FOURTH AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF AMERIGAS PARTNERS, L.P. DATED AS OF JULY 27, 2009
Exhibit 3.1
FOURTH AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT
OF
LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
OF
AMERIGAS PARTNERS, L.P.
OF
LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
OF
AMERIGAS PARTNERS, L.P.
DATED AS OF JULY 27, 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE I ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS |
1 | |||
1.1 Formation |
1 | |||
1.2 Name |
1 | |||
1.3 Registered Office; Principal Office |
1 | |||
1.4 Power of Attorney |
2 | |||
1.5 Term |
3 | |||
1.6 Possible Restrictions on Transfer |
3 | |||
ARTICLE II DEFINITIONS |
3 | |||
ARTICLE III PURPOSE |
14 | |||
3.1 Purpose and Business |
14 | |||
3.2 Powers |
15 | |||
ARTICLE IV CONTRIBUTIONS AND UNITS |
15 | |||
4.1 Organization Contributions and Return |
15 | |||
4.2 General Partner and Petrolane Contributions |
15 | |||
4.3 Contributions by Initial Limited Partners |
15 | |||
4.4 Issuances of Additional Partnership Securities |
16 | |||
4.5 Limitations on Issuance of Additional Partnership Securities |
16 | |||
4.6 Conversion of Subordinated Units |
18 | |||
4.7 Limited Preemptive Rights |
19 | |||
4.8 Splits and Combinations |
19 | |||
4.9 Interest and Withdrawal |
19 | |||
ARTICLE V DISTRIBUTIONS |
20 | |||
5.1 General Provisions |
20 | |||
5.2 Distribution Levels |
21 | |||
5.3 Operating Distributions During Subordination Period |
21 | |||
5.4 Operating Distributions After Subordination Period |
21 | |||
5.5 Capital Distributions |
22 | |||
5.6 Liquidating Distributions During Subordination Period |
22 | |||
5.7 Liquidating Distributions After Subordination Period |
23 | |||
5.8 Adjustments to Distribution Levels |
23 | |||
ARTICLE VI MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS |
24 | |||
6.1 Management |
24 | |||
6.2 Certificate of Limited Partnership |
26 | |||
6.3 Restrictions on General Partner’s Authority |
26 | |||
6.4 Reimbursement of the General Partner |
27 | |||
6.5 Outside Activities |
28 | |||
6.6 Loans to and from the General Partner; Contracts with Affiliates |
29 | |||
6.7 Indemnification |
31 | |||
6.8 Liability of Indemnitees |
32 | |||
6.9 Resolution of Conflicts of Interest |
33 | |||
6.10 Other Matters Concerning the General Partner |
34 | |||
6.11 Title to Partnership Assets |
35 | |||
6.12 Purchase or Sale of Units |
35 | |||
6.13 Registration Rights of AmeriGas and its Affiliates |
36 | |||
6.14 Reliance by Third Parties |
38 |
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ARTICLE VII RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF LIMITED PARTNERS |
38 | |||
7.1 Limitation of Liability |
38 | |||
7.2 Management of Business |
38 | |||
7.3 Outside Activities |
38 | |||
7.4 Return of Capital |
39 | |||
7.5 Rights of Limited Partners to the Partnership |
39 | |||
ARTICLE VIII BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS |
40 | |||
8.1 Records and Accounting |
40 | |||
8.2 Fiscal Year |
40 | |||
8.3 Reports |
40 | |||
ARTICLE IX TAX MATTERS |
41 | |||
9.1 Tax Allocations |
41 | |||
9.2 Tax Returns and Information |
42 | |||
9.3 Tax Elections |
42 | |||
9.4 Tax Controversies |
42 | |||
ARTICLE X CERTIFICATES |
43 | |||
10.1 Certificates |
43 | |||
10.2 Registration, Registration of Transfer and Exchange |
43 | |||
10.3 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates |
44 | |||
10.4 Record Holder |
44 | |||
ARTICLE XI TRANSFER OF INTERESTS |
45 | |||
11.1 Transfer |
45 | |||
11.2 Transfer of a General Partner’s Partnership Interest |
45 | |||
11.3 Transfer of Units |
46 | |||
11.4 Restrictions on Transfers |
46 | |||
11.5 Citizenship Certificates; Non-citizen Assignees |
46 | |||
11.6 Redemption of Interests |
47 | |||
ARTICLE XII ADMISSION OF PARTNERS |
48 | |||
12.1 Admission of Initial Limited Partners |
48 | |||
12.2 Admission of Substituted Limited Partners |
49 | |||
12.3 Admission of Successor General Partner |
49 | |||
12.4 Admission of Additional Limited Partners |
49 | |||
12.5 Amendment of Agreement and Certificate of Limited Partnership |
50 | |||
ARTICLE XIII WITHDRAWAL OR REMOVAL OF PARTNERS |
50 | |||
13.1 Withdrawal of the General Partner |
50 | |||
13.2 Removal of the General Partner |
51 | |||
13.3 Interest of Departing Partner and Successor General Partner |
52 | |||
13.4 Withdrawal of Limited Partners |
53 | |||
ARTICLE XIV DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION |
54 | |||
14.1 Dissolution |
54 | |||
14.2 Continuation of the Business of the Partnership After Dissolution |
54 | |||
14.3 Liquidator |
55 | |||
14.4 Liquidation |
55 | |||
14.5 Cancellation of Certificate of Limited Partnership |
56 | |||
14.6 Return of Contributions |
56 | |||
14.7 Waiver of Partition |
56 |
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ARTICLE XV AMENDMENT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT; MEETINGS; RECORD DATE |
56 | |||
15.1 Amendment to be Adopted Solely by General Partner |
56 | |||
15.2 Amendment Procedures |
57 | |||
15.3 Amendment Requirements |
58 | |||
15.4 Meetings |
58 | |||
15.5 Notice of a Meeting |
59 | |||
15.6 Record Date |
59 | |||
15.7 Adjournment |
59 | |||
15.8 Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting; Approval of Minutes |
59 | |||
15.9 Quorum |
60 | |||
15.10 Conduct of Meeting |
60 | |||
15.11 Action Without a Meeting |
60 | |||
15.12 Voting and Other Rights |
61 | |||
ARTICLE XVI MERGER |
61 | |||
16.1 Authority |
61 | |||
16.2 Procedure for Merger or Consolidation |
61 | |||
16.3 Approval by Limited Partners of Merger or Consolidation |
62 | |||
16.4 Certificate of Merger |
63 | |||
16.5 Effect of Merger |
63 | |||
ARTICLE XVII RIGHT TO ACQUIRE UNITS |
63 | |||
17.1 Right to Acquire Units |
63 | |||
ARTICLE XVIII GENERAL PROVISIONS |
65 | |||
18.1 Addresses and Notices |
65 | |||
18.2 References |
66 | |||
18.3 Pronouns and Plurals |
66 | |||
18.4 Further Action |
66 | |||
18.5 Binding Effect |
66 | |||
18.6 Integration |
66 | |||
18.7 Creditors |
66 | |||
18.8 Waiver |
66 | |||
18.9 Counterparts |
66 | |||
18.10 Applicable Law |
66 | |||
18.11 Invalidity of Provisions |
66 | |||
18.12 Consent of Partners |
66 | |||
EXHIBIT A Form of Certificate Evidencing Common Units |
68 |
iii
FOURTH AMENDED AND RESTATED
AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF
AMERIGAS PARTNERS, L.P.
AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF
AMERIGAS PARTNERS, L.P.
THIS FOURTH AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF AMERIGAS PARTNERS, L.P., dated
as of July 27, 2009 is entered into by and among AmeriGas Propane, Inc., a Pennsylvania
corporation, as the General Partner, and those 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
ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS
ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS
1.1 FORMATION. The General Partner and the Organizational Limited Partner have previously formed
the Partnership as a limited partnership pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act. The
General Partner hereby amends and restates the Third Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited
Partnership of AmeriGas Partners, L.P., dated as of December 1, 2004, as amended, in its entirety.
Except as expressly provided to the contrary in this Agreement, the rights and obligations of the
Partners and the administration, dissolution and termination of the Partnership shall be governed
by the Delaware Act. All Partnership Interests shall constitute personal property of the owner
thereof for all purposes.
1.2 NAME. The name of the Partnership shall be “AmeriGas Partners, L.P.” The Partnership’s business
may be conducted under any other name or names deemed necessary or appropriate 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
purposes of complying with the laws of any jurisdiction that so requires. The General Partner in
its sole discretion 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.
1.3 REGISTERED OFFICE; PRINCIPAL OFFICE. Unless and until changed by the General Partner, the
registered office of the Partnership in the State of Delaware shall be located at 0000 Xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000, and the registered agent for service of process on the
Partnership in the State of Delaware at such registered office shall be The Xxxxxxxx-Xxxx
Corporation System, Inc. The principal office of the Partnership shall be located at, and the
address of the General Partner shall be, 000 Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxx, Xxxx xx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxx 00000,
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 deems necessary or appropriate.
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1.4 POWER OF ATTORNEY. (a) Each Limited Partner and each Assignee hereby constitutes and appoints
each of the General Partner and, if a Liquidator shall have been selected pursuant to Section 14.3,
the Liquidator severally (and any successor to either thereof by merger, transfer, assignment,
election or otherwise) and each of their authorized officers and attorneys-in-fact, with full power
of substitution, as his true and lawful agent and attorney-in-fact, with full power and authority
in his name, place and xxxxx, to:
(i) execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record in the appropriate public offices (A)
all certificates, documents and other instruments (including this Agreement and the Certificate of
Limited Partnership and all amendments or restatements thereof) that the General Partner or the
Liquidator deems necessary or appropriate to form, qualify or continue the existence or
qualification of the Partnership as a limited partnership (or a partnership in which the limited
partners have limited liability) in the State of Delaware and in all other jurisdictions in which
the Partnership may conduct business or own property; (B) all certificates, documents and other
instruments that the General Partner or the Liquidator deems necessary or appropriate to reflect,
in accordance with its terms, any amendment, change, modification or restatement of this Agreement;
(C) all certificates, documents and other instruments (including conveyances and a certificate of
cancellation) that the General Partner or the Liquidator deems necessary or appropriate to reflect
the dissolution and liquidation of the Partnership pursuant to the terms of this Agreement; (D) all
certificates, documents and other instruments relating to the admission, withdrawal, removal or
substitution of any Partner pursuant to, or other events described in, Article XI, XII, XIII or
XIV; (E) all certificates, documents and other instruments relating to the determination of the
rights, preferences and privileges of any class or series of Partnership Securities issued pursuant
to Section 4.4; and (F) all certificates, documents and other instruments (including agreements and
a certificate of merger) relating to a merger or consolidation of the Partnership pursuant to
Article XVI; and
(ii) execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record all ballots, consents, approvals,
waivers, certificates, documents and other instruments necessary or appropriate, in the sole
discretion of the General Partner or the Liquidator, to make, evidence, give, confirm or ratify any
vote, consent, approval, agreement or other action that is made or given by the Partners hereunder
or is consistent with the terms of this Agreement or is necessary or appropriate, in the sole
discretion of the General Partner or the Liquidator, to effectuate the terms or intent of this
Agreement; provided, that when required by Section 15.3 or any other provision of this Agreement
that establishes a percentage of the Limited Partners or of the Limited Partners of any class or
series required to take any action, the General Partner or the Liquidator may exercise the power of
attorney made in this Section 1.4(a)(ii) only after the necessary vote, consent or approval of the
Limited Partners or of the Limited Partners of such class or series, as applicable.
Nothing contained in this Section 1.4(a) shall be construed as authorizing the General Partner to
amend this Agreement except in accordance with Article XV or as may be otherwise expressly provided
for in this Agreement.
2
(b) The foregoing power of attorney is hereby declared to be irrevocable and a power coupled with
an interest, and it shall survive and not be affected by the subsequent death, incompetency,
disability, incapacity, dissolution, bankruptcy or termination of any Limited Partner or Assignee
and the transfer of all or any portion of such Limited Partner’s or Assignee’s Partnership Interest
and shall extend to such Limited Partner’s or Assignee’s heirs, successors, assigns and personal
representatives. Each such Limited Partner or Assignee hereby agrees to be bound by any
representation made by the General Partner or the Liquidator acting in good faith pursuant to such
power of attorney; and each such Limited Partner or Assignee hereby waives any and all defenses
that may be available to contest, negate or disaffirm the action of the General Partner or the
Liquidator taken in good faith under such power of attorney. Each Limited Partner or Assignee shall
execute and deliver to the General Partner or the Liquidator, within 15 days after receipt of the
General Partner’s or the Liquidator’s request therefor, such further designation, powers of
attorney and other instruments as the General Partner or the Liquidator deems necessary to
effectuate this Agreement and the purposes of the Partnership.
1.5 TERM. The Partnership commenced upon the filing of the Certificate of Limited Partnership in
accordance with the Delaware Act and shall continue in existence until the close of Partnership
business on December 31, 2093, or until the earlier dissolution of the Partnership in accordance
with the provisions of Article XIV.
1.6 POSSIBLE RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER. The General Partner may impose restrictions on the transfer
of Partnership Interests if a subsequent Opinion of Counsel determines that such restrictions are
necessary to avoid a substantial risk of the Partnership’s becoming taxable as a corporation or
otherwise as an entity for federal income tax purposes. The restrictions may be imposed by making
such amendments to this Agreement as the General Partner in its sole discretion may determine to be
necessary or appropriate to impose such restrictions; provided, however, that any amendment that
the General Partner believes, in the exercise of its reasonable discretion, could result in the
delisting or suspension of trading of any class of Units on any National Securities Exchange on
which such class of Units is then traded must be approved by the holders of at least a majority of
the Outstanding Units of such class.
ARTICLE II
DEFINITIONS
DEFINITIONS
The following definitions shall be for all purposes, unless otherwise clearly indicated to the
contrary, applied to the terms used in this Agreement.
“ACQUISITION” means any transaction in which any Group Member acquires (through an asset
acquisition, merger, stock acquisition or other form of investment) control over all or a portion
of the assets, properties or business of another Person for the purpose of increasing the operating
capacity of the Partnership Group from the operating capacity of the Partnership Group existing
immediately prior to such transaction.
“ADDITIONAL LIMITED PARTNER” means a Person admitted to the Partnership as a Limited Partner
pursuant to Section 12.4 and who is shown as such on the books and records of the Partnership.
“ADJUSTED OPERATING SURPLUS” for any period means Operating Surplus generated during such period as
adjusted to (a) exclude Operating Surplus attributable to (i) any net increase in working capital
borrowings during such period and (ii) any net reduction in cash reserves during such period, and
(b) include any net increases in reserves to provide funds for distributions resulting from
Operating Surplus generated during such period. Adjusted Operating Surplus does not include that
portion of Operating Surplus included in clause (a)(i) of the definition of Operating Surplus.
3
“AFFILIATE” means, with respect to any Person, any other Person that directly or indirectly through
one or more intermediaries controls, is controlled by or is under common control with, the Person
in question. As used herein, the term “control” means the possession, direct or indirect, of the
power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a Person, whether through
ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.
“AGREEMENT” means this Fourth Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of AmeriGas
Partners, L.P., as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.
“AMERIGAS” means AmeriGas Propane, Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary
of AmeriGas, Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation.
“ARREARAGE BALANCE” means, as to each Common Unit as of the end of a Quarter, the excess of the sum
of the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for an Initial Common Unit for each prior Quarter over the
sum of the amounts distributed pursuant to Sections 5.3(a) and 5.3(b) for such prior Quarter and
all prior Quarters in respect of an Initial Common Unit; except that no increases shall be made
after the Subordination Period and all Arrearage Balances shall in all events be zero if the
General Partner is removed as general partner of the Partnership upon the requisite vote by Limited
Partners under circumstances where Cause does not exist.
“ASSIGNEE” means a Non-citizen Assignee or a Person to whom one or more Units have been transferred
in a manner permitted under this Agreement and who has executed and delivered a Transfer
Application as required by this Agreement, but who has not become a Substituted Limited Partner.
“ASSOCIATE” means, when used to indicate a relationship with any Person,
(a) any corporation or organization of which such Person is a director, officer or partner or is,
directly or indirectly, the owner of 20% or more of any class of voting stock; (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 residence as such Person.
“AUDIT COMMITTEE” means a committee of the Board of Directors of the General Partner composed
entirely of two or more directors who are neither officers nor employees of the General Partner or
any of its Affiliates.
“AVAILABLE CASH,” as to any Quarter ending before the Liquidation Date, means
(a) the sum of (i) all cash of the Partnership Group on hand at the end of such Quarter and (ii)
all additional cash of the Partnership Group on hand on the date of determination of Available Cash
with respect to such Quarter resulting from borrowings subsequent to the end of such Quarter, less
4
(b) the amount of cash reserves that is necessary or appropriate in the reasonable discretion of
the General Partner to (i) provide for the proper conduct of the business of the Partnership Group
(including reserves for future capital expenditures) subsequent to such Quarter, (ii) provide funds
for distributions under Sections 5.3(a), (b) and (c) or 5.4(a) in respect of any one or more of the
next four Quarters, or (iii) comply with applicable law or any debt instrument or other agreement
or obligation to which any member of the Partnership Group is a party or its assets are subject.
“BOOK-ENTRY SYSTEM” means a direct registration system operated by a securities depository, which
system meets the requirements of any National Securities Exchange on which the Common Units or any
other Units are, at the time in question, listed for trading.
“BUSINESS DAY” means Monday through Friday of each week, except that a legal holiday recognized as
such by the government of the United States or the states of New York or Pennsylvania shall not be
regarded as a Business Day.
“CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS” means (a) additions or improvements to the capital assets owned by any Group
Member or (b) the acquisition of existing or the construction of new capital assets (including
retail distribution outlets, propane tanks, pipeline systems, storage facilities and related
assets), made to increase the operating capacity of the Partnership Group from the operating
capacity of the Partnership Group existing immediately prior to such addition, improvement,
acquisition or construction.
“CAPITAL SURPLUS” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.5.
“CAUSE” means a court of competent jurisdiction has entered a final, non-appealable judgment
finding the General Partner liable for actual fraud, gross negligence or willful or wanton
misconduct in its capacity as general partner of the Partnership.
“CERTIFICATE” means a certificate, substantially in the form of Exhibit A to this Agreement or in
such other form as may be adopted by the General Partner in its sole discretion, issued by the
Partnership evidencing ownership of one or more Common Units, or a certificate, in such form as may
be adopted by the General Partner in its sole discretion, issued by the Partnership evidencing
ownership of one or more other Units.
“CERTIFICATE OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP” means the Certificate of Limited Partnership filed with the
Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as referenced in Section 6.2, as such Certificate of
Limited Partnership may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.
“CITIZENSHIP CERTIFICATION” means a properly completed certificate in such form as may be specified
by the General Partner by which an Assignee or a Limited Partner certifies that he (and if he is a
nominee holding for the account of another Person, that to the best of his knowledge such other
Person) is an Eligible Citizen.
“CLAIM” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.13(c).
5
“CLOSING DATE” means the first date on which Common Units are sold by the Partnership to the
Underwriters pursuant to the provisions of the Underwriting Agreement.
“CLOSING PRICE” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 17.1(a).
“CODE” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and in effect from time to time. Any
reference herein to a specific section or sections of the Code shall be deemed to include a
reference to any corresponding provision of future law.
“COMBINED INTEREST” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 13.3(a).
“COMMISSION” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“COMMON UNIT” means a Unit representing a fractional part of the Partnership Interests of all
Limited Partners and Assignees and having the rights and obligations specified with respect to
Common Units in this Agreement.
“CONTRIBUTION” means any cash, cash equivalents or the Net Agreed Value of any other property or
asset that a Partner contributes to the Partnership pursuant to the Conveyance and Contribution
Agreement, the Merger and Contribution Agreement, Article IV or Section 13.3(c).
“CONVEYANCE AND CONTRIBUTION AGREEMENT” means that certain Conveyance and Contribution Agreement,
dated as of the Closing Date, between Petrolane, the Partnership, the Operating Partnership and
certain other parties, together with the additional conveyance documents and instruments
contemplated or referenced thereunder.
“CURRENT MARKET PRICE” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 17.1(a).
“DELAWARE ACT” means the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, 6 Del C. ss. 17-101, et
seq., as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time, and any successor to such statute.
“DEPARTING 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 13.1 or 13.2.
“DISTRIBUTION LEVELS” means the levels of distribution provided in Section 5.2.
“ELIGIBLE CITIZEN” means a Person qualified to own interests in real property in jurisdictions in
which any Group Member does business or proposes to do business from time to time, and whose status
as a Limited Partner or Assignee does not or would not subject such Group Member to a substantial
risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any of its properties or any interest therein.
“EVENT OF WITHDRAWAL” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 13.1(a).
6
“FIRST TARGET DISTRIBUTION” has the meaning assigned to such term in
Section 5.2.
“GENERAL PARTNER” means AmeriGas and its successor as general partner of the Partnership.
“GROUP” means a Person that with or through any of its Affiliates or Associates has any agreement,
arrangement or understanding 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) or disposing of any Partnership Securities with any other Person that
beneficially owns, or whose Affiliates or Associates beneficially own, directly or indirectly,
Partnership Interests.
“GROUP MEMBER” means a member of the Partnership Group.
“HOLDER” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.13(a).
“INCLUDES” means includes, without limitation, and “INCLUDING” means including, without limitation.
“INDEMNIFIED PERSONS” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.13(c).
“INDEMNITEE” means (a) the General Partner, any Departing Partner, any Person who is or was an
Affiliate of the General Partner or any Departing Partner, (b) any Person who is or was an officer,
director, employee, partner, agent or trustee of the General Partner or any Departing Partner or
any such Affiliate, or (c) any Person who is or was serving at the request of the General Partner
or any Departing Partner or any such Affiliate as a director, officer, employee, partner, agent,
fiduciary or trustee of another Person; provided, that a Person shall not be an Indemnitee pursuant
to this clause (c) by reason of providing, on a fee-for-services basis, trustee, fiduciary or
custodial services.
“INITIAL COMMON UNITS” means the Common Units sold in the Initial Offering.
“INITIAL LIMITED PARTNERS” means AmeriGas and Petrolane (with respect to the Common Units and
Subordinated Units received by them pursuant to Section 4.2) and the Underwriters, in each case
upon being admitted to the Partnership in accordance with Section 12.1.
“INITIAL OFFERING” means the initial offering and sale of Common Units to the public, as described
in the Registration Statement.
“INITIAL UNIT PRICE” means (a) the initial public offering price per Common Unit at which the
Underwriters offered the Common Units to the public for sale as set forth on the cover page of the
prospectus first issued at or after the time the Registration Statement first became effective or
(b) with respect to any other class or series of Units, the price per Unit at which such class or
series of Units is initially sold by the Partnership, as determined by the General Partner.
7
“INTERIM CAPITAL TRANSACTIONS” means the following transactions if they occur prior to the
Liquidation Date: (a) borrowings, refinancings or refundings of indebtedness and sales of debt
securities (other than for working capital purposes and other than for items purchased on open
account in the ordinary course of business) by any Group Member; (b) sales of equity interests
(including Common Units sold to the Underwriters pursuant to the exercise of the Overallotment
Option) by any Group Member; and (c) sales or other voluntary or involuntary dispositions of any
assets of any Group Member other than (x) sales or other dispositions of inventory in the ordinary
course of business, (y) sales or other dispositions of other current assets, including receivables
and accounts, and (z) sales or other dispositions of assets as part of normal retirements or
replacements.
“INVESTMENT BALANCE” means, as to each Unit at the end of each Quarter, the Initial Unit Price for
each Initial Common Unit reduced (but not below zero) by distributions of Capital Surplus under
Section 5.5 and by liquidating distributions under Sections 5.6 or 5.7.
“ISSUE PRICE” means the price at which a Unit is purchased from the Partnership, after taking into
account any sales commission or underwriting discount charged to the Partnership.
“LIMITED PARTNER” means, unless the context otherwise requires, (a) the Organizational Limited
Partner, each Initial Limited Partner, each Substituted Limited Partner, each Additional Limited
Partner and any Departing Partner upon the change of its status from General Partner to Limited
Partner pursuant to
Section 13.3; and (b) solely for purposes of Articles IV, V, VI and IX and Sections 14.3 and 14.4,
each Assignee.
“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 14.2, the
date on which the applicable time period during which the holders of Outstanding Units have the
right to elect to reconstitute the Partnership and continue its business has expired without such
an election being made, and (b) in the case of any other event giving rise to the dissolution of
the Partnership, the date on which such event occurs.
“LIQUIDATOR” means the General Partner or other Person approved pursuant to
Section 14.3 who performs the functions described therein.
“MAINTENANCE CAPITAL EXPENDITURES” means cash capital expenditures made to maintain, up to the
level thereof that existed at the time of such expenditure, the operating capacity of the capital
assets of the Partnership Group, as such assets existed at the time of such expenditure and shall,
therefore, not include cash capital expenditures made in respect of Acquisitions and Capital
Improvements. Where cash capital expenditures are made in part to maintain the operating capacity
level referred to in the immediately preceding sentence and in part for other purposes, the General
Partner’s good faith allocation thereof between the portion used to maintain such operating
capacity level and the portion used for other purposes shall be conclusive.
8
“MERGER AGREEMENT” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 16.1.
“MERGER AND CONTRIBUTION AGREEMENT” means that certain Merger and Contribution Agreement, dated as
of the Closing Date, between AmeriGas, the Partnership, the Operating Partnership and certain other
parties, together with the additional conveyance documents and instruments contemplated or
referenced thereunder.
“MINIMUM QUARTERLY DISTRIBUTION” has the meaning assigned to such term in
Section 5.2.
“NATIONAL SECURITIES EXCHANGE” means an exchange registered with the Commission under Section 6(a)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time, and
any successor to such statute, or the NASDAQ Stock Market or any successor thereto.
“NET AGREED VALUE” means the fair market value of any asset or property contributed to the
Partnership reduced by any liabilities either assumed by the Partnership upon such contribution or
to which the asset or property is subject when contributed, in each case as determined by the
General Partner using such reasonable method of valuation as it may adopt.
“NET LIQUIDATION GAIN” means the excess of all the gains realized after the Liquidation Date from
the sale or other disposition of Partnership assets over all the losses realized from such
dispositions, determined separately for each asset in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles, except that the initial basis of each contributed property shall be deemed to equal its
fair market value when contributed, and each intangible asset shall be amortized only if and at the
rate amortizable for federal income tax purposes.
“1989 CUSTOMER LIST” means a customer list established in 1989 on the books of Petrolane Gas
Services LP, a partnership which was merged into Petrolane on July 15, 1993.
“NON-CITIZEN ASSIGNEE” means a Person whom the General Partner has determined in its sole
discretion does not constitute an Eligible Citizen and as to whose Partnership Interest the General
Partner has become the Substituted Limited Partner, pursuant to Section 11.5.
“NOTICE OF ELECTION TO PURCHASE” has the meaning assigned to such term in
Section 17.1(b).
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“OPERATING EXPENDITURES” means all Partnership Group expenditures, including taxes, reimbursements
of the General Partner, debt service payments, and capital expenditures, subject to the following:
(a) Payments (including prepayments) of principal and premium on a debt shall not be an Operating
Expenditure if the payment is (i) required in connection with the sale or other disposition of
assets or (ii) made in connection with the refinancing or refunding of indebtedness with the
proceeds from new indebtedness or from the sale of equity interests. For purposes of the foregoing,
at the election and in the reasonable discretion of the General Partner, any payment of principal
or premium shall be deemed to be refunded or refinanced by any indebtedness incurred or to be
incurred by the Partnership Group within 180 days before or after such payment to the extent of the
principal amount of such indebtedness.
(b) Operating Expenditures shall not include (i) capital expenditures made for Acquisitions or for
Capital Improvements or (ii) payment of transaction expenses relating to Interim Capital
Transactions. Where capital expenditures are made in part for Acquisitions or Capital Improvements
and in part for other purposes, the General Partner’s good faith allocation between the amounts
paid for each shall be conclusive.
“OPERATING PARTNERSHIP” means AmeriGas Propane, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, and any
successors thereto.
“OPERATING PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT” means the Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Operating
Partnership, as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.
“OPERATING SURPLUS,” as to any Quarter ending before the Liquidation Date, means
(a) the sum of (i) $40 million plus all cash of the Partnership Group on hand as of the close of
business on the Closing Date, (ii) all the cash receipts of the Partnership Group for the period
beginning on the Closing Date and ending with the last day of such Quarter, other than cash
receipts from Interim Capital Transactions and (iii) all cash receipts of the Partnership Group
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, less
(b) the sum of (i) Operating Expenditures for the period beginning on the Closing Date and ending
with the last day of such Quarter, (ii) all distributions made pursuant to Sections 5.3 or 5.4 in
respect of all prior Quarters, and (iii) the amount of cash reserves that is necessary or advisable
in the reasonable discretion of the General Partner to provide funds for future Operating
Expenditures.
“OPINION OF COUNSEL” means a written opinion of counsel (who may be regular counsel to AmeriGas,
any Affiliate of AmeriGas, the Partnership or the General Partner) acceptable to the General
Partner in its reasonable discretion.
“ORGANIZATIONAL LIMITED PARTNER” means Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx, in his capacity as the organizational
limited partner of the Partnership pursuant to this Agreement.
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“OUTSTANDING” means, with respect to Partnership Securities, all Partnership Securities that are
issued by the Partnership and reflected as outstanding on the Partnership’s books and records as of
the date of determination; provided that, if at any time any Person or Group (other than AmeriGas
and its Affiliates) owns beneficially 20% or more of all Common Units, such Common Units so owned
shall not be voted on any matter and shall not be considered to be Outstanding when sending notices
of a meeting of Limited Partners (unless otherwise required by law), calculating required votes,
determining the presence of a quorum or for other similar purposes under this Agreement, except
that such Common Units shall be considered to be Outstanding for purposes of Section 13.1(b)(iv)
(such Common Units shall not, however, be treated as a separate class of Partnership Securities for
purposes of this Agreement).
“OVERALLOTMENT OPTION” means the overallotment option granted to the Underwriters by the
Partnership pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement.
“PARITY UNITS” means Common Units and all other Units having rights to distributions or in
liquidation ranking on a parity with the Common Units.
“PARTNERS” means the General Partner and the Limited Partners.
“PARTNERSHIP” means AmeriGas Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, and any successors
thereto.
“PARTNERSHIP GROUP” means the Partnership, the Operating Partnership and any partnership Subsidiary
of either such entity, treated as a single consolidated partnership.
“PARTNERSHIP INTEREST” means an interest in the Partnership, which shall include general partner
interests, Common Units, Subordinated Units or other Partnership Securities, or a combination
thereof or interest therein, as the case may be.
“PARTNERSHIP SECURITY” means any class or series of Unit, any option, right, warrant or
appreciation rights relating thereto, or any other type of equity interest that the Partnership may
lawfully issue, or any unsecured or secured debt obligation of the Partnership that is convertible
into any class or series of equity interests of the Partnership.
“PERCENTAGE INTEREST” means as of the date of such determination (a) as to the General Partner, 1%,
(b) as to any
Limited Partner or Assignee holding Units, the product of (i) 99% less the percentage applicable to
paragraph (c) multiplied by (ii) the quotient of the number of Units held by such Limited Partner
or Assignee divided by the total number of all Outstanding Units, and (c) as to the holders of
additional Partnership Securities issued by the Partnership in accordance with Section 4.3, the
percentage established as a part of such issuance.
“PERSON” means an individual or a corporation, partnership, trust, unincorporated organization,
association or other entity.
“PETROLANE” means Petrolane Incorporated, a California corporation.
“PRO RATA”, when modifying Units or any class thereof, means apportioned equally among all
designated Units, and when modifying Partners means 1% to the General Partner and 99% to the
Unitholders Pro Rata.
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“PURCHASE DATE” means the date determined by the General Partner as the date for purchase of all
Outstanding Units (other than Units owned by the General Partner and its Affiliates) pursuant to
Article XVII.
“QUARTER” means, unless the context requires otherwise, a three-month period of time ending on
March 31, June 30, September 30, or December 31.
“RECORD DATE” means the date established by the General Partner for determining (a) the identity of
the Record Holder 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.
“RECORD HOLDER” means the Person in whose name a Unit is registered on the books of the Transfer
Agent as of the opening of business on a particular Business Day, or with respect to a holder of a
general partner interest, the Person in whose name such general partner interest is registered on
the books of the General Partner as of the opening of business on such Business Day.
“REDEEMABLE UNITS” means any Units for which a redemption notice has been given, and has not been
withdrawn, pursuant to Section 11.6.
“REGISTRATION STATEMENT” means the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 33-86028),
as it has been or as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, filed by the Partnership
with the Commission under the Securities Act to register the offering and sale of the Common Units
in the Initial Offering.
“RESTRICTED ACTIVITIES” means the retail sales of propane to end users in the continental United
States in the manner engaged in by AmeriGas and Petrolane immediately prior to the Closing Date.
“SECOND TARGET DISTRIBUTION” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.2.
“SECURITIES ACT” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, supplemented or restated from time
to time and any successor to such statute.
“SPECIAL APPROVAL” means approval by the Audit Committee.
“SPECIAL PROPANE CORPORATION” means any corporation that is engaged in Restricted Activities, is
not an S Corporation within the meaning of Section 1361 of the Code, and whose tax basis in its
assets is in the aggregate substantially less than the fair market value of such assets.
“SUBORDINATED UNIT” means a Unit representing a fractional part of the Partnership Interests of all
Limited Partners and Assignees and having the rights and obligations specified with respect to
Subordinated Units in this Agreement.
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“SUBORDINATION PERIOD” means the period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on the first to
occur of the following dates:
(a) the first day of any Quarter beginning on or after April 1, 2000 in respect of which (i)
distributions of Available Cash from Operating Surplus on each of the Common Units and Subordinated
Units equaled or exceeded the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for each of the four consecutive
non-overlapping four-Quarter periods immediately preceding such date, (ii) the Adjusted Operating
Surplus generated during both (A) each of the two immediately preceding non-overlapping
four-Quarter periods and (B) the immediately preceding sixteen-Quarter period equaled or exceeded
the Minimum Quarterly Distribution on each of the Common Units and Subordinated Units during such
periods, and (iii) there are no Arrearage Balances on the Common Units; and
(b) the date on which the General Partner is removed as general partner of the Partnership upon the
requisite vote by Limited Partners under circumstances where Cause does not exist.
“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, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof,
(b) a partnership (whether general or limited) in which such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person
is, at the date of determination, a general or limited partner of such partnership, but only if
more than 50% of the partnership interests of such partnership (considering all of the partnership
interests of the partnership as a single class) is owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by
such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, or (c) any other
Person (other than a corporation or a partnership) in which such Person, 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.
“SUBSTITUTED LIMITED PARTNER” means a Person who is admitted as a Limited Partner to the
Partnership pursuant to Section 12.2 in place of and with all the rights of a Limited Partner and
who is shown as a Limited Partner on the books and records of the Partnership.
“SURVIVING BUSINESS ENTITY” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 16.2(b).
“THIRD TARGET DISTRIBUTION” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.2.
“TRADING DAY” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 17.1(a).
“TRANSFER” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 11.1(a).
“TRANSFER AGENT” means such bank, trust company or other Person (including the General Partner or
one of its Affiliates) as shall be appointed from time to time by the Partnership to act as
registrar and transfer agent for the Units.
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“TRANSFER APPLICATION” means an application and agreement for transfer of Units in the form set
forth on the back of a Certificate or in a form substantially to the same effect in a separate
instrument.
“UNDERWRITER” means each Person named as an underwriter in Schedule 1 to the Underwriting Agreement
who purchases Common Units pursuant thereto.
“UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT” means the Underwriting Agreement dated April 12, 1995, among the
Underwriters, the Partnership and other parties providing for the purchase of Common Units by such
Underwriters.
“UNIT” means a Partnership Interest of a Limited Partner or Assignee in the Partnership
representing a fractional part of the Partnership Interests of all Limited Partners and Assignees
and shall include, without limitation, Common Units and Subordinated Units; provided, that each
Common Unit at any time Outstanding shall represent the same fractional part of the Partnership
Interests of all Limited Partners and Assignees holding Common Units as each other Common Unit and
each Subordinated Unit at any time Outstanding shall represent the same fractional part of the
Partnership Interests of all Limited Partners and Assignees holding Subordinated Units as each
other Subordinated Unit.
“UNIT MAJORITY” means, during the Subordination Period, at least a majority of the Outstanding
Units of each class and, thereafter, at least a majority of the Outstanding Units.
“WITHDRAWAL OPINION OF COUNSEL” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 13.1(b).
ARTICLE III
PURPOSE
PURPOSE
3.1 PURPOSE AND BUSINESS. The purpose and nature of the business to be conducted by the Partnership
shall be to (a) serve as a limited partner in the Operating Partnership and, in connection
therewith, to exercise all the rights and powers conferred upon the Partnership as a limited
partner in the Operating Partnership pursuant to the Operating Partnership Agreement or otherwise,
(b) engage directly in, or to enter into or form any corporation, partnership, joint venture,
limited liability company or other arrangement to engage indirectly in, any business activity that
the Operating Partnership is permitted to engage in by the Operating Partnership Agreement 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, (c) engage directly in, or to enter
into or form 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
and which 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 (d) do anything
necessary or appropriate to the foregoing, including the making of capital contributions or loans
to the Operating Partnership. The General Partner has no obligation or duty to the Partnership, the
Limited Partners, or the Assignees to propose or approve, and in its sole discretion may decline to
propose or approve, the conduct by the Partnership of any business.
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3.2 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 3.1 and for the protection and benefit of the
Partnership.
ARTICLE IV
CONTRIBUTIONS AND UNITS
CONTRIBUTIONS AND UNITS
4.1 ORGANIZATION CONTRIBUTIONS AND RETURN. In connection with the formation of the Partnership
under the Delaware Act, the General Partner made a Contribution to the Partnership in the amount of
$10 for an interest in the Partnership and has been admitted as the general partner of the
Partnership, and the Organizational Limited Partner made a Contribution to the Partnership in the
amount of $990 for an interest in the Partnership and has been admitted as a limited partner of the
Partnership. As of the Closing Date, after giving effect to the transactions contemplated by
Sections 4.2 and 4.3, the interest of the Organizational Limited Partner shall be terminated; the
Contributions of each partner shall be refunded; and the Organizational Limited Partner shall cease
to be a Limited Partner of the Partnership. Ninety-nine percent of any interest or other profit
that may have resulted from the investment or other use of such initial Contributions shall be
allocated and distributed to the Organizational Limited Partner, and the balance thereof shall be
allocated and distributed to the General Partner.
4.2 GENERAL PARTNER AND PETROLANE CONTRIBUTIONS. (a) On the Closing Date and pursuant to the Merger
and Contribution Agreement, the General Partner shall contribute to the Partnership a limited
partner interest in the Operating Partnership in exchange for (i) the continuation of its
Partnership Interest as general partner in the Partnership, (ii) 2,922,235 Common Units, and (iii)
13,350,146 Subordinated Units. On the Closing Date and pursuant to the Conveyance and Contribution
Agreement, Petrolane, or Petrolane and one of its Subsidiaries, shall contribute to the Partnership
limited partner interests in the Operating Partnership in exchange for an aggregate of 1,407,911
Common Units and 6,432,000 Subordinated Units. The limited partner interests in the Operating
Partnership contributed by the General Partner and Petrolane, together with the interest previously
held by the Partnership, will represent a 98.9899% Percentage Interest (as defined in the Operating
Partnership Agreement) in the Operating Partnership.
(b) Upon the making of any Contribution to the Partnership by any person, the General Partner shall
be required to make an additional Contribution in an amount equal to 1/99th of the Net Agreed Value
of the additional Contribution made by such Person.
4.3 CONTRIBUTIONS BY INITIAL LIMITED PARTNERS. On the Closing Date, subject to completion of the
Contributions referred to in Section 4.2, each Underwriter shall contribute to the Partnership cash
in an amount equal to the Issue Price per Common Unit, multiplied by the number of Common Units
specified in the Underwriting Agreement to be purchased by such Underwriter at the “First Closing
Date,” as such term is defined in the Underwriting Agreement. In exchange for such Contributions by
the Underwriters, the Partnership shall issue Common Units to each Underwriter on whose behalf such
Contribution is made in an amount equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the cash
contribution to the Partnership by or on behalf of such Underwriter by (ii) the Issue Price per
Common Unit.
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4.4 ISSUANCES OF ADDITIONAL PARTNERSHIP SECURITIES. (a) Subject to Section 4.5, the General Partner
is authorized to cause the Partnership to issue additional Partnership Securities 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 shall be established by the General Partner in its sole discretion,
all without the approval of any Limited Partners.
(b) Each additional Partnership Security authorized to be issued by the Partnership pursuant to
Section 4.4(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 Securities), as shall be fixed by the General Partner in the
exercise of its sole discretion, including (i) the right to share Partnership profit 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 redeem the Partnership Security; (v) whether such Partnership Security
is issued with the privilege of conversion and, if so, the terms and conditions of such conversion;
(vi) the terms and conditions upon which each Partnership Security will be issued, evidenced by
certificates and assigned or transferred; and (vii) the right, if any, of each such Partnership
Security to vote on Partnership matters, including matters relating to the relative rights,
preferences and privileges of such Partnership Security.
(c) The General Partner is hereby authorized and directed to take all actions that it deems
necessary or appropriate in connection with each issuance of Partnership Securities pursuant to
Section 4.4 and to amend this Agreement in any manner that it deems necessary or appropriate to
provide for each such issuance, to admit Additional Limited Partners in connection therewith and to
specify the relative rights, powers and duties of the holders of the Units or other Partnership
Securities 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 it deems to be necessary or advisable
in connection with any future issuance of Partnership Securities, including compliance with any
statute, rule, regulation or guideline of any federal, state or other governmental agency or any
National Securities Exchange on which the Units or other Partnership Securities are listed for
trading.
4.5 LIMITATIONS ON ISSUANCE OF ADDITIONAL PARTNERSHIP SECURITIES. The issuance of Partnership
Securities pursuant to Section 4.4 shall be subject to the following restrictions and limitations:
(a) During the Subordination Period, the Partnership shall not issue an aggregate of more than
9,400,000 additional Parity Units without the prior approval of holders of at least a majority of
the Outstanding Common Units, except as provided in Sections 4.5(b) and (c). In applying this
limitation, there shall be excluded Common Units issued in connection with (i) the exercise of the
Overallotment Option, (ii) conversion of Subordinated Units pursuant to
Section 4.6, and (iii) any employee benefit plan, employee program or employee practice maintained
or sponsored by the Partnership or the General Partner or any of its Affiliates as provided in
Section 6.4(c).
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(b) The Partnership may also issue an unlimited number of Parity Units prior to the end of the
Subordination Period and without the approval of the Unitholders if such issuance occurs (i) in
connection with an Acquisition or a Capital Improvement or (ii) within 270 days of, and the net
proceeds from such issuance are used to repay debt incurred in connection with, an Acquisition or a
Capital Improvement, in each case where such Acquisition or Capital Improvement involves assets
that, if acquired by the Partnership as of the date that is one year prior to the first day of the
Quarter in which such Acquisition is to be consummated or such Capital Improvement is to be
completed, would have resulted in an increase in
(i) the amount of Adjusted Operating Surplus generated by the Partnership on a per-Unit basis (for
all Outstanding Units) with respect to each of the four most recently completed Quarters over
(ii) the actual amount of Adjusted Operating Surplus generated by the Partnership on a per-Unit
basis (for all Outstanding Units) with respect to each of such four Quarters.
The amount in clause (i) shall be determined on a pro forma basis assuming that (A) all of the
Parity Units to be issued in connection with or within 270 days of such Acquisition or Capital
Addition and Improvement had been issued and outstanding, (B) all indebtedness for borrowed money
to be incurred or assumed in connection with such Acquisition or Capital Improvement (other than
any such indebtedness that is to be repaid with the proceeds of such offering) had been incurred or
assumed, in each case as of the commencement of such four-Quarter period, (C) the personnel
expenses that would have been incurred by the Partnership in the operation of the acquired assets
are the personnel expenses for employees to be retained by the Partnership in the operation of the
acquired assets, and (D) the non-personnel costs and expenses are computed on the same basis as
those incurred by the Partnership in the operation of the Partnership’s business at similarly
situated Partnership facilities.
(c) The Partnership may also issue an unlimited number of Parity Units prior to the end of the
Subordination Period and without the approval of the Unitholders if the use of proceeds from such
issuance is exclusively to repay up to an aggregate of $150,000,000 of long-term indebtedness of
the Partnership or the Operating Partnership, in each case only where the aggregate amount of
distributions that would have been paid with respect to such newly issued Units and the related
additional distributions that would have been made to the General Partner in respect of the
four-Quarter period ending prior to the first day of the Quarter in which the issuance is to be
consummated (assuming such Units had been outstanding throughout such period and that distributions
equal to the distributions that were actually paid on the outstanding Units during the period were
paid on such Units) did not exceed the interest costs actually incurred during such period on the
indebtedness that is to be repaid (or, if such indebtedness was not outstanding throughout the
entire period, would have been incurred had such indebtedness been outstanding for the entire
period).
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(d) During the Subordination Period, the Partnership shall not issue additional Partnership
Securities having rights to distributions or in liquidation ranking prior or senior to the Common
Units, without the prior approval of holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common
Units.
(e) No fractional Units shall be issued by the Partnership.
4.6 CONVERSION OF SUBORDINATED UNITS. (a) A total of 4,945,537 Subordinated Units will convert into
Common Units on the first day after the Record Date for distribution in respect of any Quarter
ending on or after March 31, 1998, and an additional 4,945,537 Subordinated Units will convert into
Common Units on the first day after the Record Date for distributions in respect of any Quarter
ending on or after March 31, 1999, in respect of which
(i) for each of the three consecutive non-overlapping four-Quarter periods immediately preceding
such date, distributions under Section 5.3 at least equal the sum of the Minimum Quarterly
Distributions for each Quarter (as prorated for the actual length of the period from the Closing
Date through March 30, 1996) on all Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units during such
period;
(ii) the Adjusted Operating Surplus generated during the immediately preceding twelve-Quarter
period at least equals the sum of the Minimum Quarterly Distributions for each Quarter (as prorated
for the actual length of the period from the Closing Date through March 30, 1996) on all
Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units during such period;
(iii) the Arrearages Balances on the Common Units are zero;
(iv) the General Partner makes a good faith estimate (in connection with which the General Partner
shall be entitled to make such assumptions as in its sole discretion it believes are reasonable)
that the Partnership will, with respect to the four-Quarter period commencing with such date,
generate Adjusted Operating Surplus in an amount at least equal to the sum of the Minimum Quarterly
Distributions on all Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units; and
(v) the General Partner shall obtain Special Approval that it has complied with the provisions of
Section 4.6(a)(iv).
In the event less than all of the Outstanding Subordinated Units shall convert into Common Units
pursuant to this Section 4.6(a) at a time when there shall be more than one holder of Subordinated
Units, then, unless all of the holders of Subordinated Units shall agree to a different allocation,
the Subordinated Units that are to be converted into Common Units shall be allocated among the
holders of Subordinated Units pro rata in respect of the number of Subordinated Units held by each
such holder.
(b) The remaining Subordinated Units shall convert into Common Units on the first day following the
Record Date for distributions in respect of the final quarter of the Subordination Period.
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(c) On the date a Subordination Unit is converted, it shall possess all the rights and obligations
of Common Units. Prior to such time, a Subordinated Unit shall have all of the rights and
obligations of a Common Unit, except with respect to the right to vote on or approve matters
requiring the vote or approval of a percentage of the holders of Outstanding Common Units and the
right to participate in distributions made with respect to Common Units.
4.7 LIMITED PREEMPTIVE RIGHTS. No Person shall have any preemptive, preferential or other similar
right with respect to the issuance of any Partnership Security, whether unissued, held in the
treasury or hereafter created, except that the General Partner shall have the right, which it may
from time to time assign in whole or in part to any of its Affiliates, to purchase Partnership
Securities from the Partnership whenever, and on the same terms that, the Partnership issues
Partnership Securities to Persons other than the General Partner and its Affiliates, to the extent
necessary to maintain the Percentage Interests of the General Partner and its Affiliates equal to
that which existed immediately prior to the issuance of such Partnership Securities.
4.8 SPLITS AND COMBINATIONS. (a) Subject to Sections 4.8(d) and 5.8 (dealing with adjustments of
distribution levels), the General Partner may make a pro rata distribution of Partnership
Securities to all Record Holders or may effect a subdivision or combination of Partnership
Securities so long as, after any such event, each Partner shall have the same Percentage Interest
in the Partnership as before such event, and the Investment Balance, Arrearage Balance, Initial
Unit Price and other amounts calculated on a per Unit basis are proportionately adjusted
retroactive to the beginning of the Partnership.
(b) Whenever such a distribution, subdivision or combination of Partnership Securities 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 the 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 Units 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 General Partner may
cause Certificates to be issued to the Record Holders of Units as of the applicable Record Date
representing the new number of Units held by such Record Holders, or the General Partner may adopt
such other procedures as it may deem appropriate to reflect such changes. If any such combination
results in a smaller total number of Units Outstanding, the General Partner 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 this Section 4.8(d), each fractional Unit shall
be rounded to the nearest whole Unit (and a 0.5 Unit shall be rounded to the next higher Unit).
4.9 INTEREST AND WITHDRAWAL. No interest shall be paid by the Partnership on Contributions, and no
Partner shall be entitled to withdraw any part of its Contributions or otherwise to receive any
distribution from the Partnership, except as provided in Section 4.1 and Articles V, VII, XIII and
XIV.
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ARTICLE V
DISTRIBUTIONS
DISTRIBUTIONS
5.1 GENERAL PROVISIONS. The General Partner shall determine each date on which a distribution will
be made, the Available Cash or other applicable amount to be distributed on such date, and the
Record Holders for such distribution, subject to the following:
(a) Amount of Available Cash and Operating Surplus. The General Partner shall determine the amount
of Available Cash and Operating Surplus with respect to each Quarter ending before the Liquidation
Date within 45 days following the end of such Quarter. Such determination shall be made by
reference to the books and records of the Partnership Group and, if made in good faith, shall be
conclusive. Promptly following such determination, the amount distributable pursuant to Section
5.3, 5.4 or 5.5 hereof with respect to such prior Quarter shall be distributed to the Partners.
(b) Source of Distributions. All distributions for each Quarter prior to the Liquidation Date shall
be deemed to be out of Operating Surplus until such surplus is reduced to zero. Available Cash in
excess of Operating Surplus shall be distributed as provided in Section 5.5.
(c) Payments Other Than Distributions. Amounts payable as compensation or reimbursement to the
General Partner, or amounts payable to any person other than in his capacity as a Partner, such as
for goods or services, shall not be treated as distributions.
(d) Record Holder Identification. Any amount otherwise distributable to a Record Holder may be
withheld without interest until ten days after such Record Holder has provided the Partnership with
his taxpayer identification number (and if such Record Holder is a nominee holding for the account
of another Person, the taxpayer identification number of such other Person).
(e) Gross Income Limitation. Distributions for a Quarter shall be made other than to the Partners
Pro Rata only if and to the extent that the Partnership has gross income for such Quarter equal to
the amount that is not being distributed to the Partners Pro Rata. Any amount not distributed for a
Quarter because of the foregoing limitation shall be distributed in the next succeeding Quarter(s)
in which gross income exceeds non-Pro Rata distributions.
(f) Entity-Level Tax Payments. The General Partner is authorized to take any action it determines
in its sole discretion to be necessary or appropriate to cause the Partnership to comply with any
withholding requirements established under the Code or any other law. Whether or not pursuant to
any withholding requirement, if the Partnership is required or elects to pay any tax on behalf of
the General Partner, current Unitholder, or former Unitholder that is attributable to the
Partnership, the General Partner is authorized to pay such taxes from Partnership funds. To the
extent feasible, each such payment shall be treated as a distribution pursuant to Article V in
respect of the person on whose behalf the payment was made. If the payment is made on behalf of a
person whose identity cannot be determined, the General Partner is authorized to treat the payment
as a distribution to current Unitholders of the same class as the obligor, or if the class is not
known, to all Unitholders. Alternatively, the General Partner may elect to treat an amount paid on
behalf of the General Partner and Unitholders as an expenditure of the Partnership if the amount
paid on behalf of the General Partner is not substantially greater per Percentage Interest than
that paid on behalf of Unitholders.
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5.2 DISTRIBUTION LEVELS. Subject to the adjustments provided in Section 5.8, each defined
distribution level (“Distribution Level”) for a Quarter means the following:
(a) Minimum Quarterly Distribution means $.550 per Unit.
(b) First Target Distribution means $.055 per Unit.
(c) Second Target Distribution means $.091 per Unit.
(d) Third Target Distribution means $.208 per Unit.
5.3 OPERATING DISTRIBUTIONS DURING SUBORDINATION PERIOD. Subject to Section 5.1, for each Quarter
during the Subordination Period and prior to the Liquidation Date, Available Cash not in excess of
Operating Surplus shall be distributed in the following priorities:
(a) first, 1% to the General Partner and 99% in respect of Common Units Pro Rata until the amount
distributed per Common Unit equals the Minimum Quarterly Distribution;
(b) then, 1% to the General Partner and 99% in respect of Common Units Pro Rata until the amount
distributed for each Common Unit equals its Arrearage Balance as of the end of such Quarter;
(c) then, 1% to the General Partner and 99% in respect of Subordinated Units until the amount
distributed per Subordinated Unit equals the Minimum Quarterly Distribution; and
(d) thereafter, in the percentages, priorities and amounts provided in Sections 5.4(b) through (e).
5.4 OPERATING DISTRIBUTIONS AFTER SUBORDINATION PERIOD. Subject to Section 5.1, for each Quarter
after the Subordination Period and before the Liquidation Date, Available Cash not in excess of
Operating Surplus shall be distributed in the following priorities:
(a) first, 1% to the General Partner and 99% in respect of all Units Pro Rata until the amount
distributed per Unit equals the Minimum Quarterly Distribution;
(b) then, 1% to the General Partner and 99% in respect of all Units Pro Rata until the amount
distributed per Unit pursuant to this Section 5.4(b) equals the First Target Distribution;
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(c) then, 14.1327% to the General Partner and 85.8673% in respect of all Units Pro Rata until the
amount distributed per Unit pursuant to this Section 5.4(c) equals the Second Target Distribution;
(d) then, 24.2347% to the General Partner and 75.7653% in respect of all Units Pro Rata until the
amount distributed per Unit pursuant to this Section 5.4(d) equals the Third Target Distribution;
and
(e) then, 49.4898% to the General Partner and 50.5102% in respect of all Units Pro Rata.
5.5 CAPITAL DISTRIBUTIONS. Available Cash in excess of Operating Surplus as of the end of a Quarter
ending prior to the Liquidation Date (“Capital Surplus”) shall be distributed to the Partners Pro
Rata until the aggregate amount distributed under this Section 5.5 with respect to an Initial
Common Unit equals the Initial Unit Price. Thereafter, all Available Cash shall be distributed
pursuant to Sections 5.3 and 5.4, as applicable.
5.6 LIQUIDATING DISTRIBUTIONS DURING SUBORDINATION PERIOD. If the Liquidation Date occurs before
the end of the Subordination Period, the amounts available for distribution pursuant to Section
14.4(c) shall be distributed after the Liquidation Date in the following priorities:
(a) first, 1% to the General Partner and 99% in respect of Common Units Pro Rata until the amounts
distributed for all Quarters after the Liquidation Date in respect of each Common Unit equals
(i) the sum of its Investment Balance, Arrearage Balance, and Minimum Quarterly Distribution for
the current Quarter, or, if less,
(ii) the sum of (A) the amount that would be distributable in respect of a Common Unit if 99% of
all distributions were made in respect of all Units Pro Rata, plus (B) the amount that would be
allocable to a Common Unit if 99% of the Net Liquidation Gain were allocated to all Common Units
Pro Rata;
(b) then, 1% to the General Partner and 99% in respect of Subordinated Units Pro Rata until the
amounts distributed in respect of each Subordinated Unit equals the amount distributed to each
Common Unit under Section 5.6(a) to the extent of the Common Unit’s Investment Balance and the
Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such Quarter; and
(c) thereafter, in the percentages, priorities and amounts provided in Sections 5.7(c) through (f).
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5.7 LIQUIDATING DISTRIBUTIONS AFTER SUBORDINATION PERIOD. If the Liquidation Date occurs after the
Subordination Period, the amounts available for distribution pursuant to Section 14.4(c) shall be
distributed after the Liquidation Date in the following priorities:
(a) first, 1% to the General Partner and 99% in respect of all Units Pro Rata until the amounts
distributed in respect of each Common Unit equals its Investment Balance;
(b) then, 1% to the General Partner and 99% in respect of all Units Pro Rata until the aggregate
amount distributed in respect of all Units outstanding on the Liquidation Date equals the sum of
the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for each Quarter that each such Unit has been outstanding, less
the amounts previously distributed pursuant to Section 5.3(a) or (b) or Section 5.4(a) (Minimum
Quarterly Distributions and Arrearage Balances) or this Section 5.7(b) in respect of all such Units
for all such Quarters;
(c) then, 1% to the General Partner and 99% in respect of all Units Pro Rata until the aggregate
amount distributed in respect of all Units outstanding on the Liquidation Date equals the sum of
the First Target Distribution for each Quarter that each such Unit has been outstanding, less the
amounts previously distributed pursuant to Section 5.4(b) (First Target Distributions) or this
Section 5.7(c) in respect of all such Units for all such Quarters;
(d) then, 14.1327% to the General Partner and 85.8673% in respect of all Units Pro Rata until the
aggregate amount distributed in respect of all Units outstanding on the Liquidation Date equals the
sum of the Second Target Distribution for each Quarter that each such Unit has been outstanding,
less the amounts previously distributed pursuant to Section 5.4(c) (Second Target Distributions) or
this Section 5.7(d) in respect of all such Units for all such Quarters;
(e) then, 24.2347% to the General Partner and 75.7653% in respect of all Units Pro Rata until the
aggregate amount distributed in respect of all Units outstanding on the Liquidation Date equals the
sum of the Third Target Distribution for each Quarter that each such Unit has been outstanding,
less the amounts previously distributed pursuant to Section 5.4(d) (Third Target Distributions) or
this Section 5.7(e) in respect of all such Units for all such Quarters; and
(f) then, 49.4898% to the General Partner and 50.5102% in respect of all Units Pro Rata.
5.8 ADJUSTMENTS TO DISTRIBUTION LEVELS.
(a) First Quarter Proration. For the period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on June 30,
1995, the stated amount for each Distribution Level shall be multiplied by a fraction whose
numerator is the number of days in such period and whose denominator is 90.
(b) Capital Distribution Adjustment. Upon a distribution under Section 5.5, each Distribution Level
shall be multiplied by a fraction whose numerator is the Investment Balance of the Common Units
immediately after giving effect to such distribution and whose denominator is such Investment
Balance immediately before giving effect to such distribution. Each reduction shall apply to the
Quarter following the Quarter in which the distribution is made and to each Quarter thereafter
until further adjusted, but shall not reduce the level applicable to any prior Quarter.
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(c) Splits and Combinations. Upon any distribution, split or combination of Units provided under
Section 4.8, each Distribution Level shall be proportionately adjusted retroactive to the beginning
of the Partnership.
(d) Entity Level Taxation. If any federal, state or local income tax is at any time imposed on the
Partnership as a result of the enactment of legislation or a modification in the interpretation by
the relevant governmental authority of existing language, then, beginning with the Quarter for
which such tax is first imposed, each Distribution Level will be multiplied by a percentage equal
to one minus the sum of (i) the maximum marginal federal income tax rate to which the Partnership
is subject as an entity plus (ii) any increase in the effective overall state and local income tax
rate to which the Partnership is subject as a result of the new imposition of the entity level tax
(after taking into account the benefit of any deduction allowable for federal income tax purposes
with respect to the payment of state and local income taxes).
ARTICLE VI
MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS
MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS
6.1 MANAGEMENT. (a) The General Partner shall conduct, direct and manage all activities of the
Partnership. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, all management powers over
the business and affairs of the Partnership shall be exclusively vested in the General Partner, and
no Limited Partner or Assignee shall have any management power over the business and affairs of the
Partnership. In addition to the powers now or hereafter granted a general partner of a limited
partnership under applicable law or which are granted to the General Partner under any other
provision of this Agreement, the General Partner, subject to Section 6.3, shall have full power and
authority to do all things and on such terms as it, in its sole discretion, may deem necessary or
appropriate to conduct the business of the Partnership, to exercise all powers set forth in Section
3.2 and to effectuate the purposes set forth in
Section 3.1, including the following:
(i) the making of any expenditures, the lending or borrowing of money, the assumption or guarantee
of, or other contracting for, indebtedness and other liabilities, the issuance of evidences of
indebtedness and the incurring of any other obligations;
(ii) the making of tax, regulatory and other filings, or rendering of periodic or other reports to
governmental or other agencies having jurisdiction over the business or assets of the Partnership;
(iii) the acquisition, disposition, mortgage, pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation or exchange of any
or all of the assets of the Partnership or the merger or other combination of the Partnership with
or into another Person;
(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 or the Operating Partnership, the lending of funds to other Persons (including the
Operating Partnership, the General Partner and its Affiliates), the repayment of obligations of the
Partnership and the Operating Partnership and the making of capital contributions to the Operating
Partnership;
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(v) the negotiation, execution and performance of any contracts, conveyances or other instruments
(including instruments that limit the liability of the Partnership under contractual arrangements
to all or particular assets of the Partnership, with the other party to the contract to have no
recourse against the General Partner or its assets other than its interest in the Partnership, even
if same results in the terms of the transaction being less favorable to the Partnership than would
otherwise be the case);
(vi) the distribution of Partnership cash;
(vii) the selection and dismissal of employees (including employees having titles such as
“president,” “vice president,” “secretary” and “treasurer”) and agents, outside attorneys,
accountants, consultants and contractors and the determination of their compensation and other
terms of employment or hiring;
(viii) the maintenance of such insurance for the benefit of the Partnership Group and the Partners
as it deems necessary or appropriate;
(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 or
other relationships (including the acquisition of interests in, and the contributions of property
to, the Operating Partnership 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 and the incurring of legal expense and the settlement of claims and litigation;
(xi) the indemnification of any Person against liabilities and contingencies to the extent
permitted by law;
(xii) the entering into of listing agreements with The New York Stock Exchange, Inc. and any other
National Securities Exchange and the delisting of some or all of the Units from, or requesting that
trading be suspended on, any such exchange (subject to any prior approval that may be required
under Section 1.6);
(xiii) the purchase, sale or other acquisition or disposition of Units; and
(xiv) the undertaking of any action in connection with the Partnership’s participation in the
Operating Partnership as the limited partner.
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(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Operating Partnership Agreement, the
Delaware Act or any applicable law, rule or regulation, each of the Partners and Assignees and each
other Person who may acquire an interest in Units hereby (i) approves, ratifies and confirms the
execution, delivery and performance by the parties thereto of the Operating Partnership Agreement,
the Underwriting Agreement, the Conveyance and Contribution Agreement, the Merger and Contribution
Agreement, the agreements and other documents filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement, and
the other agreements described in or filed as a part of the Registration Statement; (ii) agrees
that the General Partner (on its own or through any officer of the Partnership) is authorized to
execute, deliver and perform the agreements referred to in clause (i) of this sentence and the
other agreements, acts, transactions and matters described in or contemplated by the Registration
Statement on behalf of the Partnership without any further act, approval or vote of the Partners or
the Assignees or the other Persons who may acquire an interest in Units; and (iii) agrees that the
execution, delivery or performance by the General Partner, any Group Member or any Affiliate of any
of them, of this Agreement or any agreement authorized or permitted under this Agreement (including
the exercise by the General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner of the rights accorded
pursuant to Article XVII), shall not constitute a breach by the General Partner of any duty that
the General Partner may owe the Partnership or the Limited Partners or the Assignees or any other
Persons under this Agreement (or any other agreements) or of any duty stated or implied by law or
equity.
6.2 CERTIFICATE OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP. The General Partner has caused the Certificate of Limited
Partnership to be filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as required by the
Delaware Act and shall use all reasonable efforts to cause to be filed such other certificates or
documents as may be determined by the General Partner in its sole discretion to be reasonable and
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 that such action is determined by the General Partner in its sole discretion to be
reasonable and 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 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 7.5(a), the General
Partner shall not be required, before or after filing, to deliver or mail a copy of the Certificate
of Limited Partnership, any qualification document or any amendment thereto to any Limited Partner
or Assignee.
6.3 RESTRICTIONS ON GENERAL PARTNER’S AUTHORITY. (a) The General Partner may not, without written
approval of the specific act by all of the Outstanding Units or by other written instrument
executed and delivered by all of the Outstanding Units subsequent to the date of this Agreement,
take any action in contravention of this Agreement, including, except as otherwise provided in this
Agreement, (i) committing any act that would make it impossible to carry on the ordinary business
of the Partnership; (ii) possessing Partnership property, or assigning any rights in specific
Partnership property, for other than a Partnership purpose; (iii) admitting a Person as a Partner;
(iv) amending this Agreement in any manner; or (v) transferring its interest as general partner of
the Partnership.
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(b) Except as provided in Articles XIV and XVI, the General Partner may not sell, exchange or
otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the Partnership’s assets in a single transaction
or a series of related transactions or approve on behalf of the Partnership the sale, exchange or
other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Operating Partnership, without
the approval of holders of at least a Unit Majority; provided, however, that this provision shall
not preclude or limit the General Partner’s ability to mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or grant a
security interest in all or substantially all of the Partnership’s assets and shall not apply to
any forced sale of any or all of the Partnership’s assets pursuant to the foreclosure of, or other
realization upon, any such encumbrance. Without the approval of holders of at least a Unit
Majority, the General Partner shall not, on behalf of the Partnership, (i) consent to any amendment
to the Operating Partnership Agreement or, except as expressly permitted by Section 6.9(d), take
any action permitted to be taken by a partner of the Operating Partnership, in either case, that
would have a material adverse effect on the Partnership as a partner of the Operating Partnership
or (ii) except as permitted under Sections 11.2, 13.1 and 13.2, elect or cause the Partnership to
elect a successor general partner of the Operating Partnership.
(c) At all times while serving as the general partner of the Partnership, the General Partner shall
not make any dividend or distribution on, or repurchase any shares of, its stock or take any other
action within its control if the effect of such action would cause its net worth, independent of
its interest in the Partnership Group, to be less than $10 million.
6.4 REIMBURSEMENT OF THE GENERAL PARTNER. (a) Except as provided in this
Section 6.4 and elsewhere in this Agreement or in the Operating Partnership Agreement, the General
Partner shall not be compensated for its services as general partner of any Group Member.
(b) The General Partner shall be reimbursed on a monthly basis, or such other basis as the General
Partner may determine in its sole discretion, for (i) all direct and indirect expenses it incurs or
payments it makes on behalf of the Partnership (including salary, bonus, incentive compensation and
other amounts paid to any Person to perform services for the Partnership or for the General Partner
in the discharge of its duties to the Partnership), and (ii) all other necessary or appropriate
expenses allocable to the Partnership or otherwise reasonably incurred by the General Partner in
connection with operating the Partnership’s business (including expenses allocated to the General
Partner by its Affiliates). The General Partner shall determine the expenses that are allocable to
the Partnership in any reasonable manner determined by the General Partner in its sole discretion.
Reimbursements pursuant to this Section 6.4 shall be in addition to any reimbursement to the
General Partner as a result of indemnification pursuant to Section 6.7.
(c) Subject to Section 4.5, the General Partner, in its sole discretion and without the approval of
the Limited Partners (who shall have no right to vote in respect thereof), may propose and adopt on
behalf of the Partnership employee benefit plans, employee programs and employee practices
(including plans, programs and practices involving the issuance of Units), or issue Partnership
Securities pursuant to any employee benefit plan, employee program or employee practice maintained
or sponsored by the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, in each case for the benefit of
employees of the General Partner, any Group Member or
27
any Affiliate, or any of them, in respect of services performed, directly or indirectly, for the benefit of the Partnership Group.
The Partnership agrees to issue and sell to the General Partner or any of its Affiliates any Units
or other Partnership Securities that the General Partner or such Affiliate is obligated to provide
to any employees pursuant to any such employee benefit plans, employee programs or employee
practices. Expenses incurred by the General Partner in connection with any such plans, programs and
practices (including the net cost to the General Partner or such Affiliate of Units or other
Partnership Securities purchased by the General Partner or such Affiliate from the Partnership to
fulfill options or awards under such plans, programs and practices) shall be reimbursed in
accordance with Section 6.4(b). Any and all obligations of the General Partner under any employee
benefit plans, employee programs or employee practices adopted by the General Partner as permitted
by this Section 6.4(c) shall constitute obligations of the General Partner hereunder and shall be
assumed by any successor General Partner approved pursuant to Section 13.1 or 13.2 or the
transferee of or successor to all of the General Partner’s Partnership Interest as a general
partner in the Partnership pursuant to Section 11.2.
6.5 OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES. (a) After the Closing Date, the General Partner, for so long as it is the
general partner of the Partnership, shall not engage in any business or activity or incur any debts
or liabilities except in connection with or incidental to (i) its performance as general partner of
one or more Group Members or as described in or contemplated by the Registration Statement, (ii)
the acquiring, owning or disposing of debt or equity securities in any Group Member, (iii) engaging
in an activity permitted by Section 6.5(b), and (iv) permitting its employees to perform services
for its Affiliates, including Affiliates engaging in an activity permitted by Section 6.5(b).
(b) The General Partner or any of its Affiliates may engage in an activity that is a Restricted
Activity only if
(i) the General Partner determines, prior to commencing such activity, that it is inadvisable for
the Partnership to engage in such activity either because (A) of the financial commitments
associated with such activity or (B) such activity is not consistent with the Partnership’s
business strategy or cannot otherwise be integrated with the Partnership’s operations on a
beneficial basis, and such determination is approved by Special Approval;
(ii) such activity arises as a result of an acquisition utilizing primarily equity securities of a
corporate Affiliate of the Partnership, and the aggregate consideration paid in connection with
such acquisition and all other acquisitions of then-owned entities made pursuant to the exception
provided by this Section 6.5(b)(ii) does not exceed $50 million; or
(iii) such activity arises as a result of an acquisition of stock of one or more Special Propane
Corporations, and the aggregate total assets of all then-owned Special Propane Corporations
acquired pursuant to the exception provided by this Section 6.5(b)(iii) and owned for more than 24
months does not exceed 10% of the total assets of the Partnership (in each case as such assets
shall be determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles).
Subject to the restrictions of Section 6.5(c), the General Partner or its Affiliates may engage in
the activity described in Section 6.5(b), either through the direct ownership of the assets of a
business or indirectly through the ownership of equity interests in a business, may sell or
otherwise transfer such assets or equity interests to any Group Member or any third person, and may
retain all the profits derived from any of the foregoing.
28
(c) During the period the activity being undertaken pursuant to Section 6.5(b), is being carried on
directly or indirectly by the General Partner or an Affiliate, the personnel engaged in such
activity shall not (A) attempt to sell propane to persons to whom any Group Member is selling
propane or (B) seek new customers in geographical areas in which any Group Member is engaged in the
retail propane business and in which the business was not engaged at the time it was acquired by
the General Partner or an Affiliate.
(d) Except as restricted by Sections 6.5(a), (b) or (c), each Indemnitee shall have the right to
engage in businesses of every type and description and other activities for profit and to engage in
and possess an interest in other business ventures of any and every type or description, whether in
businesses engaged in or anticipated to be engaged in by any Group Member, independently or with
others, including business interests and activities in direct competition with the business and
activities of any Group Member, and none of the same shall constitute a breach of this Agreement or
any duty to any Group Member or any Partner or Assignee. Neither any Group Member, any Limited
Partner nor any other Person shall have any rights by virtue of this Agreement, the Operating
Partnership Agreement or the partnership relationship established hereby or thereby in any business
ventures of any Indemnitee.
(e) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, (i) the engaging in competitive
activities by any Indemnitees in accordance with the provisions of this Section 6.5 is hereby
approved by the Partnership and all Partners and (ii) it shall be deemed not to be a breach of the
General Partner’s fiduciary duty or any other obligation of any type whatsoever of the General
Partner for the Indemnitees to engage in such business interests and activities in preference to or
to the exclusion of the Partnership.
(f) The General Partner and any of its Affiliates may acquire Units or other Partnership Securities
in addition to those acquired on the Closing Date and, except as otherwise provided in this
Agreement, shall be entitled to exercise all rights of an Assignee or Limited Partner, as
applicable, relating to such Units or Partnership Securities.
(g) The term “Affiliates” when used in Section 6.5(b) or (c) with respect to the General Partner
shall not include any Group Member or any Subsidiary of the Group Member.
6.6 LOANS TO AND FROM THE GENERAL PARTNER; CONTRACTS WITH AFFILIATES. (a) The General Partner or
any Affiliate thereof may lend to any Group Member, and any Group Member may borrow, funds needed
or desired by the Group Member for such periods of time as the General Partner may determine, and
the General Partner or any Affiliate thereof may borrow from any Group Member, and any Group Member
may lend to the General Partner or such Affiliate, excess funds of the Group Member for such
periods of time and in such amounts as the General Partner may determine; provided, however, that
in either such case the lending party may not charge the borrowing party interest at a rate greater
than the rate that would be charged the borrowing party (without reference to the lending party’s
financial abilities or guarantees), by the unrelated lenders on comparable loans. The borrowing
party shall reimburse the lending party for any costs (other than any additional interest costs)
incurred by the lending party in connection with the borrowing of such funds. For purposes of this
Section 6.6(a) and Section 6.6(b), the term “Group Member” shall include any Affiliate of the Group
Member that is controlled by the Group Member.
29
(b) The Partnership may lend or contribute to any Group Member, and any Group Member may borrow,
funds on terms and conditions established in the sole discretion of the General Partner; provided,
however, that the Partnership may not charge the Group Member interest at a rate greater than the
rate that would be charged to the Group Member (without reference to the General Partner’s
financial abilities or guarantees), by unrelated lenders on comparable loans. The foregoing
authority shall be exercised by the General Partner in its sole discretion and shall not create any
right or benefit in favor of any Group Member or any other Person.
(c) The General Partner may itself, or may enter into an agreement with any of its Affiliates to,
render services to the Partnership or to the General Partner in the discharge of its duties as
general partner of the Partnership. Any services rendered to the Partnership by the General Partner
or any of its Affiliates shall be on terms that are fair and reasonable to the Partnership;
provided, however, that the requirements of this Section 6.6(c) shall be deemed satisfied as to (i)
any transaction approved by Special Approval, (ii) any transaction, the terms of which are no less
favorable to the Partnership than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated
third parties or (iii) any transaction that, 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), is equitable to the Partnership. The provisions of Section 6.4
shall apply to the rendering of services described in this Section 6.6(c).
(d) The Partnership may transfer assets to joint ventures, other partnerships, corporations,
limited liability companies or other business entities in which it is or thereby becomes a
participant upon such terms and subject to such conditions as are consistent with this Agreement
and applicable law.
(e) Neither the General Partner nor any of its Affiliates shall sell, transfer or convey any
property to, or purchase any property from, the Partnership, directly or indirectly, except
pursuant to transactions that are fair and reasonable to the Partnership; provided, however, that
the requirements of this Section 6.6(e) shall be deemed to be satisfied as to (i) the transactions
effected pursuant to Sections 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3, the Conveyance and Contribution Agreement, the
Merger and Contribution Agreement and any other transactions described in or contemplated by the
Registration Statement, (ii) any transaction approved by Special Approval, (iii) any transaction,
the terms of which are no less favorable to the Partnership than those generally being provided to
or available from unrelated third parties, or (iv) any transaction that, 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), is equitable to the Partnership.
With respect to any contribution of assets to the Partnership in exchange for Units, the Audit
Committee, in determining whether the appropriate number of Units are being issued, should take
into account, among other things, the fair market value of the assets, the liquidated and
contingent liabilities assumed, the tax basis in the assets, the extent to which tax-only
allocations to the transferor will protect the existing partners of the Partnership against a low
tax basis, and such other factors as the Audit Committee deems relevant under the circumstances.
30
(f) The General Partner and its Affiliates will have no obligation to 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 and except as set
forth in the Registration Statement with respect to the “FAST” propane purchase optimization and
fuel accounting system, nor shall there be any obligation on the part of the General Partner or its
Affiliates to enter into such contracts.
(g) Without limitation of Sections 6.6(a) through 6.6(f), and notwithstanding anything to the
contrary in this Agreement, the existence of the conflicts of interest described in the
Registration Statement are hereby approved by all Partners.
6.7 INDEMNIFICATION. (a) To the fullest extent permitted by law but subject to the limitations
expressly provided in this Agreement, all Indemnitees shall be indemnified and held harmless by the
Partnership from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several,
expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or
other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether
civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, 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,
provided, that in each case the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner that such Indemnitee
reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Partnership and, with
respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe its conduct was unlawful;
provided, further, no indemnification pursuant to this Section 6.7 shall be available to the
General Partner with respect to its obligations incurred pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement or
the Merger and Contribution Agreement (other than obligations incurred by the General Partner on
behalf of the Partnership or the Operating Partnership), or to Petrolane with respect to its
obligations incurred pursuant to the Conveyance and Contribution Agreement. The termination of any
action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo
contendere, or its equivalent, shall not create a presumption that the Indemnitee acted in a manner
contrary to that specified above. Any indemnification pursuant to this Section 6.7 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 6.7(a) in defending any claim, demand,
action, suit or proceeding shall, from time to time, be advanced by the Partnership prior to the
final disposition of such claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding upon receipt by the Partnership
of any undertaking by or on behalf of the Indemnitee to repay such amount if it shall be determined
that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified as authorized in this Section 6.7.
(c) The indemnification provided by this Section 6.7 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 Units, as a matter of law or otherwise, both as to actions in the Indemnitee’s capacity
as an Indemnitee and as to actions in any other capacity (including any capacity under the
Underwriting Agreement), and shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to serve in such
capacity and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, successors, assigns and administrators of the
Indemnitee.
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(d) The Partnership may purchase and maintain (or reimburse the General Partner or its Affiliates
for the cost of) insurance, on behalf of the General Partner and such other Persons as the General
Partner shall determine, against any liability that may be asserted against or expense that may be
incurred by such Person in connection with the Partnership’s activities, regardless of whether the
Partnership would have the power to indemnify such Person against such liability under the
provisions of this Agreement.
(e) For purposes of this Section 6.7, 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 6.7(a); and action taken or omitted by it with respect to any employee benefit plan in
the performance of its duties for a purpose reasonably believed by it to be in the interest of the
participants and beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose which is in, or not
opposed to, the best interests of the Partnership.
(f) In no event may an Indemnitee subject the Limited Partners to personal liability by reason of
the indemnification provisions set forth in this Agreement.
(g) An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in whole or in part under this Section 6.7
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 6.7 are for the benefit of the Indemnitees, their heirs,
successors, assigns and administrators and shall not be deemed to create any rights for the benefit
of any other Persons.
(i) No amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 6.7 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 6.7 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.
6.8 LIABILITY OF INDEMNITEES. (a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this
Agreement, no Indemnitee shall be liable for monetary damages to the Partnership, the Limited
Partners, the Assignees or any other Persons who have acquired interests in the Units, for losses
sustained or liabilities incurred as a result of any act or omission if such Indemnitee acted in
good faith.
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(b) Subject to its obligations and duties as General Partner set forth in
Section 6.1(a), 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) Any amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 6.8 or any provision hereof shall be
prospective only and shall not in any way affect the limitations on the liability to the
Partnership and the Limited Partners of the General Partner, its directors, officers and employees
and any other Indemnitees under this Section 6.8 as in effect immediately prior to such amendment,
modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in
whole or in part, prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims
may arise or be asserted.
6.9 RESOLUTION OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. (a) Unless otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement
or the Operating Partnership Agreement, whenever a potential conflict of interest exists or arises
between the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Partnership, the
Operating Partnership, any Partner or any Assignee, on the other, any resolution or course of
action 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 the Operating Partnership
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 is, or by operation of this Agreement is deemed to
be, fair and reasonable to the Partnership. The General Partner shall resolve such conflict and be
authorized but not required in connection with its resolution of such conflict of interest to seek
Special Approval of a resolution of such conflict or course of action. Any conflict of interest and
any resolution of such conflict of interest shall be conclusively deemed fair and reasonable to the
Partnership if such conflict of interest or resolution is (i) approved by Special Approval, (ii) on
terms no less favorable to the Partnership than those generally being provided to or available from
unrelated third parties or (iii) fair 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 may also adopt a resolution or
course of action that has not received Special Approval. The General Partner (including the Audit
Committee in connection with Special Approval) shall be authorized in connection with its
determination of what is “fair and reasonable” to the Partnership and in connection with its
resolution of any conflict of interest to consider (A) the relative interests of any party to such
conflict, agreement, transaction or situation and the benefits and burdens relating to such
interest; (B) any customary or accepted industry practices and any customary or historical dealings
with a particular Person; (C) any applicable generally accepted accounting or engineering practices
or principles; and (D) such additional factors as the General Partner (including the Audit
Committee) determines in its sole discretion to be relevant, reasonable or appropriate under the
circumstances. Nothing contained in this Agreement, however, is intended to nor shall it be
construed to require the General Partner (including the Audit Committee) to consider the interests
of any Person other than the Partnership. In the absence of bad faith by the General Partner, the
resolution, action or terms so made, taken or provided by the General Partner with respect to such
matter shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated herein
or a breach of any standard of care or duty imposed herein or therein or, to the extent permitted
by law, under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation.
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(b) Whenever this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby provides that the General
Partner or any of its Affiliates is permitted or required to make a decision (i) in its “sole
discretion” or “discretion,” that it deems “necessary or appropriate” or “necessary or advisable”
or under a grant of similar authority or latitude, the General Partner or such Affiliate shall be
entitled to consider only such interests and factors as it desires and shall have no duty or
obligation to give any consideration to any interest of, or factors affecting, the Partnership, the
Operating Partnership, any Limited Partner or any Assignee, (ii) it may make such decision in its
sole discretion (regardless of whether there is a reference to “sole discretion” or “discretion”)
unless another express standard is provided for, or (iii) in “good faith” or under another express
standard, the General Partner or such Affiliate shall act under such express standard and shall not
be subject to any other or different standards imposed by this Agreement, the Operating Partnership
Agreement, any other agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule
or regulation. In addition, any actions taken by the General Partner or such Affiliate consistent
with the standards of “reasonable discretion” set forth in the definitions of Available Cash or
Operating Surplus shall not constitute a breach of any duty of the General Partner to the
Partnership or the Limited Partners. The General Partner shall have no duty, express or implied, to
sell or otherwise dispose of any asset of the Partnership Group, other than in the ordinary course
of business. No borrowing by any Group Member or the approval thereof by the General Partner shall
be deemed to constitute a breach of any duty of the General Partner to the Partnership or the
Limited Partners by reason of the fact that the purpose or effect of such borrowing is directly or
indirectly to (A) enable distributions in respect of the general partner interest to exceed 1% of
the total amount distributed or (B) hasten the expiration of the Subordination Period or the
conversion of any Subordinated Units into Common Units.
(c) Whenever a particular transaction, arrangement or resolution of a conflict of interest is
required under this Agreement to be “fair and reasonable” to any Person, the fair and reasonable
nature of such transaction, arrangement or resolution shall be considered in the context of all
similar or related transactions.
(d) The Limited Partners hereby authorize the General Partner, on behalf of the Partnership as a
partner of a Group Member, to approve of actions by the general partner of such Group Member
similar to those actions permitted to be taken by the General Partner pursuant to this Section 6.9.
6.10 OTHER MATTERS CONCERNING THE GENERAL PARTNER. (a) The General Partner may rely and shall be
protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement,
instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, bond, debenture, or other paper or
document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or
parties.
(b) The General Partner may consult with legal counsel, accountants, appraisers, management
consultants, investment bankers and other consultants and advisers selected by it, and any act
taken or omitted to be taken in reliance upon the opinion (including an Opinion of Counsel) of such
Persons as to matters that the General Partner reasonably believes to be within such Person’s
professional or expert competence shall be conclusively presumed to have been done or omitted in
good faith and in accordance with such opinion.
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(c) The General Partner shall have the right, in respect of any of its powers or obligations
hereunder, to act through any of its duly authorized officers, a duly appointed attorney or
attorneys-in-fact or the duly authorized officers of the Partnership.
(d) Any standard of care and duty imposed by this Agreement or under the Delaware Act or any
applicable law, rule or regulation shall be modified, waived or limited, to the extent permitted by
law, as required to permit the General Partner to act under this Agreement or any other agreement
contemplated by this Agreement and to make any decision pursuant to the authority prescribed in
this Agreement, so long as such action is reasonably believed by the General Partner to be in, or
not inconsistent with, the best interests of the Partnership.
6.11 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 or Assignee, individually or collectively, shall have any ownership interest in such
Partnership assets or any portion thereof. Title to any or all of the Partnership assets may be
held in the name of the Partnership, the General Partner, one or more of its Affiliates or one or
more nominees, as the General Partner may determine. The General Partner hereby declares and
warrants that any Partnership assets for which record title is held in the name of the General
Partner or one or more of its Affiliates or one or more nominees shall be held by the General
Partner or such Affiliate or nominee for the use and benefit of the Partnership in accordance with
the provisions of this Agreement; provided, however, that the General Partner shall use its
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 as soon as
reasonably practicable; provided 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 Partnership. 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. The General Partner covenants and agrees
that at the Closing Date, the Partnership Group shall have all licenses, permits, certificates,
franchises, or other governmental authorizations or permits necessary for the ownership of their
properties or for the conduct of their businesses, except for such licenses, permits, certificates,
franchises, or other governmental authorizations or permits, failure to have obtained which will
not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Partnership Group.
6.12 PURCHASE OR SALE OF UNITS. The General Partner may cause the Partnership to purchase or
otherwise acquire Units; provided that, except as permitted pursuant to Section 11.6, the General
Partner may not cause the Partnership to purchase Subordinated Units during the Subordination
Period. As long as Units are held by any Group Member, such Units 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 Units for its own account, subject to the provisions of Articles XI and XII.
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6.13 REGISTRATION RIGHTS OF AMERIGAS AND ITS AFFILIATES. (a) If (i) AmeriGas or any Affiliate of
AmeriGas (including for purposes of this Section 6.13, any Person that is an Affiliate of AmeriGas
at the date hereof notwithstanding that it may later cease to be an Affiliate of AmeriGas) holds
Units or other Partnership Securities 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 Units (the “HOLDER”) to dispose of the number of Units or other
securities it desires to sell at the time it desires to do so without registration under the
Securities Act, then upon the request of AmeriGas or any of its Affiliates, the Partnership shall
file with the Commission as promptly as practicable after receiving such request, and use all
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 Units or
other Partnership Securities covered by such registration statement have been sold, a registration
statement under the Securities Act registering the offering and sale of the number of Units or
other securities specified by the Holder; provided, however, that the Partnership shall not be
required to effect more than three registrations pursuant to this Section 6.13(a); and provided
further, however, that if the Audit Committee determines in its good faith judgment that a
postponement of the requested registration for up to six months 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 promptly prepare and file (x) 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, and (y) such documents
as may be necessary to apply for listing or to list the securities subject to such registration on
such National Securities Exchange as the Holder shall reasonably request, and do any and all other
acts and things that may reasonably be necessary or advisable to enable the Holder to consummate a
public sale of such Units in such states. Except as set forth in Section 6.13(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 equity securities of the Partnership for cash (other than an
offering relating solely to an employee benefit plan), the Partnership shall use all reasonable
efforts to include such number or amount of securities held by the Holder in such registration
statement as the Holder shall request. If the proposed offering pursuant to this Section 6.13(b)
shall be an underwritten offering, then, in the event that the managing underwriter of such
offering advises the Partnership and the Holder in writing that in its opinion the inclusion of all
or some of the Holder’s securities would adversely and materially affect the success of the
offering, the Partnership shall include in such offering only that number or amount, if any, of
securities held by the Holder which, in the opinion of the managing underwriter, will not so
adversely and materially affect the offering. Except as set forth in Section 6.13(c), all costs and
expenses of any such registration and offering (other than the underwriting discounts and
commissions) shall be paid by the Partnership, without reimbursement by the Holder.
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(c) If underwriters are engaged in connection with any registration referred to in this Section
6.13, 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 6.7,
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”) against any losses,
claims, demands, actions, causes of action, assessments, damages, liabilities (joint or several),
costs and expenses (including interest, penalties and reasonable attorneys’ fees and
disbursements), resulting to, imposed upon, or incurred by the Indemnified Persons, directly or
indirectly, under the Securities Act or otherwise (hereinafter referred to in this Section 6.13(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 Units 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 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 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 6.13(a) and 6.13(b) shall continue to be applicable with respect to
AmeriGas (and any of AmeriGas’ Affiliates) after it ceases to be a 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 Units or other securities of the
Partnership with respect to which it has requested during such two-year period that a registration
statement be filed; provided, however, that the Partnership shall not be required to file
successive registration statements covering the same securities for which registration was demanded
during such two-year period. The provisions of Section 6.13(c) shall continue in effect thereafter.
(e) Any request to register Partnership Securities pursuant to this Section 6.13 shall (i) specify
the Partnership Securities intended to be offered and sold by the Person making the request, (ii)
express such Person’s present intent to offer such shares for distribution, (iii) describe the
nature or method of the proposed offer and sale of Partnership Securities, 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 Securities.
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6.14 RELIANCE BY THIRD PARTIES. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, any
Person dealing with the Partnership shall be entitled to assume that the General Partner and any
officer of the Partnership authorized by the General Partner to act on behalf 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 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 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 the 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 any such officer 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 VII
RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF LIMITED PARTNERS
RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF LIMITED PARTNERS
7.1 LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. The Limited Partners, the Organizational Limited Partner and the
Assignees shall have no liability under this Agreement except as expressly provided in this
Agreement or the Delaware Act.
7.2 MANAGEMENT OF BUSINESS. No Limited Partner or Assignee (other than the General Partner, any of
its Affiliates or any officer, director, employee, partner, agent or trustee of the General Partner
or any of its Affiliates, in its capacity as such, if such Person shall also be a Limited Partner
or Assignee) 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. The transaction of any such
business by the General Partner, any of its Affiliates or any officer, director, employee, partner,
agent or trustee of the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, in its capacity as such, shall
not affect, impair or eliminate the limitations on the liability of the Limited Partners or
Assignees under this Agreement.
7.3 OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES. Subject to the provisions of Section 6.5, which shall continue to be
applicable to the Persons referred to therein, regardless of whether such Persons shall also be
Limited Partners or Assignees, any Limited Partner or Assignee 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 or Assignees shall have any rights by
virtue of this Agreement in any business ventures of any Limited Partner or Assignee.
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7.4 RETURN OF CAPITAL. No Limited Partner or Assignee shall be entitled to the withdrawal or return
of its Contribution, except to the extent, if any, that distributions made pursuant to this
Agreement or upon termination of the Partnership may be considered as such by law and then only to
the extent provided for in this Agreement. Except to the extent provided by Article V or as
otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, no Limited Partner or Assignee shall have priority
over any other Limited Partner or Assignee either as to the return of Contributions or as to
profits, losses or distributions. Any such return shall be a compromise to which all Partners and
Assignees agree within the meaning of Section 17-502(b) of the Delaware Act.
7.5 RIGHTS OF LIMITED PARTNERS TO THE PARTNERSHIP. (a) In addition to other rights provided by this
Agreement or by applicable law, and except as limited by Section 7.5(b), each Limited Partner shall
have the right, for a purpose reasonably related to such Limited Partner’s interest as a limited
partner in the Partnership, upon reasonable demand and at such Limited Partner’s own expense:
(i) to obtain true and full information regarding the status of the business and financial
condition of the Partnership;
(ii) promptly after becoming available, to obtain a copy of the Partnership’s federal, state and
local tax returns for each year;
(iii) to have furnished to him, upon notification of the General Partner, a current list of the
name and last known business, residence or mailing address of each Partner;
(iv) to have furnished to him, upon notification to the General Partner, a copy of this Agreement
and the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all amendments thereto, together with a copy 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;
(v) to obtain true and full information regarding the amount of cash and a description and
statement of the Net Agreed Value of any other Contribution by each Partner and which each Partner
has agreed to contribute in the future, and the date on which each became a Partner; and
(vi) to obtain such other information regarding the affairs of the Partnership as is just and
reasonable.
(b) The General Partner may keep confidential from the Limited Partners and Assignees, for such
period of time as the General Partner deems reasonable, (i) any information that the General
Partner reasonably believes to be in the nature of trade secrets or (ii) other information the
disclosure of which the General Partner in good faith believes (A) is not in the best interests of
the Partnership Group, (B) could damage the Partnership Group or (C) that any Group Member is
required by law or by agreements with third parties to keep confidential (other than agreements
with Affiliates the primary purpose of which is to circumvent the obligations set forth in this
Section 7.5).
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ARTICLE VIII
BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS
BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS
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 7.5(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 and Assignees of Units or other Partnership Securities, books of account and records of
Partnership proceedings, may be kept on, or be in the form of, computer disks, hard drives, punch
cards, magnetic tape, photographs, micrographics or any other information storage device, provided,
that the books and records so maintained are convertible into clearly legible written form within a
reasonable period of time. The books of the Partnership shall be maintained, for financial
reporting purposes, on an accrual basis in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles.
8.2 FISCAL YEAR. The fiscal year of the Partnership for financial accounting purposes shall be
October 1 to September 30.
8.3 REPORTS. (a) As soon as practicable, but in no event later than 120 days after the close of
each fiscal year of the Partnership, the General Partner shall cause to be furnished or made
available to each Record Holder of a Unit as of a date selected by the General Partner in its sole
discretion, in a manner (including posting on or accessible through the Partnership’s website)
permitted by applicable law, rule or regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission or of any
National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed for trading, an annual report containing
financial statements of the Partnership for such fiscal year of the Partnership, presented in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, including a balance sheet and statements
of operations, Partners’ equity and cash flows, such statements to be audited by a firm of
independent public accountants selected by the General Partner.
(b) As soon as practicable, but in no event later than 90 days after the close of each Quarter,
except the last Quarter of each fiscal year, the General Partner shall cause to be furnished or
made available to each Record Holder of a Unit as of a date selected by the General Partner in its
sole discretion, in a manner (including posting on or accessible through the Partnership’s website)
permitted by applicable law, rule or regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission or of any
National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed for trading, unaudited selected summary
financial information of the Partnership for such Quarter and such other information as the General
Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate.
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ARTICLE IX
TAX MATTERS
TAX MATTERS
9.1 TAX ALLOCATIONS. The Partnership shall allocate all taxable items of income, deduction, and
credit of the Partnership among the Partners Pro Rata at the time such items are taken into account
by the Partnership, subject to the following:
(a) Non-Pro Rata Operating Distributions. For any quarter in which the per-Unit amount to be
distributed in respect of Common Units as of a Record Date exceeds the per-Unit amount to be
distributed in respect of Subordinated Units as of such Record Date, income of the Partnership for
such Quarter otherwise allocable to Unitholders Pro Rata shall be allocated in respect of the
Common Units in an amount equal to such excess.
(b) Non-Pro Rata Liquidating Distributions. If the per-Unit amounts distributable in liquidation
pursuant to Section 5.6 in respect of the Common Units exceeds the per-Unit amount distributable in
respect of the Subordinated Units, income shall be allocated to the Common Units, and deductions
shall be allocated to the Subordinated Units until the net income per-Unit allocated to the Common
Units exceeds the net income per-Unit allocated to the Subordinated Units by an amount equal to
such excess.
(c) Incentive General Partner Distributions. For any Quarter in respect of which the amount
distributed to the General Partner exceeds 1% of total distributions, income of the Partnership for
such Quarter and any subsequent Quarter that would otherwise be allocated to the Partners Pro Rata
shall be allocated to the General Partner in an amount equal to such excess.
(d) Special Intangibles Allocation. There shall be allocated to the General Partner all deductions
attributable to the ownership of, and any gain or loss on the distribution or other disposition of,
the 1989 Customer List and the rights of the Partnership Group to use without cost the “FAST”
propane purchase optimization and fuel accounting system, the trademark, trade name, or similar
intangible rights of Petrolane, the General Partner or its other Affiliates.
(e) Section 754 Election. Income and deductions of the Partnership that are attributable to the
Section 754 Election (“754 allocations”) shall be allocated to the Partners entitled thereto.
However, if the amounts allocable to the Unitholder depend on the person from whom he bought his
Units, the Unitholder will be responsible for tracing Unit ownership. Otherwise, the General
Partner may make such assumption as it decides is appropriate in computing the Unitholder’s 754
allocations.
(f) Assignor-Assignee Allocations. Taxable items attributable to a Unit that is assigned during a
year shall be allocated between the assignor and assignee of such Unit in accordance with the
method selected from time to time by the General Partner.
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(g) Contributed Property. Income and deductions attributable to each property contributed to the
Partnership shall be shared among the Partners so as to take into account the variation between the
tax basis of such property to the Partnership at the time of contribution and its fair market value
at such time (“704(c) allocations”). In addition, the General Partner will make curative
allocations permitted by the Code with respect to the assets contributed to the Partnership on the
Closing Date to the extent that the General Partner determines, as of the Closing Date and in light
of the General Partner’s estimates of its other income and deductions and its expected
distributions, are necessary to cause the cumulative taxable income allocated in respect of the
Common Units during the first four taxable years of the Partnership not to exceed 30% of the
cumulative distributions in respect of such Units during such period. Subject to the foregoing, the
General Partner will from time to time make curative, remedial, or reverse 704(c) allocations that
are permitted but not required by the Code only if and to the extent that the General Partner
determines that one or more such allocations are in the best interest of the Partnership and will
not cause material adverse tax consequences to the General Partner. In any event, the General
Partner may change the method if necessary to avoid or settle a controversy with the Internal
Revenue Service.
(h) General Partner Authority. The General Partner may change any of the above allocations if and
to the extent it determines that such change is required by the Code. Moreover, if, as to one or
more classes of tax items, the General Partner determines that more than one method is permitted or
that the correct method is uncertain, the General Partner may adopt such method for reporting
purposes that it thinks is in the best interest of the Partnership, taking into account ease of
administration, the desire to match taxable income and deductions with economic income and
deductions, the economic interests of the Partners in the Partnership, and the risk of proposed
adjustments by the Internal Revenue Service and the consequences thereof.
9.2 TAX RETURNS AND INFORMATION. The General Partner 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 a taxable year ending on December 31. The General Partner shall use all
reasonable efforts to furnish all Record Holders the tax information reasonably required by them
for federal and state income tax reporting purposes with respect to a taxable year within 90 days
of the close of the calendar year in which the Partnership’s taxable year ends.
9.3 TAX ELECTIONS.
(a) The Partnership shall make the Section 754 Election 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.
(b) The Partnership shall elect to deduct expenses incurred in organizing the Partnership ratably
over a sixty-month period as provided in Section 709 of the Code.
(c) Except as otherwise provided herein, the General Partner shall determine whether the
Partnership should make any other elections permitted by the Code.
9.4 TAX CONTROVERSIES. Subject to the provisions hereof, the General Partner is designated as the
Tax Matters Partner (as defined in the Code) and is authorized and required to represent the
Partnership (at the Partnership’s expense) in connection with all examinations of the Partnership’s
affairs by tax authorities, including resulting administrative and judicial
proceedings, and to expend Partnership funds for professional services and costs associated
therewith. Each Partner agrees to cooperate with the General Partner and to do or refrain from
doing any or all things reasonably required by the General Partner to conduct such proceedings.
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ARTICLE X
CERTIFICATES
CERTIFICATES
10.1 CERTIFICATES. Upon the Partnership’s issuance of Common Units or Subordinated Units to any
Person, the Partnership shall issue, upon the request of such Person, one or more Certificates in
the name of such Person evidencing the number of such Units being so issued. Certificates shall be
executed on behalf of the Partnership by the General Partner. No Common Unit Certificate shall be
valid for any purpose until it has been countersigned by the Transfer Agent; provided,
however, that if the General Partner elects to issue Common Units in global form, the
Common Unit Certificates shall be valid upon receipt of a certificate from the Transfer Agent
certifying that the Common Units have been duly registered in accordance with the directions of the
Partnership. The Partners holding Certificates evidencing Subordinated Units may exchange such
Certificates for Certificates evidencing Common Units on or after the date on which such
Subordinated Units are converted into Common Units pursuant to the terms of Section 4.6.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 10.1 or any other provision of this
Agreement, the Partnership may allow interests in Common Units and any other Units listed for
trading on a National Securities Exchange to be recorded and maintained in a Book-Entry System
without the issuance of a Certificate.
10.2 REGISTRATION, REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER AND EXCHANGE. (a) The General Partner shall 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 10.2(b), the General Partner will provide
for the registration and transfer of Units. The Transfer Agent is hereby appointed registrar and
transfer agent for the purpose of registering Units and transfers of such Units as herein provided.
The Partnership shall not recognize transfers of Certificates representing Units, or transfers of
Units recorded in a Book-Entry System, unless such transfers are effected in the manner described
in this Section 10.2. Upon surrender for registration of transfer of any Units evidenced by a
Certificate, and subject to the provisions of Section 10.2(b), the General Partner on behalf of the
Partnership shall execute, and the Transfer Agent shall countersign and deliver, in the name of the
holder or the designated transferee or transferees, if and as required pursuant to the holder’s
instructions, one or more new Certificates evidencing the same aggregate number of Units as was
evidenced by the Certificate so surrendered.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in Section 11.5, the Partnership shall not recognize any transfer
of Units until the Certificates evidencing such Units, if any, are surrendered for registration of
transfer and such Certificates, or a request for transfer of such Units made in accordance with the
rules of the Book-Entry System, are accompanied by a Transfer Application duly executed by the
transferee (or the transferee’s attorney-in-fact duly authorized in writing). No charge shall be
imposed by the Partnership for such transfer; provided, that as a condition to the issuance of any
new Certificate or to a transfer of Units recorded in a Book-Entry System under this Section 10.2,
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.
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10.3 MUTILATED, DESTROYED, LOST OR STOLEN CERTIFICATES. (a) If any mutilated Certificate is
surrendered to the Transfer Agent, the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership shall execute,
and upon its request the Transfer Agent shall countersign and deliver in exchange therefor, a new
Certificate evidencing the same number of Units as the Certificate so surrendered.
(b) The General Partner on behalf of the Partnership shall execute, and upon its request the
Transfer Agent shall countersign and deliver 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 Partnership 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 Partnership 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 reasonably direct, in its sole discretion, to indemnify the
Partnership, 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.
If a Limited Partner or Assignee fails to notify the Partnership within a reasonable time after he
has notice of the loss, destruction or theft of a Certificate, and a transfer of the Units
represented by the Certificate is registered before the Partnership, the General Partner or the
Transfer Agent receives such notification, the Limited Partner or Assignee shall be precluded from
making any claim against the Partnership, the General Partner or the Transfer Agent for such
transfer or for a new Certificate.
(c) As a condition to the issuance of any new Certificate under this Section 10.3, 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.
10.4 RECORD HOLDER. In accordance with Section 10.2(b), the Partnership shall be entitled to
recognize the Record Holder as the Limited Partner or Assignee with respect to any Units and,
accordingly, shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such
Units 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 the Units are listed for
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 Units, as
between the Partnership on the one hand, and such other Persons, on the other, such representative
Person (a) shall be the Limited Partner or Assignee (as the case may be) of record and
beneficially, (b) must execute and deliver a Transfer Application and (c) shall be bound by this
Agreement and shall have the rights and obligations of a Limited Partner or Assignee (as the case
may be) hereunder and as provided for herein.
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ARTICLE XI
TRANSFER OF INTERESTS
TRANSFER OF INTERESTS
11.1 TRANSFER. (a) The term “transfer,” when used in this Article XI with respect to a Partnership
Interest, shall be deemed to refer to a transaction by which the General Partner assigns its
Partnership Interest as a general partner in the Partnership to another Person or by which the
holder of a Unit assigns such Unit to another Person who is or becomes an Assignee, and includes a
sale, assignment, gift, pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation, mortgage, exchange or any other
disposition by law or otherwise.
(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 XI. Any transfer or purported transfer of a
Partnership Interest not made in accordance with this Article XI shall be null and void.
(c) Nothing contained in this Article XI shall be construed to prevent a disposition by the parent
entity of the General Partner of any or all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of the
General Partner.
(d) Nothing contained in this Article XI, or elsewhere in this Partnership Agreement, shall
preclude the settlement of any transactions involving Common Units entered into through the
facilities of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units listed for trading.
11.2 TRANSFER OF A GENERAL PARTNER’S PARTNERSHIP INTEREST. Except for a transfer by the General
Partner of all, but not less than all, of its Partnership Interest as a general partner in the
Partnership to (a) an Affiliate of the General Partner or (b) another Person in connection with the
merger or consolidation of the General Partner with or into another Person, the transfer by the
General Partner of all or any part of its Partnership Interest as a general partner in the
Partnership to a Person prior to December 31, 2004 shall be subject to the prior approval of
holders of at least a Unit Majority. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, no transfer
by the General Partner of all or any part of its Partnership Interest as a general partner in the
Partnership 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 the Operating Partnership
Agreement and to be bound by the provisions of this Agreement and the Operating Partnership
Agreement, (ii) the Partnership receives an Opinion of Counsel that such transfer would not result
in the loss of limited liability of any Limited Partner or of any limited partner of any Group
Member or cause any Group Member to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or
otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes and (iii) such transferee also
agrees to purchase all (or the appropriate portion thereof, if applicable) of the partnership
interest of the General Partner as the general partner of each Group Member. In the case of a
transfer pursuant to and in compliance with this Section 11.2, the transferee or successor (as the
case may
be) shall, subject to compliance with the terms of Section 12.3, be admitted to the Partnership as
a General Partner immediately prior to the transfer of the Partnership Interest, and the business
of the Partnership shall continue without dissolution.
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11.3 TRANSFER OF UNITS. (a) Units may be transferred only in the manner described in Section 10.2.
The transfer of any Units and the admission of any new Partner shall not constitute an amendment to
this Agreement.
(b) Until admitted as a Substituted Limited Partner pursuant to Article XII, the Record Holder of a
Unit shall be an Assignee in respect of such Unit. Limited Partners may include custodians,
nominees, or any other individual or entity in its own or any representative capacity.
(c) Each distribution in respect of Units shall be paid by the Partnership, directly or through the
Transfer Agent or through any other Person or agent, only to the Record Holders thereof as of the
Record Date set for the 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.
(d) A transferee who has completed and delivered a Transfer Application shall be deemed to have (i)
requested admission as a Substituted Limited Partner, (ii) agreed to comply with and be bound by
and to have executed this Agreement, (iii) represented and warranted that such transferee has the
right, power and authority and, if an individual, the capacity to enter into this Agreement, (iv)
granted the powers of attorney set forth in this Agreement and (v) given the consents and approvals
and made the waivers contained in this Agreement.
11.4 RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFERS. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Article XI, no
transfer of any Unit or interest therein of any Limited Partner or Assignee shall be made 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 authorities with jurisdiction over such transfer, (b) affect any Group Member’s
existence or qualification as a limited partnership under the laws of the jurisdiction of its
formation, or (c) result in entity-level taxation for federal income tax purposes of the
Partnership or the Operating Partnership.
11.5 CITIZENSHIP CERTIFICATES; NON-CITIZEN ASSIGNEES. (a) If any Group Member is or becomes subject
to any federal, state or local law or regulation that, in the reasonable determination of the
General Partner, creates 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 or Assignee, the General Partner may request any Limited Partner or Assignee to
furnish to the General Partner, within 30 days after receipt of such request, an executed
Citizenship Certification or such other information concerning his nationality, citizenship or
other related status (or, if the Limited Partner or Assignee is a nominee holding for the account
of another Person, the nationality, citizenship or other related status of such Person) as the
General Partner may request. If a Limited Partner or Assignee fails to furnish to the General
Partner within the aforementioned 30-day period such Citizenship Certification or other requested
information or if upon receipt of such Citizenship Certification or other
requested information the General Partner determines, with the advice of counsel, that a Limited
Partner or Assignee is not an Eligible Citizen, the Units owned by such Limited Partner or Assignee
shall be subject to redemption in accordance with the provisions of Section 11.6. In addition, the
General Partner may require that the status of any such Limited Partner or Assignee be changed to
that of a Non-citizen Assignee and, thereupon, the General Partner shall be substituted for such
Non-citizen Assignee as the Limited Partner in respect of his Units.
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(b) The General Partner shall, in exercising voting rights in respect of Units held by it on behalf
of Non-citizen Assignees, distribute the votes in the same ratios as the votes of Limited Partners
in respect of Units other than those of Non-citizen Assignees are cast, either for, against or
abstaining as to the matter.
(c) Upon dissolution of the Partnership, a Non-citizen Assignee shall have no right to receive a
distribution in kind pursuant to Section 14.4 but shall be entitled to the cash equivalent thereof,
and the General Partner shall provide cash in exchange for an assignment of the Non-citizen
Assignee’s share of the distribution in kind. Such payment and assignment shall be treated for
Partnership purposes as a purchase by the General Partner from the Non-citizen Assignee of his
Partnership Interest (representing his right to receive his share of such distribution in kind).
(d) At any time after he can and does certify that he has become an Eligible Citizen, a Non-citizen
Assignee may, upon application to the General Partner, request admission as a Substituted Limited
Partner with respect to any Units of such Non-citizen Assignee not redeemed pursuant to Section
11.6, and upon his admission pursuant to Section 12.2, the General Partner shall cease to be deemed
to be the Limited Partner in respect of the Non-citizen Assignee’s Units.
11.6 REDEMPTION OF INTERESTS. (a) If at any time a Limited Partner or Assignee fails to furnish a
Citizenship Certification or other information requested within the 30-day period specified in
Section 11.5(a), or if upon receipt of such Citizenship Certification or other information the
General Partner determines, with the advice of counsel, that a Limited Partner or Assignee is not
an Eligible Citizen, the Partnership may, unless the Limited Partner or Assignee establishes to the
satisfaction of the General Partner that such Limited Partner or Assignee is an Eligible Citizen or
has transferred his Units to a Person who furnishes a Citizenship Certification to the General
Partner prior to the date fixed for redemption as provided below, redeem the Partnership Interest
of such Limited Partner or Assignee 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 or Assignee, at his last address designated on the
records of the Partnership or the Transfer Agent, by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid.
The notice shall be deemed to have been given when so mailed. The notice shall specify the
Redeemable Units, the date fixed for redemption, the place of payment, that payment of the
redemption price will be made upon the transfer of the Redeemable Units being reflected in the
register of the Partnership or upon surrender of the Certificate evidencing the Redeemable Units
(if such Redeemable Units are evidenced by a Certificate) and that on and after the date fixed for
redemption no further allocations or distributions to which the Limited Partner or Assignee would
otherwise be entitled in respect of the Redeemable Units will accrue or be made.
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(ii) The aggregate redemption price for Redeemable Units shall be an amount equal to the Current
Market Price (the date of determination of which shall be the date fixed for redemption) of Units
of the class to be so redeemed multiplied by the number of Units of each such class included among
the Redeemable Units. The redemption price shall be paid, in the sole discretion of 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 10% annually and payable in three equal
annual installments of principal together with accrued interest, commencing one year after the
redemption date.
(iii) Upon surrender by or on behalf of the Limited Partner or Assignee, at the place specified in
the notice of redemption, of the Certificate, if any, evidencing the Redeemable Units, duly
endorsed in blank or accompanied by an assignment duly executed in blank, or upon the reflection of
the redemption in the register of the Partnership, the Limited Partner or Assignee or his duly
authorized representative shall be entitled to receive the payment therefor.
(iv) After the redemption date, Redeemable Units shall no longer constitute issued and Outstanding
Units.
(b) The provisions of this Section 11.6 shall also be applicable to Units held by a Limited Partner
or Assignee as nominee of a Person determined to be other than an Eligible Citizen.
(c) Nothing in this Section 11.6 shall prevent the recipient of a notice of redemption from
transferring his Units 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 Units certifies in the Transfer Application
that he is an Eligible Citizen. If the transferee fails to make such certification, such redemption
shall be effected from the transferee on the original redemption date.
ARTICLE XII
ADMISSION OF PARTNERS
ADMISSION OF PARTNERS
12.1 ADMISSION OF INITIAL LIMITED PARTNERS. Upon the issuance by the Partnership of Common Units
and Subordinated Units to the General Partner and Petrolane as described in Section 4.2, the
General Partner and Petrolane shall each be deemed to have been admitted to the Partnership as a
Limited Partner in respect of the Common Units and the Subordinated Units issued to it. Upon the
issuance by the Partnership of Common Units to the Underwriters as described in Section 4.2 in
connection with the Initial Offering and the execution by each Underwriter of a Transfer
Application, the General Partner shall admit the Underwriters to the Partnership as Initial Limited
Partners in respect of the Common Units purchased by them.
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12.2 ADMISSION OF SUBSTITUTED LIMITED PARTNERS. By transfer of a Unit in accordance with Article
XI, the transferor shall be deemed to have given the transferee the right to seek admission as a
Substituted Limited Partner subject to the conditions of, and in the manner permitted under, this
Agreement. A transferor of a Certificate shall, however, only have the authority to convey to a
purchaser or other transferee who does not execute and deliver a Transfer Application (a) the right
to negotiate such Certificate to a purchaser or other transferee
and (b) the right to transfer the right to request admission as a Substituted Limited Partner to
such purchaser or other transferee in respect of the transferred Units. Each transferee of a Unit
(including any nominee holder or an agent acquiring such Unit for the account of another Person)
who executes and delivers a Transfer Application shall, by virtue of such execution and delivery,
be an Assignee and be deemed to have applied to become a Substituted Limited Partner with respect
to the Units so transferred to such Person. Such Assignee shall become a Substituted Limited
Partner (x) at such time as the General Partner consents thereto, which consent may be given or
withheld in the General Partner’s sole discretion, and (y) when any such admission is shown on the
books and records of the Partnership. If such consent is withheld, such transferee shall be an
Assignee. An Assignee shall have an interest in the Partnership equivalent to that of a Limited
Partner with respect to allocations and distributions, including liquidating distributions, of the
Partnership. With respect to voting rights attributable to Units that are held by Assignees, the
General Partner shall be deemed to be the Limited Partner with respect thereto and shall, in
exercising the voting rights in respect of such Units on any matter, vote such Units at the written
direction of the Assignee who is the Record Holder of such Units. If no such written direction is
received, such Units will not be voted. An Assignee shall have no other rights of a Limited
Partner.
12.3 ADMISSION OF SUCCESSOR GENERAL PARTNER. A successor General Partner approved pursuant to
Section 13.1 or 13.2 or the transferee of or successor to all of the General Partner’s Partnership
Interest as a general partner in the Partnership pursuant to Section 11.2 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 General Partner pursuant
to Section 13.1 or 13.2 or the transfer of the General Partner’s Partnership Interest as a general
partner in the Partnership pursuant to Section 11.2; provided, however, that no such successor
shall be admitted to the Partnership until compliance with the terms of Section 11.2 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 Partnership and Operating Partnership without dissolution.
12.4 ADMISSION OF ADDITIONAL LIMITED PARTNERS. (a) A Person (other than the General Partner, an
Initial Limited Partner or a Substituted Limited Partner) who makes a Contribution to the
Partnership in accordance with this Agreement shall be admitted to the Partnership as an Additional
Limited Partner only upon furnishing to the General Partner (i) evidence of acceptance in form
satisfactory to the General Partner of all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including
the power of attorney granted in Section 1.4, and (ii) such other documents or instruments as may
be required in the discretion of the General Partner to effect such Person’s admission as an
Additional Limited Partner.
(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 12.4, no Person shall be admitted as
an Additional Limited Partner without the consent of the General Partner, which consent may be
given or withheld in the General Partner’s sole discretion. The admission of any Person as an
Additional Limited Partner shall become effective on the date upon which the name of such Person is
recorded as such in the books and records of the Partnership, following the consent of the General
Partner to such admission.
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12.5 AMENDMENT OF AGREEMENT AND CERTIFICATE OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP. To effect the admission to the
Partnership of any Partner, the General Partner shall take all steps necessary and appropriate
under the Delaware Act to amend the records of the Partnership to reflect such admission and, if
necessary, to prepare as soon as practical an amendment of this Agreement and, if required by law,
to prepare and file an amendment to the Certificate of Limited Partnership, and the General Partner
may for this purpose, among others, exercise the power of attorney granted pursuant to Section 1.4.
ARTICLE XIII
WITHDRAWAL OR REMOVAL OF PARTNERS
WITHDRAWAL OR REMOVAL OF PARTNERS
13.1 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 (and it shall be deemed that the General Partner has withdrawn pursuant to this
Section 13.l(a)(i) if the General Partner voluntarily withdraws as general partner of the Operating
Partnership);
(ii) the General Partner transfers all of its rights as General Partner pursuant to Section 11.2;
(iii) the General Partner is removed pursuant to Section 13.2;
(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 13.1(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 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.
If an Event of Withdrawal specified in Section 13.1(a)(iv), (v) or (vi) occurs, the withdrawing
General Partner shall give notice to the Limited Partners within 30 days after such occurrence. The
Partners hereby agree that only the Events of Withdrawal described in this Section 13.1 shall
result in the withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership.
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(b) Withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership upon the occurrence of an Event of
Withdrawal shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement under the following circumstances: (i)
at any time during the period beginning on the Closing Date and ending at 12:00 midnight, Eastern
Standard Time, on December 31, 2004, 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 Limited Partners holding at
least a Unit Majority 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 of any Limited Partner or of
the limited partner of any Group Member or cause any Group Member to be treated as an association
taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes;
(ii) at any time after 12:00 midnight, Eastern Standard Time, on December 31, 2004, the General
Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days’ advance notice to the Limited Partners,
such withdrawal to take effect on the date specified in such notice; (iii) at any time that the
General Partner ceases to be a General Partner pursuant to Section 13.1(a)(ii) or is removed
pursuant to Section 13.2; 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 of the other Group Members. If the General Partner gives a notice of withdrawal pursuant to
Section 13.1(a)(i), holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Units (excluding for purposes
of such determination Units owned by the General Partner and its Affiliates) 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 of the other
Group Members. If, prior to the effective date of the General Partner’s withdrawal, a successor is
not selected by the Limited Partners as provided herein or the Partnership does not receive a
Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel, the Partnership shall be dissolved in accordance with Section 14.1.
Any successor General Partner elected in accordance with the terms of this Section 13.1 shall be
subject to the provisions of Section 12.3.
13.2 REMOVAL OF THE GENERAL PARTNER. The General Partner may be removed if such removal is approved
by Limited Partners holding at least two-thirds of the Outstanding Units. Any such action by such
Limited Partners for removal of the General Partner must also provide for the election of a
successor General Partner by Limited Partners holding at least a majority of the Outstanding Units.
Such removal shall be effective immediately following the admission of a successor General Partner
pursuant to Article XII. The removal of the General Partner shall also automatically constitute the
removal of the General Partner as general partner of the other Group Members. If a person is
elected as a successor General Partner in accordance with the terms of this Section 13.2, such
person shall, upon admission pursuant to Article XII, automatically become the successor general
partner of the other Group Members. The right of the Limited Partners holding 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 13.2 shall be subject to the provisions of Section 12.3.
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13.3 INTEREST OF DEPARTING 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 Limited Partners under circumstances where
Cause does not exist, if a successor General Partner is elected in accordance with the terms of
Section 13.1 or 13.2, the Departing Partner shall have the option exercisable prior to the
effective date of the departure of such Departing Partner to require its successor to purchase its
Partnership Interest as a general partner in the Partnership and its partnership interest as the
general partner in the other Group Members (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 departure. If the General Partner is removed
by the Limited Partners 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 13.1 or 13.2, such successor shall have
the option, exercisable prior to the effective date of the departure of such Departing Partner, to
purchase the Combined Interest of the Departing Partner for such fair market value of such Combined
Interest. In either event, the Departing Partner shall be entitled to receive all reimbursements
due such Departing Partner pursuant to Section 6.4, including any employee-related liabilities
(including severance liabilities), incurred in connection with the termination of any employees
employed by the General Partner for the benefit of the Partnership or the other Group Members.
For purposes of this Section 13.3(a), the fair market value of the Departing Partner’s Combined
Interest shall be determined by agreement between the Departing Partner and its successor or,
failing agreement within 30 days after the effective date of such Departing Partner’s departure, by
an independent investment banking firm or other independent expert selected by the Departing
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
departure, then the Departing Partner shall designate an independent investment banking firm or
other independent expert, the Departing Partner’s successor shall designate an independent
investment banking firm or other independent expert, and such firms or experts shall mutually
select a third independent investment banking firm or independent expert, which shall determine the
fair market value of the Combined Interest. In making its determination, such independent
investment banking firm or other independent expert shall consider the then current trading price
of Units on any National Securities Exchange on which Units are then listed, the value of the
Partnership’s assets, the rights and obligations of the General Partner and other factors it may
deem relevant.
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(b) If the Combined Interest is not purchased in the manner set forth in Section 13.3(a), the
Departing Partner 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 13.3(a), without reduction in such Partnership Interest (but subject
to proportionate dilution by reason of the admission of its successor). Any
successor General Partner shall indemnify the Departing Partner as to all debts and liabilities of
the Partnership arising on or after the date on which the Departing Partner becomes a Limited
Partner. For purposes of this Agreement, conversion of the General Partner’s Combined Interest to
Common Units will be characterized as if the General Partner contributed its Combined Interest to
the Partnership in exchange for the newly issued Common Units.
(c) If a successor General Partner is elected in accordance with the terms of Section 13.1 or 13.2
and the option described in Section 13.3(a) is not exercised by the party entitled to do so, the
successor General Partner shall, at the effective date of its admission to the Partnership,
contribute to the Partnership cash in an amount equal to 1.01% of 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 such Percentage Interest of all Partnership allocations and
distributions and any other allocations and distributions to which the Departing Partner was
entitled. In addition, such 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 1%, and that
of the holders of Outstanding Unit shall be 99%.
(d) If the General Partner is removed as general partner of the Partnership under circumstances
where Cause does not exist, the General Partner will, at the option of the Partnership, license its
proprietary propane purchase optimization and fuel accounting system, known as “FAST” (and any
successor technology of a similar nature utilized in the day-to-day operations of the Partnership)
to the Partnership on a royalty-free basis for a nine-month period. If the General Partner ceases
to serve as the general partner of the Partnership for any other reason, such royalty-free
licensing period will be increased to 36 months and thereafter the Partnership will have the option
to continue licensing such technology upon payment of a fee equal to the fair market value of the
license.
13.4 WITHDRAWAL OF LIMITED PARTNERS. No Limited Partner shall have any right to withdraw from the
Partnership; provided, however, that when a transferee of a Limited Partner’s Units becomes a
Record Holder, such transferring Limited Partner shall cease to be a Limited Partner with respect
to the Units so transferred.
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ARTICLE XIV
DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION
DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION
14.1 DISSOLUTION. The Partnership shall not be dissolved by the admission of Substituted Limited
Partners or 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 13.1 or 13.2, the Partnership shall
not be dissolved and such successor General Partner shall continue the business of the Partnership.
The Partnership shall dissolve, and (subject to Section 14.2) its affairs shall be wound up, upon:
(a) the expiration of its term as provided in Section 1.5;
(b) an Event of Withdrawal of the General Partner as provided in Section 13.1(a) (other than
Section 13.1(a)(ii)), unless a successor is elected and an Opinion of Counsel is received as
provided in Section 13.1(b) or 13.2 and such successor is admitted to the Partnership pursuant to
Section 12.3;
(c) an election to dissolve the Partnership by the General Partner that is approved by holders of
at least a Unit Majority;
(d) entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Partnership pursuant to the provisions of the
Delaware Act; or
(e) the sale of all or substantially all of the assets and properties of the Partnership Group.
14.2 CONTINUATION OF THE BUSINESS OF THE PARTNERSHIP AFTER DISSOLUTION. Upon (a) dissolution of the
Partnership following an Event of Withdrawal caused by the withdrawal or removal of the General
Partner as provided in Section 13.1(a)(i) or (iii) and the failure of the Partners to select a
successor to such Departing Partner pursuant to Section 13.1 or 13.2, then within 90 days
thereafter, or (b) dissolution of the Partnership upon an event constituting an Event of Withdrawal
as defined in Section 13.1(a)(iv), (v) or (vi), then within 180 days thereafter, holders of at
least a majority of the Outstanding Units may elect to reconstitute the Partnership and continue
its business on the same terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement by forming a new limited
partnership on terms identical to those set forth in this Agreement and having as the successor
general partner a Person approved by holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Units.
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 reconstituted Partnership shall continue until the end of the term set forth in Section 1.5
unless earlier dissolved in accordance with this Article XIV;
(ii) if the successor General Partner is not the former General Partner, then the interest of the
former General Partner shall be dealt with in the manner provided in Section 13.3(b); and
(iii) all necessary steps shall be taken to cancel this Agreement and the Certificate of Limited
Partnership and to enter into and, as necessary, to file a new partnership agreement and
certificate of limited partnership, and the successor general partner may for this purpose exercise
the powers of attorney granted the General Partner pursuant to Section 1.4; provided, that the
right of holders of at least a majority of Outstanding Units to approve a successor General Partner
and to reconstitute and to continue the business of the Partnership shall not exist and may not be
exercised unless the Partnership has received an Opinion of Counsel that (x) the exercise of the
right would not result in the loss of limited liability of any Limited Partner and (y) neither the
Partnership, the reconstituted limited partnership nor any other Group Member would be treated as
an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise be taxable as an entity for federal income tax
purposes upon the exercise of such right to continue.
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14.3 LIQUIDATOR. Upon dissolution of the Partnership, unless the Partnership is continued under an
election to reconstitute and continue the Partnership pursuant to Section 14.2, the General
Partner, or in the event the dissolution is the result of an Event of Withdrawal, a liquidator or
liquidating committee approved by holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Units, shall be
the Liquidator. The Liquidator (if other than the General Partner) shall be entitled to receive
such compensation for its services as may be approved by holders of at least a majority of the
Outstanding Units. The Liquidator shall agree not to resign at any time without 15 days’ prior
notice and (if other than the General Partner) may be removed at any time, with or without cause,
by notice of removal approved by holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Units. Upon
dissolution, removal or resignation of the Liquidator, a successor and substitute Liquidator (who
shall have and succeed to all rights, powers and duties of the original Liquidator) shall within 30
days thereafter be approved by holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Units. 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 XIV, 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 6.3(b)) to the extent necessary or
desirable in the good faith judgment of the Liquidator to carry out the duties and functions of the
Liquidator hereunder for and during such period of time as shall be reasonably required in the good
faith judgment of the Liquidator to complete the winding up and liquidation of the Partnership as
provided for herein.
14.4 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
the Liquidator determines to be in the best interest of the Partners, subject to the following:
(a) Disposition of Assets. 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 the receiving
Partner may agree. If any property is distributed in kind, the Partner receiving the property shall
be deemed for purposes of Section 14.4(c) to have received cash equal to its fair market value; and
contemporaneously therewith, appropriate cash distributions must be made to the other Partners. For
purposes of computing Net Liquidation Gain, gain or loss on distributed property shall be
recognized as if such property had been sold for its fair market value.
(b) Discharge of Liabilities. Liabilities of the Partnership include amounts owed to Partners
otherwise in respect of their distribution rights under Article V. With respect to any liability
that is contingent 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.
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(c) Liquidation Distributions. The Liquidator shall reassign the 1989 Customer List and other
assets described in Section 9.1(d) to the General Partner. Subject to Section 14.4(a), all other
property and all cash in excess of that required to discharge liabilities as provided in Section
14.4(b) shall be distributed to the Partners in the priorities provided in Section 5.6 or Section
5.7, as applicable. The distribution may be made in one or more Quarters, but the amount
distributed in respect of each priority shall be determined on a cumulative basis.
14.5 CANCELLATION OF CERTIFICATE OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP. Upon the completion of the distribution of
Partnership cash and property as provided in Sections 14.3 and 14.4 in connection with the
liquidation of the Partnership, the Partnership shall be terminated and 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 cancelled and such other actions as may be
necessary to terminate the Partnership shall be taken.
14.6 RETURN OF CONTRIBUTIONS. The General Partner shall not be personally liable for, and shall
have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Partnership to enable it to
effectuate, the return of the Contributions of the Limited Partners, or any portion thereof, it
being expressly understood that any such return shall be made solely from Partnership assets.
14.7 WAIVER OF PARTITION. Each Partner hereby waives any right to partition of the Partnership
property.
ARTICLE XV
AMENDMENT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT;
MEETINGS; RECORD DATE
AMENDMENT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT;
MEETINGS; RECORD DATE
15.1 AMENDMENT TO BE ADOPTED SOLELY BY GENERAL PARTNER. Each Limited Partner agrees that the
General Partner (pursuant to its powers of attorney from the Limited Partners and Assignees),
without the approval of any Limited Partner or Assignee, 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, in the sole discretion of the General Partner, is necessary or advisable to
qualify or continue the qualification of the Partnership as a limited partnership or a partnership
in which the limited partners have limited liability under the laws of any state or to ensure that
the Partnership and the Operating Partnership will not be treated as an association taxable as a
corporation or otherwise taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes;
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(d) a change that, in the sole discretion of the General Partner, (i) does not adversely affect the
Limited Partners in any material respect, (ii) is necessary or advisable 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 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 for trading, compliance with
any of which the General Partner determines in its sole discretion to be in the best interests of
the Partnership and the Limited Partners, (iii) is necessary or advisable in connection with action
taken by the General Partner pursuant to Section 4.8, or (iv) is required to effect the intent of
the provisions of this Agreement or is otherwise contemplated by this Agreement;
(e) a change in the fiscal year and taxable year of the Partnership and any changes that, in the
sole discretion of the General Partner, are necessary or advisable as a result of a change in the
fiscal year and taxable year of the Partnership including, if the General Partner shall so
determine, a change in the definition of “Quarter” and the dates on which distributions are to be
made by the Partnership;
(f) an amendment that is necessary, in the Opinion of Counsel, to prevent the Partnership or the
General Partner or its directors or officers 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) subject to the terms of Section 4.4, an amendment that, in the sole discretion of the General
Partner, is necessary or advisable in connection with the authorization of issuance of any class or
series of Partnership Securities pursuant to Section 4.4;
(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 16.3;
(j) an amendment that, in the sole discretion of the General Partner, is necessary or advisable to
reflect, account for and deal with appropriately the formation by the Partnership of, or investment
by the Partnership in, any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or
other entity other than the Operating Partnership, in connection with the conduct by the
Partnership of activities permitted by the terms of Section 3.1; or
(k) any other amendments substantially similar to the foregoing.
15.2 AMENDMENT PROCEDURES. Except as provided in Sections 15.1 and 15.3, all amendments to this
Agreement shall be made in accordance with the following requirements. Amendments to this Agreement
may be proposed only by or with the consent of the General Partner. A proposed amendment shall be
effective upon its approval by the holders of at least a Unit Majority, unless a greater or
different percentage is required under this Agreement. Each proposed amendment that requires the
approval of the holders of a specified percentage of
Outstanding Units shall be set forth in a writing that contains the text of the proposed amendment.
If such an amendment is proposed, the General Partner shall seek the written approval of the
requisite percentage of Outstanding Units or call a meeting of the Limited Partners to consider and
vote on such proposed amendment. The General Partner shall notify all Record Holders upon final
adoption of any such proposed amendments.
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15.3 AMENDMENT REQUIREMENTS. (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 15.1 and 15.2, no
provision of this Agreement that establishes a percentage of Outstanding Units required to take any
action shall be amended, altered, changed, repealed or rescinded in any respect that would have the
effect of reducing such voting requirement 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.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 15.1 and 15.2, no amendment to this Agreement may
(i) enlarge the obligations of any Limited Partner without its consent, unless such shall be deemed
to have occurred as a result of an amendment approved pursuant to Section 15.3(c), (ii) enlarge the
obligations of, restrict in any way any action by or rights of, or reduce in any way the amounts
distributable, reimbursable or otherwise payable to, the General Partner without its consent, which
may be given or withheld in its sole discretion, (iii) change Section 14.1(a) or (c), or (iv)
change the term of the Partnership or, except as set forth in Section 14.1(c), give any Person the
right to dissolve the Partnership.
(c) Except as otherwise provided, and without limitation of the General Partner’s authority to
adopt amendments to this Agreement as contemplated in Section 15.1, any amendment that would have a
material adverse effect on the rights or preferences of any class of Outstanding Units in relation
to other classes of Units must be approved by the holders of not less than a majority of the
Outstanding Units of the class affected (excluding, during the Subordination Period, Common Units
owned by the General Partner and its Affiliates).
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, except for amendments pursuant to
Section 6.3 or 15.1 and except as otherwise provided by Section 16.3(b), no amendments shall become
effective without the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the Outstanding Units unless the
Partnership obtains an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that such amendment will not affect the
limited liability of any Limited Partner or any limited partner of the other Group Members under
applicable law.
(e) This Section 15.3 shall only be amended with the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the
Outstanding Units.
15.4 MEETINGS. All acts of Limited Partners to be taken pursuant to this Agreement shall be taken
in the manner provided in this Article XV. 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 meeting by delivering to the
General Partner one or more requests in writing stating that the signing Limited Partners wish to
call a meeting and indicating the general or specific purposes for which the meeting is to be
called. Within 60 days after receipt of such a call
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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
more than 60 days after notice of the meeting has been given or made pursuant to Section 18.1.
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.
15.5 NOTICE OF A MEETING. Notice of a meeting called pursuant to Section 15.4 shall be given to the
Record Holders pursuant to Section 18.1. The notice shall be deemed to have been given at the time
when deposited in the mail or when given or made pursuant to Section 18.1.
15.6 RECORD DATE. For purposes of determining the Limited Partners entitled to notice of or to vote
at a meeting of the Limited Partners or to give approvals without a meeting as provided in Section
15.11, 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 for trading, in which case the rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of such exchange
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.
15.7 ADJOURNMENT. When a meeting is adjourned to another time or place, notice need not be given of
the adjourned meeting and a new Record Date need not be fixed, if the time and place thereof are
announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken, unless such adjournment shall be for
more than 45 days. At the adjourned meeting, the Partnership may transact any business which might
have been transacted at the original meeting. If the adjournment is for more than 45 days or if a
new Record Date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, a notice of the adjourned meeting shall be
given in accordance with this Article XV.
15.8 WAIVER OF NOTICE; APPROVAL OF MEETING; APPROVAL OF MINUTES. The transactions of any meeting of
Limited Partners, however called and noticed, and whenever held, shall be as valid as if had at a
meeting duly held after regular call and notice, if a quorum is present either in person or by
proxy, and if, either before or after the meeting, Limited Partners representing such quorum who
were present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote, sign a written waiver of notice or an
approval of the holding of the meeting or an approval of the minutes thereof. All waivers and
approvals shall be filed with the Partnership records or made a part of the minutes of the meeting.
Attendance of a Limited Partner at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of the meeting,
except when the Limited Partner does not approve, at the beginning of the meeting, of the
transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened; and except that
attendance at a meeting is not a waiver of any right to disapprove the consideration of matters
required to be included in the notice of the meeting, but not so included, if the disapproval is
expressly made at the meeting.
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15.9 QUORUM. The holders of a majority of the Outstanding Units of the class or classes for which a
meeting has been called represented in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of
Limited Partners of such class or classes unless any such action by the Limited Partners requires
approval by holders of a greater percentage of such Units, in which case the quorum shall be such
greater percentage (excluding, in either case, if such are to be excluded from the vote,
Outstanding Units owned by the General Partner and its Affiliates). At any meeting of the Limited
Partners duly called and held in accordance with this Agreement at which a quorum is present, the
act of Limited Partners holding Outstanding Units that in the aggregate represent a majority of the
Outstanding Units entitled to vote and be present in person or by proxy at such meeting shall be
deemed to constitute the act of all Limited 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 Limited Partners holding Outstanding Units that in the aggregate represent at least such
greater or different percentage shall be required. The Limited 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 Limited Partners to leave less than a quorum, if any
action taken (other than adjournment) is approved by the required percentage of Outstanding Units
specified in this Agreement. In the absence of a quorum, any meeting of Limited Partners may be
adjourned from time to time by the affirmative vote of holders of at least a majority of the
Outstanding Units represented either in person or by proxy, but no other business may be
transacted, except as provided in Section 15.7.
15.10 CONDUCT OF 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 15.4, 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 the 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.
15.11 ACTION WITHOUT A MEETING. Any action that may be taken at a meeting of the Limited Partners
may be taken without a meeting if an approval in writing setting forth the action so taken is
signed by Limited Partners owning not less than the minimum percentage of the Outstanding Units
that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all the Limited
Partners were present and voted. Prompt notice of the taking of action without a meeting shall be
given to the Limited Partners who have not approved in writing. The General Partner may specify
that any written ballot submitted to Limited Partners for the purpose of taking any action without
a meeting shall be returned to the Partnership within the time period, which shall be not less than
20 days, specified by the General Partner. If a ballot returned to the Partnership does not vote
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all of the Units held by the Limited Partner, 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, (b) approvals sufficient to
take the action proposed are dated as of a date not more than 90 days prior to the date sufficient
approvals are deposited with the Partnership and (c) an Opinion of Counsel is delivered to the
General Partner to the effect that the exercise of such right and the action proposed to be taken
with respect to any particular matter (i) will not cause the Limited Partners to be deemed to be
taking part in the management and control of the business and affairs of the Partnership so as to
jeopardize the Limited Partners’ limited liability, and (ii) is otherwise permissible under the
state statutes then governing the rights, duties and liabilities of the Partnership and the
Partners.
15.12 VOTING AND OTHER RIGHTS. (a) Only those Record Holders of the Units on the Record Date set
pursuant to Section 15.6 (and also subject to the limitations contained in the definition of
“Outstanding”) shall be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, a meeting of Limited Partners or to
act with respect to matters as to which the holders of the Outstanding Units have the right to vote
or to act. All references in this Agreement to votes of, or other acts that may be taken by, the
Outstanding Units shall be deemed to be references to the votes or acts of the Record Holders of
such Outstanding Units.
(b) With respect to Units that are held for a Person’s account by another Person (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 15.12(b) (as well as all other provisions of this Agreement) are subject to the
provisions of Section 10.4.
ARTICLE XVI
MERGER
MERGER
16.1 AUTHORITY. The Partnership may merge or consolidate with one or more corporations, business
trusts or associations, real estate investment trusts, common law trusts or unincorporated
businesses, including a general partnership or limited partnership, formed under the laws of the
State of Delaware or any other state of the United States of America, pursuant to a written
agreement of merger or consolidation (“MERGER AGREEMENT”) in accordance with this Article XVI.
16.2 PROCEDURE FOR MERGER OR CONSOLIDATION. Merger or consolidation of the Partnership pursuant to
this Article XVI requires the prior approval of the General Partner. If the General Partner shall
determine, in the exercise of its sole discretion, to consent to the merger or consolidation, the
General Partner shall approve the Merger Agreement, which shall set forth:
(a) The names and jurisdictions of formation or organization of each of the business entities
proposing to merge or consolidate;
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(b) The name and jurisdictions of formation or organization of the business entity that is to
survive the proposed merger or consolidation (the “SURVIVING BUSINESS ENTITY”);
(c) The terms and conditions of the proposed merger or consolidation;
(d) The manner and basis of exchanging or converting the equity securities of each constituent
business entity for, or into, cash, property or general or limited partner interests, rights,
securities or obligations of the Surviving Business Entity; and (i) if any general or limited
partner interests, securities or rights of any constituent business entity are not to be exchanged
or converted solely for, or into, cash, property or general or limited partner interests, rights,
securities or obligations of the Surviving Business Entity, the cash, property or general or
limited partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of any limited partnership,
corporation, trust or other entity (other than the Surviving Business Entity) which the holders of
such general or limited partner interests, securities or rights are to receive in exchange for, or
upon conversion of, their general or limited partner interests, securities or rights, and (ii) in
the case of securities represented by certificates, upon the surrender of such certificates, which
cash, property or general or limited partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of the
Surviving Business Entity or any general or limited partnership, corporation, trust or other entity
(other than the Surviving Business Entity), or evidences thereof, are to be delivered;
(e) 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 or other similar charter or governing document) of
the Surviving Business Entity to be effected by such merger or consolidation;
(f) The effective time of the merger, which may be the date of the filing of the certificate of
merger pursuant to Section 16.4 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 the certificate of merger, the effective time shall be fixed no later than the
time of the filing of the certificate of merger and stated therein); and
(g) Such other provisions with respect to the proposed merger or consolidation as are deemed
necessary or appropriate by the General Partner.
16.3 APPROVAL BY LIMITED PARTNERS OF MERGER OR CONSOLIDATION. (a) The General Partner, upon its
approval of the Merger Agreement, shall direct that the Merger Agreement be submitted to a vote of
Limited Partners, whether at a meeting or by written consent, in either case in accordance with the
requirements of Article XV. A copy or a summary of the Merger Agreement shall be included in or
enclosed with the notice of a meeting or the written consent.
(b) The Merger Agreement shall be approved upon receiving the affirmative vote or consent of the
holders of at least 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 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.
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(c) 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 16.4, the merger or consolidation may be
abandoned pursuant to provisions therefor, if any, set forth in the Merger Agreement.
16.4 CERTIFICATE OF MERGER. Upon the required approval by the General Partner and the Limited
Partners 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.
16.5 EFFECT OF MERGER. (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.
(b) A merger or consolidation effected pursuant to this Article shall not be deemed to result in a
transfer or assignment of assets or liabilities from one entity to another having occurred.
ARTICLE XVII
RIGHT TO ACQUIRE UNITS
RIGHT TO ACQUIRE UNITS
17.1 RIGHT TO ACQUIRE UNITS. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if at any
time not more than 20% of the total Units of any class then Outstanding are held by Persons other
than the General Partner and its Affiliates, the General Partner shall then have the right, which
right it may assign and transfer to the Partnership or any Affiliate of the General Partner,
exercisable in its sole discretion, to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Units of such
class then Outstanding held by Persons other than the General Partner and its Affiliates, at the
greater of (x) the Current Market Price as of the date three days prior to the date that the notice
described in Section 17.1(b) is mailed, and (y) the highest cash price paid by the General Partner
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or any of its Affiliates for any such Unit purchased during the 90-day period preceding the date that the notice described in Section 17.1(b) is mailed. As used in this Agreement, (i)
“CURRENT MARKET PRICE” as of any date of any class of Units listed or admitted to trading on any
National Securities Exchange means the average of the daily Closing Prices (as hereinafter defined)
per Unit of such class for the 20 consecutive Trading Days (as hereinafter defined) immediately
prior to such date; (ii) “CLOSING PRICE” for any day means the last sale price on such day, regular
way, or in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the 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 on the principal National Securities
Exchange on which the Units of such class are listed or admitted to trading or, if the Units of
such class are not listed or admitted to trading on any National Securities Exchange, the last
quoted price on such day or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low asked prices on
such day in the over the counter market, as reported by the National Association of Securities
Dealers, Inc. Automated Quotation System or such other system then in use, or, if on any such day
the Units 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 the Units
of such class selected by the Board of Directors of the General Partner, or if on any such day no
market maker is making a market in the Units of such class, the fair value of such Units on such
day as determined reasonably and in good faith by the Board of Directors of the General Partner;
and (iii) “TRADING DAY” means a day on which the principal National Securities Exchange on which
the Units of any class are listed or admitted to trading is open for the transaction of business
or, if Units 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.
(b) If the General Partner, any Affiliate of the General Partner or the Partnership elects to
exercise the right to purchase Units granted pursuant to Section 17.1(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 Units (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 17.1(a)) at which Units will be purchased and state that the
General Partner, its Affiliate or the Partnership, as the case may be, elects to purchase such
Units, upon surrender of Certificates, if any, representing such Units 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 the Units are listed or admitted to trading.
Any such Notice of Election to Purchase mailed to a Record Holder of Units at his address as
reflected in the records of the Transfer Agent shall be conclusively presumed to have been given
regardless of whether the owner receives such notice. On or prior to the Purchase Date, the General
Partner, its Affiliate or the Partnership, as the case may be, shall deposit with the Transfer
Agent cash in an amount sufficient to pay the aggregate purchase price of all of the Units to be
purchased in accordance with this Section 17.1. 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
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Purchase Date the deposit described in the preceding sentence has been made for the benefit of the holders of Units 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 Units (including any rights
pursuant to Articles IV, V and XIV) shall thereupon cease, except the right to receive the purchase
price (determined in accordance with Section 17.1(a)) for Units therefore, without interest, upon
surrender to the Transfer Agent of the Certificates, if any, representing such Units, and such
Units shall thereupon be deemed to be transferred to the General Partner, its Affiliate or the
Partnership, as the case may be, on the record books of the Transfer Agent and the Partnership, and
the General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner, or the Partnership, as the case may
be, shall be deemed to be the owner of all such Units from and after the Purchase Date and shall
have all rights as the owner of such Units (including all rights as owner of such Units pursuant to
Articles IV, V and XIV).
(c) At any time from and after the Purchase Date, a holder of an Outstanding Unit subject to
purchase as provided in this Section 17.1 may surrender the Certificate, if any, evidencing such
Unit to the Transfer Agent in exchange for payment of the amount described in Section 17.1(a),
therefor, without interest thereon.
ARTICLE XVIII
GENERAL PROVISIONS
GENERAL PROVISIONS
18.1 ADDRESSES AND NOTICES. Any notice, demand, request, report or proxy materials required or
permitted to be given or made to a Partner or Assignee under this Agreement shall be in writing and
shall be deemed given or made when delivered to the Partner or Assignee in person or when sent by
first class United States mail or by any manner (including posting on or accessible through the
Partnership’s website) permitted for such notice, demand, request, report or proxy materials by
applicable law, rule or regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission or any National
Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed for trading. Any notice, payment or report to be
given or made to a Partner or Assignee 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 Unit at the 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 Unit or the Partnership Interest of a General Partner by reason of any
assignment or otherwise. An affidavit or certificate of making of any notice, payment or report in
accordance with the provisions of this Section 18.1 executed by the General Partner, the Transfer
Agent or the mailing organization shall be prima facie evidence of the giving or making of such
notice, payment or report. If any notice, payment or report addressed to a Record Holder at the
address of such Record Holder appearing on the books and records of the Transfer Agent or the
Partnership is returned by the United States Postal Service marked to indicate that the United
States Postal Service is unable to deliver it, such notice, payment or report and any subsequent
notices, payments and reports shall be deemed to have been duly given or made without further
mailing (until such time as such Record Holder or another Person notifies the Transfer Agent or the
Partnership of a change in address) if they are available for the Partner or Assignee 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 and Assignees. 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 1.3.
The General Partner may rely and shall be protected in relying on any notice or other document from
a Partner, Assignee or other Person if believed by it to be genuine.
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18.2 REFERENCES. Except as specifically provided otherwise, references to “Articles” and “Sections”
are to Articles and Sections of this Agreement.
18.3 PRONOUNS AND PLURALS. Whenever the context may require, any pronoun used in this Agreement
shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine or neuter forms, and the singular form of
nouns, pronouns and verbs shall include the plural and vice versa.
18.4 FURTHER ACTION. The parties shall execute and deliver all documents, provide all information
and take or refrain from taking action as may be necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes
of this Agreement.
18.5 BINDING EFFECT. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties
hereto and their heirs, executors, administrators, successors, legal representatives and permitted
assigns.
18.6 INTEGRATION. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement among the parties hereto
pertaining to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings
pertaining thereto.
18.7 CREDITORS. None of the provisions of this Agreement shall be for the benefit of, or shall be
enforceable by, any creditor of the Partnership.
18.8 WAIVER. No failure by any party to insist upon the strict performance of any covenant, duty,
agreement or condition of this Agreement or to exercise any right or remedy consequent upon a
breach thereof shall constitute waiver of any such breach of any other covenant, duty, agreement or
condition.
18.9 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
Unit, upon accepting the certificate evidencing such Unit or executing and delivering a Transfer
Application as herein described, independently of the signature of any other party.
18.10 APPLICABLE LAW. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws
of the State of Delaware, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law.
18.11 INVALIDITY OF PROVISIONS. If any provision of this Agreement is or becomes invalid, illegal
or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining
provisions contained herein shall not be affected thereby.
18.12 CONSENT OF PARTNERS. Each Partner hereby expressly consents and agrees that, whenever in this
Agreement it is specified that an action may be taken upon the affirmative vote or consent of less
than all of the Partners, such action may be so taken upon the concurrence of less than all of the
Partners and each Partner shall be bound by the results of such action.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date first written
above.
GENERAL PARTNER:
AMERIGAS PROPANE, INC.
AMERIGAS PROPANE, INC.
By: | /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | ||||
Title: | Vice President Law and General Counsel |
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.
By: AMERIGAS PROPANE, INC. General
Partner, as attorney-in-fact for all Limited
Partners pursuant to the Powers of Attorney
granted pursuant to Section 1.4.
Partner, as attorney-in-fact for all Limited
Partners pursuant to the Powers of Attorney
granted pursuant to Section 1.4.
By: | /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||
Name: | Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||
Title: | Vice President Law and General Counsel |
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EXHIBIT A
TO THE FOURTH AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF
LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF
AMERIGAS PARTNERS, L.P.
CERTIFICATE EVIDENCING COMMON UNITS
REPRESENTING LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS
AMERIGAS PARTNERS, L.P.
LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF
AMERIGAS PARTNERS, L.P.
CERTIFICATE EVIDENCING COMMON UNITS
REPRESENTING LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS
AMERIGAS PARTNERS, L.P.
No. Common Units
AMERIGAS PROPANE, INC., a Pennsylvania corporation, as the General Partner of AMERIGAS PARTNERS,
L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “Partnership”), hereby certifies that (the “Holder”) is
the registered owner of Common Units representing limited partner interests in the Partnership (the
“Common Units”) transferable on the books of the Partnership, in person or by duly authorized
attorney, upon surrender of this Certificate properly endorsed and accompanied by a properly
executed application for transfer of the Common Units represented by this Certificate. 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 Fourth Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of AMERIGAS
PARTNERS, L.P., as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time (the “Partnership
Agreement”). Copies of the Partnership Agreement are on file at, and will be furnished without
charge on delivery of written request to the Partnership at, the principal office of the
Partnership located at 000 Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxx, Xxxx xx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxx, 00000. Capitalized
terms used herein but not defined shall have the meaning given them in the Partnership Agreement.
The Holder, by accepting this Certificate, is deemed to have (i) requested admission as, and agreed
to become, a Limited Partner and to have agreed to comply with and be bound by and to have executed
the Partnership Agreement, (ii) represented and warranted that the Holder has all right, power and
authority and, if an individual, the capacity necessary to enter into the Partnership Agreement,
(iii) granted the powers of attorney provided for in the Partnership Agreement and (iv) made the
waivers and given the consents and approvals contained in the Partnership Agreement.
This Certificate shall not be valid for any purpose unless it has been countersigned and registered
by the Transfer Agent and Registrar. Witness the facsimile signatures of the duly authorized
officers of the General Partner of the Partnership.
Dated:
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AMERIGAS PROPANE, INC.,
as General Partner
as General Partner
Countersigned and Registered by:
By: | ||||||
Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
By: | ||||||
as Transfer Agent and Registrar
Treasurer
By: |
||||
[REVERSE OF CERTIFICATE]
ABBREVIATIONS
The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the face of this Certificate, shall be
construed as follows according to applicable laws or regulations:
TEN COM- as tenants in common
|
UNIF GIFT MIN ACT- | |
TEN ENT- as tenants by the entireties
|
Custodian | |
as joint tenants with right of
|
(Cust) (Minor) | |
JT TEN- survivorship and not as tenants in common
|
under Uniform Gifts to Minors Act | |
State
|
Additional abbreviations, though not in the above list, may also be used.
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ASSIGNMENT OF COMMON UNITS
IN
AMERIGAS PARTNERS, L.P.
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING INVESTOR RESPONSIBILITIES
DUE TO TAX SHELTER STATUS OF AMERIGAS PARTNERS, L.P.
IN
AMERIGAS PARTNERS, L.P.
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING INVESTOR RESPONSIBILITIES
DUE TO TAX SHELTER STATUS OF AMERIGAS PARTNERS, L.P.
You have acquired an interest in AmeriGas Partners, L.P., 000 Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxx, Xxxx xx Xxxxxxx,
Xxxxxxxxxxxx, 00000, whose taxpayer identification number is 00-0000000. The Internal Revenue
Service has issued AmeriGas Partners, L.P. the following tax shelter registration number:
YOU MUST REPORT THIS REGISTRATION NUMBER TO THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE IF YOU CLAIM ANY
DEDUCTION, LOSS, CREDIT, OR OTHER TAX BENEFIT OR REPORT ANY INCOME BY REASON OF YOUR INVESTMENT IN
AMERIGAS PARTNERS, L.P.
You must report the registration number as well as the name and taxpayer identification number of
AmeriGas Partners, L.P., on Form 8271. FORM 8271 MUST BE ATTACHED TO THE RETURN ON WHICH YOU CLAIM
THE DEDUCTION, LOSS, CREDIT, OR OTHER TAX BENEFIT OR REPORT ANY INCOME BY REASON OF YOUR INVESTMENT
IN AMERIGAS PARTNERS, L.P.
If you transfer your interest in AmeriGas Partners, L.P. to another person, you are required by the
Internal Revenue Service to keep a list containing (a) that person’s name, address and taxpayer
identification number, (b) the date on which you transferred the interest and (c) the name, address
and tax shelter registration number of AmeriGas Partners, L.P. If you do not want to keep such a
list, you must (1) send the information specified above to the Partnership, which will keep the
list for this tax shelter, and (2) give a copy of this notice to the person to whom you transfer
your interest. Your failure to comply with any of the above-described responsibilities could result
in the imposition of a penalty under Section 6707(b) or 6708(a) of the Internal Revenue Service
Code of 1986, as amended, unless such failure is shown to be due to reasonable cause.
ISSUANCE OF A REGISTRATION NUMBER DOES NOT INDICATE THAT THIS INVESTMENT OR THE CLAIMED TAX
BENEFITS HAVE BEEN REVIEWED, EXAMINED, OR APPROVED BY THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE.
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) |
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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 AmeriGas
Partners, L.P.
Date: | NOTE: The signature to any endorsement hereon must correspond with the name as written upon the face of this Certificate in every particular, without alteration, enlargement or change. | |||||
SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED BY A MEMBER FIRM OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SECURITIES DEALERS, INC. OR BY A COMMERCIAL BANK OR TRUST | (Signature) | |||||
COMPANY | (Signature) |
SIGNATURE(S) GUARANTEED
No transfer of the Common Units evidenced hereby will be registered on the books of the
Partnership, unless the Certificate evidencing the Common Units to be transferred is surrendered
for registration or transfer and an Application for Transfer of Common Units has been executed by a
transferee either (a) on the form set forth below or (b) on a separate application that the
Partnership will furnish on request without charge. A transferor of the Common Units shall have no
duty to the transferee with respect to execution of the transfer application in order for such
transferee to obtain registration of the transfer of the Common Units.
APPLICATION FOR TRANSFER OF COMMON UNITS
The undersigned (“Assignee”) hereby applies for transfer to the name of the Assignee of the Common
Units evidenced hereby.
The Assignee (a) requests admission as a Substituted Limited Partner and agrees to comply with and
be bound by, and hereby executes, the Fourth Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership
of AmeriGas Partners, L.P. (the “Partnership”), as amended, supplemented or restated to the date
hereof (the “Partnership Agreement”), (b) represents and warrants that the Assignee has all right,
power and authority and, if an individual, the capacity necessary to enter into the Partnership
Agreement, (c) grants the powers of attorney provided for in the Partnership Agreement and (d)
makes the waivers and gives the consents and approvals contained in the Partnership Agreement.
Capitalized terms not defined herein have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Partnership
Agreement.
Date: ________________
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Signature of Assignee
Social Security or other Name and Address of Assignee identifying number of Assignee
Purchase Price including
commissions, if any
commissions, if any
Type of Entity (check one)
Individual Partnership Corporation
Trust
Other (specify)
Nationality (Check One)
U.S. Citizen, Resident or Domestic Entity
Foreign Corporation, or Non-resident alien
If the U.S. Citizen, Resident or Domestic Entity box is checked, the following certification must
be completed.
Under Section 1445(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), the
Partnership must withhold tax with respect to certain transfers of property if a holder of an
interest in the Partnership is a foreign person. To inform the Partnership that no withholding is
required with respect to the undersigned interest holder’s interest in it, the undersigned hereby
certifies the following (or, if applicable, certifies the following on behalf of the interest
holder).
Complete Either A or B:
A. Individual Interest Holder
1. I am not a non-resident alien for purposes of U.S. income taxation.
2. My U.S. taxpayer identification number (Social Security Number) is
3. My home address is
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B. Partnership, Corporate or Other Interest-Holder
1. is not a foreign corporation, foreign partnership, foreign trust
(Name of Interest-Holder)
(Name of Interest-Holder)
or foreign estate (as those terms are defined in the Code and Treasury Regulations).
2. The interest-holder’s U.S. employer identification number is
3. The interest-holder’s office address and place of incorporation (if applicable) is
The interest-holder agrees to notify the Partnership within 60 days of the date the interest-holder
becomes a foreign person.
The interest-holder understands that this certificate may be disclosed to the Internal Revenue
Service by the Partnership and that any false statement contained herein could be punishable by
fine, imprisonment or both.
Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this certification and to the best of my
knowledge and belief it is true, correct and complete and, if applicable, I further declare that I
have authority to sign this document on behalf of
(Name of Interest-Holder)
Signature and Date
Title (if applicable)
Note: If the Assignee is a broker, dealer, bank, trust company, clearing corporation, other nominee
holder or an agent of any of the foregoing, and is holding for the account of any other person,
this application should be completed by an officer thereof or, in the case of a broker or dealer,
by a registered representative who is a member of a registered national securities exchange or a
member of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., or, in the case of any other
nominee holder, a person performing a similar function. If the Assignee is a broker, dealer, bank,
trust company, clearing corporation, other nominee owner or an agent of any of the foregoing, the
above certification as to any person for whom the Assignee will hold the Common Units shall be made
to the best of the Assignee’s knowledge.
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