receive.

(c)       The holder or holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights will be entitled to receive the Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units on the 15th Business Day after receipt by the Partnership of the Reset Notice; provided, however, that the issuance of Common Units to the holder or holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights shall not occur prior to the approval of the listing or admission for trading of such Common Units by the principal National Securities Exchange upon which the Common Units are then listed or admitted for trading if any such approval is required pursuant to the rules and regulations of such National Securities Exchange.

(d)       If the principal National Securities Exchange upon which the Common Units are then traded has not approved the listing or admission for trading of the Common Units to be issued

- 40 -


 

              

pursuant to this Section 5.8 on or before the 30th calendar day following the Partnership s receipt of the Reset Notice and such approval is required by the rules and regulations of such National Securities Exchange, then the holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights (or, if there is more than one holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights, the holders of a majority in interest of the Incentive Distribution Rights) shall have the right to either rescind the IDR Reset Election or elect to receive other Partnership Interests having such terms as the General Partner may approve, with the approval of the Conflicts Committee, that will provide (i) the same economic value, in the aggregate, as the Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units would have had at the time of the Partnership s receipt of the Reset Notice, as determined by the General Partner, and (ii) for the subsequent conversion (on terms acceptable to the National Securities Exchange upon which the Common Units are then traded) of such Partnership Interests into Common Units within not more than 12 months following the Partnership s receipt of the Reset Notice upon the satisfaction of one or more conditions that are reasonably acceptable to the holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights (or, if there is more than one holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights, the holders of a majority in interest of the Incentive Distribution Rights).

(e)       The Target Distributions shall be adjusted at the time of the issuance of Common Units or other Partnership Interests pursuant to this Section 5.8 such that (i) the Minimum Quarterly Distribution shall be reset to be equal to the Reset MQD, (ii) the First Target Distribution shall be reset to equal 115% of the Reset MQD, (iii) the Second Target Distribution shall be reset to equal 125% of the Reset MQD and (iv) the Third Target Distribution shall be reset to equal 175% of the Reset MQD.

(f)       Upon the issuance of IDR Reset Common Units pursuant to Section 5.8(a) (or other Partnership Interests as described in Section 5.8(d) ), the Capital Account maintained with respect to the Incentive Distribution Rights shall (A)  first , be allocated to IDR Reset Common Units (or other Partnership Interests) in an amount equal to the product of (x) the Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units (or other Partnership Interests) and (y) the Per Unit Capital Amount for an Initial Common Unit, and (B)  second , any remaining balance in such Capital Account will be retained by the holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights.  In the event that there is not a sufficient Capital Account associated with the Incentive Distribution Rights to allocate the full Per Unit Capital Amount for an Initial Common Unit to the IDR Reset Common Units in accordance with clause (A) of this Section 5.8(f) , the IDR Reset Common Units shall be subject to   Section 6.1(d)(x)(A) and   Section 6.1(d)(x)(B) .

Section 5.9       Establishment of Class A Preferred Units .

(a)       General . The General Partner hereby designates and creates a series of Units, including any PIK Units issued pursuant to Section 5.9(c) , to be designated as “Class A Preferred Units,” having the same rights and preferences, and subject to the same duties and obligations as the Common Units, except as set forth in this Section 5.9 .

(b)       Conversion of Class A Preferred Units .  

(i)       Each Class A Preferred Unit, unless previously converted, shall automatically convert on the Mandatory Conversion Date into a number of Common Units equal to the Liquidation Preference divided by the Conversion Price (the “ Conversion Rate ”), subject

- 41 -


 

              

to adjustment pursuant to Section 5.9(b)(xii) ;   provided, however , that if a Class A Preferred Holder together with its Affiliates and Associates would beneficially own Common Units after such Mandatory Conversion Date that exceeds 19.99% of the Outstanding Common Units after the conversion of all Class A Preferred Units in accordance with this Section 5.9(b)(i) , then the provisions of this Section 5.9(b)(i) shall apply, with respect to such Class A Preferred Holder, only to such Class A Preferred Units that would result, upon such conversion, in such Class A Preferred Holder together with its Affiliates and Associates beneficially owning 19.99% of the Outstanding Common Units after the conversion of all Class A Preferred Units in accordance with this Section 5.9(b)(i) , and the remaining Class A Preferred Units held by such Class A Preferred Holder shall remain Outstanding.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, a Class A Preferred Holder shall not be entitled, with or without the consent of the Partnership, to waive the limitation on conversion of the Class A Preferred Units set forth in this Section 5.9(b)(i) on less than sixty-one (61) days prior written notice to the Partnership.

(ii)       Each of the holders of Class A Preferred Units (including a PIK Unit) shall have the right, from and after March 31, 2016 at the option of such holder, to request conversion in whole or in part of its Class A Preferred Units into a number of Common Units equal to the Conversion Rate, subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 5.9(b)(xii) ; provided, however , that if a Class A Preferred Holder together with its Affiliates and Associates would beneficially own Common Units after such Class A Holder Optional Conversion Date that exceeds 19.99% of the Outstanding Common Units after the conversion of all Class A Preferred Units in accordance with this Section 5.9(b)(ii) , then the provisions of this Section 5.9(b)(ii) shall apply, with respect to such Class A Preferred Holder, only to such Class A Preferred Units that would result, upon such conversion, in such Class A Preferred Holder together with its Affiliates and Associates beneficially owning 19.99% of the Outstanding Common Units after the conversion of all Class A Preferred Units in accordance with this Section 5.9(b)(ii) , and the remaining Class A Preferred Units held by such Class A Preferred Holder shall remain Outstanding.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, a Class A Preferred Holder shall not be entitled, with or without the consent of the Partnership, to waive the limitation on conversion of the Class A Preferred Units set forth in this Section 5.9(b)(ii) on less than sixty-one (61) days prior written notice to the Partnership.  To convert Class A Preferred Units into Common Units pursuant to this Section 5.9(b)(ii) , the Class A Preferred Holder shall give written notice (a “ Class A Conversion Notice ”) to the Partnership stating that such holder elects to so convert Class A Preferred Units into Common Units and shall state therein with respect to Class A Preferred Units to be converted pursuant to Section 5.9(b)(ii) :  (a) the number of Class A Preferred Units (including PIK Units) to be converted, (b) the name or names in which such holder wishes the certificate or certificates for Common Units to be issued, (c) the holder’s computation of the number of Common Units to be received by the holder (or designated recipients) upon the Conversion Date and (d) the Conversion Rate on the Class A Holder Optional Conversion Date. The date of any Class A Conversion Notice shall be hereinafter be referred to as a “ Class A Holder Optional Conversion Date .”

(iii)       The Partnership shall have the right to cause all, but not less than all, of the Class A Preferred Units to convert into Common Units at the Conversion Rate at any time

- 42 -


 

              

beginning March 31, 2016, subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 5.9(b)(xii) ;   provided, however , that if a Class A Preferred Holder together with its Affiliates and Associates would beneficially own Common Units after such Partnership Optional Conversion Date that exceeds 19.99% of the Outstanding Common Units after the conversion of all Class A Preferred Units in accordance with this Section 5.9(b)(iii) , then the provisions of this Section 5.9(b)(iii) shall apply, with respect to such Class A Preferred Holder, only to such Class A Preferred Units that would result, upon such conversion, in such Class A Preferred Holder together with its Affiliates and Associates beneficially owning 19.99% of the Outstanding Common Units after the conversion of all Class A Preferred Units in accordance with this Section 5.9(b)(iii) , and the remaining Class A Preferred Units held by such Class A Preferred Holder shall remain Outstanding.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, a Class A Preferred Holder shall not be entitled, with or without the consent of the Partnership, to waive the limitation on conversion of the Class A Preferred Units set forth in this Section 5.9(b)(iii) on less than sixty-one (61) days prior written notice to the Partnership.

(iv)       Immediately prior to the conversion of the Class A Preferred Units on the Preferred Conversion Date, the Partnership shall issue to each Class A Preferred Holder (A) with respect to any PIK Units issuable for the immediately preceding Quarter pursuant to Section 5.9(c)(i) but not Outstanding on the Preferred Conversion Date, a number of PIK Units as determined in accordance with Section 5.9(c)(i) (provided that the Record Date with respect to such distribution shall be the Preferred Conversion Date) and (B) with respect to the period from the beginning of the Quarter in which the Preferred Conversion Date occurs through the Conversion Date, a number of PIK Units equal to (y) the product obtained by multiplying (1) the number of Class A Preferred Units held by such Class A Preferred Holder on the Preferred Conversion Date by (2) the Class A Preferred Distribution Rate, and multiplying such result by (z) a quotient obtained by dividing (1) the sum of (I) the number of days from the beginning of the Quarter in which the Preferred Conversion Date occurs through and including the Preferred Conversion Date, plus (II) if the Preferred Conversion Date is a Mandatory Conversion Date pursuant to clause (a)(ii) of the definition thereof, twenty (20) days, by (2) the total number of days in the Quarter in which the Preferred Conversion Date occurs; provided, however , that if prior to the Preferred Conversion Date, a Record Date for a distribution on the Common Units has been announced (which Record Date is after the Preferred Conversion Date) (i) for the applicable Quarter set forth in clause (A) above, then the Class A Preferred Distribution Rate used in clauses (A) and (B) shall be reduced by a percentage equal to the amount of such distribution on the Common Units divided by $20.00 or (ii) for the applicable Quarter set forth in clause (B) above, then the Class A Preferred Distribution Rate used in clause (B) shall be reduced by a percentage equal to the amount of such distribution on the Common Units divided by $20.00.

(v)       In order to exercise the right to convert Class A Preferred Units prior to the Mandatory Conversion Date, the Partnership must:

(A)       deliver to the Class A Preferred Holders a “Notice of Partnership Optional Conversion” (attached as Exhibit B to this Agreement)

- 43 -


 

              

not later than 30 days prior to the Partnership Optional Conversion Date; and

(B)       pay all transfer or similar taxes, if any, required under Section 5.9(b)(vi) .  

The date specified in the Notice of Partnership Optional Conversion is the “ Partnership Optional Conversion Date .”

(vi)       The Partnership shall pay any documentary, stamp or similar issue or transfer taxes that may be payable in respect of any issuance or delivery of Common Units upon conversion of Class A Preferred Units, other than the transfer taxes payable upon the issuance of Common Units upon conversion of Class A Preferred Units in a name or names other than that of the Class A Preferred Holder, which shall be paid by the converting Class A Preferred Holder.

(vii)       Effective immediately prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the applicable Preferred Conversion Date, distributions on the converted Class A Preferred Units shall cease to accrue and the converted Class A Preferred Units shall cease to be outstanding, in each case subject to the right of Class A Preferred Holders of such converted Class A Preferred Units to receive the consideration issuable upon conversion which they are entitled to pursuant to this Section 5.9(b) and the PIK Units that may be issued pursuant to Section 5.9(b)(xiii) or Section 5.9(b)(xiv) .  

(viii)       As of 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the applicable Preferred Conversion Date, the issuance by the Partnership of Common Units upon conversion of Class A Preferred Units shall become effective and the Person entitled to receive such Common Units shall be treated for all purposes as the record holder or holders of such Common Units. Prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the applicable Preferred Conversion Date, the Common Units issuable upon conversion shall be deemed not outstanding for any purpose, and Holders of Class A Preferred Units shall have no rights with respect to the Common Units issuable upon conversion by virtue of holding Class A Preferred Units.

(ix)       In connection with the conversion of any Class A Preferred Units, no fractional Common Units shall be issued to the converting Class A Preferred Holders. In lieu of any fractional Common Units issuable to a Class A Preferred Holder upon conversion, the Partnership shall pay or deliver, as applicable, to the converting Class A Preferred Holder, at its option, either (i) a number of Common Units rounded up to the next whole number of units, or (ii) an amount in cash (computed to the nearest cent) equal to the product of the fractional Common Unit and the Closing Price of Common Units on the Trading Day immediately preceding the applicable Preferred Conversion Date.

(x)       If more than one Class A Preferred Unit shall be surrendered for conversion at one time by or for the same Class A Preferred Holder, the number of Common Units issuable upon conversion of those Class A Preferred Units shall be computed on the basis of the aggregate number of Class A Preferred Units so surrendered.

- 44 -


 

              

(xi)       With respect to any conversion of Preferred Units,

(1)       promptly following the applicable Preferred Conversion Date, the Partnership shall instruct the Transfer Agent to deliver or cause to be delivered to the converting Class A Preferred Holder confirmation by book-entry of the whole number of Common Units issued upon conversion of such Class A Preferred Units; and

(2)       on the Business Day immediately following the applicable Preferred Conversion Date, the Partnership shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the converting Class A Preferred Holder any cash payment for any fractional units that the Partnership is obligated to pay under Section 5.9(b)(ix) .  

(xii)       If the Partnership (1) makes a distribution on its Common Units in Common Units, (2) subdivides or splits its outstanding Common Units into a greater number of Common Units, (3) combines or reclassifies its Common Units into a smaller number of Common Units or (4) issues by reclassification of its Common Units any Partnership Interest (including any reclassification in connection with a merger, consolidation or business combination in which the Partnership is the surviving Person), then the Class A Preferred Unit Price in effect at the time of the Record Date for such distribution or the effective date of such subdivision, split, combination or reclassification shall be proportionately adjusted so that the conversion of the Class A Preferred Units after such time shall entitle the holder to receive the aggregate number of Common Units (or shares of any Partnership Interest into which such shares of Common Units would have been combined, consolidated, merged or reclassified pursuant to clauses (3) and (4) above) that such holder would have been entitled to receive if the Class A Preferred Units had been converted into Common Units immediately prior to such Record Date or effective date, as the case may be, and in the case of a merger, consolidation or business combination in which the Partnership is the surviving Person, the Partnership shall provide effective provisions to ensure that the provisions in this Section 5.9 relating to the Class A Preferred Units shall not be abridged or amended and that the Class A Preferred Units shall thereafter retain the same powers, preferences and relative participating, optional and other special rights, and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereon, that the Class A Preferred Units had immediately prior to such transaction or event.  An adjustment made pursuant to this Section 5.9(b)(xii) shall become effective immediately after the Record Date in the case of a distribution and shall become effective immediately after the effective date in the case of a subdivision, combination, reclassification (including any reclassification in connection with a merger, consolidation or business combination in which the Partnership is the surviving Person) or split.  Such adjustment shall be made successively whenever any event described above shall occur.

(xiii)       If Class A Preferred Units are converted into Common Units on the Mandatory Conversion Date pursuant to clause (a)(ii) of the definition thereof and a Qualified Public Offering is not consummated within twenty (20) days after the Mandatory Conversion Date, then each Person who held Class A Preferred Units on such Mandatory Conversion Date shall be entitled to receive, until the next Preferred Conversion Date, the

- 45 -


 

              

distributions set forth in Section 5.9(c) on the terms set forth therein as though such Person held Class A Preferred Units (and PIK Units) on each Record Date in the same number as such Person held Class A Preferred Units (and PIK Units) on such Mandatory Conversion Date immediately before the conversion thereof into Common Units plus the PIK Units issued pursuant to this Section 5.9(b)(xiii) ;   provided, however , that the Class A Preferred Distribution Rate for the Quarter in which such Mandatory Conversion Date occurs shall be equal to an amount obtained by multiplying (A) the applicable Class A Preferred Distribution Rate for such Quarter by (B) a quotient obtained by dividing (1) the number of days from such Mandatory Conversion Date through and including the last day of such Quarter, minus twenty (20) days, by (2) the total number of days in such Quarter.   Any PIK Units issued as a result of this Section 5.9(b)(xiii) shall be subject to the mandatory conversion provisions set forth in Section 5.9(b)(i) .  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, if Class A Preferred Units are converted into Common Units on the Mandatory Conversion Date pursuant to clause (a)(ii) of the definition thereof and a Qualified Public Offering is not consummated within twenty (20) days after the Mandatory Conversion Date, then each Person who held Class A Preferred Units on such Mandatory Conversion Date shall have all the rights of a Class A Preferred Holder under the Partnership Agreement with respect to such Common Units.   

(xiv)       If Class A Preferred Units are converted into Common Units on the Mandatory Conversion Date pursuant to clause (a)(ii) of the definition thereof and the price to the public in the Qualified Public Offering giving rise to such conversion is less than the Class A Preferred Unit Price, then each Person who held Class A Preferred Units on such Mandatory Conversion Date shall receive a number of PIK Units on the closing date of such Qualified Public Offering equal to (A) (1) the Liquidation Preference divided by such price to the public, minus (2) the Conversion Rate used in calculating the number of Common Units on such Mandatory Conversion Date, multiplied by (B) the number of Class A Preferred Units held on such Mandatory Conversion Date (including PIK Units issued pursuant to Section 5.9(b)(iv) ).  Each PIK Unit issued pursuant to this Section 5.9(b)(xiv) shall convert on the closing date of such Qualified Public Offering into one Common Unit; provided, however , that if a Class A Preferred Holder together with its Affiliates and Associates would beneficially own Common Units after such conversion that exceeds 19.99% of the Outstanding Common Units after the conversion of all PIK Units in accordance with this Section 5.9(b)(xiv) , then the provisions of this Section 5.9(b)(xiv) shall apply, with respect to such Class A Preferred Holder, only to such PIK Units that would result, upon such conversion, in such Class A Preferred Holder together with its Affiliates and Associates beneficially owning 19.99% of the Outstanding Common Units after the conversion of all PIK Units in accordance with this Section 5.9(b)(xiv) , and the remaining PIK Units held by such Class A Preferred Holder shall remain Outstanding; provided, further , that, with respect to any PIK Units remaining Outstanding pursuant to the immediately preceding proviso, the Class A Preferred Distribution Rate for the Quarter in which the issuance thereof occurs shall be equal to an amount obtained by multiplying (A) the applicable Class A Preferred Distribution Rate for such Quarter by (B) a quotient obtained by dividing (1) the number of days from the date of issuance thereof through and including the last day of such Quarter, by (2) the total number of days in such Quarter; provided, moreover , that notwithstanding anything in this Section 5.9(b) to the contrary, the Conversion Rate applicable to the PIK Units issued pursuant to this Section 5.9(b)(xiv)  

- 46 -


 

              

and all PIK Units issued as distributions thereon shall be one Common Unit for one PIK Unit.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, a Class A Preferred Holder shall not be entitled, with or without the consent of the Partnership, to waive the limitation on conversion of the PIK Units set forth in this Section 5.9(b)(xiv) on less than sixty-one (61) days prior written notice to the Partnership.

(c)       Distributions .  

(i)       Commencing with the Quarter ending on June 30, 2015 through the Preferred Conversion Date, the holders of the Class A Preferred Units as of an applicable Record Date shall be entitled to receive distributions (each, a “ Class A Preferred Quarterly Distribution ”), prior to any other distributions made in respect of any other Partnership Interests pursuant to Section 6.3 ,   Section 6.4 or Section 6.5 , in an amount equal to the Class A Preferred Distribution Rate on all Outstanding Class A Preferred Units. Distributions shall be paid on or about the last day of each of February, May, August and November following the end of each Quarter commencing with the Quarter ending June 30, 2015.  Each Record Date established pursuant to this Section 5.9(c)(i) for a Class A Preferred Quarterly Distribution in respect of any Quarter shall be the same Record Date established for any distribution to be made by the Company in respect of other Company Securities pursuant to Section 6.3 ,   Section 6.4 or Section 6.5 for such Quarter.  For the Quarter ending June 30, 2015, through and including the Quarter ending June 30, 2016, Class A Preferred Quarterly Distributions shall be paid in PIK Units.  For the Quarters ending from and after September 30, 2016, the Class A Preferred Quarterly Distributions may be paid in cash, in PIK Units or in a combination thereof, as determined by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion, but shall be paid in PIK Units absent an affirmative determination otherwise by the Board of Directors.  The number of PIK Units to be issued to a Class A Preferred Holder on account of its Class A Preferred Units in connection with any Class A Preferred Quarterly Distribution paid in PIK Units (commencing with the Quarter ending June 30, 2015) shall be determined by multiplying the Class A Preferred Distribution Rate by the number of Class A Preferred Units held by such Class A Preferred Holder .  Cash will be paid in lieu of any fractional PIK Units, with the value of the fractional PIK Unit determined by reference to the Class A Preferred Unit Price applicable to the Class A Preferred Units on which such PIK Units were issued.  Unless otherwise expressly provided, references in this Agreement to Class A Preferred Units shall include all PIK Units Outstanding as of the date of such determination.  If, in violation of this Agreement, the Partnership fails to pay in full any in-kind Class A Preferred Quarterly Distribution when due, then the holders entitled to the unpaid PIK Units shall be entitled to Class A Preferred Quarterly Distributions in subsequent Quarters, and to all other rights under this Agreement, as if such unpaid PIK Units had in fact been distributed on the date due.  Nothing in this clause (i) shall alter the obligation of the Partnership to pay any unpaid PIK Units or the right of Class A Preferred Holders to enforce this Agreement to compel the Partnership to distribute any unpaid PIK Units.

(ii)       When any PIK Units are payable to a Class A Preferred Holder pursuant to this Section 5.9 , the Partnership shall make a notation in book-entry form in the books of the Transfer Agent, or, at the request of a Class A Preferred Holder, issue to such Class A Preferred Holder a Certificate or Certificates for the number of PIK Units to which such

- 47 -


 

              

Class A Preferred Holder shall be entitled, and all such PIK Units shall, when so issued, be duly authorized, validly issued fully paid and non-assessable Limited Partner Interests in the Partnership, except as such non-assessability may be affected by Section 17-607 or 17-804 of the Delaware Act, and shall be free from preemptive rights and free of any lien, claim, rights or encumbrances, other than those arising under the Delaware Act or this Agreement.

(iii)       For purposes of maintaining Capital Accounts, if the Partnership issues one or more PIK Units with respect to a Class A Preferred Unit, (i) the Partnership shall be treated as distributing cash with respect to such Class A Preferred Unit in an amount equal to the Class A Preferred Unit Distribution Rate attributable to such PIK Units, and (ii) the holder of such Class A Preferred Unit shall be treated as having contributed to the Partnership in exchange for such newly issued PIK Units an amount of cash equal to the Class A Preferred Unit Distribution Rate attributable to such PIK Units less the amount of any cash distributed by the Partnership in lieu of fractional PIK Units.

(iv)       Accrued and unpaid distributions in respect of the Class A Preferred Units will not constitute an obligation of the Partnership.

(d)       Voting Rights . Except as provided in Section 5.9(f) or as a result of requirements imposed by the Delaware Act, the Class A Preferred Units shall have no voting rights.

(e)       Certificates .  

(i)       If requested by a Class A Preferred Holder, the Class A Preferred Units shall be evidenced by Certificates in such form as the Board of Directors may approve and, subject to the satisfaction of any applicable legal, regulatory and contractual requirements, may be assigned or transferred in a manner identical to the assignment and transfer of other Units. The Certificates evidencing Class A Preferred Units shall be separately identified and shall not bear the same CUSIP number as the Certificates evidencing Common Units.

(ii)       The Certificate(s) representing the Class A Preferred Units may be imprinted with a legend in substantially the following form:

“THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THESE SECURITIES MAY NOT BE SOLD, OFFERED FOR SALE, PLEDGED, HYPOTHECATED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED IN THE ABSENCE OF A REGISTRATION STATEMENT IN EFFECT WITH RESPECT TO THE SECURITIES UNDER SUCH ACT OR PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION THEREUNDER AND, IN THE CASE OF A TRANSACTION EXEMPT FROM REGISTRATION, UNLESS SOLD PURSUANT TO RULE 144 UNDER SUCH ACT OR THE ISSUER HAS RECEIVED DOCUMENTATION REASONABLY SATISFACTORY TO IT THAT SUCH TRANSACTION DOES NOT REQUIRE REGISTRATION UNDER SUCH ACT. THIS SECURITY IS

- 48 -


 

              

SUBJECT TO CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER SET FORTH IN (i) THE AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF THE PARTNERSHIP, DATED AS MARCH 6, 2015, AS AMENDED, AND (ii) A CLASS A PREFERRED UNIT PURCHASE AGREEMENT, BY AND BETWEEN THE PARTNERSHIP AND THE UNIT PURCHASERS PARTY THERETO, IN EACH CASE, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE PARTNERSHIP AT ITS PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES.”

(iii)       In connection with a sale of Class A Preferred Units pursuant to an effective registration statement or in reliance on Rule 144 of the rules and regulations promulgated under the Securities Act, upon receipt by the Partnership of such information as the Partnership reasonably deems necessary to determine that the sale of the Class A Preferred Units is made in compliance with Rule 144, the Partnership shall remove or cause to be removed the restrictive legend from the Certificate(s) representing such Class A Preferred Units (or the book-entry account maintained by the Transfer Agent), and the Partnership shall bear all costs associated therewith.

(f)       Amendments .  This Section 5.9 shall not be amended in any manner that would adversely affect a Class A Preferred Holder without the prior written consent of such Class A Preferred Holder.

A RTICLE VI
ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

Section 6.1       Allocations for Capital Account Purposes .  For purposes of maintaining the Capital Accounts and in determining the rights of the Partners among themselves, the Partnership s items of income, gain, loss, deduction, Simulated Depletion, Simulated Gain and Simulated Loss (computed in accordance with Section 5.3(b) ) for each taxable period shall be allocated among the Partners as provided herein below.

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

(i)       First ,   to the General Partner until the Net Income allocated to the General Partner pursuant to this Section 6.1(a)(i) for the current and all previous taxable periods is equal to the aggregate of the Net Loss allocated to the General Partner pursuant to Section 6.1(b)(iii) for all previous taxable periods;

(ii)       Second , to the Class A Preferred Holders in proportion to the amounts to be allocated to each of them under this Section 6.1(a)(ii) until the Net Income allocated to such holders of Class A Preferred Units pursuant to this Section 6.1(a)(ii) for the current and all previous taxable periods is equal to the aggregate of the Net Loss allocated to the Class A Preferred Holders pursuant to Section 6.1(b)(ii) for all previous taxable periods; and

- 49 -


 

              

(iii)       The balance , if any, 100% to the Unitholders, Pro Rata (determined without regard to any Class A Preferred Units then held by them).

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

(i)       First ,   to the Unitholders (other than Class A Preferred Holders), Pro Rata (determined without regard to any Class A Preferred Units then held by them); provided , that Net Loss shall not be allocated pursuant to this Section 6.1(b)(i) to the extent that such allocation would cause any such Unitholder to have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account at the end of such taxable period (or increase any existing deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account) as such Adjusted Capital Account would be determined without regard to any Class A Preferred Units then held by such Unitholder;

(ii)       Second , to the Class A Preferred Holders pro rata in accordance with the number of Class A Preferred Units held by them; provided , that the Net Loss shall not be allocated pursuant to this Section 6.1(b)(ii) to the extent that such allocation would cause any such Class A Preferred Holder to have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account at the end of such taxable period (or increase any existing deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account); and

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

(c)       Net Termination Gains and Losses.  After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 6.1(d) and Section 6.1(e) , Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss (including a pro rata part of each item of income, gain, loss, deduction and Simulated Gain taken into account in computing Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for each taxable period shall be allocated in the manner set forth in this Section 6.1(c) . All allocations under this Section 6.1(c) shall be made after Capital Account balances have been adjusted by all other allocations provided under this Section 6.1 and after all distributions of cash and cash equivalents provided under Section 5.9 ,   Section 6.3 ,   Section 6.4 and Section 6.5 have been made; provided, however , that solely for purposes of this Section 6.1(c), Capital Accounts shall not be adjusted for distributions made pursuant to Section 12.4 .

(i)       Subject to the provisions set forth in the last sentence of this Section 6.1(c)(i) , Net Termination Gain (including a pro rata part of each item of income, gain, loss, and deduction taken into account in computing Net Termination Gain) shall be allocated:

(A)       First ,   to the General Partner until the Net Termination Gain allocated to the General Partner pursuant to this Section 6.1(c)(i)(A) for the current and all previous taxable periods is equal to the aggregate of the Net Termination Loss allocated to the General Partner pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(ii)(C) for all previous taxable periods;

(B)       Second ,   to the Class A Preferred Holders in proportion to the amounts to be allocated to each of them under this Section 6.1(c)(i)(B) until the Net

- 50 -


 

              

Termination Gain allocated to such Class A Preferred Holders pursuant to this Section 6.1(c)(i)(B) for the current and all previous taxable periods is equal to the aggregate of the Net Loss allocated to the Class A Preferred Holders pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(ii)(B) for all previous taxable periods;

(C)       Third ,   to all Unitholders, Pro Rata (determined without regard to any Class A Preferred Units then held by them), until the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding is equal to the sum of (1) its Unrecovered Initial Unit Price, (2) the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for the Quarter during which the Liquidation Date occurs, reduced by any distribution pursuant to Section 6.4(c) with respect to such Common Unit for such Quarter, and (3) the excess of (aa) the First Target Distribution less the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for each Quarter after the Closing Date or the date of the most recent IDR Reset Election, if any, over (bb) the cumulative per Unit amount of any distributions of cash or cash equivalents that are deemed to be Operating Surplus made pursuant to Section 6.4(c)   for such period (the sum of (1), (2), and (3)  is hereinafter referred to as the “ First Liquidation Target Amount ”);

(D)       Fourth ,   13% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and 87% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata (determined without regard to any Class A Preferred Units then held by them), until the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding is equal to the sum of (1) the First Liquidation Target Amount, and (2) the excess of (aa) the Second Target Distribution less the First Target Distribution for each Quarter after the Closing Date or the date of the most recent IDR Reset Election, if any, over (bb) the cumulative per Unit amount of any distributions of cash or cash equivalents that are deemed to be Operating Surplus made pursuant to Section 6.4(d)   for such period (the sum of (1) and (2) is hereinafter referred to as the “ Second Liquidation Target Amount ”);

(E)       Fifth , 23% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and 77% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata (determined without regard to any Class A Preferred Units then held by them), until the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding is equal to the sum of (1) the Second Liquidation Target Amount, and (2) the excess of (aa) the Third Target Distribution less the Second Target Distribution for each Quarter after the Closing Date or the date of the most recent IDR Reset Election, if any, over (bb) the cumulative per Unit amount of any distributions of cash or cash equivalents that are deemed to be Operating Surplus made pursuant to Section 6.4(e) for such period (the sum of (1) and (2) is hereinafter defined as the “ Third Liquidation Target Amount ”); and

(F)       Finally , 35.5% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and 64.5% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata (determined without regard to any Class A Preferred Units then held by them).

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions in this Section 6.1(c)(i) , the General Partner may adjust the amount of any Net Termination Gain arising in connection with a Revaluation Event that is allocated to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights in a manner that will result (i) in the

- 51 -


 

              

Capital Account for each Common Unit that is Outstanding prior to such Revaluation Event being equal to the Event Issue Value and (ii) to the greatest extent possible, the Capital Account with respect to the Incentive Distribution Rights that are Outstanding prior to such Revaluation Event being equal to the amount of Net Termination Gain that would be allocated to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights pursuant to this Section 6.1(c)(i) ) if the Capital Accounts with respect to all Partnership Interests that were Outstanding immediately prior to such Revaluation Event and the Carrying Value of each Partnership property were equal to zero .

(ii)       Net Termination Loss shall be allocated:

(A)       First ,   to all Unitholders, Pro Rata (determined without regard to any Class A Preferred Units then held by them) until the Adjusted Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding has been reduced to zero;

(B)       Second ,   to the Class A Preferred Holders, pro rata in accordance with the number of Class A Preferred Units held by them until the Adjusted Capital Account in respect of each Class A Preferred Unit then Outstanding has been reduced to zero;

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

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

(i)       Partnership Minimum Gain Chargeback .  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1 , if there is a net decrease in Partnership Minimum Gain during any Partnership taxable period, each Partner shall be allocated items of Partnership income, gain and Simulated Gain for such period (and, if necessary, subsequent periods) in the manner and amounts provided in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(f)(6), 1.704-2(g)(2) and 1.704-2(j)(2)(i), or any successor provision.  For purposes of this Section 6.1(d) , each Partner s Adjusted Capital Account balance shall be determined, and the allocation of income, gain and Simulated Gain required hereunder shall be effected, prior to the application of any other allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(d) with respect to such taxable period (other than an allocation pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(vi) and Section 6.1(d)(vii) ).  This Section 6.1(d)(i) is intended to comply with the Partnership Minimum Gain chargeback requirement in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(f) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(ii)       Chargeback of Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain .  Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section 6.1 (other than Section 6.1(d)(i) ), except as provided in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(4), if there is a net decrease in Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain during any Partnership taxable period, any Partner with a share of Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain at the beginning of such taxable period shall be allocated items of Partnership income, gain and Simulated Gain for such period (and, if necessary, subsequent periods) in the manner and amounts provided in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(i)(4) and 1.704-2(j)(2)(ii), or any successor provisions.  For purposes of this Section 6.1(d) , each Partner s Adjusted Capital Account balance shall be

- 52 -


 

              

determined, and the allocation of income, gain or Simulated Gain required hereunder shall be effected, prior to the application of any other allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(d) , other than Section 6.1(d)(i) and other than an allocation pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(vi) and Section 6.1(d)(vii) , with respect to such taxable period.  This Section 6.1(d)(ii) is intended to comply with the chargeback of items of income and gain requirement in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(4) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(iii)       Priority Allocations .

(A)       If the amount of cash or the Net Agreed Value of any property distributed (except cash or property distributed pursuant to Section 12.4 ) with respect to a Unit for a taxable period exceeds the amount of cash or the Net Agreed Value of property distributed with respect to another Unit within the same taxable period (the amount of the excess, an Excess Distribution and the Unit with respect to which the greater distribution is paid, an Excess Distribution Unit ), then there shall be allocated gross income and gain to each Unitholder receiving an Excess Distribution with respect to the Excess Distribution Unit until the aggregate amount of such items allocated with respect to such Excess Distribution Unit pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(iii)(A) for the current taxable period and all previous taxable periods is equal to the amount of the Excess Distribution ;   provided, however , that this Section 6.1(d)(iii)(A)   shall not apply to any Excess Distribution in respect to or measured by a distribution to a Class A Preferred Unit.

(B)       After the application of Section 6.1(d)(iii)(A) , the remaining items of Partnership gross income or gain for the taxable period, if any, shall be allocated to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, until the aggregate amount of such items allocated to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(iii)(B) for the current taxable period and all previous taxable periods is equal to the cumulative amount of all Incentive Distributions made to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights from the Closing Date to a date 45 days after the end of the current taxable period.

(iv)       Qualified Income Offset .  In the event any Partner unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations or distributions described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5), or 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6), items of Partnership gross income and gain shall be specially allocated to such Partner in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate, to the extent required by the Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 704(b) of the Code, the deficit balance, if any, in its Adjusted Capital Account created by such adjustments, allocations or distributions as quickly as possible; provided , that an allocation pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(iv) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account after all other allocations provided for in this Section 6.1 have been tentatively made as if this Section 6.1(d)(iv) were not in this Agreement.

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

- 53 -


 

              

amount such Partner is deemed obligated to restore pursuant to Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(g) and 1.704-2(i)(5), such Partner shall be specially allocated items of Partnership gross income, gain and Simulated Gain in the amount of such excess as quickly as possible; provided , that an allocation pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(v) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would have a deficit balance in its Capital Account after all other allocations provided for in this Section 6.1 have been tentatively made as if Section 6.1(d)(iv) and this Section 6.1(d)(v) were not in this Agreement.

(vi)       Nonrecourse Deductions .  Nonrecourse Deductions for any taxable period shall be allocated to the Partners Pro Rata.  If the General Partner determines that the Partnership s Nonrecourse Deductions should be allocated in a different ratio to satisfy the safe harbor requirements of the Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 704(b) of the Code, the General Partner is authorized to revise the prescribed ratio to the numerically closest ratio that does satisfy such requirements.

(vii)       Partner Nonrecourse Deductions .  Partner Nonrecourse Deductions for any taxable period shall be allocated 100% to the Partner that bears the Economic Risk of Loss with respect to the Partner Nonrecourse Debt to which such Partner Nonrecourse Deductions are attributable in accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i).  If more than one Partner bears the Economic Risk of Loss with respect to a Partner Nonrecourse Debt, the Partner Nonrecourse Deductions attributable thereto shall be allocated between or among such Partners in accordance with the ratios in which they share such Economic Risk of Loss.

(viii)       Nonrecourse Liabilities .  For purposes of Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-3(a)(3), the Partners agree that Nonrecourse Liabilities of the Partnership in excess of the sum of (A) the amount of Partnership Minimum Gain and (B) the total amount of Nonrecourse Built-in Gain shall be allocated as determined by the General Partner in accordance with any permissible method under Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-3(a)(3) .

(ix)       Code Section 754 Adjustments .  To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Partnership asset pursuant to Section 734(b) or 743(b) of the Code (including pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.734-2(b)(1)) is required, pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts as a result of a distribution to a Partner in complete liquidation of such Partner s interest in the Partnership, the amount of such adjustment to the Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain or Simulated Gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the asset) or loss or Simulated Loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis) taken into account pursuant to Section 5.3 , and such item of gain, loss, Simulated Gain or Simulated Loss shall be specially allocated to the Partners in a manner consistent with the manner in which their Capital Accounts are required to be adjusted pursuant to such Section of the Treasury Regulations.

(x)       Economic Uniformity; Changes in Law .

(A)       With respect to an event triggering an adjustment to the Carrying Value of Partnership property pursuant to Section 5.3(d) during any taxable period

- 54 -


 

              

of the Partnership ending upon, or after, the issuance of IDR Reset Common Units pursuant to Section 5.8 , any Unrealized Gains and Unrealized Losses shall be allocated among the Partners in a manner that to the nearest extent possible results in the Capital Accounts maintained with respect to such IDR Reset Common Units issued pursuant to Section 5.8 equaling the product of (1) the Aggregate Quantity of IDR Reset Common Units and (2) the Per Unit Capital Amount for an Initial Common Unit.

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

(C)       For the proper administration of the Partnership and for the preservation of uniformity of the Limited Partner Interests (or any class or classes thereof), the General Partner shall (i) adopt such conventions as it deems appropriate in determining the amount of depreciation, amortization and cost recovery deductions; (ii) make special allocations of income, gain, loss, deduction, Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss; and (iii) amend the provisions of this Agreement as appropriate (x) to reflect the proposal or promulgation of Treasury Regulations under Section 704(b) or Section 704(c) of the Code or (y) otherwise to preserve or achieve uniformity of the Limited Partner Interests (or any class or classes thereof).  The General Partner may adopt such conventions, make such allocations and make such amendments to this Agreement as provided in this Section 6.1(d)(x)(C) only if such conventions, allocations or amendments would not have a material adverse effect on the Partners, the holders of any class or classes of Outstanding Limited Partner Interests or the Partnership.

(xi)       Curative Allocation .

(A)       Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1 , other than the Required Allocations, the Required Allocations shall be taken into account in making the Agreed Allocations so that, to the extent possible, the net amount of items of gross income, gain, loss, deduction, Simulated Depletion, Simulated Gain and Simulated Loss allocated to each Partner pursuant to the Required Allocations and the Agreed Allocations, together, shall be equal to the net amount of such items that would have been allocated to each such Partner under the Agreed Allocations had the Required Allocations and the related Curative Allocation not otherwise been provided in this Section 6.1 and Simulated Depletion and Simulated Loss had been included in the definition of Net Income, Net Loss, Net Termination Gain and Net Termination Loss.  In exercising its discretion under this Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A) , the General Partner may take into account future Required Allocations that, although not yet made, are likely to offset other Required Allocations previously

- 55 -


 

              

made.  Allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A) shall only be made with respect to Required Allocations to the extent the General Partner determines that such allocations will otherwise be inconsistent with the economic agreement among the Partners.

(B)       The General Partner shall, with respect to each taxable period, (1) apply the provisions of Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A) in whatever order is most likely to minimize the economic distortions that might otherwise result from the Required Allocations, and (2) divide all allocations pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A) among the Partners in a manner that is likely to minimize such economic distortions.

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

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

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

(B)       If a sale or other taxable disposition of an Adjusted Property   ( Disposed of Adjusted Property ) occurs other than in connection with an event giving rise to Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss, the General Partner shall allocate (1) items of gross income and gain (aa) away from the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights and (bb) to the Unitholders, or (2) items of deduction and loss (aa) away from the Unitholders and (bb) to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights, to the extent that the Additional Book Basis Derivative Items with respect to the Disposed of Adjusted Property (determined in accordance with the last sentence of the definition of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items) treated as having been allocated to the Unitholders pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(xiii)(B) exceed their Share of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items with respect to such Disposed of Adjusted Property.  For purposes of this Section 6.1(d)(xiii)(B) , the Unitholders shall be treated as having been allocated Additional Book Basis Derivative Items to the extent that such Additional Book Basis Derivative Items have reduced the amount of income that would otherwise have

- 56 -


 

              

been allocated to the Unitholders under the Partnership Agreement.  Any allocation made pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(xiii)(B) shall be made after all of the other Agreed Allocations have been made as if this Section 6.1(d)(xiii) were not in this Agreement and, to the extent necessary, shall require the reallocation of items that have been allocated pursuant to such other Agreed Allocations .

(C)       Net Termination Loss in an amount equal to the lesser of (1) such Net Termination Loss and (2) the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments shall be allocated in such a manner, as determined by the General Partner, that to the extent possible, the Capital Account balances of the Partners will equal the amount they would have been had no prior Book-Up Events occurred, and any remaining Net Termination Loss shall be allocated pursuant to Section 6.1(c) hereof.  In allocating Net Termination Loss pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(xiii)(C) , the General Partner shall attempt, to the extent possible, to cause the Capital Accounts of the Unitholders, on the one hand, and holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, on the other hand, to equal the amount they would equal if (i) the Carrying Values of the Partnership s property had not been previously adjusted in connection with any prior Book-Up Events, (ii) Unrealized Gain and Unrealized Loss (or, in the case of a liquidation, actual gain or loss) with respect to such Partnership Property were determined with respect to such unadjusted Carrying Values, and (iii) any resulting Net Termination Gain had been allocated pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(i) (including, for the avoidance of doubt, taking into account the provisions set forth in the last sentence of Section 6.1(c)(i) ) .

(D)       In making the allocations required under this Section 6.1(d)(xiii) , the General Partner may apply whatever conventions or other methodology it determines will satisfy the purpose of this Section 6.1(d)(xiii) .  Without limiting the foregoing, if an Adjusted Property is contributed by the Partnership to another entity classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes (the lower tier partnership ), the General Partner may make allocations similar to those described in Section 6.1(d)(xiii)(A)   through Section 6.1(d)(xiii)(C)   to the extent the General Partner determines such allocations are necessary to account for the Partnership s allocable share of income, gain, loss and deduction of the lower tier partnership that relate to the contributed Adjusted Property in a manner that is consistent with the purpose of this Section 6.1(d)(xiii) .

(xiv)       Allocations with respect to Class A Preferred Units .

(A)       Items of Partnership gross income shall be allocated to the Class A Preferred Holders in amounts equal to the amount of cash actually distributed in respect of each such holder’s Class A Preferred Units, until the aggregate amount of such items allocated pursuant hereto for the current taxable period and all previous taxable periods is equal to the cumulative amount of all cash distributions made to the Class A Preferred Holders pursuant to Section 5.9(c)(i)   (and, for the avoidance of doubt, without taking into account the cash distribution treated as made to the Class A Preferred Holders pursuant to Section 5.9(c)(iii) ). Unless

- 57 -


 

              

otherwise required by applicable law, the Partnership agrees that it will not treat a distribution with respect to the Class A Preferred Units as a guaranteed payment.

(B)       Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1 (other than the Required Allocations), if (A) the Liquidation Date occurs prior to the conversion of the last Outstanding Class A Preferred Unit and (B) after having made all other allocations provided for in this Section 6.1 for the taxable period in which the Liquidation Date occurs, the Per Unit Capital Amount of each Class A Preferred Unit does not equal or exceed the Liquidation Preference, then items of income, gain, loss and deduction for such taxable period shall be allocated among the Partners in a manner determined appropriate by the General Partner so as to cause, to the maximum extent possible, the Per Unit Capital Amount in respect of each Class A Preferred Unit to equal the Liquidation Preference. For the avoidance of doubt, the reallocation of items set forth in the immediately preceding sentence provides that, to the extent necessary to achieve the Per Unit Capital Amount balances described above, items of income and gain that would otherwise be included in Net Income or Net Loss, as the case may be, for the taxable period in which the Liquidation Date occurs, shall be reallocated from the Unitholders holding Units other than Class A Preferred Units to Unitholders holding Class A Preferred Units. In the event that (i) the Liquidation Date occurs on or before the date (not including any extension of time) prescribed by law for the filing of the Partnership’s federal income tax return for the taxable period immediately prior to the taxable period in which the Liquidation Date occurs and (ii) the reallocation of items for the taxable period in which the Liquidation Date occurs as set forth above in this Section 6.1(d)(xiv)(B) fails to achieve the Per Unit Capital Amounts described above, items of income, gain, loss and deduction that would otherwise be included in the Net Income or Net Loss, as the case may be, for such prior taxable period shall be reallocated among all Partners in a manner that will, to the maximum extent possible and after taking into account all other allocations made pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(xiv)(B) , cause the Per Unit Capital Amount in respect of each Class A Preferred Unit to equal the Liquidation Preference.

(e)       Simulated Depletion and Simulated Loss .

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

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

Section 6.2       Allocations for Tax Purposes .

(a)       Except as otherwise provided herein, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, each item of income, gain, loss and deduction shall be allocated among the Partners in the same manner

- 58 -


 

              

as its correlative item of book income, gain, loss or deduction is allocated pursuant to Section 6.1 .

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

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

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

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

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

(d)       In an attempt to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities attributable to a Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, other than oil and gas properties pursuant to Section 6.2(c) , items of income, gain, loss, depreciation, amortization and cost recovery deductions shall be allocated for U.S. federal income tax purposes among the Partners in the manner provided under Section 704(c) of the Code, and the Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 704(b) and

- 59 -


 

              

704(c) of the Code, as determined appropriate by the General Partner (taking into account the General Partner s discretion under Section 6.1(d)(x)(C) ); provided , that the General Partner shall apply the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-3(d) in all events.

(e)       The General Partner may determine to depreciate or amortize the portion of an adjustment under Section 743(b) of the Code attributable to unrealized appreciation in any Adjusted Property (to the extent of the unamortized Book-Tax Disparity) using a predetermined rate derived from the depreciation or amortization method and useful life applied to the unamortized Book-Tax Disparity of such property, despite any inconsistency of such approach with Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-l(a)(6) or any successor regulations thereto.  If the General Partner determines that such reporting position cannot reasonably be taken, the General Partner may adopt depreciation and amortization conventions under which all purchasers acquiring Limited Partner Interests in the same month would receive depreciation and amortization deductions, based upon the same applicable rate as if they had purchased a direct interest in the Partnership s property.  If the General Partner chooses not to utilize such aggregate method, the General Partner may use any other depreciation and amortization conventions to preserve the uniformity of the intrinsic tax characteristics of any Limited Partner Interests, so long as such conventions would not have a material adverse effect on the Limited Partners or the Record Holders of any class or classes of Limited Partner Interests.

(f)       In accordance with Treasury Regulation Sections 1.1245-1(e) and 1.1250-1(f), any gain allocated to the Partners upon the sale or other taxable disposition of any Partnership asset shall, to the extent possible, after taking into account other required allocations of gain pursuant to this Section 6.2 , be characterized as Recapture Income in the same proportions and to the same extent as such Partners (or their predecessors in interest) have been allocated any deductions directly or indirectly giving rise to the treatment of such gains as Recapture Income.

(g)       All items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit recognized by the Partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and allocated to the Partners in accordance with the provisions hereof shall be determined without regard to any election under Section 754 of the Code that may be made by the Partnership; provided, however, that such allocations, once made, shall be adjusted (in the manner determined by the General Partner) to take into account those adjustments permitted or required by Sections 734 and 743 of the Code.

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

- 60 -


 

              

(i)       Allocations that would otherwise be made to a Limited Partner under the provisions of this Article VI shall instead be made to the beneficial owner of Limited Partner Interests held by a nominee in any case in which the nominee has furnished the identity of such owner to the Partnership in accordance with Section 6031(c) of the Code or any other method determined by the General Partner.

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

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

(a)       On or about the last day of each of February, May, August and November following the end of each Quarter, beginning with the Quarter in which the Conversion Date occurs, an amount equal to 100% of Available Cash with respect to such Quarter shall be distributed in accordance with this Article VI by the Partnership to the Partners as of the Record Date selected by the General Partner.  All amounts of Available Cash distributed by the Partnership on any date from any source shall be deemed to be Operating Surplus until the sum of all amounts of cash and cash equivalents theretofore distributed by the Partnership to the Partners pursuant to Section 6.4 equals the Operating Surplus from the Closing Date through the close of the immediately preceding Quarter.  Any remaining amounts of cash and cash equivalents distributed by the Partnership on such date shall, except as otherwise provided in Section 6.5 , be deemed to be Capital Surplus . All distributions required to be made under this Agreement or otherwise made by the Partnership shall be made subject to Sections 17-607 and 17-804 of the Delaware Act.

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

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

(d)       Each distribution in respect of a Partnership Interest shall be paid by the Partnership, directly or through any Transfer Agent or through any other Person or agent, only to the Record Holder of such Partnership Interest as of the Record Date set for such distribution.  Such payment shall constitute full payment and satisfaction of the Partnership s liability in respect of such payment, regardless of any claim of any Person who may have an interest in such payment by reason of an assignment or otherwise.

Section 6.4       Distributions from Operating Surplus . Cash and cash equivalents that are deemed to be Operating Surplus pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.3 or Section 6.5 shall be distributed as follows, except as otherwise contemplated by Section 5.4(b) in respect of additional Partnership Interests issued pursuant thereto:

- 61 -


 

              

(a)       First , to the Unitholders holding Class A Preferred Units, Pro Rata, until there has been distributed in respect of each Class A Preferred Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the Class A Preferred Quarterly Distribution;

(b)       Second , to the Unitholders holding Common Units, Pro Rata, until there has been distributed in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such Quarter;

(c)       Third , to the Unitholders holding Common Units, Pro Rata, until there has been distributed in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the excess of the First Target Distribution over the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such Quarter;

(d)       Fourth , (A) 13% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and (B) 87% to all Unitholders holding Common Units, Pro Rata, until there has been distributed in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the excess of the Second Target Distribution over the First Target Distribution for such Quarter;

(e)       Fifth , (A)  23% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and (B) 77% to all Unitholders holding Common Units, Pro Rata, until there has been distributed in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the excess of the Third Target Distribution over the Second Target Distribution for such Quarter; and

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

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

Section 6.5       Distributions from Capital Surplus Cash and cash equivalents that are distributed and deemed to be Capital Surplus pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.3(a) shall be distributed, unless the provisions of Section 6.3 require otherwise; (a) First , 100% to Unitholders holding Class A Preferred Units, Pro Rata, until there has been distributed in respect of each Class A Preferred Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the Class A Preferred Quarterly Distribution; (b) Second , 100% to Unitholders holding Common Units, Pro Rata, until the Minimum Quarterly Distribution has been reduced to zero pursuant to the second sentence of Section 6.6(a) ; and (c)  Thereafter , all cash and cash equivalents that are distributed shall be distributed as if they were Operating Surplus and shall be distributed in accordance with Section 6.4 .

Section 6.6       Adjustment of Target Distribution Levels .

(a)       The Target Distributions shall be proportionately adjusted in the event of any distribution, combination or subdivision (whether effected by a distribution payable in Units or otherwise) of Units or other Partnership Interests.  In the event of a distribution of cash or cash equivalents that is deemed to be from Capital Surplus, the then-applicable Target Distributions shall be reduced in the same proportion that the distribution had to the fair market value of the

- 62 -


 

              

Common Units immediately prior to the announcement of the distribution.  If the Common Units are publicly traded on a National Securities Exchange, the fair market value will be the Current Market Price before the ex-dividend date.  If the Common Units are not publicly traded, the fair market value will be determined by the Board of Directors.

(b)       The Target Distributions shall also be subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 5.8 and Section 6.8 .

Section 6.7       Special Provisions Relating to the Holders of IDR Reset Common Units .

(a)       A Unitholder shall not be permitted to transfer an IDR Reset Common Unit (other than a transfer to an Affiliate) if the remaining balance in the transferring Unitholder s Capital Account with respect to the retained IDR Reset Common Units would be negative after giving effect to the allocation under Section 5.3(c)(ii) .

(b)       A Unitholder holding an IDR Reset Common Unit shall not be permitted to transfer such Common Unit to a Person that is not an Affiliate of the holder until such time as the General Partner determines, based on advice of counsel, that upon transfer each such Common Unit should have, as a substantive matter, like intrinsic economic and U.S. federal income tax characteristics to the transferee, in all material respects, to the intrinsic economic and U.S. federal income tax characteristics of an Initial Common Unit to such transferee.  In connection with the condition imposed by this Section 6.7(b) , the General Partner may apply Section 5.3(c)(ii) ,   Section 6.1(d)(x) and Section 6.7(a) or, to the extent not resulting in a material adverse effect on the Unitholders holding Common Units, take whatever steps are required to provide economic uniformity to such Common Units in preparation for a transfer of such IDR Reset Common Units.

Section 6.8       Entity-Level Taxation .  If legislation is enacted or the official interpretation of existing legislation is modified by a governmental authority, which after giving effect to such enactment or modification, results in a Group Member becoming subject to federal, state or local or non-U.S. income or withholding taxes in excess of the amount of such taxes due from the Group Member prior to such enactment or modification (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any increase in the rate of such taxation applicable to the Group Member), then the General Partner may, in its sole discretion, reduce the Target Distributions by the amount of income or withholding taxes that are payable by reason of any such new legislation or interpretation (the Incremental Income Taxes ), or any portion thereof selected by the General Partner, in the manner provided in this Section 6.8 .  If the General Partner elects to reduce the Target Distributions for any Quarter with respect to all or a portion of any Incremental Income Taxes, the General Partner shall estimate for such Quarter the Partnership Group s aggregate liability (the Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount ) for all (or the relevant portion of) such Incremental Income Taxes; provided that any difference between such estimate and the actual liability for Incremental Income Taxes (or the relevant portion thereof) for such Quarter may, to the extent determined by the General Partner, be taken into account in determining the Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount with respect to each Quarter in which any such difference can be determined.  For each such Quarter, the Target Distributions, shall be the product obtained by multiplying (a) the amounts therefor that are set out herein prior to the application of this Section 6.8 times (b) the quotient obtained by dividing (i) cash and cash equivalents with respect to such Quarter by (ii) the sum of cash and cash equivalents with respect to such Quarter and the Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount for

- 63 -


 

              

such Quarter, as determined by the General Partner.  For purposes of the foregoing, cash and cash equivalents with respect to a Quarter will be deemed reduced by the Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount for that Quarter.

Section 6.9       Special Provisions Relating to the Class A Preferred Holders .

(a)       Except as otherwise provided herein, a Class A Preferred Holder shall have all of the rights and obligations of a Unitholder holding Common Units hereunder; provided ,   however , that immediately upon the conversion of any Class A Preferred Unit into Common Units pursuant to Section 5.9(b) , the Unitholder holding a Class A Preferred Unit that is converted shall possess all of the rights and obligations of a Unitholder holding Common Units hereunder, including the right to vote as a Common Unitholder and the right to participate in allocations of income, gain, loss and deduction and distributions made with respect to Common Units.

(b)       A Unitholder holding a Class A Preferred Unit that has converted into a Common Unit pursuant to Section 5.9(b) shall not be issued a Common Unit Certificate pursuant to Section 4.1 and shall not be permitted to transfer its converted Class A Preferred Units to a Person that is not an Affiliate of the holder until such time as the General Partner determines, based on advice of counsel, that upon transfer, each such converted Class A Preferred Unit should have intrinsic economic and U.S. federal income tax characteristics to the transferee, in all material respects, that are the same as the intrinsic economic and U.S. federal income tax characteristics that a Common Unit (other than a converted Class A Preferred Unit) would have to such transferee upon transfer, provided that in all events such determination shall be made within 5 Business Days of the date of conversion or receipt by the Partnership of the notice of transfer, as applicable. The General Partner shall act in good faith and shall make the determinations set forth in this Section 6.9(b) as soon as practicable following a Preferred Conversion Date or as earlier provided herein.

Article VII
MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS

Section 7.1       Management .

(a)       The General Partner shall conduct, direct and manage all activities of the Partnership.  Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, but without limitation on the ability of the General Partner to delegate its rights and powers to other Persons, all management powers over the business and affairs of the Partnership shall be exclusively vested in the General Partner, and no other Partner shall have any management power over the business and affairs of the Partnership.  In addition to the powers now or hereafter granted to a general partner of a limited partnership under applicable law or that are granted to the General Partner under any other provision of this Agreement, the General Partner, subject to Section 7.4 , shall have full power and authority to do all things and on such terms as it determines to be necessary or appropriate to conduct the business of the Partnership, to exercise all powers set forth in Section 2.5 and to effectuate the purposes set forth in Section 2.4 , including the following:

(i)       the making of any expenditures, the lending or borrowing of money, the assumption or guarantee of, or other contracting for, indebtedness and other liabilities, the

- 64 -


 

              

issuance of evidences of indebtedness, including indebtedness that is convertible or exchangeable into Partnership Interests, and the incurring of any other obligations;

(ii)       the making of tax, regulatory and other filings, or rendering of periodic or other reports to governmental or other agencies having jurisdiction over the business or assets of the Partnership;

(iii)       the acquisition, disposition, mortgage, pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation, grant of a security interest in or exchange of any or all of the assets of the Partnership or the merger or other combination of the Partnership with or into another Person (the matters described in this clause (iii) being subject, however, to any prior approval that may be required by Section 7.4 or Article XIV );

(iv)       the use of the assets of the Partnership (including cash on hand) for any purpose consistent with the terms of this Agreement, including the financing of the conduct of the operations of the Partnership Group; the lending of funds to other Persons (including other Group Members); the repayment or guarantee of obligations of any Group Member; and the making of capital contributions to any Group Member;

(v)       the negotiation, execution and performance of any contracts, conveyances or other instruments (including instruments that limit the liability of the Partnership under contractual arrangements to all or particular assets of the Partnership, with the other party to the contract to have no recourse against the General Partner or its assets other than its interest in the Partnership, even if the same results in the terms of the transaction being less favorable to the Partnership than would otherwise be the case);

(vi)       the distribution of cash or cash equivalents by the Partnership;

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

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

(ix)       the formation of, or acquisition of an interest in, and the contribution of property and the making of loans to, any further limited or general partnerships, joint ventures, corporations, limited liability companies or other Persons (including the acquisition of interests in, and the contributions of property to, any Group Member from time to time);

(x)       the control of any matters affecting the rights and obligations of the Partnership, including the bringing and defending of actions at law or in equity and otherwise engaging in the conduct of litigation, arbitration or mediation and the incurring of legal expense and the settlement of claims and litigation;

- 65 -


 

              

(xi)       the indemnification of any Person against liabilities and contingencies to the extent permitted by law;

(xii)       the entering into of listing agreements with any National Securities Exchange and the delisting of some or all of the Limited Partner Interests from, or requesting that trading be suspended on, any such exchange;

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

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

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

(b)       Each of the Partners and each other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest and each other Person who is otherwise bound by this Agreement hereby (i) approves, ratifies and confirms the execution, delivery and performance by the parties thereto of this Agreement, each Transaction Agreement and the other agreements described in or filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement (in the case of each agreement other than this Agreement, without giving effect to any amendments, supplements or restatements after the date hereof); (ii) agrees that the General Partner (on its own behalf or on behalf of the Partnership) is authorized to execute, deliver and perform or assume the agreements referred to in clause (i) of this sentence and the other agreements, acts, transactions and matters described in or contemplated by the Registration Statement on behalf of the Partnership without any further act, approval or vote of the Partners, the other Persons who acquire an interest in a Partnership Interest and the Persons who are otherwise bound by this Agreement; and (iii) agre es that the execution, delivery, performance or assumption by the General Partner, any Group Member or any Affiliate of any of them of this Agreement or any agreement authorized or permitted under this Agreement (including the exercise by the General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner of the rights accorded pursuant to Article XV ) shall not constitute a breach by the General Partner of any fiduciary or other duty existing at law, in equity or otherwise that the General Partner may owe the Partnership, the Limited Partners, the other Persons who acquire an interest in a Partnership Interest or the Persons who are otherwise bound by this Agreement.

Section 7.2       Replacement of Fiduciary Duties

(a)       Each Limited Partner and any other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or any other Person who is bound by this Agreement, hereby agrees that (i) all fiduciary duties that would or could otherwise be owed to such Persons or to the Partnership by the General Partner, any of its Affiliates or by any Indemnitee under the Delaware Act or any other applicable law are hereby eliminated and (ii) the only duties owed by the General Partner, any of its Affiliates or any Indemnitee to the Partnership, the Limited Partners, any other Person who acquires an interest in any Partnership Interest or any other Person who is bound by this Agreement shall be

- 66 -


 

              

the duties expressly provided under this Agreement and any duties provided under the Delaware Act or other applicable law that cannot be eliminated by agreement.

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

Section 7.3       Certificate of Limited Partnership .  The General Partner shall use all reasonable efforts to cause to be filed such certificates or documents that the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate for the formation, continuation, qualification and operation of a limited partnership (or a partnership in which the limited partners have limited liability) in the State of Delaware or any other state in which the Partnership may elect to do business or own property.  To the extent the General Partner determines such action to be necessary or appropriate, the General Partner shall file amendments to and restatements of the Certificate of Limited Partnership and do all things to maintain the Partnership as a limited partnership (or a partnership or other entity in which the limited partners have limited liability) under the laws of the State of Delaware or of any other state in which the Partnership may elect to do business or own property.  Subject to the terms of Section 3.4(a) , the General Partner shall not be required, before or after filing, to deliver or mail a copy of the Certificate of Limited Partnership, any qualification document or any amendment thereto to any Partner.

Section   7.4       Restrictions on the General Partner s Authority .  Except as provided in Article XII and Article XIV , the General Partner may not sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership Group, taken as a whole, in a single transaction or a series of related transactions without the approval of a Unit Majority; provided, however, that this provision shall not preclude or limit the General Partner s ability to mortgage, pledge, encumber, hypothecate or grant a security interest in all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership Group and shall not apply to any forced sale of any or all of the assets of the Partnership Group pursuant to the foreclosure of, or other realization upon, any such encumbrance.

Section 7.5       Reimbursement of the General Partner .

(a)       The General Partner and its Affiliates, without duplication, shall be reimbursed on a monthly basis, or such other basis as the General Partner may determine, for (i) all direct and indirect expenses it incurs or payments it makes on behalf of the Partnership Group (including salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to any Person (including Affiliates of the General Partner), to perform services for the Partnership Group or for the General Partner in the discharge of its duties to the Partnership Group, including the fees and expenses payable by the Partnership pursuant to the Transaction Agreements), and (ii) all other expenses allocable to

- 67 -


 

              

the Partnership Group or otherwise incurred by the General Partner in connection with operating the Partnership Group s business (including expenses allocated to the General Partner by its Affiliates).  The General Partner shall determine in good faith the expenses that are allocable to the General Partner or any member of the Partnership Group.  Reimbursements pursuant to this Section 7.5 shall be in addition to any reimbursement to the General Partner as a result of indemnification pursuant to Section 7.7 .  The General Partner and its Affiliates may charge any member of the Partnership Group a management fee to the extent necessary to allow the Partnership Group to reduce the amount of any state franchise or income tax or any tax based upon revenues or gross margin of any member of the Partnership Group if the tax benefit produced by the payment for such management fee exceeds the amount of such fee.

(b)       The General Partner, without the approval of the Limited Partners (who shall have no right to vote in respect thereof except and to the extent required under the rules of a National Securities Exchange to which the Partnership or its securities are subject), may propose and adopt on behalf of the Partnership benefit plans, programs and practices (including the LTIP and other plans, programs and practices involving the issuance of Partnership Interests), or cause the Partnership to issue Partnership Interests (or other awards under the LTIP) in connection with, or pursuant to, any benefit plan, program or practice maintained or sponsored by the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, in each case for the benefit of employees, officers, consultants and directors of the General Partner or its Affiliates, in respect of services performed, directly or indirectly, for the benefit of the Partnership Group.  The Partnership agrees to issue or sell to the General Partner or any of its Affiliates any Partnership Interests that the General Partner or such Affiliates are obligated to provide to any employees, officers, consultants and directors pursuant to any such benefit plans, programs or practices.  Expenses incurred by the General Partner in connection with any such plans, programs and practices (including the net cost to the General Partner or such Affiliates of Partnership Interests purchased by the General Partner or such Affiliates, from the Partnership or otherwise, to fulfill awards under such plans, programs and practices) shall be reimbursed in accordance with Section 7.5(a) .  Any and all obligations of the General Partner under any benefit plans, programs or practices adopted by the General Partner as permitted by this Section 7.5(b) shall constitute obligations of the General Partner hereunder and shall be assumed by any successor General Partner approved pursuant to Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 or the transferee of or successor to all of the General Partner s General Partner Interest pursuant to Section 4.6 .

Section 7.6       Outside Activities .

(a)       The General Partner, for so long as it is the General Partner of the Partnership (i) agrees that its sole business will be to act as a general partner or managing member, as the case may be, of the Partnership and any other partnership or limited liability company of which the Partnership is, directly or indirectly, a partner or member and to undertake activities that are ancillary or related thereto (including being a Limited Partner in the Partnership) and (ii) shall not engage in any business or activity or incur any debts or liabilities except in connection with or incidental to (A) its performance as general partner or managing member, if any, of one or more Group Members or as described in or contemplated by the Registration Statement, (B) the acquisition, ownership or disposition of debt securities or equity interests in any Group Member or (C) the guarantee of, and mortgage, pledge, or encumbrance of any or all of its assets in connection with, any indebtedness of any Group Member.

- 68 -


 

              

(b)       Each Unrestricted Person (other than the General Partner) shall have the right to engage in businesses of every type and description and other activities for profit and to engage in and possess an interest in other business ventures of any and every type or description, whether in businesses engaged in or anticipated to be engaged in by any Group Member, independently or with others, including business interests and activities in direct competition with the business and activities of any Group Member.  No such business interest or activity shall constitute a breach of this Agreement, any fiduciary or other duty existing at law, in equity or otherwise, or obligation of any type whatsoever to the Partnership or other Group Member, any Partner, any Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or any Person who is otherwise bound by this Agreement.

(c)       Subject to the terms of Section 7.6(a) and Section 7.6(b) , but otherwise notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, (i) the engaging in competitive activities by any Unrestricted Person (other than the General Partner) in accordance with the provisions of this Section 7.6 is hereby approved by the Partnership and all Partners, (ii) it shall be deemed not to be a breach of any fiduciary or any other duty existing at law, in equity or otherwise, or obligation of any type whatsoever of the General Partner or any other Unrestricted Person for the Unrestricted Persons (other than the General Partner) to engage in such business interests and activities in preference to or to the exclusion of the Partnership and (iii) the Unrestricted Persons shall have no obligation hereunder or as a result of any duty otherwise existing at law, in equity or otherwise, to present business opportunities to the Partnership.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any analogous doctrine, shall not apply to any Unrestricted Person (including the General Partner).  No Unrestricted Person (including the General Partner) who acquires knowledge of a potential transaction, agreement, arrangement or other matter that may be an opportunity for the Partnership, shall have any duty to communicate or offer such opportunity to any Group Member, and such Unrestricted Person (including the General Partner) shall not be liable to the Partnership or any other Group Member, any Partner, any Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or any other Person who is otherwise bound by this Agreement for breach of any fiduciary or other duty existing at law, in equity or otherwise, or obligation of any type whatsoever by reason of the fact that such Unrestricted Person (including the General Partner) pursues or acquires such opportunity for itself, directs such opportunity to another Person or does not communicate such opportunity information to any Group Member.

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

Section 7.7       Indemnification.

(a)       To the fullest extent permitted by law, all Indemnitees shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Partnership from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other amounts arising from any and all threatened pending or completed claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, and

- 69 -


 

              

whether formal or informal and including appeals, in which any Indemnitee may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of its status as an Indemnitee and acting (or refraining to act) in such capacity; provided, that the Indemnitee shall not be indemnified and held harmless pursuant to this Agreement if there has been a final and non-appealable judgment entered by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that, in respect of the matter for which the Indemnitee is seeking indemnification pursuant to this Agreement, the Indemnitee acted in bad faith or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee s conduct was unlawful.  Any indemnification pursuant to this Section 7.7 shall be made only out of the assets of the Partnership, it being agreed that the General Partner shall not be personally liable for such indemnification and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Partnership to enable it to effectuate such indemnification.

(b)       To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses (including legal fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnitee who is indemnified pursuant to Section 7.7(a) in appearing at, participating in or defending any claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding shall, from time to time, be advanced by the Partnership prior to a final and non-appealable judgment entered by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that, in respect of the matter for which the Indemnitee is seeking indemnification pursuant to this Section 7.7 , the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified upon receipt by the Partnership of any undertaking by or on behalf of the Indemnitee to repay such amount if it shall be ultimately determined that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified as authorized by this Section 7.7 .

(c)       The indemnification provided by this Section 7.7 shall be in addition to any other rights to which an Indemnitee may be entitled under any agreement, pursuant to any vote of the holders of Outstanding Limited Partner Interests, or as a matter of law, in equity or otherwise, both as to actions in the Indemnitee s capacity as an Indemnitee and as to actions in any other capacity, and shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to serve in such capacity and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, successors, assigns and administrators of the Indemnitee.

(d)       The Partnership may purchase and maintain (or reimburse the General Partner or its Affiliates for the cost of) insurance, on behalf of an Indemnitee and such other Persons as the General Partner shall determine, against any liability that may be asserted against, or expense that may be incurred by, such Indemnitee in connection with the Partnership s activities or such Indemnitee s activities on behalf of the Partnership, regardless of whether the Partnership would have the power to indemnify such Indemnitee against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement.

(e)       For purposes of this Section 7.7 , the Partnership shall be deemed to have requested an Indemnitee to serve as fiduciary of an employee benefit plan whenever the performance by it of its duties to the Partnership also imposes duties on, or otherwise involves services by, it to the plan or participants or beneficiaries of the plan; excise taxes assessed on an Indemnitee with respect to an employee benefit plan pursuant to applicable law shall constitute fines within the meaning of Section 7.7(a) ; and action taken or omitted by an Indemnitee with respect to any employee benefit plan in the performance of its duties for a purpose reasonably believed by it to be in the best interest of the participants and beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose that is in the best interests of the Partnership.

- 70 -


 

              

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

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

(h)       The provisions of this Section 7.7 are for the benefit of the Indemnitees and their heirs, successors, assigns, executors and administrators and shall not be deemed to create any rights for the benefit of any other Persons.

(i)       No amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 7.7 or any provision hereof shall in any manner terminate, reduce or impair the right of any past, present or future Indemnitee to be indemnified by the Partnership, nor the obligations of the Partnership to indemnify any such Indemnitee under and in accordance with the provisions of this Section 7.7 as in effect immediately prior to such amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part, prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or be asserted.

Section 7.8       Liability of Indemnitees .

(a)       Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, no Indemnitee shall be liable for monetary damages to the Partnership, the Partners or any other Persons who have acquired interests in a Partnership Interest or is otherwise bound by this Agreement, for losses sustained or liabilities incurred as a result of any act or omission of an Indemnitee unless there has been a final and non-appealable judgment entered by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that, in respect of the matter in question, the Indemnitee acted in bad faith or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee s conduct was criminal.  In the case where an Indemnitee is liable for damages, those damages shall only be direct damages and shall not include punitive damages, consequential damages or lost profits.

(b)       The General Partner may exercise any of the powers granted to it by this Agreement and perform any of the duties imposed upon it hereunder either directly or by or through its agents, and the General Partner shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any such agent appointed by the General Partner in good faith.

(c)       To the extent that, at law or in equity, an Indemnitee has duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating thereto to the Partnership, the Partners, any Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or is otherwise bound by this Agreement, the General Partner and any other Indemnitee acting in connection with the Partnership s business or affairs shall not be liable, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to the Partnership, the Partners, any Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or is otherwise bound by this Agreement, for its reliance on the provisions of this Agreement.

(d)       Any amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 7.8 or any provision hereof shall be prospective only and shall not in any way affect the limitations on the liability of the Indemnitees under this Section 7.8 as in effect immediately prior to such amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part,

- 71 -


 

              

prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or be asserted.

Section 7.9       Standards of Conduct and Modification of Duties .

(a)       Whenever the General Partner, the Board of Directors or any committee of the Board of Directors (including the Conflicts Committee), makes a determination or takes or declines to take any other action, or any Affiliates of the General Partner cause the General Partner to do so, in its capacity as the general partner of the Partnership as opposed to in its individual capacity , whether under this Agreement, any Group Member Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby or otherwise, then, unless another express standard is provided for in this Agreement, the General Partner, the Board of Directors, such committee or such Affiliates causing the General Partner to do so, shall make such determination or take or decline to take such other action in good faith and shall not be subject to any higher standard contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity.  A determination, other action or failure to act by the General Partner, the Board of Directors of the General Partner or any committee thereof (including the Conflicts Committee) will be deemed to be in good faith unless the General Partner, the Board of Directors of the General Partner or any committee thereof (including the Conflicts Committee) believed such determination, other action or failure to act was adverse to the interests of the Partnership ;   provided , that if the Board of Directors of the General Partner is making a determination or taking or declining to take an action pursuant to clause (iii) or clause (iv) of the first sentence of Section 7.9(c) , then in lieu thereof, such determination or other action or inaction will be deemed to be in good faith for all purposes of this Agreement unless the Board of Directors of the General Partner believed such determination, other action or inaction did not meet the standard set forth in clause (iii) or (iv) of the first sentence of Section 7.9(c) , as applicable; provided ,   further , that if the Board of Directors of the General Partner is making a determination that a director satisfies the eligibility requirements to be a member of a Conflicts Committee, then in lieu thereof, such determination will be deemed to be in good faith for all purposes of this Agreement unless the Board of Directors of the General Partner believed that the director did not satisfy the eligibility requirements to be a member of the Conflicts Committee .  In any proceeding brought by the Partnership, any Limited Partner, or any Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or any other Person who is bound by this Agreement challenging such action, determination or failure to act, the Person bringing or prosecuting such proceeding shall have the burden of proving that such determination, action or failure to act was not in good faith.

(b)       Whenever the General Partner makes a determination or takes or declines to take any other action, or any of its Affiliates causes it to do so, in its individual capacity as opposed to in its capacity as the general partner of the Partnership, whether under this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby or otherwise, then the General Partner, or such Affiliates causing it to do so, are entitled, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to make such determination or to take or decline to take such other action free of any duty ( fiduciary or other wise ) hereunder or existing at law, in equity or otherwise or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership, any Limited Partner, any other Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest or any other Person who otherwise is bound by this Agreement, and the General Partner, or such Affiliates causing it to do so, shall not, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be required to act in good faith or pursuant to any other standard imposed by this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby or

- 72 -


 

              

under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity.  By way of illustration and not of limitation, whenever the phrases, at the option of the General Partner,   in its sole discretion or some variation of those phrases, are used in this Agreement, it indicates that the General Partner is acting in its individual capacity.  For the avoidance of doubt, whenever the General Partner votes or transfers its Partnership Interests, or refrains from voting or transferring its Partnership Interests, it shall be acting in its individual capacity.

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

- 73 -


 

              

satisfies either of the standards set forth in clauses (iii) or (iv) above or whether a director satisfies the eligibility requirements to be a member of the Conflicts Committee, the Person bringing or prosecuting such proceeding shall have the burden of overcoming the presumption that the Conflicts Committee or the Board of Directors of the General Partner, as applicable, acted in good faith; in all cases subject to the provisions for conclusive determination in Section 7.10(b) .  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement or any duty otherwise existing at law or equity, the existence of the conflicts of interest described in the Registration Statement are hereby approved by all Partners and shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement or of any duty hereunder or existing at law, in equity or otherwise.

(d)       Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the General Partner and its Affiliates or any other Indemnitee shall have no duty or obligation, express or implied, to (i) sell or otherwise dispose of any asset of the Partnership Group other than in the ordinary course of business or (ii) permit any Group Member to use any facilities or assets of the General Partner and its Affiliates, except as may be provided in contracts entered into from time to time specifically dealing with such use.  Any determination by the General Partner or any of its Affiliates to enter into such contracts shall be in its sole discretion.

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

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

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

Section 7.10       Other Matters Concerning the General Partner and Indemnitees .

(a)       The General Partner, the Board of Directors (or any committee thereof) and any other Indemnitee may rely upon, and shall be protected from liability to the Partnership, any Partner, any Person who acquires an interest in a Partnership Interest, and any other Person bound by this Agreement in acting or refraining from acting upon, any resolution, certificate, statement,

- 74 -


 

              

instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, bond, debenture or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.

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

(c)       The General Partner shall have the right, in respect of any of its powers or obligations hereunder, to act through any of its duly authorized officers, a duly appointed attorney or attorneys-in-fact or the duly authorized officers of any Group Member.

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

Section 7.12       Registration Rights of the General Partner and its Affiliates.

(a)       If (i) the General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner (including for purposes of this Section 7.12 , any Person that is an Affiliate of the General Partner at the date hereof notwithstanding that it may later cease to be an Affiliate of the General Partner) holds Partnership Interests that it desires to sell and (ii) Rule 144 of the Securities Act (or any successor rule or regulation to Rule 144) or another exemption from registration is not available to enable such holder of Partnership Interests (the Holder ) to dispose of the number of Partnership

- 75 -


 

              

Interests it desires to sell at the time it desires to do so without registration under the Securities Act, then at the option and upon the request of the Holder, the Partnership shall file with the Commission as promptly as practicable after receiving such request, and use all commercially reasonable efforts to cause to become effective and remain effective for a period of not less than six months following its effective date or such shorter period as shall terminate when all Partnership Interests covered by such registration statement have been sold, a registration statement under the Securities Act registering the offering and sale of the number of Partnership Interests specified by the Holder; provided ,   however , that the Partnership shall not be required to effect more than three registrations pursuant to this Section 7.12(a) ;   provided, further , that if the General Partner determines that a postponement of the requested registration would be in the best interests of the Partnership and its Partners due to a pending transaction, investigation or other event, the filing of such registration statement or the effectiveness thereof may be deferred for up to six months, but not thereafter.  In connection with any registration pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence, the Partnership shall (i) promptly prepare and file (A) such documents as may be necessary to register or qualify the securities subject to such registration under the securities laws of such states as the Holder shall reasonably request; provided ,   however , that no such qualification shall be required in any jurisdiction where, as a result thereof, the Partnership would become subject to general service of process or to taxation or qualification to do business as a foreign corporation or partnership doing business in such jurisdiction solely as a result of such registration, and (B) such documents as may be necessary to apply for listing or to list the Partnership Interests subject to such registration on such National Securities Exchange as the Holder shall reasonably request, and (ii) do any and all other acts and things that may be necessary or appropriate to enable the Holder to consummate a public sale of such Partnership Interests in such states.  Except as set forth in Section 7.12(c) , all costs and expenses of any such registration and offering (other than the underwriting discounts and commissions) shall be paid by the Partnership, without reimbursement by the Holder.

(b)       If the Partnership shall at any time propose to file a registration statement under the Securities Act for an offering of Partnership Interests for cash (other than an offering relating solely to a benefit plan), the Partnership shall use all commercially reasonable efforts to include such number or amount of Partnership Interests held by any Holder in such registration statement as the Holder shall request; provided ,   however, that the Partnership is not required to make any effort or take any action to so include the Partnership Interests of the Holder once the registration statement becomes or is declared effective by the Commission, including any registration statement providing for the offering from time to time of Partnership Interests pursuant to Rule 415 of the Securities Act.  If the proposed offering pursuant to this Section 7.12(b) shall be an underwritten offering, then, in the event that the managing underwriter or managing underwriters of such offering advise the Partnership and the Holder that in their opinion the inclusion of all or some of the Holder s Partnership Interests would adversely and materially affect the timing or success of the offering, the Partnership shall include in such offering only that number or amount, if any, of Partnership Interests held by the Holder that, in the opinion of the managing underwriter or managing underwriters, will not so adversely and materially affect the offering.  Except as set forth in Section 7.12(c) , all costs and expenses of any such registration and offering (other than the underwriting discounts and commissions) shall be paid by the Partnership, without reimbursement by the Holder.  During the two-year period set forth in Section 7.12(d) , the Partnership shall not grant to any other Person registration rights similar to the rights set forth in this Section 7.12(b)  

- 76 -


 

              

that are superior to such rights without the consent of the General Partner (and any of its Affiliates) that holds rights pursuant to this Section 7.12(b) .

(c)       If underwriters are engaged in connection with any registration referred to in this Section 7.12 , the Partnership shall provide indemnification, representations, covenants, opinions and other assurance to the underwriters in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such underwriters.  Further, in addition to and not in limitation of the Partnership s obligation under Section 7.7 , the Partnership shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, indemnify and hold harmless the Holder, its officers, directors and each Person who controls the Holder (within the meaning of the Securities Act) and any agent thereof (collectively, Indemnified Persons ) from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, in which any Indemnified Person may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, under the Securities Act or otherwise (hereinafter referred to in this Section 7.12(c) as a claim and in the plural as claims ) based upon, arising out of or resulting from any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in any registration statement under which any Partnership Interests were registered under the Securities Act or any state securities or Blue Sky laws, in any preliminary prospectus (if used prior to the effective date of such registration statement), or in any summary or final prospectus or issuer free writing prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto (if used during the period the Partnership is required to keep the registration statement current), or arising out of, based upon or resulting from the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements made therein not misleading; provided, however, that the Partnership shall not be liable to any Indemnified Person to the extent that any such claim arises out of, is based upon or results from an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in such registration statement, such preliminary, summary or final prospectus or free writing prospectus or such amendment or supplement, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Partnership by or on behalf of such Indemnified Person specifically for use in the preparation thereof.

(d)       The provisions of Section 7.12(a) and Section 7.12(b) shall continue to be applicable with respect to the General Partner (and any of the General Partner s Affiliates) after it ceases to be a general partner of the Partnership, during a period of two years subsequent to the effective date of such cessation and for so long thereafter as is required for the Holder to sell all of the Partnership Interests with respect to which it has requested during such two-year period inclusion in a registration statement otherwise filed or that a registration statement be filed; provided, however, that the Partnership shall not be required to file after such two-year period successive registration statements covering the same Partnership Interests for which registration was demanded during such two-year period.  The provisions of Section 7.12(c) shall continue in effect thereafter.

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

- 77 -


 

              

assigned; and (ii) such transferee or assignee agrees in writing to be bound by and subject to the terms set forth in this Section 7.12 .

(f)       Any request to register Partnership Interests pursuant to this Section 7.12 shall (i) specify the Partnership Interests intended to be offered and sold by the Person making the request, (ii) express such Person s present intent to offer such Partnership Interests for distribution, (iii) describe the nature or method of the proposed offer and sale of Partnership Interests, and (iv) contain the undertaking of such Person to provide all such information and materials and take all action as may be required in order to permit the Partnership to comply with all applicable requirements in connection with the registration of such Partnership Interests.

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

Section 7.13       Relia nce by Third Parties .  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, any Person dealing with the Partnership shall be entitled to assume that the General Partner and any officer of the General Partner authorized by the General Partner to act on behalf of and in the name of the Partnership has full power and authority to encumber, sell or otherwise use in any manner any and all assets of the Partnership and to enter into any authorized contracts on behalf of the Partnership, and such Person shall be entitled to deal with the General Partner or any such officer as if it were the Partnership s sole party in interest, both legally and beneficially.  Each Limited Partner hereby waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any and all defenses or other remedies that may be available against such Person to contest, negate or disaffirm any action of the General Partner or any such officer in connection with any such dealing.  In no event shall any Person dealing with the General Partner or any such officer or its representatives be obligated to ascertain that the terms of this Agreement have been complied with or to inquire into the necessity or expedience of any act or action of the General Partner or any such officer or its representatives.  Each and every certificate, document or other instrument executed on behalf of the Partnership by the General Partner or its representatives shall be conclusive evidence in favor of any and every Person relying thereon or claiming thereunder that (a) at the time of the execution and delivery of such certificate, document or instrument, this Agreement was in full force and effect, (b) the Person executing and delivering such certificate, document or instrument was duly authorized and empowered to do so for and on behalf of the Partnership and (c) such certificate, document or instrument was duly executed and delivered in accordance with the terms and provisions of this Agreement and is binding upon the Partnership.

Article VIII
BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS

Section 8.1       Records and Accounting .  The General Partner shall keep or cause to be kept at the principal office of the Partnership appropriate books and records with respect to the Partnership s business, including all books and records necessary to provide to the Limited Partners any information required to be provided pursuant to Section 3.4(a) .  Any books and records maintained by or on behalf of the Partnership in the regular course of its business, including the record of the Record Holders of Units or other Partnership Interests, books of account and records of Partnership proceedings, may be kept on, or be in the form of, computer disks, hard drives, magnetic tape, photographs, micrographics or any other information storage device;

- 78 -


 

              

provided ,   that the books and records so maintained are convertible into clearly legible written form within a reasonable period of time.  The books of the Partnership shall be maintained, for financial reporting purposes, on an accrual basis in accordance with U.S. GAAP.  The Partnership shall not be required to keep books maintained on a cash basis and the General Partner shall be permitted to calculate cash-based measures, including Operating Surplus, by making such adjustments to its accrual basis books to account for non-cash items and other adjustments as the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate.

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

Section 8.3       Reports .

(a)       As soon as practicable, but in no event later than 105 days after the close of each fiscal year of the Partnership, the General Partner shall cause to be mailed or made available, by any reasonable means, to each Record Holder of a Unit or other Partnership Interest as of a date selected by the General Partner, an annual report containing financial statements of the Partnership for such fiscal year of the Partnership, presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, including a balance sheet and statements of operations, Partnership equity and cash flows, such statements to be audited by a firm of independent public accountants selected by the General Partner, and such other information as may be required by applicable law, regulation or rule of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed or admitted to trading, or as the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate.

(b)       As soon as practicable, but in no event later than 50 days after the close of each Quarter except the last Quarter of each fiscal year, the General Partner shall cause to be mailed or made available, by any reasonable means to each Record Holder of a Unit or other Partnership Interest, as of a date selected by the General Partner, a report containing unaudited financial statements of the Partnership and such other information as may be required by applicable law, regulation or rule of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed or admitted to trading, or as the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate.

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

A RTICLE IX
TAX MATTERS

Section 9.1       Tax Returns and Information .  The Partnership shall timely file all returns of the Partnership that are required for federal, state and local income tax purposes on the basis of the accrual method and the taxable period or year that it is required by law to adopt, from time to time, as determined by the General Partner.  In the event the Partnership is required to use a taxable period other than a year ending on December 31, the General Partner shall use reasonable efforts to change the taxable period of the Partnership to a year ending on December 31.  The tax

- 79 -


 

              

information reasonably required by Record Holders for federal, state and local income tax reporting purposes with respect to a taxable period shall be furnished to them within 90 days of the close of the calendar year in which the Partnership s taxable period ends; provided that, if the 90 th day is not a Business Day, then the 90 th day shall be deemed to be the next Business Day.  The classification, realization and recognition of income, gain, losses and deductions and other items shall be on the accrual method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Section 9.2       Tax Elections .

(a)       The Partnership shall make the election under Section 754 of the Code in accordance with applicable regulations thereunder, subject to the reservation of the right to seek to revoke any such election upon the General Partner s determination that such revocation is in the best interests of the Limited Partners.  Notwithstanding any other provision herein contained, for the purposes of computing the adjustments under Section 743(b) of the Code, the General Partner shall be authorized (but not required) to adopt a convention whereby the price paid by a transferee of a Limited Partner Interest will be deemed to be the lowest quoted closing price of the Limited Partner Interests on any National Securities Exchange on which such Limited Partner Interests are listed or admitted to trading during the calendar month in which such transfer is deemed to occur pursuant to Section 6.2(h) without regard to the actual price paid by such transferee.

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

Section 9.3       Tax Con troversies .  Subject to the provisions hereof, the General Partner is designated as the Tax Matters Partner (as defined in the Code) and is authorized and required to represent the Partnership (at the Partnership s expense) in connection with all examinations of the Partnership s affairs by tax authorities, including resulting administrative and judicial proceedings, and to expend Partnership funds for professional services and costs associated therewith.  Each Partner agrees to cooperate with the General Partner and to do or refrain from doing any or all things reasonably required by the General Partner to conduct such proceedings.

Section 9.4       Withholding; Tax Payments .

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

(b)       Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the General Partner is authorized to take any action that may be required to cause the Partnership and other Group Members to comply with any withholding requirements established under the Code or any other federal, state or local law including pursuant to Sections 1441, 1442, 1445 and 1446 of the Code.  To the extent that the Partnership is required or elects to withhold and pay over to any taxing authority any amount resulting from the allocation or distribution of income or from a distribution to any Partner (including by reason of Section 1446 of the Code), the General Partner may treat the amount withheld as a distribution of cash pursuant to Section 6.3 in the amount of such withholding from such Partner.

- 80 -


 

              

Article X
ADMISSION OF PARTNERS

Section 10.1       Admission of Limited Partners .

(a)       A Person shall be admitted as a Limited Partner and shall become bound by the terms of this Agreement if such Person purchases or otherwise lawfully acquires any Limited Partner Interest and becomes the Record Holder of such Limited Partner Interests in accordance with the provisions of Article IV or Article V hereof.  A Person may become a Record Holder of a Unit without the consent or approval of any of the Partners.  A Person may not become a Limited Partner without acquiring a Limited Partner Interest and until such Person is reflected in the books and records of the Partnership as the Record Holder of such Limited Partner Interest.  The rights and obligations of a Person who is an Ineligible Holder shall be determined in accordance with Section 4.8 .  Upon the conversion of Predecessor Units and Converted Units   into Common Units on the Conversion Date as described in Article V ,   the holders thereof will be automatically admitted to the Partnership as Limited Partners in respect of the Common Units issued to them.

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

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

Section 10.2       Admission of Succ essor General Partner .  A successor General Partner approved pursuant to Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 or the transferee of or successor to all of the General Partner Interest pursuant to Section 4.6 who is proposed to be admitted as a successor General Partner shall be admitted to the Partnership as the General Partner, effective immediately prior to the withdrawal or removal of the predecessor or transferring General Partner, pursuant to Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 or the transfer of the General Partner Interest pursuant to Section 4.6 ,   provided, however , that no such successor shall be admitted to the Partnership until compliance with the terms of Section 4.6 has occurred and such successor has executed and delivered such other documents or instruments as may be required to effect such admission.  Any such successor shall, subject to the terms hereof, carry on the business of the members of the Partnership Group without dissolution.

Section 10.3       Amendm ent of Agreement and Certificate of Limited Partnership .  To effect the admission to the Partnership of any Partner, the General Partner shall take all steps necessary or appropriate under the Delaware Act to amend the records of the Partnership to reflect such admission and, if necessary, to prepare as soon as practicable an amendment to this Agreement and, if required by law, the General Partner shall prepare and file an amendment to the Certificate of Limited Partnership.

- 81 -


 

              

Article XI
WITHDRAWAL OR REMOVAL OF PARTNERS

Section 11.1       Withdrawal of the General Partner.

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

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

(ii)       The General Partner transfers all of its General Partner Interest pursuant to Section 4.6 ;

(iii)       The General Partner is removed pursuant to Section 11.2 ;

(iv)       The General Partner (A) makes a general assignment for the benefit of creditors; (B) files a voluntary bankruptcy petition for relief under Chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code; (C) files a petition or answer seeking for itself a liquidation, dissolution or similar relief (but not a reorganization) under any law; (D) files an answer or other pleading admitting or failing to contest the material allegations of a petition filed against the General Partner in a proceeding of the type described in clauses (A)-(C) of this Section 11.1(a)(iv) ; or (E) seeks, consents to or acquiesces in the appointment of a trustee (but not a debtor-in-possession), receiver or liquidator of the General Partner or of all or any substantial part of its properties;

(v)       A final and non-appealable order of relief under Chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code is entered by a court with appropriate jurisdiction pursuant to a voluntary or involuntary petition by or against the General Partner; or

(vi)       (A) if the General Partner is a corporation, a certificate of dissolution or its equivalent is filed for the General Partner, or 90 days expire after the date of notice to the General Partner of revocation of its charter without a reinstatement of its charter, under the laws of its state of incorporation; (B) if the General Partner is a partnership or a limited liability company, the dissolution and commencement of winding up of the General Partner; (C) if the General Partner is acting in such capacity by virtue of being a trustee of a trust, the termination of the trust; (D) if the General Partner is a natural person, his death or adjudication of incompetency; and (E) otherwise upon the termination of the General Partner.

If an Event of Withdrawal specified in Section 11.1(a)(iv) ,   Section 11.1(a)(v) ,   Section 11.1(a)(vi) (A) , (B), (C) or (E) occurs, the withdrawing General Partner shall give notice t o the Limited Partners within 30 days after such occurrence.  The Partners hereby agree that only the Events of Withdrawal described in this Section 11.1 shall result in the withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership.

- 82 -


 

              

(b)       Withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership upon the occurrence of an Event of Withdrawal shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement under the following circumstances: (i) at any time during the period beginning on the Closing Date and ending at 11:59 pm, prevailing Eastern Standard Time, on September 30, 2024, the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days advance notice of its intention to withdraw to the Limited Partners; provided , that prior to the effective date of such withdrawal, the withdrawal is approved by Unitholders holding at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units (excluding Common Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates) and the General Partner delivers to the Partnership an Opinion of Counsel ( Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel ) that such withdrawal (following the selection of the successor General Partner) would not result in the loss of the limited liability under the Delaware Act of any Limited Partner or cause any Group Member to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes (to the extent not already so treated or taxed); (ii) at any time after 11:59 pm, prevailing Eastern Standard Time, on September 30 , 2024, the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days advance notice to the Unitholders, such withdrawal to take effect on the date specified in such notice; (iii) at any time that the General Partner ceases to be the General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1(a)(ii) or is removed pursuant to Section 11.2 ; or (iv) notwithstanding clause (i) of this sentence, at any time that the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days advance notice of its intention to withdraw to the Limited Partners, such withdrawal to take effect on the date specified in the notice, if at the time such notice is given one Person and its Affiliates (other than the General Partner and its Affiliates) own beneficially or of record or control at least 50% of the Outstanding Units.  The withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership upon the occurrence of an Event of Withdrawal shall also constitute the withdrawal of the General Partner as general partner or managing member, if any, to the extent applicable, of the other Group Members.  If the General Partner gives a notice of withdrawal pursuant to Section 11.1(a)(i) , a Unit Majority, may, prior to the effective date of such withdrawal, elect a successor General Partner.  The Person so elected as successor General Partner shall automatically become the successor general partner or managing member, to the extent applicable, of the other Group Members of which the General Partner is a general partner or a managing member , and is hereby authorized to carry on the business of the Partnership and the other Group Members .  If, prior to the effective date of the General Partner s withdrawal pursuant to Section 11.1(a)(i) , a successor is not selected by the Unitholders as provided herein or the Partnership does not receive a Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel, the Partnership shall be dissolved in accordance with Section 12.1 unless the business of the Partnership is continued pursuant to Section 12.2 .  Any successor General Partner elected in accordance with the terms of this Section 11.1 shall be subject to the provisions of Section 10.2 .

Section 11.2       Removal of the General Part ner .  The General Partner may be removed if such removal is approved by the Unitholders holding at least 66 2/3% of the Outstanding Units (including Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates) voting as a single class.  Any such action by such holders for removal of the General Partner must also provide for the election of a successor General Partner by a Unit Majority (including Common Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates).  Such removal shall be effective immediately following the admission of a successor General Partner pursuant to Section 10.2 .  The removal of the General Partner shall also automatically constitute the removal of the General Partner as general partner or managing member, to the extent applicable, of the other Group Members of which the General Partner is a general partner or a managing member.  If a Person is elected as a successor General Partner in

- 83 -


 

              

accordance with the terms of this Section 11.2 , such Person shall, upon admission pursuant to Section 10.2 , automatically become a successor general partner or managing member, to the extent applicable, of the other Group Members of which the General Partner is a general partner or a managing member , and is hereby authorized to carry on the business of the Partnership and the other Group Members .  The right of the holders of Outstanding Units to remove the General Partner shall not exist or be exercised unless the Partnership has received an opinion opining as to the matters covered by a Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel.  Any successor General Partner elected in accordance with the terms of this Section 11.2 shall be subject to the provisions of Section 10.2 .

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

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

For purposes of this Section 11.3(a) , the fair market value of the Combined Interest (which shall, for the avoidance of doubt, include a value for the non-economic General Partner Interest) shall be determined by agreement between the Departing General Partner and its successor or, failing agreement within 30 days after the effective date of such Departing General Partner s withdrawal or removal, by an independent investment banking firm or other independent expert selected by the Departing General Partner and its successor, which, in turn, may rely on other experts, and the determination of which shall be conclusive as to such matter.  If such parties cannot agree upon one independent investment banking firm or other independent expert within 45 days after the effective date of such withdrawal or removal, then the Departing General Partner shall designate an independent investment banking firm or other independent expert, the Departing General Partner s successor shall designate an independent investment banking firm or other

- 84 -


 

              

independent expert, and such firms or experts shall mutually select a third independent investment banking firm or independent expert, which third independent investment banking firm or other independent expert shall determine the fair market value of the Combined Interest.  In making its determination, such third independent investment banking firm or other independent expert may consider the value of the Units, including the then current trading price of Units on any National Securities Exchange on which Units are then listed or admitted to trading, the value of the Partnership s assets, the rights and obligations of the Departing General Partner, the value of the Incentive Distribution Rights and the General Partner Interest and other factors it may deem relevant.

(b)       If the Combined Interest is not purchased in the manner set forth in Section 11.3(a) , the Departing General Partner (and its Affiliates, if applicable) shall become a Limited Partner and the Combined Interest shall be converted into Common Units pursuant to a valuation made by an investment banking firm or other independent expert selected pursuant to Section 11.3(a) , without reductio n in such Partnership Interest and taking into account both the value of the Incentive Distribution Rights and the non-economic General Partner Interest .  Any successor General Partner shall indemnify the Departing General Partner as to all debts and liabilities of the Partnership arising on or after the date on which the Departing General Partner becomes a Limited Partner.  For purposes of this Agreement, conversion of the Combined Interest to Common Units will be characterized as if the Departing General Partner (and its Affiliates, if applicable) contributed the Combined Interest to the Partnership in exchange for the newly issued Common Units.

(c)       If a successor General Partner is elected in accordance with the terms of Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 (or if the business of the Partnership is continued pursuant to Section 12.2 and the successor General Partner is not the former General Partner) and the option described in Section 11.3(a) is not exercised by the party entitled to do so, the successor General Partner shall, at the effective date of its admission to the Partnership, contribute to the Partnersh ip cash in the amount equal to the product of (x) the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the Percentage Interest of the General Partner Interest of the Departing General Partner by (B) a percentage equal to 100% less the Percentage Interest of the General Partner Interest of the Departing General Partner and (y) the Net Agreed Value of the Partnership s assets on such date.  In such event, such successor General Partner shall, subject to the following sentence, be entitled to its Percentage Interest of all Partnership allocations and distributions to which the Departing General Partner was entitled.  In addition, the successor General Partner shall cause this Agreement to be amended to reflect that, from and after the date of such successor General Partner s admission, the successor General Partner s interest in all Partnership distributions and allocations shall be its Percentage Interest.

Section 11.4       Withdrawal of L imited Partners .  No Limited Partner shall have any right to withdraw from the Partnership; provided, however , that when a transferee of a Limited Partner s Limited Partner Interest becomes a Record Holder of the Limited Partner Interest so transferred, such transferring Limited Partner shall cease to be a Limited Partner with respect to the Limited Partner Interest so transferred.

Article XII
DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION

- 85 -


 

              

Section 12.1       Diss olution .  The Partnership shall not be dissolved by the admission of additional Limited Partners or by the admission of a successor General Partner in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.  Upon the removal or withdrawal of the General Partner, if a successor General Partner is elected pursuant to Section 11.1 ,   Section 11.2 or Section 12.2 , the Partnership shall not be dissolved and such successor General Partner is hereby authorized to, and shall, continue the business of the Partnership.  Subject to Section 12.2 , the Partnership shall dissolve, and its affairs shall be wound up, upon:

(a)       an Event of Withdrawal of the General Partner as provided in Section 11.1(a) (other than Section 11.1(a)(ii) ), unless a successor is elected and such successor is admitted to the Partnership pursuant to this Agreement;

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

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

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

(e)       any other dissolution event as required by the Delaware Act .

Section 12.2       Continua tion of the Business of the Partnership After Dissolution .  Upon (a) an Event of Withdrawal caused by the withdrawal or removal of the General Partner as provided in Section 11.1(a)(i) or Section 11.1(a)(iii) and the failure of the Partners to select a successor to such Departing General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 , then within 90 days thereafter, or (b) an event constituting an Event of Withdrawal as defined in Section 11.1(a)(iv) ,   Section 11.1(a)(v) or Section 11.1(a)(vi) , then, to the maximum extent permitted by law, within 180 days thereafter, a Unit Majority may elect to continue the business of the Partnership on the same terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement by appointing as a successor General Partner a Person approved by a Unit Majority.  Unless such an election is made within the applicable time period as set forth above, the Partnership shall conduct only activities necessary to wind up its affairs.  If such an election is so made, then:

(i)       the Partnership shall continue without dissolution unless earlier dissolved in accordance with this Article XII ;

(ii)       if the successor General Partner is not the former General Partner, then the interest of the former General Partner shall be treated in the manner provided in Section 11.3 ; and

(iii)       the successor General Partner shall be admitted to the Partnership as General Partner, effective as of the Event of Withdrawal, by agreeing in writing to be bound by this Agreement; provided , that the right of a Unit Majority to approve a successor General Partner and to continue the business of the Partnership shall not exist and may not be exercised unless the Partnership has received an Opinion of Counsel that (x) the exercise of the right would not result in the loss of limited liability under the Delaware Act of any

- 86 -


 

              

Limited Partner and (y) neither the Partnership nor any Group Member would be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise be taxable as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon the exercise of such right to continue (to the extent not already so treated or taxed).

Section 12.3       L iquidator .   Upon dissolution of the Partnership, unless the business of the Partnership is continued pursuant to Section 12.2 , the General Partner shall select one or more Persons to act as Liquidator.  The Liquidator (if other than the General Partner) shall be entitled to receive such compensation for its services as may be approved by a Unit Majority.  The Liquidator (if other than the General Partner) shall agree not to resign at any time without 15 days prior notice and may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by notice of removal approved by a Unit Majority.  Upon dissolution, removal or resignation of the Liquidator, a successor and substitute Liquidator (who shall have and succeed to all rights, powers and duties of the original Liquidator) shall within 30 days thereafter be approved by a Unit Majority.  The right to approve a successor or substitute Liquidator in the manner provided herein shall be deemed to refer also to any such successor or substitute Liquidator approved in the manner herein provided.  Except as expressly provided in this Article XII , the Liquidator approved in the manner provided herein shall have and may exercise, without further authorization or consent of any of the parties hereto, all of the powers conferred upon the General Partner under the terms of this Agreement (but subject to all of the applicable limitations, contractual and otherwise, upon the exercise of such powers, other than the limitation on sale set forth in Section 7.4 ) necessary or appropriate to carry out the duties and functions of the Liquidator hereunder for and during the period of time required to complete the winding up and liquidation of the Partnership as provided for herein.

Section 12.4       Liquidation .  The Liquidator shall proceed to dispose of the assets of the Partnership, discharge its liabilities, and otherwise wind up its affairs in such manner and over such period as determined by the Liquidator, subject to Section 17-804 of the Delaware Act and the following:

(a)       The assets may be disposed of by public or private sale or by distribution in kind to one or more Partners on such terms as the Liquidator and such Partner or Partners may agree.  If any property is distributed in kind, the Partner receiving the property shall be deemed for purposes of Section 12.4(c) to have received cash equal to its fair market value; and contemporaneously therewith, appropriate cash distributions must be made to the other Partners.  The Liquidator may defer liquidation or distribution of the Partnership s assets for a reasonable time if it determines that an immediate sale or distribution of all or some of the Partnership s assets would be impractical or would cause undue loss to the Partners.  The Liquidator may distribute the Partnership s assets, in whole or in part, in kind if it determines that a sale would be impractical or would cause undue loss to the Partners.

(b)       Liabilities of the Partnership include amounts owed to the Liquidator as compensation for serving in such capacity (subject to the terms of Section 12.3 ) and amounts to Partners otherwise than in respect of their distribution rights under Article VI .  With respect to any liability that is contingent, conditional or unmatured or is otherwise not yet due and payable, the Liquidator shall either settle such claim for such amount as it thinks appropriate or establish a reserve of cash or other assets to provide for its payment.  When paid, any unused portion of the reserve shall be distributed as additional liquidation proceeds.

- 87 -


 

              

(c)       All property and all cash in excess of that required to discharge liabilities as provided in Section 12.4(b) shall be distributed to the Partners in accordance with, and to the extent of, the positive balances in their respective Capital Accounts, as determined after taking into account all Capital Account adjustments (other than those made by reason of distributions pursuant to this Section 12.4(c) ) for the taxable period of the Partnership during which the liquidation of the Partnership occurs (with such date of occurrence being determined pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g)), and such distribution shall be made by the end of such taxable period (or, if later, within 90 days after said date of such occurrence).

Section 12.5       Cance llation of Certificate of Limited Partnership .  Upon the completion of the distribution of Partnership cash and property as provided in Section 12.4 in connection with the liquidation of the Partnership, the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all qualifications of the Partnership as a foreign limited partnership in jurisdictions other than the State of Delaware shall be canceled and such other actions as may be necessary to terminate the Partnership shall be taken.

Section 12.6       Ret urn of Contributions .  The General Partner shall not be personally liable for, and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Partnership to enable it to effectuate, the return of the Capital Contributions of the Limited Partners or Unitholders, or any portion thereof, it being expressly understood that any such return shall be made solely from Partnership assets.

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

Section 12.8       Capita l Account Restoration .  No Limited Partner shall have any obligation to restore any negative balance in its Capital Account upon liquidation of the Partnership.  The General Partner shall be obligated to restore any negative balance in its Capital Account upon liquidation of its interest in the Partnership by the end of the taxable period of the Partnership during which such liquidation occurs, or, if later, within 90 days after the date of such liquidation.

Article XIII
AMENDMENT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT; MEETINGS; RECORD DATE

Section 13.1       Ame ndments to be Adopted Solely by the General Partner .  Each Partner agrees that the General Partner, without the approval of any Partner, may amend any provision of this Agreement and execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record whatever documents may be required in connection therewith, to reflect:

(a)       a change in the name of the Partnership, the location of the principal place of business of the Partnership, the registered agent of the Partnership or the registered office of the Partnership;

(b)       admission, substitution, withdrawal or removal of Partners in accordance with this Agreement;

(c)       a change that the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate to qualify or continue the qualification of the Partnership as a limited partnership or a partnership in

- 88 -


 

              

which the Limited Partners have limited liability under the laws of any state or to ensure that the Group Members will not be treated as associations taxable as corporations or otherwise taxed as entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

(d)       a change that the General Partner determines (i) does not adversely affect the Limited Partners (including any particular class of Partnership Interests as compared to other classes of Partnership Interests) in any material respect, (ii) to be necessary or appropriate to (A) satisfy any requirements, conditions or guidelines contained in any opinion, directive, order, ruling or regulation of any federal or state agency or judicial authority or contained in any federal or state statute (including the Delaware Act) or (B) facilitate the trading of the Units (including the division of any class or classes of Outstanding Units into different classes to facilitate uniformity of tax consequences within such classes of Units) or comply with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are or will be listed or admitted to trading, (iii) to be necessary or appropriate in connection with action taken by the General Partner pursuant to Section 5.6 or (iv) is required to effect the intent expressed in the Registration Statement or the intent of the provisions of this Agreement or is otherwise contemplated by this Agreement;

(e)       a change in the fiscal year or taxable period of the Partnership and any other changes that the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate as a result of a change in the fiscal year or taxable period of the Partnership including, if the General Partner shall so determine, a change in the definition of Quarter and the dates on which distributions are to be made by the Partnership;

(f)       an amendment that is necessary, in the Opinion of Counsel, to prevent the Partnership, or the General Partner or its directors, officers, trustees or agents from in any manner being subjected to the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, or plan asset regulations adopted under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, regardless of whether such are substantially similar to plan asset regulations currently applied or proposed by the United States Department of Labor;

(g)       an amendment that the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate in connection with the creation, authorization or issuance of any class or series of Partnership Interests or options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to the Partnership Interests pursuant to Section 5.4 ;

(h)       any amendment expressly permitted in this Agreement to be made by the General Partner acting alone;

(i)       an amendment effected, necessitated or contemplated by a Merger Agreement approved in accordance with Section 14.3 ;

(j)       an amendment that the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate to reflect and account for the formation by the Partnership of, or investment by the Partnership in, any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other entity, in connection

- 89 -


 

              

with the conduct by the Partnership of activities permitted by the terms of Section 2.4 or Section 7.1(a) ;

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

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

Section 13.2       A mendment Procedures .  Amendments to this Agreement may be proposed only by the General Partner.  To the fullest extent permitted by law, the General Partner shall have no duty or obligation to propose or approve any amendment to this Agreement and may decline to do so in its sole discretion, and, in declining to propose or approve an amendment, to the fullest extent permitted by law shall not be required to act in good faith or pursuant to any other standard imposed by this Agreement, any Group Member Agreement, any other agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity.  An amendment shall be effective upon its approval by the General Partner and, except as otherwise provided by Section 13.1 or Section 13.3 , a Unit Majority, unless a greater or different percentage is required under this Agreement or by Delaware law.  Each proposed amendment that requires the approval of the holders of a specified percentage of Outstanding Units shall be set forth in a writing that contains the text of the proposed amendment.  If such an amendment is proposed, the General Partner shall seek the written approval of the requisite percentage of Outstanding Units or call a meeting of the Unitholders to consider and vote on such proposed amendment.  The General Partner shall notify all Record Holders upon final adoption of any amendments.  In proposing or approving any amendment that requires a vote of the Unitholders hereunder, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the General Partner may propose and approve any such amendment in its sole discretion and shall not be required to act in good faith or pursuant to any other standard imposed by this Agreement, any Group Member Agreement, any other agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity.  The General Partner shall be deemed to have notified all Record Holders as required by this Section 13.2 if it has either (i) filed such amendment with the Commission via its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system and such amendment is publicly available on such system or (ii) made such amendment available on any publicly available website maintained by the Partnership

Section 13.3       Amendment Requirements.

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

(b)       Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 13.1 and Section 13.2 , no amendment to this Agreement may (i) enlarge the obligations of (including requiring any holder of a class of

- 90 -


 

              

Partnership Interests to make additional Capital Contributions to the Partnership) any Limited Partner without its consent, unless such shall be deemed to have occurred as a result of an amendment approved pursuant to Section 13.3(c) , or (ii) enlarge the obligations of, restrict, change or modify in any way any action by or rights of, or reduce in any way the amounts distributable, reimbursable or otherwise payable to, the General Partner or any of its Affiliates without its consent, which consent may be given or withheld at its option.

(c)       Except as provided in Section 14.3 or Section 13.1 , any amendment that would have a material adverse effect on the rights or preferences of any class of Partnership Interests in relation to other classes of Partnership Interests must be approved by the holders of not less than a majority of the Outstanding Partnership Interests of the class affected.  If the General Partner determines an amendment does not satisfy the requirements of Section 13.1(d) (i) because it adversely affects one or more classes of Partnership Interests, as compared to other classes of Partnership Interests, in any material respect, such amendment shall only be required to be approved by the adversely affected class or classes.

(d)       Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, except for amendments pursuant to Section 13.1 and except as otherwise provided by Section 14.3(b) , no amendments shall become effective without the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the Percentage Interests of all Limited Partners voting as a single class unless the Partnership obtains an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that such amendment will not affect the limited liability of any Limited Partner under applicable partnership law of the state under whose laws the Partnership is organized.

(e)       Except as provided in Section 13.1 , the approval of Limited Partners (including the General Partner and its Affiliates) holding at least 75 % of the Percentage Interests of all Limited Partners shall be required to alter, amend or adopt any provision inconsistent with or repeal this Section 13.3 ,   Section 13.4 ,   Section 13.5 ,   Section 13.9 and Section 13.11 .

Section 13.4       Sp ecial Meetings .  All acts of Limited Partners to be taken pursuant to this Agreement shall be taken in the manner provided in this Article XIII .  Special meetings of the Limited Partners may be called by the General Partner or by Limited Partners owning 20% or more of the Outstanding Units of the class or classes for which a meeting is proposed.  Limited Partners shall call a special meeting by delivering to the General Partner one or more requests in writing stating that the signing Limited Partners wish to call a special meeting and indicating the general or specific purposes for which the special meeting is to be called.  Within 60 days after receipt of such a call from Limited Partners or within such greater time as may be reasonably necessary for the Partnership to comply with any statutes, rules, regulations, listing agreements or similar requirements governing the holding of a meeting or the solicitation of proxies for use at such a meeting, the General Partner shall send a notice of the meeting to the Limited Partners either directly or indirectly through the Transfer Agent.  A meeting shall be held at a time and place determined by the General Partner on a date not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days after the time notice of the meeting is given as provided in Section 16.1 .  Limited Partners shall not vote on matters that would cause the Limited Partners to be deemed to be taking part in the management and control of the business and affairs of the Partnership so as to jeopardize the Limited Partners limited liability under the Delaware Act or the law of any other state in which the Partnership is qualified to do business.

- 91 -


 

              

Section 13.5       Notice o f a Meeting .  Notice of a meeting called pursuant to Section 13.4 shall be given to the Record Holders of the class or classes of Units for which a meeting is proposed in writing by mail or other means of written communication in accordance with Section 16.1 .  The notice shall be deemed to have been given at the time when deposited in the mail or sent by other means of written communication.

Section 13.6       Re cord Date .   For purposes of determining the Limited Partners entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the Limited Partners or to give approvals without a meeting as provided in Section 13.11 the General Partner may set a Record Date, which shall not be less than 10 nor more than 60 days before (a) the date of the meeting (unless such requirement conflicts with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed or admitted to trading or U.S. federal securities laws, in which case the rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of such National Securities Exchange or U.S. federal securities laws shall govern) or (b) in the event that approvals are sought without a meeting, the date by which Limited Partners are requested in writing by the General Partner to give such approvals.  If the General Partner does not set a Record Date, then (a) the Record Date for determining the Limited Partners entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the Limited Partners shall be the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which notice is given, and (b) the Record Date for determining the Limited Partners entitled to give approvals without a meeting shall be the date the first written approval is deposited with the Partnership in care of the General Partner in accordance with Section 13.11 .

Section 13.7       Adjou rnment .     Any meeting may be adjourned by the chairman of the meeting one or more times for any reason, including the failure of a quorum to be present at the meeting with respect to any proposal or the failure of any proposal to receive sufficient votes for approval. No Limited Partner vote shall be required for any adjournment. A meeting may be adjourned by the chairman of the meeting as to one or more proposals regardless of whether action has been taken on other matters.  If a quorum is present with respect to any one or more proposals, the chairman of the meeting may, but shall not be required to, cause a vote to be taken with respect to any such proposal or proposals which vote can be certified as final and effective notwithstanding the adjournment of the meeting with respect to any other proposal or proposals. When a meeting is adjourned to another time or place, notice need not be given of the adjourned meeting and a new Record Date need not be fixed, if the time and place thereof are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken, unless such adjournment shall be for more than 45 days.  At the adjourned meeting, the Partnership may transact any business which might have been transacted at the original meeting.  If the adjournment is for more than 45 days or if a new Record Date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, a notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given in accordance with this Article XIII .

Section 13.8       Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting; Approval of Minutes T he transaction of business at any meeting of Limited Partners, however called and noticed, and whenever held, shall be as valid as if it had occurred at a meeting duly held after regular call and notice, if a quorum is present either in person or by proxy.  Attendance of a Limited Partner at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of the meeting, except when the Limited Partner attends the meeting for the express purpose of objecting, at the beginning of the meeting, to the sufficiency of notice, in which c ase, if notice to such Limited P artner is not in compliance with this Agreement, then attendance by such Limited Partner shall not constitute waiver of notice .

- 92 -


 

              

Section 13.9       Quorum and Voting .  The holders of a majority, by Percentage Interest, of Partnership Interests of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called (including Partnership Interests deemed owned by the General Partner) represented in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of Partners of such class or classes unless any such action by the Partners requires approval by holders of a greater Percentage Interest, in which case the quorum shall be such greater Percentage Interest.  The Limited Partners holding Outstanding Common Units shall be entitled to one vote per Unit on all matters submitted to the Limited Partners for approval.  At any meeting of the Partners at which a quorum is present, the act of Partners holding Partnership Interests that, in the aggregate, represent a majority of the Percentage Interest of those present in person or by proxy at such meeting shall be deemed to constitute the act of all Partners, unless a greater or different percentage is required with respect to such action under the provisions of this Agreement, in which case the act of the Partners holding Partnership Interests that in the aggregate represent at least such greater or different percentage shall be required; provided, however, that if, as a matter of law or amendment to this Agreement, approval by plurality vote of Partners (or any class thereof) is required to approve any action, no minimum quorum shall be required.  The Partners present at a duly called or held meeting at which a quorum is present may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough Partners to leave less than a quorum, if any action taken (other than adjournment) is approved by Partners holding the required Percentage Interes t specified in this Agreement.

Section 13.10       Co nduct of a Meeting .  The General Partner shall have full power and authority concerning the manner of conducting any meeting of the Limited Partners or solicitation of approvals in writing, including the determination of Persons entitled to vote, the existence of a quorum, the satisfaction of the requirements of Section 13.4 , the conduct of voting, the validity and effect of any proxies and the determination of any controversies, votes or challenges arising in connection with or during the meeting or voting.  The General Partner shall designate a Person to serve as chairman of any meeting and shall further designate a Person to take the minutes of any meeting.  All minutes shall be kept with the records of the Partnership maintained by the General Partner.  The General Partner may make such other regulations consistent with applicable law and this Agreement as it may deem advisable concerning the conduct of any meeting of the Limited Partners or solicitation of approvals in writing, including regulations in regard to the appointment of proxies, the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes and approvals, the submission and examination of proxies and other evidence of the right to vote, and the revocation of approvals in writing.  A proxy purporting to be executed by or on behalf of a Limited Partner shall be deemed valid unless challenged at or prior to its exercise, and the burden of proving invalidity shall rest on the challenger.  Subject to the provisions of the Delaware Act or this Agreement, the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware relating to proxies, and judicial interpretations thereunder, shall govern all matters concerning the giving, voting or validity of proxies, as if the Partnership were a Delaware corporation and the Limited Partners were stockholders of a Delaware corporation.

Section 13.11       Actio n Without a Meeting .     A ny action that may be taken at a meeting of the Limited Partners may be taken without a meeting, without a vote and without prior notice, if an approval in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by Limited Partners owning not less than the minimum percentage, by Percentage Interest, of the Partnership Interests of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called (including Partnership Interests deemed owned by the General Partner), as the case may be, that would be necessary to authorize or take such action

- 93 -


 

              

at a meeting at which all the Limited Partners entitled to vote at such meeting were present and voted (unless such provision conflicts with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed or admitted to trading, in which case the rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of such National Securities Exchange shall govern).  Prompt notice of the taking of action without a meeting shall be given to the Limited Partners who have not approved in writing.  The General Partner may specify that any written ballot, if any, submitted to Limited Partners for the purpose of taking any action without a meeting shall be returned to the Partnership within the time period, which shall be not less than 20 days, specified by the General Partner.  If a ballot returned to the Partnership does not vote all of the Units held by the Limited Partners, the Partnership shall be deemed to have failed to receive a ballot for the Units that were not voted.  If approval of the taking of any action by the Limited Partners is solicited by any Person other than by or on behalf of the General Partner, the written approvals shall have no force and effect unless and until (a) they are deposited with the Partnership in care of the General Partner and (b) an Opinion of Counsel is delivered to the General Partner to the effect that the exercise of such right and the action proposed to be taken with respect to any particular matter (i) will not cause the Limited Partners to be deemed to be taking part in the management and control of the business and affairs of the Partnership so as to jeopardize the Limited Partners limited liability, and (ii) is otherwise permissible under the state statutes then governing the rights, duties and liabilities of the Partnership and the Partners.  Nothing contained in this Section 13.11 shall be deemed to require the General Partner to solicit all Limited Partners in connection with a matter approved by the holders of the requisite percentage of Units acting by written consent without a meeting.

Section 13.12       Right to Vote and Related Matters .

(a)       Only those Record Holders of the Outstanding Units on the Record Date set pursuant to Section 13.6 shall be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, a meeting of Limited Partners or to act with respect to matters as to which the holders of the Outstanding Units have the right to vote or to act.  All references in this Agreement to votes of, or other acts that may be taken by, the Outstanding Units shall be deemed to be references to the votes or acts of the Record Holders of such Outstanding Units.

(b)       With respect to Units that are held for a Person s account by another Person (such as a broker, dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation, or an agent of any of the foregoing), in whose name such Units are registered, such other Person shall, in exercising the voting rights in respect of such Units on any matter, and unless the arrangement between such Persons provides otherwise, vote such Units in favor of, and at the direction of, the Person who is the beneficial owner, and the Partnership shall be entitled to assume it is so acting without further inquiry.  The provisions of this Section 13.12(b) (as well as all other provisions of this Agreement) are subject to the provisions of Section 4.3 .

Section 13.13       Voting of Incentive Distribution Rights.

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

- 94 -


 

              

required by law and the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, in their capacity as such, shall be deemed to have approved any matter approved by the General Partner.

(b)       Notwithstanding anything set forth in this Agreement to the contrary, i f less than a majority of the Incentive Distribution Rights are held by the General Partner and its Affiliates, the Incentive Distribution Rights will be entitled to vote on all matters submitted to a vote of the   holders of Common Units , other than amendments and other matters that the General Partner determines do not adversely affect the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights as a whole in any material respect.  On any matter in which the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights are entitled to vote, such holders will vote together with the Common Units as a single class, except as otherwise required by Section 13.3(c) , and such Incentive Distribution Rights shall be treated in all respects as Common Units when sending notices of a meeting of Limited Partners to vote on any matter (unless otherwise required by law), calculating required votes, determining the presence of a quorum or for other similar purposes under this Agreement.  The relative voting power of the Incentive Distribution Rights and the Common Units will be set in the same proportion as cumulative cash distributions, if any, in respect of the Incentive Distribution Rights for the four consecutive Quarters prior to the record date for the vote bears to the cumulative cash distributions in respect of such class of Units for such four Quarters.

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

Article XIV
MERGER OR CONSOLIDATION

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

Section 14.2       Procedure for Merger or Consolidation .

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

- 95 -


 

              

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

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

(ii)       the name and jurisdiction of formation or organization of the business entity that is to survive the proposed merger or consolidation (the Surviving Business Entity );

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

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

(v)       a statement of any changes in the constituent documents or the adoption of new constituent documents (the articles or certificate of incorporation, articles of trust, declaration of trust, certificate or agreement of limited partnership, certificate of formation or limited liability company agreement or other similar charter or governing document) of the Surviving Business Entity to be effected by such merger or consolidation;

(vi)       the effective time of the merger, which may be the date of the filing of the certificate of merger pursuant to Section 14.4 or a later date specified in or determinable in accordance with the Merger Agreement ( provided , that if the effective time of the merger is to be later than the date of the filing of such certificate of merger, the effective time shall be fixed at a date or time certain and stated in the certificate of merger); and

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

Section 14.3       Approval by Limited Partners.

(a)       Except as provided in Section 14.3(d) , the General Partner, upon its approval of the Merger Agreement shall direct that the Merger Agreement and the merger or consolidation contemplated thereby, as applicable, be submitted to a vote of Limited Partners, whether at a special meeting or by written consent, in either case in accordance with the requirements of Article

- 96 -


 

              

XIII .  A copy or a summary of the Merger Agreement, as the case may be, shall be included in or enclosed with the notice of a special meeting or the written consent.

(b)       Except as provided in Section 14.3(d) and Section 14.3(e) , the Merger Agreement shall be approved upon receiving the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of a Unit Majority unless the Merger Agreement contains any provision that, if contained in an amendment to this Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement or the Delaware Act would require for its approval the vote or consent of a greater percentage of the Outstanding Units or of any class of Limited Partners, in which case such greater percentage vote or consent shall be required for approval of the Merger Agreement.

(c)       Except as provided in Section 14.3(d) and Section 14.3(e) , after such approval by vote or consent of the Limited Partners, and at any time prior to the filing of the certificate of merger pursuant to Section 14.4 , the merger or consolidation may be abandoned pursuant to provisions therefor, if any, set forth in the Merger Agreement.

(d)       Notwithstanding anything else contained in this Article XIV or in this Agreement, the General Partner is permitted, without Limited Partner approval, to convert the Partnership or any Group Member into a new limited liability entity, to merge the Partnership or any Group Member into, or convey all of the Partnership s assets to, another limited liability entity that shall be newly formed and shall have no assets, liabilities or operations at the time of such merger or conveyance other than those it receives from the Partnership or other Group Member if (i) the General Partner has received an Opinion of Counsel that the merger or conveyance, as the case may be, would not result in the loss of the limited liability under the Delaware Act of any Limited Partner or cause the Partnership or any Group Member to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes (to the extent not already treated as such), (ii) the sole purpose of such merger, or conveyance is to effect a mere change in the legal form of the Partnership into another limited liability entity and (iii) the governing instruments of the new entity provide the Limited Partners and the General Partner with substantially the same rights and obligations as are herein contained.

(e)       Additionally, notwithstanding anything else contained in this Article XIV or in this Agreement, the General Partner is permitted, without Limited Partner approval, to merge or consolidate the Partnership with or into another entity if (A) the General Partner has received an Opinion of Counsel that the merger or consolidation, as the case may be, would not result in the loss of the limited liability under the Delaware Act of any Limited Partner or cause the Partnership or any Group Member to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes (to the extent not already treated as such), (B) the merger or consolidation would not result in an amendment to this Agreement, other than any amendments that could be adopted pursuant to Section 13.1 , (C) the Partnership is the Surviving Business Entity in such merger or consolidation, (D) each Partnership Interest outstanding immediately prior to the effective date of the merger or consolidation is to be an identical Partnership Interest of the Partnership after the effective date of the merger or consolidation, and (E) the number of Partnership Interests to be issued by the Partnership in such merger or consolidation does not exceed 20% of the Partnership Interests (other than Incentive Distribution Rights) Outstanding immediately prior to the effective date of such merger or consolidation.

- 97 -


 

              

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

Section 14.4       Certificat e of Merger .   Upon the required approval by the General Partner and the Unitholders of a Merger Agreement, a certificate of merger shall be executed and filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware in conformity with the requirements of the Delaware Act.

Section 14.5       Effect of Merger or Consolidation.

(a)       At the effective time of the certificate of merger:

(i)       all of the rights, privileges and powers of each of the business entities that has merged or consolidated, and all property, real, personal and mixed, and all debts due to any of those business entities and all other things and causes of action belonging to each of those business entities, shall be vested in the Surviving Business Entity and after the merger or consolidation shall be the property of the Surviving Business Entity to the extent they were of each constituent business entity;

(ii)       the title to any real property vested by deed or otherwise in any of those constituent business entities shall not revert and is not in any way impaired because of the merger or consolidation;

(iii)       all rights of creditors and all liens on or security interests in property of any of those constituent business entities shall be preserved unimpaired; and

(iv)       all debts, liabilities and duties of those constituent business entities shall attach to the Surviving Business Entity and may be enforced against it to the same extent as if the debts, liabilities and duties had been incurred or contracted by it.

Article XV
RIGHT TO ACQUIRE LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS

Section 15.1       Right to Acquire Limited Partner Interests.

(a)       Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if at any time the General Partner and its controlled Affiliates hold more than 80% of the total Limited Partner Interests of any class then Outstanding, the General Partner shall then have the right, which right it may assign and transfer in whole or in part to the Partnership or any controlled Affiliate of the General Partner, exercisable in its sole discretion, to purchase all, but not less than all, of such Limited Partner Interests of such class then Outstanding held by Persons other than the General Partner and its controlled Affiliates, at the greater of (x) the Current Market Price as of the date three days prior to the date that the notice described in Section 15.1(b) is mailed and (y) the highest price paid by the General Partner or any of its controlled Affiliates for any such Limited Partner Interest of such

- 98 -


 

              

class purchased during the 90-day period preceding the date that the notice described in Section 15.1(b) is mailed.

(b)       If the General Partner or any controlled Affiliate of the General Partner elects to exercise the right to purchase Limited Partner Interests granted pursuant to Section 15.1(a) , the General Partner shall deliver to the Transfer Agent notice of such election to purchase (the Notice of Election to Purchase ) and shall cause the Transfer Agent to mail a copy of such Notice of Election to Purchase to the Record Holders of Limited Partner Interests of such class (as of a Record Date selected by the General Partner) at least 10, but not more than 60, days prior to the Purchase Date.  Such Notice of Election to Purchase shall also be published for a period of at least three consecutive days in at least two daily newspapers of general circulation printed in the English language and published in the Borough of Manhattan, New York.  The Notice of Election to Purchase shall specify the Purchase Date and the price (determined in accordance with Section 15.1(a) ) at which Limited Partner Interests will be purchased and state that the General Partner or its controlled Affiliate, as the case may be, elects to purchase such Limited Partner Interests, upon surrender of Certificates representing such Limited Partner Interests in the case of Limited Partner Interests evidenced by Certificates, in exchange for payment, at such office or offices of the Transfer Agent as the Transfer Agent may specify, or as may be required by any National Securities Exchange on which such Limited Partner Interests are listed or admitted to trading.  Any such Notice of Election to Purchase mailed to a Record Holder of Limited Partner Interests at his address as reflected in the records of the Transfer Agent shall be conclusively presumed to have been given regardless of whether the owner receives such notice.  On or prior to the Purchase Date the General Partner or its controlled Affiliate, as the case may be, shall deposit with the Transfer Agent cash in an amount sufficient to pay the aggregate purchase price of all of such Limited Partner Interests to be purchased in accordance with this Section 15.1 .  If the Notice of Election to Purchase shall have been duly given as aforesaid at least 10 days prior to the Purchase Date, and if on or prior to the Purchase Date the deposit described in the preceding sentence has been made for the benefit of the holders of Limited Partner Interests subject to purchase as provided herein, then from and after the Purchase Date, notwithstanding that any Certificate shall not have been surrendered for purchase, all rights of the holders of such Limited Partner Interests shall thereupon cease, except the right to receive the purchase price (determined in accordance with Section 15.1(a) ) for Limited Partner Interests therefor, without interest, upon surrender to the Transfer Agent of the Certificates representing such Limited Partner Interests in the case of Limited Partner Interests evidenced by Certificates, and such Limited Partner Interests shall thereupon be deemed to be transferred to the General Partner or its controlled Affiliate, as the case may be, on the record books of the Transfer Agent and the General Partner or its controlled Affiliate, as the case may be, shall be deemed to be the owner of all such Limited Partner Interests from and after the Purchase Date and shall have all rights as the owner of such Limited Partner Interests.

(c)       In the case of Limited Partner Interests evidenced by Certificates, at any time from and after the Purchase Date, a holder of an Outstanding Limited Partner Interest subject to purchase as provided in this Section 15.1 may surrender his Certificate evidencing such Limited Partner Interest to the Transfer Agent in exchange for payment of the amount described in Section 15.1(a) , therefor, without interest thereon.

Article XVI
GENERAL PROVISIONS

- 99 -


 

              

Section 16.1       Addresses and Notices; Written Communications.

(a)       Any notice, demand, request, report or proxy materials required or permitted to be given or made to a Partner under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed given or made when delivered in person or when sent by first class United States mail or by other means of written communication to the Partner at the address described below or any method approved by the National Securities Exchange on which the Partnership Interests are listed.  Any notice, payment or report to be given or made to a Partner hereunder shall be deemed conclusively to have been given or made, and the obligation to give such notice or report or to make such payment shall be deemed conclusively to have been fully satisfied, upon sending of such notice, payment or report to the Record Holder of such Partnership Interests at his address as shown on the records of the Transfer Agent or as otherwise shown on the records of the Partnership, regardless of any claim of any Person who may have an interest in such Partnership Interests by reason of any assignment or otherwise.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (i) a Partner shall consent to receiving notices, demands, requests, reports or proxy materials via electronic mail or by the Internet or (ii) the rules of the Commission shall permit any report or proxy materials to be delivered electronically or made available via the Internet, any such notice, demand, request, report or proxy materials shall be deemed given or made when delivered or made available via such mode of delivery.  An affidavit or certificate of making of any notice, payment or report in accordance with the provisions of this Section 16.1 executed by the General Partner, the Transfer Agent or the mailing organization shall be prima facie evidence of the giving or making of such notice, payment or report.  If any notice, payment or report given or made in accordance with the provisions of this Section 16.1 is returned marked to indicate that such notice, payment or report was unable to be delivered, such notice, payment or report and, in the case of notices, payments or reports returned by the United States Postal Service (or other physical mail delivery mail service outside the United States of America), any subsequent notices, payments and reports shall be deemed to have been duly given or made without further mailing (until such time as such Record Holder or another Person notifies the Transfer Agent or the Partnership of a change in his address) or other delivery if they are available for the Partner at the principal office of the Partnership for a period of one year from the date of the giving or making of such notice, payment or report to the other Partners.  Any notice to the Partnership shall be deemed given if received by the General Partner at the principal office of the Partnership designated pursuant to Section 2.3 .  The General Partner may rely and shall be protected in relying on any notice or other document from a Partner or other Person if believed by it to be genuine.

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

Section 16.2       Fu rther Action .  The parties shall execute and deliver all documents, provide all information and take or refrain from taking action as may be necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this Agreement.

Section 16.3       Bi nding Effect .  This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their heirs, executors, administrators, successors, legal representatives and permitted assigns.

- 100 -


 

              

Section 16.4       Inte gration .  This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement among the parties hereto pertaining to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings pertaining thereto.

Section 16.5       C reditors .  None of the provisions of this Agreement shall be for the benefit of, or shall be enforceable by, any creditor of the Partnership.

Section 16.6       Wai ver .  No failure by any party to insist upon the strict performance of any covenant, duty, agreement or condition of this Agreement or to exercise any right or remedy consequent upon a breach thereof shall constitute waiver of any such breach of any other covenant, duty, agreement or condition.

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

Section 16.8       Counterparts .  This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, all of which together shall constitute an agreement binding on all the parties hereto, notwithstanding that all such parties are not signatories to the original or the same counterpart.  Each party shall become bound by this Agreement immediately upon affixing its signature hereto or, in the case of a Person acquiring a Limited Partner Interest, pursuant to Section 10.1(a) without execution hereof.

Section 16.9       Applicable Law; Forum, Venue and Jurisdiction .

(a)       This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law.

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

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

- 101 -


 

              

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Section 16.11       Con sent of Partners .   Each Partner hereby expressly consents and agrees that, whenever in this Agreement it is specified that an action may be taken upon the affirmative vote or consent of less than all of the Partners, such action may be so taken upon the concurrence of less than all of the Partners and each Partner shall be bound by the results of such action.

Section 16.12       Facsi mile and Email Signatures .  The use of facsimile signatures and signatures delivered by email in portable document format (.pdf) affixed in the name and on behalf

- 102 -


 

              

of the transfer agent and registrar of the Partnership on Certificates representing Units is expressly permitted by this Agreement.

[REMAINDER OF THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.]

 

- 103 -


 

              

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the p arties have duly executed this Agreement on the date first set forth above.

GENERAL PARTNER:

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS GP LLC


By:   _____________________
Name:     Charles C. Ward
Title:     Chief Financial Officer

 

LIMITED PARTNERS:

 

All Limited Partners now and hereafter admitted as Limited Partners of the Partnership, pursuant to powers of attorney now and hereafter executed in favor of, and granted and delivered to , the General Partner.

 

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS GP LLC ,

      as general partner


By:   /s/ Charles C. Ward         
Name:  Charles C. Ward
Title:  Chief Financial Officer

 

HOLDER OF INCENTIVE DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS AND SOLE MEMBER OF THE GENERAL PARTNER :

 

SP HOLDINGS, LLC

 

By:  SP Capital Holdings, LLC, its manager

 

 

By:      /s/ Antonio R. Sanchez, III      

Name:  Antonio R. Sanchez, III

Title:  Manager

Signature Page to the
Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership
of
Sanchez Production Partners LP

 


 

              

EXHIBIT A
to the Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of
Sanchez Production Partners LP

Certificate Evidencing Common Units
Representing Limited Partner Interests in
Sanchez Production Partners LP

No.________                                                                                           ________ Common Units

In accordance with Section 4.1 of the Agreement of Limited Partnership of Sanchez Production Partners LP , as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time (the Partnership Agreement ), Sanchez Production Partners LP , a Delaware limited partnership (the Partnership ), hereby certifies that __________________________ (the Holder ) is the registered owner of _______________ Common Units representing limited partner interests in the Partnership (the Common Units ) transferable on the books of the Partnership, in person or by duly authorized attorney, upon surrender of this Certificate properly endorsed.  The rights, preferences and limitations of the Common Units are set forth in, and this Certificate and the Common Units represented hereby are issued and shall in all respects be subject to the terms and provisions of, the Partnership Agreement.  Copies of the Partnership Agreement are on file, and will be furnished without charge on delivery of written request to the Partnership, at the principal office of the Partnership located at 1000 Main Street, Suite 3000 , Houston, Texas 77002.  Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meanings given them in the Partnership Agreement.

THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY ACKNOWLEDGES FOR THE BENEFIT OF SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP THAT THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE SOLD, OFFERED, RESOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED IF SUCH TRANSFER WOULD (A) VIOLATE THE THEN APPLICABLE FEDERAL OR STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY WITH JURISDICTION OVER SUCH TRANSFER, (B) TERMINATE THE EXISTENCE OR QUALIFICATION OF SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, OR (C) CAUSE SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP TO BE TREATED AS AN ASSOCIATION TAXABLE AS A CORPORATION OR OTHERWISE TO BE TAXED AS AN ENTITY FOR FEDERAL INCOME TAX PURPOSES (TO THE EXTENT NOT ALREADY SO TREATED OR TAXED).  SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS GP LLC, THE GENERAL PARTNER OF SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP, MAY IMPOSE ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS ON THE TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY IF IT DETERMINES, WITH THE ADVICE OF COUNSEL, THAT SUCH RESTRICTIONS ARE NECESSARY OR ADVISABLE (i) TO AVOID A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP BECOMING TAXABLE AS A CORPORATION OR OTHERWISE BECOMING TAXABLE AS AN ENTITY FOR U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX PURPOSES OR (ii) TO PRESERVE THE ECONOMIC UNIFORMITY OF THE LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS (OR ANY CLASS OR CLASSES THEREOF).  THE RESTRICTIONS SET FORTH ABOVE SHALL NOT PRECLUDE THE SETTLEMENT OF ANY TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THIS SECURITY

A- 1

 


 

              

ENTERED INTO THROUGH THE FACILITIES OF ANY NATIONAL SECURITIES EXCHANGE ON WHICH THIS SECURITY IS LISTED OR ADMITTED TO TRADING.

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

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

 

 

 




By:             
Name:      
Title:      

 

 

 

 

Dated: ______________________

Countersigned and Registered by:

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

As Transfer Agent and Registrar

Sanchez Production Partners LP

By:        Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC,

      its General Partner


By: ______________________
Name: ______________________
Title: ______________________

 

 

 

 

By: ______________________ 
Name: ______________________ 
Title: ______________________

 

A- 2

 


 

              

[Reverse of Certificate]

ABBREVIATIONS

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TEN COM       -       as tenants in common

TEN ENT       -       as tenants by the entireties

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

UNIF GIFT/TRANSFERS MIN ACT

____________Custodian___________

(Cust)                                  (Minor)

Under Uniform Gifts/Transfers to CD Minors Act

(State)

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

ASSIGNMENT OF COMMON UNITS OF
SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP

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

 

 

 

 

(Please print or typewrite name and address of assignee)

(Please insert Social Security or other identifying number of assignee)

______ Common Units representing limited partner interests evidenced by this Certificate, subject to the Partnership Agreement, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint __________________ as its attorney-in-fact with full power of substitution to transfer the same on the books of Sanchez Production Partners LP .

 

 

Date:___________________________

NOTE: The signature to any endorsement hereon must correspond with the name as written upon the face of this Certificate in every particular. without alteration, enlargement or change.

THE SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM), PURSUANT TO S.E.C.  RULE 17Ad-15

__________________________________
(Signature)

 

 

 

 

 

 

__________________________________
(Signature)

 

 

A- 3

 


 

              

EXHIBIT B

FORM OF NOTICE OF PARTNERSHIP OPTIONAL CONVERSION  

To the Holders of Class A Preferred Units:

 

Please take notice that Sanchez Production Partners LP (the “ Partnership ”) has irrevocably elected to convert all of the outstanding Class A Preferred Units (the “ Class A Preferred Units ”) into Common Units of the Partnership.  The conversion will be effective at 5:00 p.m., New York time on [_________].  The conversion rate will be calculated as set forth in Section 5.9(b)(i) of the Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership.

 

B- 1

 


Exhibit 10.1

AMENDMENT AND WAIVER
OF THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT

 

This AMENDMENT AND WAIVER OF THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT (this “ Amendment ”), dated as of August 12, 2015, is among SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Borrower ”), the guarantors party hereto (the “ Guarantors ”), each of the Lenders party hereto, and ROYAL BANK OF CANADA , as administrative agent (in such capacity, the “ Administrative Agent ”), and as collateral agent (in such capacity, the “ Collateral Agent ”), and relates to that certain Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of March 31, 2015 (as amended, restated, modified or supplemented from time to time prior to the date hereof, the “ Existing Credit Agreement ”; and as amended hereby, the “ Credit Agreement ”), among the Borrower, the Lenders, the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent, and ROYAL BANK OF CANADA, as letter of credit issuer.

WHEREAS, the Borrower has requested that the Administrative Agent and the Lenders waive the Borrower’s non-compliance with the Maximum Total Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio in Section 9.01(b) of the Credit Agreement for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2015;

 

WHEREAS, subject to the terms and conditions of this Amendment, the Lenders, the Administrative Agent, and the Borrower have agreed to enter into this Amendment in order to effectuate certain waivers of and modifications to the Credit Agreement, all as set forth herein;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises contained herein and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound hereby, agree as follows:

 

Section 1. Definitions .  Unless otherwise defined in this Amendment, each capitalized term used in this Amendment has the meaning assigned to such term in the Credit Agreement.

Section 2. Limited Waiver .  At the request of the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders hereby waive any failure by the Borrower to comply with Section 9.01(b) of the Credit Agreement for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2015, resulting solely from the Borrower’s inclusion of the general and administrative expenses set forth on Schedule I hereto in calculating the Maximum Total Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA for such fiscal quarter, and any Default or Event of Default arising as a result thereof, is hereby waived effective as of the date of the occurrence thereof (and any related breach of a representation or warranty is hereby similarly waived).

The waiver in this Section 2 is effective only in respect of the matters and for the time periods expressly set forth in this Section 2 and not for any other fiscal quarter period, and except as expressly set forth in this Amendment, no other waivers, amendments or modifications are intended or made by this Amendment.  No failure or delay on the part of the Administrative Agent or any Lender in exercising any power or right under the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such power or right preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other power or right.  No waiver or approval by the Administrative Agent or any Lender under this Amendment,

 

 

 

717153156 14464587


 

the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document shall, except as may be otherwise stated herein, be applicable to any subsequent transaction or any other Default or Event of Default under any Loan Document.

Section 3. Stipulation The Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders hereby agree and acknowledge that the general and administrative expenses incurred during the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2015 and set forth on Schedule I hereto, shall be excluded from the Borrower’s calculations of the Maximum Total Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio for the fiscal quarters ending as of September 30, 2015, December 31, 2015, and March 31, 2016.

Section 4. Ratification .  Except as expressly amended, modified or waived herein, each of the Borrower and the Guarantors hereby ratifies and confirms all of the Obligations under the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which it is a party, and all references to the Credit Agreement in any of the Loan Documents shall be deemed to be references to the Credit Agreement as amended, modified or waived hereby and by the instruments and documents delivered pursuant to Section 5 .

Section 5. Effectiveness .  This Amendment shall become effective on the date (the “ Amendment Effective Date ”) on which each of the following conditions is satisfied:

the Administrative Agent shall have received counterparts of this Amendment executed by the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent, the Borrower, the Guarantors and the Required Lenders; and

the Borrower and each Guarantor shall have confirmed and acknowledged to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, and by its execution and delivery of this Amendment the Borrower and each Guarantor do hereby confirm and acknowledge to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, that (i) the execution, delivery and performance of this Amendment has been duly authorized by all requisite limited partnership or limited liability company action, as applicable, on the part of the Borrower or such Guarantor, as applicable; (ii) the Credit Agreement and each other Loan Document to which it is a party constitute valid and legally binding agreements enforceable against the Borrower or such Guarantor, as applicable, in accordance with their respective terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent transfer or other similar laws relating to or affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and by general principles of equity and (iii) no Default or Event of Default exists under the Credit Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents after giving effect to this Amendment.

Section 6. Governing Law .  THIS AMENDMENT AND THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES HEREUNDER SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED AND INTERPRETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

 

3

 

717153156 14464587


 

Section 7. Miscellaneous

a)

On and after the Amendment Effective Date, each reference in the Credit Agreement to “this Agreement”, “hereunder”, “hereof” or words of like import, referring to the Credit Agreement, and each reference in each other Loan Document to “the Credit Agreement”, “thereunder”, “thereof” or words of like import referring to the Credit Agreement, shall mean and be a reference to the Existing Credit Agreement as amended or otherwise modified by this Amendment.  This Amendment shall constitute a Loan Document for purposes of the Credit Agreement.

b)

The execution, delivery and effectiveness of this Amendment shall not, except as expressly provided herein, operate as a waiver of any other Default of the Borrower  or any Guarantor or any right, power or remedy of the Administrative Agent or the Lenders under any of the Loan Documents, nor constitute a waiver of any provision of any of the Loan Documents.

c)

Each of the Borrower and each Guarantor represents and warrants that as of the date hereof (i) it has the limited partnership or limited liability company, as applicable, power and authority to execute, deliver and perform the terms and provisions of this Amendment, has taken all necessary limited partnership or limited liability company, as applicable, action to authorize the execution, delivery and performance of this Amendment and the execution, delivery and performance of this Amendment does not and will not contravene the terms of the Borrower’s or such Guarantor’s, as applicable, organizational documents; (ii) it has duly executed and delivered this Amendment and this Amendment constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Borrower or such Guarantor enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to the effects of bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and general principles of equity (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or law); (iii) except as contemplated by this Amendment, no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing; and (iv) no action, suit, investigation or other proceeding is pending or threatened before any arbitrator or Governmental Authority seeking to restrain, enjoin or prohibit or declare illegal, or seeking damages from the Borrower in connection with this Amendment or which could reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 8. Severability .  Any provisions of this Amendment held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable shall not impair or invalidate the remainder of this Amendment and the effect thereof shall be confined to the provisions so held to be invalid.

Section 9. Successors and Assigns .  This Amendment is binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent, the Lenders, the Issuer, the Borrower and each Guarantor and their respective successors and assigns.

 

4

 

717153156 14464587


 

Section 10. Counterparts .  This Amendment may be executed in any number of counterparts, all of which taken together shall constitute one agreement, and any of the parties hereto may execute this Amendment by signing any such counterpart.  Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page to this Amendment by telecopier or electronically by .pdf shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Amendment.

Section 11. Headings .  The headings, captions and arrangements used in this Amendment are for convenience only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Amendment or any other Loan Document.

Section 12. Integration .  This Amendment represents the final agreement of the Borrower, each Guarantor, the Collateral Agent, the Administrative Agent, the Issuer, and the Lenders with respect to the subject matter hereof, and there are no promises, undertakings, representations or warranties by the Borrower, any Guarantor, the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent, the Issuer, nor any Lender relative to subject matter hereof not expressly set forth or referred to herein.

[ Signature Pages Follow ]

 

 

 

5

 

717153156 14464587


 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties hereto has caused this Amendment to be executed by its officer(s) thereunto duly authorized as of the date first above written.

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS LP , as Borrower


By: Sanchez Production Partners GP LLC,

       as general partner

 

By /s/Charles C. Ward

Name: Charles C. Ward

Title: Chief Financial Officer

 

CEP MID-CONTINENT LLC,
as a Guarantor

 

By : /s/Charles C. Ward

Name: Charles C. Ward

Title: Chief Financial Officer

 

 

NORTHEAST SHELF ENERGY, L.L.C.,

as a Guarantor

 

 

By : /s/Charles C. Ward

Name: Charles C. Ward

Title: Chief Financial Officer

 

 

MID-CONTINENT OILFIELD SUPPLY, L.L.C.,

as a Guarantor

 

By : /s/Charles C. Ward

Name: Charles C. Ward

Title: Chief Financial Officer

 

SEP HOLDINGS IV, LLC,

as a Guarantor

 

By: /s/Charles C. Ward

Name: Charles C. Ward

Title: Chief Financial Officer

 

S - 1

Amendment and Waiver

717153156 14464587


 

 

ROYAL BANK OF CANADA,
as Administrative Agent and Collateral Agent

 

 

By:  /s/Yvonne Brazie
Name:  Yvonne Brazie
Title:    Manager, Agency

ROYAL BANK OF CANADA,
as a Lender and the Issuer

 

 

By:  /s/ Mark Lumpkin, Jr.
Name:  Mark Lumpkin, Jr.
Title:    Authorized Signatory

 

 

S - 2

Amendment and Waiver

717153156 14464587


 

SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE ,
as a Lender

 

By:     /s/ Sal Patoli
Name:  Sal Patoli
Title:       Director  

 

 

S - 3

Amendment and Waiver

717153156 14464587


 

ONEWEST BANK N.A.,

as a Lender

 

 

By    /s/ Zachary Holly
Name:  Zachary Holly
Title:   Vice  President

 

S - 4

Amendment and Waiver

717153156 14464587


 

COMPASS BANK,

as a Lender

 

 

By    /s/ Les Werme
Name:  Les Werme
Title:      Director  

 

S - 4

Amendment and Waiver

717153156 14464587


 

SUNTRUST BANK,

as a Lender

 

 

By    /s/ Chulley Bogle
Name:  Chulley Bogle
Title:   Vice President  

 

 

 

S - 4

Amendment and Waiver

717153156 14464587


 

 

Schedule I

 

General and Administrative Expenses

 

Item Description

Amount

CEO termination expenses (taxes on unit vesting)

$600,000

Board of Director fees for first quarter 2015

$123,000

2014 tax and K-1 preparation expenses

$152,000

Auditor and printer expenses for SEC filings

$131,000

Write-off of 2007 Form S-1 costs

$405,000

    Total

$1,411,000

 

717153156 14464587


 

Exhibit 31.1

Sanchez Production PARTNERS L P  

CERTIFICATION

I, Gerry F. Willinger , certify that:

1. I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10- Q   of Sanchez Production Partners L P ;  

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)), for the registrant and have:

(a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our 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;

(c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s Board of Managers (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: August 14 , 201 5  

 

resident

 

/s/ Gerry F. Willinger

Gerry F. Willinger

Interim Chief Executive Officer

 


Exhibit 31.2

SANCHEZ PRODUCTION PARTNERS L P  

CERTIFICATION

I, Charles C. Ward, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10- Q of Sanchez Production Partners L P ;  

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)), for the registrant and have:

(a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our 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;

(c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s Board of Managers (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: August 14 , 201 5  

 

 

 

/s/ Charles C. Ward

Charles C. Ward

C hief Financial Officer and Secretary

 


 

Exhibit 32.1

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Gerry F. Willinger ,   Interim Chief Executive Officer of Sanchez Production Partners L P , certify pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that to my knowledge:

(i) The accompanying Quarterly Report on Form 10- Q for the quarter ended June 30 , 201 5 fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and

(ii) The information contained in such report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of Sanchez Production Partners L P .  

 

 

 

/s/ Gerry F. Willinger

Gerry F. Willinger

Interim Chief Executive Officer

 

Date: August 14 , 201 5

 


Exhibit 32.2

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Charles C. Ward, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Sanchez Production Partners L P , certify pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that to my knowledge:

(i) The accompanying Quarterly Report on Form 10- Q for the quarter ended June 30 , 201 5 fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and

(ii) The information contained in such report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of Sanchez Production Partners L P .  

 

 

 

/s/ Charles C. Ward

Charles C. Ward

Chief Financial Officer and Secretary

 

Date: August 14 , 201 5