FIRST
AMENDED AND RESTATED
AGREEMENT
OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
OF
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
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ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
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Section 1.1
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Definitions
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1
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Section 1.2
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Construction
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15
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ARTICLE II
ORGANIZATION
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Section 2.1
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Formation
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16
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Section 2.2
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Name
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16
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Section 2.3
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Registered Office; Registered
Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices
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16
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Section 2.4
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Purpose and Business
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16
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Section 2.5
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Powers
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17
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Section 2.6
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Power of Attorney
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17
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Section 2.7
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Term
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18
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Section 2.8
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Title to Partnership Assets
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18
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ARTICLE III
RIGHTS OF LIMITED PARTNERS
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Section 3.1
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Limitation of Liability
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18
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Section 3.2
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Management of Business
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18
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Section 3.3
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Outside Activities of the Limited
Partners
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19
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Section 3.4
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Rights of Limited Partners
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19
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ARTICLE IV
CERTIFICATES; RECORD HOLDERS; TRANSFER OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS;
REDEMPTION OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS
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Section 4.1
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Certificates
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20
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Section 4.2
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Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or
Stolen Certificates
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20
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Section 4.3
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Record Holders
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21
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Section 4.4
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Transfer Generally
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21
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Section 4.5
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Registration and Transfer of
Limited Partner Interests
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21
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Section 4.6
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Transfer of the General
Partner’s General Partner Interest
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22
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Section 4.7
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Transfer of Incentive Distribution
Rights
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22
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Section 4.8
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Restrictions on Transfers
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23
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Section 4.9
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Citizenship Certificates;
Non-citizen Assignees
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24
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Section 4.10
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Redemption of
Partnership Interests of Non-citizen Assignees
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24
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i
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ARTICLE V
CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND ISSUANCE OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS
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Section 5.1
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Organizational Contributions
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25
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Section 5.2
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Contributions by the General
Partner and its Affiliates
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26
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Section 5.3
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Contributions by Initial Limited
Partners
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26
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Section 5.4
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Interest and Withdrawal
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27
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Section 5.5
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Capital Accounts
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27
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Section 5.6
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Issuances of Additional
Partnership Securities
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29
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Section 5.7
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Conversion of Subordinated Units
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30
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Section 5.8
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Limited Preemptive Right
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30
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Section 5.9
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Splits and Combinations
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30
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Section 5.10
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Fully Paid and Non-Assessable
Nature of Limited Partner Interests
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31
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Section 5.11
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Issuance of Class B Units in
Connection with Reset of Incentive Distribution Rights
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31
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ARTICLE VI
ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
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Section 6.1
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Allocations for Capital Account
Purposes
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33
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Section 6.2
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Allocations for Tax Purposes
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39
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Section 6.3
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Requirement and Characterization
of Distributions; Distributions to Record Holders
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40
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Section 6.4
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Distributions of Available Cash
from Operating Surplus
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41
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Section 6.5
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Distributions of Available Cash
from Capital Surplus
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42
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Section 6.6
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Adjustment of Minimum Quarterly
Distribution and Target Distribution Levels
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43
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Section 6.7
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Special Provisions Relating to the
Holders of Subordinated Units and Class B Units
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43
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Section 6.8
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Special Provisions Relating to the
Holders of Incentive Distribution Rights
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44
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Section 6.9
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Entity-Level Taxation
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44
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ARTICLE VII
MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS
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Section 7.1
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Management
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45
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Section 7.2
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Certificate of Limited Partnership
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46
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Section 7.3
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Restrictions on the General
Partner’s Authority
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47
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Section 7.4
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Reimbursement of the General
Partner
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47
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Section 7.5
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Outside Activities
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48
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Section 7.6
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Loans from the General Partner;
Loans or Contributions from the Partnership or Group Members
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48
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Section 7.7
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Indemnification
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49
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Section 7.8
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Liability of Indemnitees
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50
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Section 7.9
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Resolution of Conflicts of
Interest; Standards of Conduct and Modification of Duties
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51
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Section 7.10
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Other Matters Concerning the
General Partner
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52
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Section 7.11
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Purchase or Sale of Partnership
Securities
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52
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Section 7.12
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Registration Rights of the General
Partner and its Affiliates
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53
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Section 7.13
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Reliance by Third Parties
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55
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ii
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ARTICLE VIII
BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS
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Section 8.1
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Records and Accounting
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56
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Section 8.2
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Fiscal Year
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56
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Section 8.3
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Reports
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56
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ARTICLE IX
TAX MATTERS
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Section 9.1
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Tax Returns and Information
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56
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Section 9.2
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Tax Elections
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57
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Section 9.3
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Tax Controversies
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57
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Section 9.4
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Withholding
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57
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ARTICLE X
ADMISSION OF PARTNERS
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Section 10.1
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Admission of Limited Partners
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57
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Section 10.2
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Admission of Successor General
Partner
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58
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Section 10.3
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Amendment of Agreement and
Certificate of Limited Partnership
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58
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ARTICLE XI
WITHDRAWAL OR REMOVAL OF PARTNERS
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Section 11.1
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Withdrawal of the General Partner
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58
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Section 11.2
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Removal of the General Partner
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60
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Section 11.3
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Interest of Departing General
Partner and Successor General Partner
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60
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Section 11.4
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Termination of Subordination
Period, Conversion of Subordinated Units and Extinguishment of
Cumulative Common Unit Arrearages
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61
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Section 11.5
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Withdrawal of Limited Partners
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62
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ARTICLE XII
DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION
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Section 12.1
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Dissolution
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62
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Section 12.2
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Continuation of the Business of
the Partnership After Dissolution
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62
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Section 12.3
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Liquidator
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63
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Section 12.4
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Liquidation
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63
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Section 12.5
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Cancellation of Certificate of
Limited Partnership
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64
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Section 12.6
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Return of Contributions
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64
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Section 12.7
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Waiver of Partition
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64
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Section 12.8
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Capital Account Restoration
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64
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iii
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ARTICLE XIII
AMENDMENT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT; MEETINGS; RECORD DATE
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Section 13.1
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Amendments to be Adopted Solely by
the General Partner
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64
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Section 13.2
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Amendment Procedures
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65
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Section 13.3
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Amendment Requirements
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66
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Section 13.4
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Special Meetings
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66
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Section 13.5
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Notice of a Meeting
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67
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Section 13.6
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Record Date
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67
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Section 13.7
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Adjournment
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67
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Section 13.8
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Waiver of Notice; Approval of
Meeting
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67
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Section 13.9
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Quorum and Voting
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67
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Section 13.10
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Conduct of a Meeting
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68
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Section 13.11
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Action Without a Meeting
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68
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Section 13.12
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Right to Vote and Related Matters
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69
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ARTICLE XIV
MERGER, CONSOLIDATION OR CONVERSION
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Section 14.1
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Authority
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69
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Section 14.2
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Procedure for Merger,
Consolidation or Conversion
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69
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Section 14.3
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Approval by Limited Partners
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70
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Section 14.4
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Certificate of Merger
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71
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Section 14.5
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Effect of Merger, Consolidation or
Conversion
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72
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ARTICLE XV
RIGHT TO ACQUIRE LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS
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Section 15.1
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Right to Acquire Limited Partner
Interests
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72
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ARTICLE XVI
GENERAL PROVISIONS
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Section 16.1
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Addresses and Notices; Written
Communications
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74
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Section 16.2
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Further Action
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74
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Section 16.3
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Binding Effect
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74
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Section 16.4
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Integration
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75
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Section 16.5
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Creditors
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75
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Section 16.6
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Waiver
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75
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Section 16.7
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Third-Party Beneficiaries
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75
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Section 16.8
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Counterparts
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75
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Section 16.9
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Applicable Law
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75
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Section 16.10
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Invalidity of Provisions
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75
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Section 16.11
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Consent of Partners
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75
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Section 16.12
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Facsimile Signatures
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75
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iv
THIS FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
OF
TARGA RESOURCES PARTNERS LP dated as of
February 14, 2007, is entered into by and between
Targa Resources GP LLC, a
Delaware limited liability company, as
the General Partner, and Targa GP Inc., a
Delaware corporation
(“Targa GP”), and Targa LP Inc., a
Delaware
corporation (“Targa LP,” and together with Targa GP,
the “Organizational Limited Partners”), together with
any other Persons who become Partners in the Partnership or
parties hereto as provided herein. In consideration of the
covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the
parties hereto hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.1 Definitions.
The following definitions shall be for all purposes, unless
otherwise clearly indicated to the contrary, applied to the
terms used in this Agreement.
“Acquisition” means any transaction in which
any Group Member acquires (through an asset acquisition, 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 long-term operating
capacity or earnings of the Partnership Group from the operating
capacity or revenues of the Partnership Group existing
immediately prior to such transaction.
“Additional Book Basis” means the portion of
any remaining Carrying Value of an Adjusted Property that is
attributable to positive adjustments made to such Carrying Value
as a result of
Book-Up
Events. For purposes of determining the extent that Carrying
Value constitutes Additional Book Basis:
(a) Any negative adjustment made to the Carrying Value of
an Adjusted Property as a result of either a Book-Down Event or
a Book-Up
Event shall first be deemed to offset or decrease that portion
of the Carrying Value of such Adjusted Property that is
attributable to any prior positive adjustments made thereto
pursuant to a
Book-Up
Event or Book-Down Event.
(b) If Carrying Value that constitutes Additional Book
Basis is reduced as a result of a Book-Down Event and the
Carrying Value of other property is increased as a result of
such Book-Down Event, an allocable portion of any such increase
in Carrying Value shall be treated as Additional Book Basis;
provided, that the amount treated as Additional Book
Basis pursuant hereto as a result of such Book-Down Event shall
not exceed the amount by which the Aggregate Remaining Net
Positive Adjustments after such Book-Down Event exceeds the
remaining Additional Book Basis attributable to all of the
Partnership’s Adjusted Property after such Book-Down Event
(determined without regard to the application of this
clause (b) to such Book-Down Event).
“Additional Book Basis Derivative Items” means
any Book Basis Derivative Items that are computed with reference
to Additional Book Basis. To the extent that the Additional Book
Basis attributable to all of the Partnership’s Adjusted
Property as of the beginning of any taxable period exceeds the
Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of the beginning
of such period (the “Excess Additional Book
Basis”), the Additional Book Basis Derivative Items
for such period shall be reduced by the amount that bears the
same ratio to the amount of Additional Book Basis Derivative
Items determined without regard to this sentence as the Excess
Additional Book Basis bears to the Additional Book Basis as of
the beginning of such period.
“Adjusted Capital Account” means the Capital
Account maintained for each Partner as of the end of each fiscal
year of the Partnership, (a) increased by any amounts that
such Partner is obligated to restore under the standards set by
Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(c)
(or is deemed obligated to restore under Treasury
Regulation Sections 1.704-2(g)
and 1.704-2(i)(5)) and (b) decreased by (i) the
amount of all losses and deductions that, as of the end of such
fiscal year, are reasonably expected to be allocated to such
Partner in subsequent years under Sections 704(e)(2) and
706(d) of the Code and Treasury
Regulation Section 1.751-1(b)(2)(ii),
and (ii) the amount of all distributions that, as of the
end of such fiscal year, are reasonably expected to be made to
such Partner in subsequent years in accordance with the terms of
this Agreement or otherwise to the extent they exceed offsetting
increases to such Partner’s Capital Account that are
reasonably expected to occur during (or prior to) the year in
which such distributions are reasonably expected to be made
(other than increases as a result of a minimum gain chargeback
pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(i) or 6.1(d)(ii)). The foregoing
definition of Adjusted Capital Account is intended to comply
with the provisions of Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)
and shall be interpreted consistently therewith. The
“Adjusted Capital Account” of a Partner in respect of
a General Partner Unit, a Common Unit, a Subordinated Unit, a
Class B Unit or an Incentive Distribution Right or any
other Partnership Interest shall be the amount that such
Adjusted Capital Account would be if such General Partner Unit,
Common Unit, Subordinated Unit, Class B Unit, Incentive
Distribution Right or other Partnership Interest were the
only interest in the Partnership held by such Partner from and
after the date on which such General Partner Unit, Common Unit,
Class B Unit, Subordinated Unit, Incentive Distribution
Right or other Partnership Interest was first issued.
“Adjusted Operating Surplus” means, with
respect to any period, Operating Surplus generated with respect
to such period (a) less any net decrease in cash reserves
for Operating Expenditures with respect to such period not
relating to an Operating Expenditure made with respect to such
period, and (b) plus (i) any net decrease made in
subsequent periods in cash reserves for Operating Expenditures
initially established with respect to such period to the extent
such decrease results in a reduction in Adjusted Operating
Surplus in subsequent periods pursuant to clause (a) above and
(ii) any net increase in cash reserves for Operating
Expenditures with respect to such period required by any debt
instrument for the repayment of principal, interest or premium.
Adjusted Operating Surplus does not include that portion of
Operating Surplus included in clause (a)(i) of the
definition of Operating Surplus.
“Adjusted Property” means any property the
Carrying Value of which has been adjusted pursuant to
Section 5.5(d)(i) or 5.5(d)(ii).
“Affiliate” means, with respect to any Person,
any other Person that directly or indirectly through one or more
intermediaries controls, is controlled by or is under common
control with, the Person in question. As used herein, the term
“control” means the possession, direct or indirect, of
the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and
policies of a Person, whether through ownership of voting
securities, by contract or otherwise.
“Aggregate Quantity of Class B Units” has
the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.11.
“Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments”
means, as of the end of any taxable period, the sum of the
Remaining Net Positive Adjustments of all the Partners.
“Agreed Allocation” means any allocation, other
than a Required Allocation, of an item of income, gain, loss or
deduction pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.1,
including a Curative Allocation (if appropriate to the context
in which the term “Agreed Allocation” is used).
“Agreed Value” of any Contributed Property
means the fair market value of such property or other
consideration at the time of contribution as determined by the
General Partner. The General Partner shall use such method as it
determines to be appropriate to allocate the aggregate Agreed
Value of Contributed Properties contributed to the Partnership
in a single or integrated transaction among each separate
property on a basis proportional to the fair market value of
each Contributed Property.
“Agreement” means this First Amended and
Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of
Targa Resources
Partners LP, as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from
time to time.
“Associate” means, when used to indicate a
relationship with any Person, (a) any corporation or
organization of which such Person is a director, officer or
partner or is, directly or indirectly, the owner of 20% or more
of any class of voting stock or other voting interest;
(b) any trust or other estate in which such
2
Person has at least a 20% beneficial interest or as to which
such Person serves as trustee or in a similar fiduciary
capacity; and (c) any relative or spouse of such Person, or
any relative of such spouse, who has the same principal
residence as such Person.
“Available Cash” means, with respect to any
Quarter ending prior to the Liquidation Date:
(a) all cash and cash equivalents of the Partnership Group
on hand on the date of determination of Available Cash with
respect to such Quarter, less
(b) the amount of any cash reserves established by the
General Partner to (i) provide for the proper conduct of
the business of the Partnership Group (including reserves for
future capital expenditures and for anticipated future credit
needs of the Partnership Group) subsequent to such Quarter,
(ii) comply with applicable law or any loan agreement,
security agreement, mortgage, debt instrument or other agreement
or obligation to which any Group Member is a party or by which
it is bound or its assets are subject or (iii) provide
funds for distributions under Section 6.4 or 6.5 in respect
of any one or more of the next four Quarters; provided,
however, that the General Partner may not establish cash
reserves pursuant to (iii) above if the effect of such
reserves would be that the Partnership is unable to distribute
the Minimum Quarterly Distribution on all Common Units, plus any
Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage on all Common Units, with
respect to such Quarter; and, provided further, that
disbursements made by a Group Member or cash reserves
established, increased or reduced after the end of such Quarter
but on or before the date of determination of Available Cash
with respect to such Quarter shall be deemed to have been made,
established, increased or reduced, for purposes of determining
Available Cash, within such Quarter if the General Partner so
determines.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, “Available Cash”
with respect to the Quarter in which the Liquidation Date occurs
and any subsequent Quarter shall equal zero.
“Board of Directors” means the board of
directors or managers of a corporation or limited liability
company or the board of directors or board of managers of the
general partner of a limited partnership, as applicable.
“Book Basis Derivative Items” means any item of
income, deduction, gain or loss included in the determination of
Net Income or Net Loss that is computed with reference to the
Carrying Value of an Adjusted Property (e.g., depreciation,
depletion, or gain or loss with respect to an Adjusted Property).
“Book-Down Event” means an event that triggers
a negative adjustment to the Capital Accounts of the Partners
pursuant to Section 5.5(d).
“Book-Tax Disparity” means with respect to any
item of Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, as of the
date of any determination, the difference between the Carrying
Value of such Contributed Property or Adjusted Property and the
adjusted basis thereof for federal income tax purposes as of
such date. A Partner’s share of the Partnership’s
Book-Tax Disparities in all of its Contributed Property and
Adjusted Property will be reflected by the difference between
such Partner’s Capital Account balance as maintained
pursuant to Section 5.5 and the hypothetical balance of
such Partner’s Capital Account computed as if it had been
maintained strictly in accordance with federal income tax
accounting principles.
“Book-Up
Event” means an event that triggers a positive
adjustment to the Capital Accounts of the Partners pursuant to
Section 5.5(d).
“Business Day” means Monday through Friday of
each week, except that a legal holiday recognized as such by the
government of the United States of America or the State of Texas
shall not be regarded as a Business Day.
“Capital Account” means the capital account
maintained for a Partner pursuant to Section 5.5. The
“Capital Account” of a Partner in respect of a
General Partner Unit, a Common Unit, a Subordinated Unit, a
Class B Unit, an Incentive Distribution Right or any
Partnership Interest shall be the amount that such Capital
Account would be if such General Partner Unit, Common Unit,
Subordinated Unit, Class B Unit, Incentive Distribution
Right or other Partnership Interest were the only interest
in the Partnership
3
held by such Partner from and after the date on which such
General Partner Unit, Common Unit, Class B Unit,
Subordinated Unit, Incentive Distribution Right or other
Partnership Interest was first issued.
“Capital Contribution” means any cash, cash
equivalents or the Net Agreed Value of Contributed Property that
a Partner contributes to the Partnership.
“Capital Improvement” means any
(a) addition or improvement to the capital assets owned by
any Group Member, (b) acquisition of existing, or the
construction of new, capital assets (including, without
limitation, gathering lines, treating facilities, processing
plants, fractionation facilities, pipelines, terminals, docks,
truck racks, tankage and other storage, distribution or
transportation facilities and related or similar midstream
assets or other assets that produce “qualifying
income” as defined by Section 7704 of the Code) or
(c) capital contributions by a Group Member to a Person in
which a Group Member has an equity interest to fund such Group
Member’s pro rata share of the cost of the acquisition of
existing, or the construction of new, capital assets (including,
without limitation, gathering lines, treating facilities,
processing plants, fractionation facilities, pipelines,
terminals, docks, truck racks, tankage and other storage,
distribution or transportation facilities and related or similar
midstream assets or other assets that produce “qualifying
income” as defined by Section 7704 of the Code) by
such Person, in each case if such addition, improvement,
acquisition or construction is made to increase the long-term
operating capacity or earnings of the Partnership Group, in the
case of clauses (a) and (b), or such Person, in the case of
clause (c), from the operating capacity or revenues of the
Partnership Group or such Person, as the case may be, existing
immediately prior to such addition, improvement, acquisition or
construction.
“Capital Surplus” has the meaning assigned to
such term in Section 6.3(a).
“Carrying Value” means (a) with respect to
a Contributed Property, the Agreed Value of such property
reduced (but not below zero) by all depreciation, amortization
and cost recovery deductions charged to the Partners’
Capital Accounts in respect of such Contributed Property, and
(b) with respect to any other Partnership property, the
adjusted basis of such property for federal income tax purposes,
all as of the time of determination. The Carrying Value of any
property shall be adjusted from time to time in accordance with
Sections 5.5(d)(i) and 5.5(d)(ii) and to reflect changes,
additions or other adjustments to the Carrying Value for
dispositions and acquisitions of Partnership properties, as
deemed appropriate by the General Partner.
“Cause” means a court of competent jurisdiction
has entered a final, non-appealable judgment finding the General
Partner liable for actual fraud or willful misconduct in its
capacity as a general partner of the Partnership.
“Certificate” means (a) a certificate
(i) substantially in the form of Exhibit A to this
Agreement, (ii) issued in global form in accordance with
the rules and regulations of the Depositary or (iii) in
such other form as may be adopted by the General Partner, issued
by the Partnership evidencing ownership of one or more Common
Units or (b) a certificate, in such form as may be adopted
by the General Partner, issued by the Partnership evidencing
ownership of one or more other Partnership Securities.
“Certificate of Limited Partnership” means the
Certificate of Limited Partnership of the Partnership filed with
the Secretary of State of the State of
Delaware as referenced in
Section 7.2, as such Certificate of Limited Partnership may
be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.
“Citizenship Certification” means a properly
completed certificate in such form as may be specified by the
General Partner by which 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” (as used in Section 7.12(d)) has
the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.12(d).
“Class B Units” means a Partnership
Security representing a fractional part of the
Partnership Interests of all Limited Partners, and having
the rights and obligations specified with respect to
Class B Units in this Agreement.
4
“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 15.1(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 any
successor law.
“Combined Interest” has the meaning assigned to
such term in Section 11.3(a).
“Commission” means the United States Securities
and Exchange Commission.
“Commodity Hedge Contract” means any commodity
exchange, swap, forward, cap, floor, collar or other similar
agreement or arrangement entered into for the purpose of hedging
the Partnership Group’s exposure to fluctuations in the
price of hydrocarbons.
“Common Unit” means a Partnership Security
representing a fractional part of the Partnership Interests
of all Limited Partners, and having the rights and obligations
specified with respect to Common Units in this Agreement. The
term “Common Unit” does not include a Subordinated
Unit or Class B Unit prior to its conversion into a Common
Unit pursuant to the terms hereof.
“Common Unit Arrearage” means, with respect to
any Common Unit, whenever issued, as to any Quarter within the
Subordination Period, the excess, if any, of (a) the
Minimum Quarterly Distribution with respect to a Common Unit in
respect of such Quarter over (b) the sum of all Available
Cash distributed with respect to a Common Unit in respect of
such Quarter pursuant to Section 6.4(a)(i).
“Conflicts Committee” means a committee of the
Board of Directors of the General Partner composed entirely of
two or more directors, each of whom (a) is not a security
holder, officer or employee of the General Partner, (b) is
not an officer, director or employee of any Affiliate of the
General Partner, (c) is not a holder of any ownership
interest in the Partnership Group other than Common Units and
(d) meets the independence standards required of directors
who serve on an audit committee of a board of directors
established by the Securities Exchange Act and the rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder and by the National
Securities Exchange on which the Common Units are listed or
admitted to trading.
“Contributed Property” means each property or
other asset, in such form as may be permitted by the
Delaware
Act, but excluding cash, contributed to the Partnership. Once
the Carrying Value of a Contributed Property is adjusted
pursuant to Section 5.5(d), such property shall no longer
constitute a Contributed Property, but shall be deemed an
Adjusted Property.
“Contribution Agreement” means that certain
Contribution and Conveyance Agreement, dated as of the Closing
Date, among the General Partner, the Partnership, the Operating
Partnership and certain other parties, together with the
additional conveyance documents and instruments contemplated or
referenced thereunder, as such may be amended, supplemented or
restated from time to time.
“Converted Common Units” has the meaning
assigned to such term in Section 6.1(d)(x)(B).
“Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage” means, with
respect to any Common Unit, whenever issued, and as of the end
of any Quarter, the excess, if any, of (a) the sum
resulting from adding together the Common Unit Arrearage as to
an Initial Common Unit for each of the Quarters within the
Subordination Period ending on or before the last day of such
Quarter over (b) the sum of any distributions theretofore
made pursuant to Section 6.4(a)(ii) and the second sentence
of Section 6.5 with respect to an Initial Common Unit
(including any distributions to be made in respect of the last
of such Quarters).
“Curative Allocation” means any allocation of
an item of income, gain, deduction, loss or credit pursuant to
the provisions of Section 6.1(d)(xi).
“Current Market Price” has the meaning assigned
to such term in Section 15.1(a).
5
“Delaware Act” means the
Delaware Revised
Uniform Limited Partnership Act, 6 Del C.
Section 17-101,
et seq., as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time,
and any successor to such statute.
“Departing General Partner” means a former
general partner from and after the effective date of any
withdrawal or removal of such former general partner pursuant to
Section 11.1 or Section 11.2.
“Depositary” means, with respect to any Units
issued in global form, The Depository Trust Company and its
successors and permitted assigns.
“Economic Risk of Loss” has the meaning set
forth in Treasury
Regulation Section 1.752-2(a).
“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 the General
Partner determines does not or would not subject such Group
Member to a significant risk of cancellation or forfeiture of
any of its properties or any interest therein.
“Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount”
has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.9.
“Event of Withdrawal” has the meaning assigned
to such term in Section 11.1(a).
“Expansion Capital Expenditures” means cash
expenditures for Acquisitions or Capital Improvements, and shall
not include Maintenance Capital Expenditures.
“Final Subordinated Units” has the meaning
assigned to such term in Section 6.1(d)(x).
“First Liquidation Target Amount” has the
meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.1(c)(i)(E).
“First Target Distribution” means
$0.3881 per Unit per Quarter (or, with respect to the
period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on
March 31, 2007, it means the product of $0.3881 multiplied
by a fraction of which the numerator is the number of days in
such period, and of which the denominator is 90), subject to
adjustment in accordance with Sections 5.11, 6.6 and 6.9.
“Fully Diluted Basis” means, when calculating
the number of Outstanding Units for any period, a basis that
includes, in addition to the Outstanding Units, all Partnership
Securities and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights
relating to an equity interest in the Partnership (a) that
are convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Units
that are senior to or pari passu with the Subordinated Units,
(b) whose conversion, exercise or exchange price is less
than the Current Market Price on the date of such calculation,
(c) that may be converted into or exercised or exchanged
for such Units prior to or during the Quarter immediately
following the end of the period for which the calculation is
being made without the satisfaction of any contingency beyond
the control of the holder other than the payment of
consideration and the compliance with administrative mechanics
applicable to such conversion, exercise or exchange and
(d) that were not converted into or exercised or exchanged
for such Units during the period for which the calculation is
being made; provided, however, that for purposes of
determining the number of Outstanding Units on a Fully Diluted
Basis when calculating whether the Subordination Period has
ended or Subordinated Units are entitled to convert into Common
Units pursuant to Section 5.7, such Partnership Securities,
options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights shall be
deemed to have been Outstanding Units only for the four Quarters
that comprise the last four Quarters of the measurement period;
provided, further, that if consideration will be paid to
any Group Member in connection with such conversion, exercise or
exchange, the number of Units to be included in such calculation
shall be that number equal to the difference between
(i) the number of Units issuable upon such conversion,
exercise or exchange and (ii) the number of Units that such
consideration would purchase at the Current Market Price.
“General Partner” means Targa Resources GP LLC,
a
Delaware limited liability company, and its successors and
permitted assigns that are admitted to the Partnership as
general partner of the Partnership, in its capacity as general
partner of the Partnership (except as the context otherwise
requires).
“General Partner Interest” means the ownership
interest of the General Partner in the Partnership (in its
capacity as a general partner without reference to any Limited
Partner Interest held by it), which is
6
evidenced by General Partner Units, and includes any and all
benefits to which the General Partner is entitled as provided in
this Agreement, together with all obligations of the General
Partner to comply with the terms and provisions of this
Agreement.
“General Partner Unit” means a fractional part
of the General Partner Interest having the rights and
obligations specified with respect to the General Partner
Interest. A General Partner Unit is not a Unit.
“Group” means a Person that with or through any
of its Affiliates or Associates has any contract, arrangement,
understanding or relationship for the purpose of acquiring,
holding, voting (except voting pursuant to a revocable proxy or
consent given to such Person in response to a proxy or consent
solicitation made to 10 or more Persons), exercising investment
power or disposing of any Partnership Interests 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.
“Group Member Agreement” means the partnership
agreement of any Group Member, other than the Partnership, that
is a limited or general partnership, the limited liability
company agreement of any Group Member that is a limited
liability company, the certificate of incorporation and bylaws
or similar organizational documents of any Group Member that is
a corporation, the joint venture agreement or similar governing
document of any Group Member that is a joint venture and the
governing or organizational or similar documents of any other
Group Member that is a Person other than a limited or general
partnership, limited liability company, corporation or joint
venture, as such may be amended, supplemented or restated from
time to time.
“Holder” as used in Section 7.12, has the
meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.12(a).
“IDR Reset Election” has the meaning assigned
to such term in Section 5.11.
“Incentive Distribution Right” means a
non-voting Limited Partner Interest issued to the General
Partner, which Limited Partner Interest will confer upon the
holder thereof only the rights and obligations specifically
provided in this Agreement with respect to Incentive
Distribution Rights (and no other rights otherwise available to
or other obligations of a holder of a Partnership Interest).
Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the
holder of an Incentive Distribution Right shall not be entitled
to vote such Incentive Distribution Right on any Partnership
matter except as may otherwise be required by law.
“Incentive Distributions” means any amount of
cash distributed to the holders of the Incentive Distribution
Rights pursuant to Sections 6.4(a)(v), (vi) and
(vii) and 6.4(b)(iii), (iv) and (v).
“Incremental Income Taxes” has the meaning
assigned to such term in Section 6.9.
“Indemnified Persons” has the meaning assigned
to such term in Section 7.12(d).
“Indemnitee” means (a) the General
Partner, (b) any Departing General Partner, (c) any
Person who is or was an Affiliate of the General Partner or any
Departing General Partner, (d) any Person who is or was a
member, partner, director, officer, fiduciary or trustee of any
Group Member, the General Partner or any Departing General
Partner or any Affiliate of any Group Member, the General
Partner or any Departing General Partner, (e) any Person
who is or was serving at the request of the General Partner or
any Departing General Partner or any Affiliate of the General
Partner or any Departing General Partner as an officer,
director, member, partner, fiduciary or trustee of another
Person; provided that a Person shall not be an Indemnitee
by reason of providing, on a
fee-for-services
basis, trustee, fiduciary or custodial services, and
(f) any Person the General Partner designates as an
“Indemnitee” for purposes of this Agreement.
“Initial Common Units” means the Common Units
sold in the Initial Offering.
“Initial Limited Partner” means the
Organizational Limited Partners and the General Partner (with
respect to the Subordinated Units and Incentive Distribution
Rights received by them pursuant to
7
Section 5.2) and the Underwriters upon the issuance by the
Partnership of Common Units as described in Section 5.3 in
connection with the Initial Offering.
“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) with
respect to the Common Units and the Subordinated Units, 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 included as part
of the Registration Statement and 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, in each case adjusted as the General Partner determines
to be appropriate to give effect to any distribution,
subdivision or combination of Units.
“Interim Capital Transactions” means the
following transactions if they occur prior to the Liquidation
Date: (a) borrowings, refinancings or refundings of
indebtedness (other than for items purchased on open account in
the ordinary course of business) by any Group Member and sales
of debt securities of any Group Member; (b) sales of equity
interests of any Group Member (including the Common Units sold
to the Underwriters pursuant to the exercise of the
Over-Allotment Option); (c) sales or other voluntary or
involuntary dispositions of any assets of any Group Member other
than (i) sales or other dispositions of inventory, accounts
receivable and other assets in the ordinary course of business,
and (ii) sales or other dispositions of assets as part of
normal retirements or replacements; (d) capital
contributions received; or (e) corporate reorganizations or
restructurings.
“Issue Price” means the price at which a Unit
is purchased from the Partnership, net of any sales commission
or underwriting discount charged to the Partnership.
“Limited Partner” means, unless the context
otherwise requires, the Organizational Limited Partners prior to
their withdrawal from the Partnership, each Initial Limited
Partner, each additional Person that becomes a Limited Partner
pursuant to the terms of this Agreement and any Departing
General Partner upon the change of its status from General
Partner to Limited Partner pursuant to Section 11.3, in
each case, in such Person’s capacity as limited partner of
the Partnership; provided, however, that when the term
“Limited Partner” is used herein in the context of any
vote or other approval, including Articles XIII and XIV,
such term shall not, solely for such purpose, include any holder
of an Incentive Distribution Right (solely with respect to its
Incentive Distribution Rights and not with respect to any other
Limited Partner Interest held by such Person) except as may
otherwise be required by law.
“Limited Partner Interest” means the ownership
interest of a Limited Partner in the Partnership, which may be
evidenced by Common Units, Class B Units, Subordinated
Units, Incentive Distribution Rights or other Partnership
Securities or a combination thereof or interest therein, and
includes any and all benefits to which such Limited Partner is
entitled as provided in this Agreement, together with all
obligations of such Limited Partner to comply with the terms and
provisions of this Agreement; provided, however, that
when the term “Limited Partner Interest” is used
herein in the context of any vote or other approval, including
Articles XIII and XIV, such term shall not, solely for such
purpose, include any Incentive Distribution Right except as may
otherwise be required by law.
“Liquidation Date” means (a) in the case
of an event giving rise to the dissolution of the Partnership of
the type described in clauses (a) and (b) of the first
sentence of Section 12.2, the date on which the applicable
time period during which the holders of Outstanding Units have
the right to elect to continue the business of the Partnership
has expired without such an election being made, and (b) in
the case of any other event giving rise to the dissolution of
the Partnership, the date on which such event occurs.
“Liquidator” means one or more Persons selected
by the General Partner to perform the functions described in
Section 12.4 as liquidating trustee of the Partnership
within the meaning of the
Delaware Act.
“Maintenance Capital Expenditures” means cash
expenditures (including expenditures for the addition or
improvement to the capital assets owned by any Group Member or
for the acquisition of existing, or the
8
construction of new, capital assets) if such expenditures are
made to maintain, including over the long term, the operating
capacity or revenues of the Partnership Group.
“Merger Agreement” has the meaning assigned to
such term in Section 14.1.
“Minimum Quarterly Distribution” means
$0.3375 per Unit per Quarter (or with respect to the period
commencing on the Closing Date and ending on March 31,
2007, it means the product of $0.3375 multiplied by a fraction
of which the numerator is the number of days in such period and
of which the denominator is 90), subject to adjustment in
accordance with Sections 5.11, 6.6 and 6.9.
“National Securities Exchange” means an
exchange registered with the Commission under Section 6(a)
of the Securities Exchange Act.
“Net Agreed Value” means, (a) in the case
of any Contributed Property, the Agreed Value of such property
reduced by any liabilities either assumed by the Partnership
upon such contribution or to which such property is subject when
contributed, (b) in the case of any property distributed to
a Partner by the Partnership, the Partnership’s Carrying
Value of such property (as adjusted pursuant to
Section 5.5(d)(ii)) at the time such property is
distributed, reduced by any indebtedness either assumed by such
Partner or Assignee upon such distribution or to which such
property is subject at the time of distribution, in either case,
as determined under Section 752 of the Code, and
(c) in the case of a contribution of Common Units by the
General Partner to the Partnership as a Capital Contribution
pursuant to Section 5.2(b), an amount per Common Unit
contributed equal to the Current Market Price per Common Unit as
of the date of the contribution.
“Net Income” means, for any taxable year, the
excess, if any, of the Partnership’s items of income and
gain (other than those items taken into account in the
computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for
such taxable year over the Partnership’s items of loss and
deduction (other than those items taken into account in the
computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for
such taxable year. The items included in the calculation of Net
Income shall be determined in accordance with
Section 5.5(b) and shall not include any items specially
allocated under Section 6.1(d); provided, that the
determination of the items that have been specially allocated
under Section 6.1(d) shall be made as if
Section 6.1(d)(xii) were not in this Agreement.
“Net Loss” means, for any taxable year, the
excess, if any, of the Partnership’s items of loss and
deduction (other than those items taken into account in the
computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for
such taxable year over the Partnership’s items of income
and gain (other than those items taken into account in the
computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for
such taxable year. The items included in the calculation of Net
Loss shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.5(b)
and shall not include any items specially allocated under
Section 6.1(d); provided, that the determination of
the items that have been specially allocated under
Section 6.1(d) shall be made as if Section 6.1(d)(xii)
were not in this Agreement.
“Net Positive Adjustments” means, with respect
to any Partner, the excess, if any, of the total positive
adjustments over the total negative adjustments made to the
Capital Account of such Partner pursuant to
Book-Up
Events and Book-Down Events.
“Net Termination Gain” means, for any taxable
year, the sum, if positive, of all items of income, gain, loss
or deduction recognized by the Partnership after the Liquidation
Date. The items included in the determination of Net Termination
Gain shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.5(b)
and shall not include any items of income, gain or loss
specially allocated under Section 6.1(d).
“Net Termination Loss” means, for any taxable
year, the sum, if negative, of all items of income, gain, loss
or deduction recognized by the Partnership after the Liquidation
Date. The items included in the determination of Net Termination
Loss shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.5(b)
and shall not include any items of income, gain or loss
specially allocated under Section 6.1(d).
9
“Non-citizen Assignee” means a Person whom the
General Partner has determined does not constitute an Eligible
Citizen and as to whose Partnership Interest the General Partner
has become the substituted limited partner, pursuant to
Section 4.9.
“Nonrecourse Built-in Gain” means with respect
to any Contributed Properties or Adjusted Properties that are
subject to a mortgage or pledge securing a Nonrecourse
Liability, the amount of any taxable gain that would be
allocated to the Partners pursuant to
Sections 6.2(b)(i)(A), 6.2(b)(ii)(A) and 6.2(b)(iii) if
such properties were disposed of in a taxable transaction in
full satisfaction of such liabilities and for no other
consideration.
“Nonrecourse Deductions” means any and all
items of loss, deduction or expenditure (including any
expenditure described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code)
that, in accordance with the principles of Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-2(b),
are attributable to a Nonrecourse Liability.
“Nonrecourse Liability” has the meaning set
forth in Treasury
Regulation Section 1.752-1(a)(2).
“Notice of Election to Purchase” has the
meaning assigned to such term in Section 15.1(b).
“Omnibus Agreement” means that certain Omnibus
Agreement, dated as of the Closing Date, among Targa Resources,
Inc., Targa Resources, LLC, the General Partner and the
Partnership, as such may be amended, supplemented or restated
from time to time.
“Operating Expenditures” means all Partnership
Group cash expenditures, including, but not limited to, taxes,
reimbursements of the General Partner in accordance with this
Agreement, interest payments, Maintenance Capital Expenditures,
non-Pro Rata repurchases of Units (other than those made with
the proceeds of an Interim Capital Transaction), subject to the
following:
(a) payments (including prepayments and prepayment
penalties) of principal of and premium on indebtedness shall not
constitute Operating Expenditures; and
(b) Operating Expenditures shall not include
(i) Expansion Capital Expenditures, (ii) payment of
transaction expenses (including taxes) relating to Interim
Capital Transactions or (iii) distributions to Partners.
Where capital expenditures consist of both Maintenance Capital
Expenditures and Expansion Capital Expenditures, the General
Partner, with the concurrence of the Conflicts Committee, shall
determine the allocation between the portion consisting of
Maintenance Capital Expenditures and the portion consisting of
Expansion Capital Expenditures and, with respect to the part of
such capital expenditures consisting of Maintenance Capital
Expenditures.
“Operating Partnership” means Targa Resources
Operating LP, a
Delaware limited partnership, and any successors
thereto.
“Operating Surplus” means, with respect to any
period ending prior to the Liquidation Date, on a cumulative
basis and without duplication,
(a) the sum of (i) an amount equal to four times the
amount needed for any one Quarter for the Partnership to pay a
distribution on all Units, the General Partner Units and the
Incentive Distribution Rights at the same per Unit amount as was
distributed immediately preceding the date of determination (or
with respect to the period commencing on the Closing Date and
ending on March 31, 2007, it means the product of
(x) $1.35 multiplied by (y) a fraction of which the
numerator is the number of days in such period and the
denominator is 90 multiplied by (z) the number of Units and
General Partner Units Outstanding on the Record Date with
respect to such period), and (ii) all cash receipts of the
Partnership Group for the period beginning on the Closing Date
and ending on the last day of such period, but excluding cash
receipts from Interim Capital Transactions (except to the extent
specified in Section 6.5 and provided that cash receipts
from the termination of a Commodity Hedge Contract or interest
rate swap prior to its specified termination date shall be
included in Operating Surplus in equal quarterly installments
over the remaining scheduled life of such Commodity Hedge
Contract or interest rate swap), less
10
(b) the sum of (i) Operating Expenditures for the
period beginning on the Closing Date and ending on the last day
of such period and (ii) the amount of cash reserves
established by the General Partner to provide funds for future
Operating Expenditures; provided, however, that
disbursements made (including contributions to a Group Member or
disbursements on behalf of a Group Member) or cash reserves
established, increased or reduced after the end of such period
but on or before the date of determination of Available Cash
with respect to such period shall be deemed to have been made,
established, increased or reduced, for purposes of determining
Operating Surplus, within such period if the General Partner so
determines.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, “Operating
Surplus” with respect to the Quarter in which the
Liquidation Date occurs and any subsequent Quarter shall equal
zero.
“Opinion of Counsel” means a written opinion of
counsel (who may be regular counsel to the Partnership or the
General Partner or any of its Affiliates) acceptable to the
General Partner.
“Option Closing Date” means the date or dates
on which any Common Units are sold by the Partnership to the
Underwriters upon exercise of the Over-Allotment Option.
“Organizational Limited Partners” means Targa
GP Inc. and Targa LP Inc. in their capacities as the
organizational limited partners of the Partnership pursuant to
this Agreement.
“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, however, that if at any time any
Person or Group (other than the General Partner or its
Affiliates) beneficially owns 20% or more of the Outstanding
Partnership Securities of any class then Outstanding, all
Partnership Securities owned by such Person or Group shall not
be voted on any matter and shall not be considered to be
Outstanding when sending notices of a meeting of Limited
Partners to vote on any matter (unless otherwise required by
law), calculating required votes, determining the presence of a
quorum or for other similar purposes under this Agreement,
except that Units so owned shall be considered to be Outstanding
for purposes of Section 11.1(b)(iv) (such Units shall not,
however, be treated as a separate class of Partnership
Securities for purposes of this Agreement); provided,
further, that the foregoing limitation shall not apply to
(i) any Person or Group who acquired 20% or more of the
Outstanding Partnership Securities of any class then Outstanding
directly from the General Partner or its Affiliates,
(ii) any Person or Group who acquired 20% or more of the
Outstanding Partnership Securities of any class then Outstanding
directly or indirectly from a Person or Group described in
clause (i) provided that the General Partner shall
have notified such Person or Group in writing that such
limitation shall not apply, or (iii) any Person or Group
who acquired 20% or more of any Partnership Securities issued by
the Partnership with the prior approval of the Board of
Directors of the General Partner.
“Over-Allotment Option” means the
over-allotment option granted to the Underwriters by the
Partnership pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement.
“Partner Nonrecourse Debt” has the meaning set
forth in Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-2(b)(4).
“Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain” has the
meaning set forth in Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(2).
“Partner Nonrecourse Deductions” means any and
all items of loss, deduction or expenditure (including any
expenditure described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code)
that, in accordance with the principles of Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-2(i),
are attributable to a Partner Nonrecourse Debt.
“Partners” means the General Partner and the
Limited Partners.
“Partnership Group” means the Partnership and
its Subsidiaries treated as a single consolidated entity.
“Partnership Interest” means an interest
in the Partnership, which shall include the General Partner
Interest and Limited Partner Interests.
11
“Partnership Minimum Gain” means that amount
determined in accordance with the principles of Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-2(d).
“Partnership Security” means any class or
series of equity interest in the Partnership (but excluding any
options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to an
equity interest in the Partnership), including Common Units,
Class B Units, Subordinated Units, General Partner Units
and Incentive Distribution Rights.
“Per Unit Capital Amount” means, as of any date
of determination, the Capital Account, stated on a per Unit
basis, underlying any Unit held by a Person other than the
General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner who
holds Units.
“Percentage Interest” means as of any date of
determination (a) as to the General Partner with respect to
General Partner Units and as to any Unitholder with respect to
Units, the product obtained by multiplying (i) 100% less
the percentage applicable to clause (b) below by
(ii) the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the number
of General Partner Units held by the General Partner or the
number of Units held by such Unitholder, as the case may be, by
(B) the total number of Outstanding Units and General
Partner Units, and (b) as to the holders of other
Partnership Securities issued by the Partnership in accordance
with Section 5.6, the percentage established as a part of
such issuance. The Percentage Interest with respect to an
Incentive Distribution Right shall at all times be zero.
“Person” means an individual or a corporation,
firm, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture,
trust, unincorporated organization, association, government
agency or political subdivision thereof or other entity.
“Pro Rata” means (a) when used with
respect to Units or any class thereof, apportioned equally among
all designated Units in accordance with their relative
Percentage Interests, (b) when used with respect to
Partners and Assignees or Record Holders, apportioned among all
Partners and Assignees or Record Holders in accordance with
their relative Percentage Interests and (c) when used with
respect to holders of Incentive Distribution Rights, apportioned
equally among all holders of Incentive Distribution Rights in
accordance with the relative number or percentage of Incentive
Distribution Rights held by each such holder.
“Purchase Date” means the date determined by
the General Partner as the date for purchase of all Outstanding
Limited Partner Interests of a certain class (other than Limited
Partner Interests owned by the General Partner and its
Affiliates) pursuant to Article XV.
“Quarter” means, unless the context requires
otherwise, a fiscal quarter of the Partnership, or, with respect
to the fiscal quarter of the Partnership which includes the
Closing Date, the portion of such fiscal quarter after the
Closing Date.
“Recapture Income” means any gain recognized by
the Partnership (computed without regard to any adjustment
required by Section 734 or Section 743 of the Code)
upon the disposition of any property or asset of the
Partnership, which gain is characterized as ordinary income
because it represents the recapture of deductions previously
taken with respect to such property or asset.
“Record Date” means the date established by the
General Partner or otherwise in accordance with this Agreement
for determining (a) the identity of the Record Holders
entitled to notice of, or to vote at, any meeting of Limited
Partners or entitled to vote by ballot or give approval of
Partnership action in writing without a meeting or entitled to
exercise rights in respect of any lawful action of Limited
Partners or (b) the identity of Record Holders entitled to
receive any report or distribution or to participate in any
offer.
“Record Holder” means the Person in whose name
a Common 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 other Partnership Interests, the Person in
whose name any such other Partnership Interest is
registered on the books that the General Partner has caused to
be kept as of the opening of business on such Business Day.
12
“Redeemable Interests” means any
Partnership Interests for which a redemption notice has
been given, and has not been withdrawn, pursuant to
Section 4.10.
“Registration Statement” means the Registration
Statement on
Form S-1
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.
“Remaining Net Positive Adjustments” means as
of the end of any taxable period, (i) with respect to the
Unitholders holding Common Units, Class B Units or
Subordinated Units, the excess of (a) the Net Positive
Adjustments of the Unitholders holding Common Units,
Class B Units or Subordinated Units as of the end of such
period over (b) the sum of those Partners’ Share of
Additional Book Basis Derivative Items for each prior taxable
period, (ii) with respect to the General Partner (as holder
of the General Partner Units), the excess of (a) the Net
Positive Adjustments of the General Partner as of the end of
such period over (b) the sum of the General Partner’s
Share of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items with respect to
the General Partner Units for each prior taxable period, and
(iii) with respect to the holders of Incentive Distribution
Rights, the excess of (a) the Net Positive Adjustments of
the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights as of the end of
such period over (b) the sum of the Share of Additional
Book Basis Derivative Items of the holders of the Incentive
Distribution Rights for each prior taxable period.
“Required Allocations” means (a) any
limitation imposed on any allocation of Net Losses or Net
Termination Losses under Section 6.1(b) or
Section 6.1(c)(ii) and (b) any allocation of an item
of income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to
Section 6.1(d)(i), Section 6.1(d)(ii),
Section 6.1(d)(iv), Section 6.1(d)(vii) or
Section 6.1(d)(ix).
“Residual Gain” or “Residual
Loss” means any item of gain or loss, as the case may
be, of the Partnership recognized for federal income tax
purposes resulting from a sale, exchange or other disposition of
a Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, to the extent such
item of gain or loss is not allocated pursuant to
Section 6.2(b)(i)(A) or Section 6.2(b)(ii)(A),
respectively, to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities.
“Reset MQD” has the meaning assigned to such
term in Section 5.11.
“Reset Notice” has the meaning assigned to such
term in Section 5.11.
“Retained Converted Subordinated Unit” has the
meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.5(c)(ii).
“Second Liquidation Target Amount” has the
meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.1(c)(i)(F).
“Second Target Distribution” means
$0.4219 per Unit per Quarter (or, with respect to the
period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on
March 31, 2007, it means the product of $0.4129 multiplied
by a fraction of which the numerator is equal to the number of
days in such period and of which the denominator is 90), subject
to adjustment in accordance with Section 5.11,
Section 6.6 and Section 6.9.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of
1933, as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time and
any successor to such statute.
“Securities Exchange Act” means the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, supplemented or restated from
time to time and any successor to such statute.
“Share of Additional Book Basis Derivative
Items” means in connection with any allocation of
Additional Book Basis Derivative Items for any taxable period,
(i) with respect to the Unitholders holding Common Units,
Class B Units or Subordinated Units, the amount that bears
the same ratio to such Additional Book Basis Derivative Items as
the Unitholders’ Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of
the end of such period bears to the Aggregate Remaining Net
Positive Adjustments as of that time, (ii) with respect to
the General Partner (as holder of the General Partner Units),
the amount that bears the same ratio to such Additional Book
Basis Derivative Items as the General Partner’s Remaining
Net Positive Adjustments as of the end of such period bears to
the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustment as of that time,
and (iii) with respect to the Partners holding Incentive
Distribution Rights, the amount that bears the same ratio to
such Additional Book Basis Derivative Items as the Remaining Net
Positive
13
Adjustments of the Partners holding the Incentive Distribution
Rights as of the end of such period bears to the Aggregate
Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of that time.
“Special Approval” means approval by a majority
of the members of the Conflicts Committee acting in good faith.
“Subordinated Unit” means a Partnership
Security 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. The term
“Subordinated Unit” does not include a Common Unit or
Class B Unit. A Subordinated Unit that is convertible into
a Common Unit shall not constitute a Common Unit until such
conversion occurs.
“Subordination Period” means the period
commencing on the Closing Date and ending on the first to occur
of:
(a) the first day of any Quarter beginning after
March 31, 2010 in respect of which
(i)(A) distributions of Available Cash from Operating
Surplus on each of the Outstanding Common Units, Subordinated
Units and General Partner Units and any other Outstanding Units
that are senior or equal in right of distribution to the
Subordinated Units with respect to each of the three
consecutive, non-overlapping four-Quarter periods immediately
preceding such date equaled or exceeded the sum of the Minimum
Quarterly Distribution on all Outstanding Common Units,
Subordinated Units and General Partner Units and any other
Outstanding Units that are senior or equal in right of
distribution to the Subordinated Units during such periods and
(B) the Adjusted Operating Surplus generated during each of
the three consecutive, non-overlapping four-Quarter periods
immediately preceding such date equaled or exceeded the sum of
the Minimum Quarterly Distribution on all of the Common Units,
Subordinated Units and General Partner Units and any other Units
that are senior or equal in right of distribution to the
Subordinated Units that were Outstanding during such periods on
a Fully Diluted Basis and (ii) there are no Cumulative
Common Unit Arrearages;
(b) the first date on which there are no longer outstanding
any Subordinated Units due to the conversion of Subordinated
Units into Common Units pursuant to Section 5.7 or
otherwise; and
(c) the date on which the General Partner is removed as
general partner of the Partnership upon the requisite vote by
holders of Outstanding Units under circumstances where Cause
does not exist and Units held by the General Partner and its
Affiliates are not voted in favor of such removal.
“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person,
(a) a corporation of which more than 50% of the voting
power of shares entitled (without regard to the occurrence of
any contingency) to vote in the election of directors or other
governing body of such corporation is owned, directly or
indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one
or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof,
(b) a partnership (whether general or limited) in which
such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of
determination, a general or limited partner of such partnership,
but only if more than 50% of the partnership interests of such
partnership (considering all of the partnership interests of the
partnership as a single class) is owned, directly or indirectly,
at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more
Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, or
(c) any other Person (other than a corporation or a
partnership) in which such Person, one or more Subsidiaries of
such Person, or a combination thereof, directly or indirectly,
at the date of determination, has (i) at least a majority
ownership interest or (ii) the power to elect or direct the
election of a majority of the directors or other governing body
of such Person.
“Surviving Business Entity” has the meaning
assigned to such term in Section 14.2(b).
“Target Distribution” means, collectively, the
First Target Distribution, Second Target Distribution and Third
Target Distribution.
“Third Liquidation Target Amount” has the
meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.1(c)(i)(G).
“Third Target Distribution” means $0.50625 per
Unit per Quarter (or, with respect to the period commencing on
the Closing Date and ending on March 31, 2007, it means the
product of $0.50625
14
multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator is equal to the
number of days in such period and of which the denominator is
90), subject to adjustment in accordance with
Sections 5.11, 6.6 and 6.9.
“Trading Day” has the meaning assigned to such
term in Section 15.1(a).
“transfer” has the meaning assigned to such
term in Section 4.4(a).
“Transfer Agent” means such bank, trust company
or other Person (including the General Partner or one of its
Affiliates) as shall be appointed from time to time by the
General Partner to act as registrar and transfer agent for the
Common Units; provided, that if no Transfer Agent is
specifically designated for any other Partnership Securities,
the General Partner shall act in such capacity.
“Underwriter” means each Person named as an
underwriter in Schedule I to the Underwriting Agreement who
purchases Common Units pursuant thereto.
“Underwriting Agreement” means that certain
Underwriting Agreement dated as of February, 2007 among the
Underwriters, the Partnership, the General Partner, the
Operating Partnership and other parties thereto, providing for
the purchase of Common Units by the Underwriters.
“Unit” means a Partnership Security that is
designated as a “Unit” and shall include Common Units,
Class B Units and Subordinated Units but shall not include
(i) General Partner Units (or the General Partner Interest
represented thereby) or (ii) Incentive Distribution Rights.
“Unit Majority” means (i) during the
Subordination Period, at least a majority of the Outstanding
Common Units (excluding Common Units owned by the General
Partner and its Affiliates), voting as a class, and at least a
majority of the Outstanding Subordinated Units, voting as a
class, and (ii) after the end of the Subordination Period,
at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units and
Class B Units, if any, voting as a single class.
“Unitholders” means the holders of Units.
“Unpaid MQD” has the meaning assigned to such
term in Section 6.1(c)(i)(B).
“Unrealized Gain” attributable to any item of
Partnership property means, as of any date of determination, the
excess, if any, of (a) the fair market value of such
property as of such date (as determined under
Section 5.5(d)) over (b) the Carrying Value of such
property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made
pursuant to Section 5.5(d) as of such date).
“Unrealized Loss” attributable to any item of
Partnership property means, as of any date of determination, the
excess, if any, of (a) the Carrying Value of such property
as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made pursuant to
Section 5.5(d) as of such date) over (b) the fair
market value of such property as of such date (as determined
under Section 5.5(d)).
“Unrecovered Initial Unit Price” means at any
time, with respect to a Unit, the Initial Unit Price less the
sum of all distributions constituting Capital Surplus
theretofore made in respect of an Initial Common Unit and any
distributions of cash (or the Net Agreed Value of any
distributions in kind) in connection with the dissolution and
liquidation of the Partnership theretofore made in respect of an
Initial Common Unit, adjusted as the General Partner determines
to be appropriate to give effect to any distribution,
subdivision or combination of such Units.
“U.S. GAAP” means United States generally
accepted accounting principles consistently applied.
“Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel” has the meaning
assigned to such term in Section 11.1(b).
Section 1.2 Construction.
Unless the context requires otherwise: (a) any
pronoun used in this Agreement shall include the corresponding
masculine, feminine or neuter forms, and the singular form of
nouns, pronouns and verbs shall include the plural and vice
versa; (b) references to Articles and Sections refer to
Articles and Sections of this Agreement; (c) the terms
“include”, “includes”, “including”
or words of like import shall be deemed
15
to be followed by the words “without limitation”; and
(d) the terms “hereof”, “herein” or
“hereunder” refer to this Agreement as a whole and not
to any particular provision of this Agreement. The table of
contents and headings contained in this Agreement are for
reference purposes only, and shall not affect in any way the
meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.
ARTICLE II
ORGANIZATION
Section 2.1 Formation.
The General Partner and the Organizational Limited Partners have
previously formed the Partnership as a limited partnership
pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act and hereby amend
and restate the original Agreement of Limited Partnership of
Targa Resources Partners LP in its entirety. This amendment and
restatement shall become effective on the date of this
Agreement. Except as expressly provided to the contrary in this
Agreement, the rights, duties (including fiduciary duties),
liabilities and obligations of the Partners and the
administration, dissolution and termination of the Partnership
shall be governed by the Delaware Act. All
Partnership Interests shall constitute personal property of
the owner thereof for all purposes.
Section 2.2 Name.
The name of the Partnership shall be “
Targa Resources
Partners LP”. The Partnership’s business may be
conducted under any other name or names as determined by the
General Partner, including the name of the General Partner. The
words “Limited Partnership,” “LP,”
“Ltd.” or similar words or letters shall be included
in the Partnership’s name where necessary for the purpose
of complying with the laws of any jurisdiction that so requires.
The General Partner may change the name of the Partnership at
any time and from time to time and shall notify the Limited
Partners of such change in the next regular communication to the
Limited Partners.
Section 2.3 Registered
Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices
Unless and until changed by the General Partner, the registered
office of the Partnership in the State of Delaware shall be
located at 0000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx, 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 Corporation Trust
Company. The principal office of the Partnership shall be
located at 0000 Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxxx,
Xxxxx 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 shall determine necessary or appropriate. The address of
the General Partner shall be 0000 Xxxxxxxxx,
Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 00000, or such other place as
the General Partner may from time to time designate by notice to
the Limited Partners.
Section 2.4 Purpose
and Business.
The purpose and nature of the business to be conducted by the
Partnership shall be to (a) engage directly in, or enter
into or form, hold and dispose of any corporation, partnership,
joint venture, limited liability company or other arrangement to
engage indirectly in, any business activity that is approved by
the General Partner and that lawfully may be conducted by a
limited partnership organized pursuant to the Delaware Act and,
in connection therewith, to exercise all of the rights and
powers conferred upon the Partnership pursuant to the agreements
relating to such business activity, and (b) do anything
necessary or appropriate to the foregoing, including the making
of capital contributions or loans to a Group Member;
provided, however, that the General Partner shall not
cause the Partnership to engage, directly or indirectly, in any
business activity that the General Partner determines would
cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as
a corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for federal
income tax purposes. To the
16
fullest extent permitted by law, the General Partner shall have
no duty or obligation to propose or approve, and may decline to
propose or approve, the conduct by the Partnership of any
business free of any fiduciary duty or obligation whatsoever to
the Partnership or any Limited Partner and, in declining to so
propose or approve, shall not be required to act in good faith
or pursuant to any other standard imposed by this Agreement, any
Group Member Agreement, any other agreement contemplated hereby
or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation
or at equity.
Section 2.5 Powers.
The Partnership shall be empowered to do any and all acts and
things necessary or appropriate for the furtherance and
accomplishment of the purposes and business described in
Section 2.4 and for the protection and benefit of the
Partnership.
Section 2.6 Power
of Attorney.
(a) Each Limited Partner hereby constitutes and appoints
the General Partner and, if a Liquidator shall have been
selected pursuant to Section 12.3, the Liquidator (and any
successor to the Liquidator by merger, transfer, assignment,
election or otherwise) and each of their authorized officers and
attorneys-in-fact,
as the case may be, 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 hereof or thereof) that the General
Partner or the Liquidator determines to be 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
determines to be 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 determines to be 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 IV, Article X,
Article XI or Article XII; (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 5.6; and
(F) all certificates, documents and other instruments
(including agreements and a certificate of merger) relating to a
merger, consolidation or conversion of the Partnership pursuant
to Article XIV; and
(ii) execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and
record all ballots, consents, approvals, waivers, certificates,
documents and other instruments that the General Partner or the
Liquidator determines to be necessary or appropriate to
(A) 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 (B) effectuate the terms or intent of
this Agreement; provided, that when required by
Section 13.3 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 and the Liquidator may exercise the
power of attorney made in this Section 2.6(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 2.6(a) shall be construed
as authorizing the General Partner to amend this Agreement
except in accordance with Article XIII or as may be
otherwise expressly provided for in this Agreement.
17
(b) The foregoing power of attorney is hereby declared to
be irrevocable and a power coupled with an interest, and it
shall survive and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, not
be affected by, the subsequent death, incompetency, disability,
incapacity, dissolution, bankruptcy or termination of any
Limited Partner and the transfer of all or any portion of such
Limited Partner’s Limited Partner Interest and shall extend
to such Limited Partner’s heirs, successors, assigns and
personal representatives. Each such Limited Partner 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, to the maximum
extent permitted by law, 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 shall execute and
deliver to the General Partner or the Liquidator, within
15 days after receipt of the request therefor, such further
designation, powers of attorney and other instruments as the
General Partner or the Liquidator may request in order to
effectuate this Agreement and the purposes of the Partnership.
Section 2.7 Term.
The term of the Partnership commenced upon the filing of the
Certificate of Limited Partnership in accordance with the
Delaware Act and shall continue in existence until the
dissolution of the Partnership in accordance with the provisions
of Article XII. The existence of the Partnership as a
separate legal entity shall continue until the cancellation of
the Certificate of Limited Partnership as provided in the
Delaware Act.
Section 2.8 Title
to Partnership Assets.
Title to Partnership assets, whether real, personal or mixed and
whether tangible or intangible, shall be deemed to be owned by
the Partnership as an entity, and no Partner, individually or
collectively, shall have any ownership interest in such
Partnership assets or any portion thereof. Title to any or all
of the Partnership assets may be held in the name of the
Partnership, the General Partner, one or more of its Affiliates
or one or more nominees, as the General Partner may determine.
The General Partner hereby declares and warrants that any
Partnership assets for which record title is held in the name of
the General Partner or one or more of its Affiliates or one or
more nominees shall be held by the General Partner or such
Affiliate or nominee for the use and benefit of the Partnership
in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement;
provided, however, that the General Partner shall use
reasonable efforts to cause record title to such assets (other
than those assets in respect of which the General Partner
determines that the expense and difficulty of conveyancing makes
transfer of record title to the Partnership impracticable) to be
vested in the Partnership as soon as reasonably practicable;
provided, further, that, prior to the withdrawal or
removal of the General Partner or as soon thereafter as
practicable, the General Partner shall use reasonable efforts to
effect the transfer of record title to the Partnership and,
prior to any such transfer, will provide for the use of such
assets in a manner satisfactory to the General Partner. All
Partnership assets shall be recorded as the property of the
Partnership in its books and records, irrespective of the name
in which record title to such Partnership assets is held.
ARTICLE III
RIGHTS OF
LIMITED PARTNERS
Section 3.1 Limitation
of Liability.
The Limited Partners shall have no liability under this
Agreement except as expressly provided in this Agreement or the
Delaware Act.
Section 3.2 Management
of Business.
No Limited Partner, in its capacity as such, shall participate
in the operation, management or control (within the meaning of
the Delaware Act) of the Partnership’s business, transact
any business in the
18
Partnership’s name or have the power to sign documents for
or otherwise bind the Partnership. Any action taken by any
Affiliate of the General Partner or any officer, director,
employee, manager, member, general partner, agent or trustee of
the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, or any officer,
director, employee, manager, member, general partner, agent or
trustee of a Group Member, in its capacity as such, shall not be
deemed to be participation in the control of the business of the
Partnership by a limited partner of the Partnership (within the
meaning of
Section 17-303(a)
of the Delaware Act) and shall not affect, impair or eliminate
the limitations on the liability of the Limited Partners under
this Agreement.
Section 3.3 Outside
Activities of the Limited Partners.
Subject to the provisions of Section 7.5, which shall
continue to be applicable to the Persons referred to therein,
regardless of whether such Persons shall also be Limited
Partners, any Limited Partner shall be entitled to and may have
business interests and engage in business activities in addition
to those relating to the Partnership, including business
interests and activities in direct competition with the
Partnership Group. Neither the Partnership nor any of the other
Partners shall have any rights by virtue of this Agreement in
any business ventures of any Limited Partner.
Section 3.4 Rights
of Limited Partners.
(a) In addition to other rights provided by this Agreement
or by applicable law, and except as limited by
Section 3.4(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 written demand stating the purpose of such 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 its becoming available, to obtain a
copy of the Partnership’s federal, state and local income
tax returns for each year;
(iii) to obtain a current list of the name and last known
business, residence or mailing address of each Partner;
(iv) to obtain a copy of this Agreement and the Certificate
of Limited Partnership and all amendments thereto, together with
copies of the executed copies of all powers of attorney pursuant
to which this Agreement, the Certificate of Limited Partnership
and all amendments thereto have been executed;
(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 Capital Contribution by each Partner and that
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, for such period of time as the General Partner
deems reasonable, (i) any information that the General
Partner reasonably believes to be in the nature of trade secrets
or (ii) other information the disclosure of which the
General Partner in good faith believes (A) is not in the
best interests of the Partnership Group, (B) could damage
the Partnership Group or its business or (C) that any Group
Member is required by law or by agreement with any third party
to keep confidential (other than agreements with Affiliates of
the Partnership the primary purpose of which is to circumvent
the obligations set forth in this Section 3.4).
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ARTICLE IV
CERTIFICATES;
RECORD HOLDERS; TRANSFER OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS;
REDEMPTION OF
PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS
Section 4.1 Certificates.
Upon the Partnership’s issuance of Common Units,
Subordinated Units or Class B 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. In addition, (a) upon
the General Partner’s request, the Partnership shall issue
to it one or more Certificates in the name of the General
Partner evidencing its General Partner Units and (b) upon
the request of any Person owning Incentive Distribution Rights
or any other Partnership Securities other than Common Units,
Subordinated Units or Class B Units, the Partnership shall
issue to such Person one or more certificates evidencing such
Incentive Distribution Rights or other Partnership Securities
other than Common Units, Subordinated Units or Class B
Units. Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the
Partnership by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive
Officer, President or any Executive Vice President, Senior Vice
President or Vice President and the Secretary or any Assistant
Secretary of 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. Subject to the requirements of
Section 6.7(c) and Section 6.7(e), 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 5.7.
Subject to the requirements of Section 6.7(e), the Partners
holding Certificates evidencing Class B Units may exchange
such Certificates for Certificates evidencing Common Units on or
after the period set forth in Section 5.11(f) pursuant to
the terms of Section 5.11.
Section 4.2 Mutilated,
Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates.
(a) If any mutilated Certificate is surrendered to the
Transfer Agent (for Common Units) or the General Partner (for
Partnership Securities other than Common Units), the appropriate
officers of the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership
shall execute, and the Transfer Agent (for Common Units) or the
General Partner (for Partnership Securities other than Common
Units) shall countersign and deliver in exchange therefor, a new
Certificate evidencing the same number and type of Partnership
Securities as the Certificate so surrendered.
(b) The appropriate officers of the General Partner on
behalf of the Partnership shall execute and deliver, and the
Transfer Agent (for Common Units) shall countersign, a new
Certificate in place of any Certificate previously issued if the
Record Holder of the Certificate:
(i) makes proof by affidavit, in form and substance
satisfactory to the General Partner, that a previously issued
Certificate has been lost, destroyed or stolen;
(ii) requests the issuance of a new Certificate before the
General Partner has notice that the Certificate has been
acquired by a purchaser for value in good faith and without
notice of an adverse claim;
(iii) if requested by the General Partner, delivers to the
General Partner a bond, in form and substance satisfactory to
the General Partner, with surety or sureties and with fixed or
open penalty as the General Partner may direct to indemnify the
Partnership, the Partners, the General Partner and the Transfer
Agent against any claim that may be made on account of the
alleged loss, destruction or theft of the Certificate; and
(iv) satisfies any other reasonable requirements imposed by
the General Partner.
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If a Limited Partner fails to notify the General Partner within
a reasonable period of time after he has notice of the loss,
destruction or theft of a Certificate, and a transfer of the
Limited Partner Interests represented by the Certificate is
registered before the Partnership, the General Partner or the
Transfer Agent receives such notification, the Limited Partner
shall be precluded from making any claim against the
Partnership, the General Partner or the Transfer Agent for such
transfer or for a new Certificate.
(c) As a condition to the issuance of any new Certificate
under this Section 4.2, the General Partner may require the
payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other
governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and
any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the
Transfer Agent) reasonably connected therewith.
Section 4.3 Record
Holders.
The Partnership shall be entitled to recognize the Record Holder
as the Partner with respect to any Partnership Interest
and, accordingly, shall not be bound to recognize any equitable
or other claim to, or interest in, such
Partnership Interest on the part of any other Person,
regardless of whether the Partnership shall have actual or other
notice thereof, except as otherwise provided by law or any
applicable rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any
National Securities Exchange on which such
Partnership Interests are listed or admitted to trading.
Without limiting the foregoing, when a Person (such as a broker,
dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation or an agent
of any of the foregoing) is acting as nominee, agent or in some
other representative capacity for another Person in acquiring
and/or
holding Partnership Interests, as between the Partnership
on the one hand, and such other Persons on the other, such
representative Person shall be the Record Holder of such
Partnership Interest.
Section 4.4 Transfer
Generally.
(a) The term “transfer,” when used in this
Agreement with respect to a Partnership Interest, shall be
deemed to refer to a transaction (i) by which the General
Partner assigns its General Partner Units to another Person or
by which a holder of Incentive Distribution Rights assigns its
Incentive Distribution Rights to another Person, and includes a
sale, assignment, gift, pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation,
mortgage, exchange or any other disposition by law or otherwise
or (ii) by which the holder of a Limited Partner Interest
(other than an Incentive Distribution Right) assigns such
Limited Partner Interest to another Person who is or becomes a
Limited Partner, and includes a sale, assignment, gift, exchange
or any other disposition by law or otherwise, including any
transfer upon foreclosure of any pledge, encumbrance,
hypothecation or mortgage.
(b) No Partnership Interest shall be transferred, in
whole or in part, except in accordance with the terms and
conditions set forth in this Article IV. Any transfer or
purported transfer of a Partnership Interest not made in
accordance with this Article IV shall be null and void.
(c) Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed
to prevent a disposition by any stockholder, member, partner or
other owner of the General Partner of any or all of the shares
of stock, membership interests, partnership interests or other
ownership interests in the General Partner.
Section
4.5 Registration and Transfer of Limited Partner
Interests.
(a) The General Partner shall keep or cause to be kept on
behalf of the Partnership a register in which, subject to such
reasonable regulations as it may prescribe and subject to the
provisions of Section 4.5(b), the Partnership will provide
for the registration and transfer of Limited Partner Interests.
The Transfer Agent is hereby appointed registrar and transfer
agent for the purpose of registering Common Units and transfers
of such Common Units as herein provided. The Partnership shall
not recognize transfers of Certificates evidencing Limited
Partner Interests unless such transfers are effected in the
manner described in this Section 4.5. Upon surrender of a
Certificate for registration of transfer of any Limited Partner
Interests evidenced by a Certificate, and subject to the
provisions of Section 4.5(b), the appropriate officers of
the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership shall execute
and deliver, and in the case of Common Units, the Transfer Agent
shall countersign and deliver, in the name of the holder or the
21
designated transferee or transferees, as required pursuant to
the holder’s instructions, one or more new Certificates
evidencing the same aggregate number and type of Limited Partner
Interests as was evidenced by the Certificate so surrendered.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in Section 4.9, the
General Partner shall not recognize any transfer of Limited
Partner Interests until the Certificates evidencing such Limited
Partner Interests are surrendered for registration of transfer.
No charge shall be imposed by the General Partner for such
transfer; provided, that as a condition to the issuance
of any new Certificate under this Section 4.5, the General
Partner may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any
tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed with
respect thereto.
(c) Subject to (i) the foregoing provisions of this
Section 4.5, (ii) Section 4.3,
(iii) Section 4.8, (iv) with respect to any class
or series of Limited Partner Interests, the provisions of any
statement of designations or an amendment to this Agreement
establishing such class or series, (v) any contractual
provisions binding on any Limited Partner and
(vi) provisions of applicable law including the Securities
Act, Limited Partner Interests (other than the Incentive
Distribution Rights) shall be freely transferable.
(d) The General Partner and its Affiliates shall have the
right at any time to transfer their Subordinated Units,
Class B Units and Common Units (whether issued upon
conversion of the Subordinated Units or otherwise) to one or
more Persons.
Section 4.6 Transfer
of the General Partner’s General Partner Interest.
(a) Subject to Section 4.6(c) below, prior to
December 31, 2016, the General Partner shall not transfer
all or any part of its General Partner Interest (represented by
General Partner Units) to a Person unless such transfer
(i) has been approved by the prior written consent or vote
of the holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common
Units (excluding Common Units held by the General Partner and
its Affiliates) or (ii) is of all, but not less than all,
of its General Partner Interest to (A) an Affiliate of the
General Partner (other than an individual) or (B) another
Person (other than an individual) in connection with the merger
or consolidation of the General Partner with or into such other
Person or the transfer by the General Partner of all or
substantially all of its assets to such other Person.
(b) Subject to Section 4.6(c) below, on or after
December 31, 2016, the General Partner may transfer all or
any of its General Partner Interest without Unitholder approval.
(c) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, no
transfer by the General Partner of all or any part of its
General Partner Interest to another Person shall be permitted
unless (i) the transferee agrees to assume the rights and
duties of the General Partner under this Agreement and to be
bound by the provisions of this Agreement, (ii) the
Partnership receives an Opinion of Counsel that such transfer
would not result in the loss of limited liability of any Limited
Partner under the Delaware Act or cause the Partnership to be
treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise
to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes (to the
extent not already so treated or taxed) and (iii) such
transferee also agrees to purchase all (or the appropriate
portion thereof, if applicable) of the partnership or membership
interest of the General Partner as the general partner or
managing member, if any, of each other Group Member. In the case
of a transfer pursuant to and in compliance with this
Section 4.6, the transferee or successor (as the case may
be) shall, subject to compliance with the terms of
Section 10.3, be admitted to the Partnership as the General
Partner immediately prior to the transfer of the General Partner
Interest, and the business of the Partnership shall continue
without dissolution.
Section 4.7 Transfer
of Incentive Distribution Rights.
Prior to December 31, 2016, a holder of Incentive
Distribution Rights may transfer any or all of the Incentive
Distribution Rights held by such holder without any consent of
the Unitholders to (a) an Affiliate of such holder (other
than an individual) or (b) another Person (other than an
individual) in connection with (i) the merger or
consolidation of such holder of Incentive Distribution Rights
with or into such other Person, (ii) the transfer by such
holder of all or substantially all of its assets to such other
Person or
22
(iii) the sale of all the ownership interests in such
holder. Any other transfer of the Incentive Distribution Rights
prior to December 31, 2016 shall require the prior approval
of holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common
Units (excluding Common Units held by the General Partner and
its Affiliates). On or after December 31, 2016, the General
Partner or any other holder of Incentive Distribution Rights may
transfer any or all of its Incentive Distribution Rights without
Unitholder approval. Notwithstanding anything herein to the
contrary, (i) the transfer of Class B Units issued
pursuant to Section 5.11, or the transfer of Common Units
issued upon conversion of the Class B Units, shall not be
treated as a transfer of all or any part of the Incentive
Distribution Rights and (ii) no transfer of Incentive
Distribution Rights to another Person shall be permitted unless
the transferee agrees to be bound by the provisions of this
Agreement.
Section 4.8 Restrictions
on Transfers.
(a) Except as provided in Section 4.8(d) below, and
notwithstanding the other provisions of this Article IV, no
transfer of any Partnership Interests shall be made if such
transfer would (i) violate the then applicable federal or
state securities laws or rules and regulations of the
Commission, any state securities commission or any other
governmental authority with jurisdiction over such transfer,
(ii) terminate the existence or qualification of the
Partnership under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation,
or (iii) cause the Partnership to be treated as an
association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as
an entity for federal income tax purposes (to the extent not
already so treated or taxed).
(b) The General Partner may impose restrictions on the
transfer of Partnership Interests if it receives an Opinion
of Counsel that such restrictions are necessary to avoid a
significant risk of the Partnership becoming taxable as a
corporation or otherwise becoming taxable as an entity for
federal income tax purposes. The General Partner may impose such
restrictions by amending this Agreement; provided,
however, that any amendment that would result in the
delisting or suspension of trading of any class of Limited
Partner Interests on the principal National Securities Exchange
on which such class of Limited Partner Interests is then listed
or admitted to trading must be approved, prior to such amendment
being effected, by the holders of at least a majority of the
Outstanding Limited Partner Interests of such class.
(c) The transfer of a Subordinated Unit that has converted
into a Common Unit shall be subject to the restrictions imposed
by Section 6.7(c).
(d) The transfer of a Class B Unit that has converted
into a Common Unit shall be subject to the restrictions imposed
by Section 6.7(e).
(e) Nothing contained in this Article IV, or elsewhere
in this Agreement, shall preclude the settlement of any
transactions involving Partnership Interests entered into
through the facilities of any National Securities Exchange on
which such Partnership Interests are listed or admitted to
trading.
(f) Each certificate evidencing Partnership Interests
shall bear a conspicuous legend in substantially the following
form:
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY ACKNOWLEDGES FOR THE BENEFIT OF
TARGA RESOURCES PARTNERS LP THAT THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE
SOLD, OFFERED, RESOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED IF SUCH
TRANSFER WOULD (A) VIOLATE THE THEN APPLICABLE FEDERAL OR
STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION OR ANY
OTHER GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY WITH JURISDICTION OVER SUCH
TRANSFER, (B) TERMINATE THE EXISTENCE OR QUALIFICATION OF
TARGA RESOURCES PARTNERS LP UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF
DELAWARE, OR (C) CAUSE
TARGA RESOURCES PARTNERS LP TO
BE TREATED AS AN ASSOCIATION TAXABLE AS A CORPORATION OR
OTHERWISE TO BE TAXED AS AN ENTITY FOR FEDERAL INCOME TAX
PURPOSES (TO THE EXTENT NOT ALREADY SO TREATED OR TAXED). TARGA
RESOURCES GP LLC, THE GENERAL PARTNER OF TARGA RESOURCES
PARTNERS LP, MAY IMPOSE ADDITIONAL
23
RESTRICTIONS ON THE TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY IF IT RECEIVES AN
OPINION OF COUNSEL THAT SUCH RESTRICTIONS ARE NECESSARY TO AVOID
A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF TARGA RESOURCES PARTNERS LP BECOMING
TAXABLE AS A CORPORATION OR OTHERWISE BECOMING TAXABLE AS AN
ENTITY FOR FEDERAL INCOME TAX PURPOSES. THE RESTRICTIONS SET
FORTH ABOVE SHALL NOT PRECLUDE THE SETTLEMENT OF ANY
TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THIS SECURITY ENTERED INTO THROUGH THE
FACILITIES OF ANY NATIONAL SECURITIES EXCHANGE ON WHICH THIS
SECURITY IS LISTED OR ADMITTED TO TRADING.
Section 4.9 Citizenship
Certificates; Non-citizen Assignees.
(a) If any Group Member is or becomes subject to any
federal, state or local law or regulation that the General
Partner determines would create a substantial risk of
cancellation or forfeiture of any property in which the Group
Member has an interest based on the nationality, citizenship or
other related status of a Limited Partner, the General Partner
may request any Limited Partner 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 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 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
that a Limited Partner is not an Eligible Citizen, the Limited
Partner Interests owned by such Limited Partner shall be subject
to redemption in accordance with the provisions of
Section 4.10. In addition, the General Partner may require
that the status of any such Limited Partner 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 the Non-citizen Assignee’s
Limited Partner Interests.
(b) The General Partner shall, in exercising voting rights
in respect of Limited Partner Interests held by it on behalf of
Non-citizen Assignees, distribute the votes in the same ratios
as the votes of Partners (including the General Partner) in
respect of Limited Partner Interests 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 12.4 but shall be entitled to the cash
equivalent thereof, and the Partnership shall provide cash in
exchange for an assignment of the Non-citizen Assignee’s
share of any distribution in kind. Such payment and assignment
shall be treated for Partnership purposes as a purchase by the
Partnership from the Non-citizen Assignee of his Limited Partner
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 that with respect to
any Limited Partner Interests of such Non-citizen Assignee not
redeemed pursuant to Section 4.10, such Non-citizen
Assignee be admitted as a Limited Partner, and upon approval of
the General Partner, such Non-citizen Assignee shall be admitted
as a Limited Partner and shall no longer constitute a
Non-citizen Assignee and the General Partner shall cease to be
deemed to be the Limited Partner in respect of the Non-citizen
Assignee’s Limited Partner Interests.
Section 4.10 Redemption
of Partnership Interests of Non-citizen Assignees.
(a) If at any time a Limited Partner fails to furnish a
Citizenship Certification or other information requested within
the 30-day
period specified in Section 4.9(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 is not an Eligible Citizen, the Partnership may, unless
the Limited Partner establishes to the satisfaction of the
General Partner that such Limited Partner is an Eligible Citizen
or has transferred his Partnership Interests to a Person
who is an Eligible Citizen and who furnishes a Citizenship
24
Certification to the General Partner prior to the date fixed for
redemption as provided below, redeem the Limited Partner
Interest of such Limited Partner as follows:
(i) The General Partner shall, not later than the
30th day before the date fixed for redemption, give notice
of redemption to the Limited Partner, at his last address
designated on the records of the Partnership or the Transfer
Agent, by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid. The
notice shall be deemed to have been given when so mailed. The
notice shall specify the Redeemable Interests, the date fixed
for redemption, the place of payment, that payment of the
redemption price will be made upon surrender of the Certificate
evidencing the Redeemable Interests and that on and after the
date fixed for redemption no further allocations or
distributions to which the Limited Partner would otherwise be
entitled in respect of the Redeemable Interests will accrue or
be made.
(ii) The aggregate redemption price for Redeemable
Interests shall be an amount equal to the Current Market Price
(the date of determination of which shall be the date fixed for
redemption) of Limited Partner Interests of the class to be so
redeemed multiplied by the number of Limited Partner Interests
of each such class included among the Redeemable Interests. The
redemption price shall be paid, as determined by the General
Partner, in cash or by delivery of a promissory note of the
Partnership in the principal amount of the redemption price,
bearing interest at the rate of 5% 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, at the place specified in the notice of redemption, of
the Certificate evidencing the Redeemable Interests, duly
endorsed in blank or accompanied by an assignment duly executed
in blank, the Limited Partner or his duly authorized
representative shall be entitled to receive the payment therefor.
(iv) After the redemption date, Redeemable Interests shall
no longer constitute issued and Outstanding Limited Partner
Interests.
(b) The provisions of this Section 4.10 shall also be
applicable to Limited Partner Interests held by a Limited
Partner as nominee of a Person determined to be other than an
Eligible Citizen.
(c) Nothing in this Section 4.10 shall prevent the
recipient of a notice of redemption from transferring his
Limited Partner Interest before the redemption date if such
transfer is otherwise permitted under this Agreement. Upon
receipt of notice of such a transfer, the General Partner shall
withdraw the notice of redemption, provided the
transferee of such Limited Partner Interest certifies to the
satisfaction of the General Partner that he is an Eligible
Citizen. If the transferee fails to make such certification,
such redemption shall be effected from the transferee on the
original redemption date.
ARTICLE V
CAPITAL
CONTRIBUTIONS AND ISSUANCE OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS
Section 5.1 Organizational
Contributions.
In connection with the formation of the Partnership under the
Delaware Act, the General Partner made an initial Capital
Contribution to the Partnership in the amount of $20.00, for a
2% General Partner Interest in the Partnership and has been
admitted as the General Partner of the Partnership, and each of
the Organizational Limited Partners made an initial Capital
Contribution to the Partnership in the amount of $490.00 for a
49% Limited Partner Interest in the Partnership and have been
admitted as Limited Partners of the Partnership. As of the
Closing Date, the interest of the Organizational Limited
Partners shall be redeemed as provided in the Contribution
Agreement; and the initial Capital Contribution of the
Organizational Limited Partners shall thereupon be refunded.
Ninety-eight percent of any interest or other profit that may
have resulted from the investment or other use of such initial
Capital Contributions shall be allocated and distributed to the
Organizational Limited Partners, and the balance thereof shall
be allocated and distributed to the General Partner.
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Section 5.2 Contributions
by the General Partner and its Affiliates.
(a) On the Closing Date and pursuant to the Contribution
Agreement: (i) the General Partner shall contribute to the
Partnership, as a Capital Contribution, a 4% interest in Targa
North Texas GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company
(“North Texas GP”), in exchange for
(A) 578,127 General Partner Units representing a
continuation of its 2% General Partner Interest, subject to
all of the rights, privileges and duties of the General Partner
under this Agreement and (B) the Incentive Distribution
Rights; (ii) Targa GP Inc. shall contribute to the
Partnership, as a Capital Contribution, a 96% interest in
North Texas GP, in exchange for 5,475,052 Subordinated
Units, and (iii) Targa LP Inc. shall contribute to the
Partnership, as a Capital Contribution, all of its interest in
Targa North Texas LP, a Delaware limited partnership, in
exchange for 6,053,179 Subordinated Units.
(b) Upon the issuance of additional Common Units pursuant
to the Over-Allotment Option, the Partnership will issue to the
General Partner that number of additional General Partner Units
equal to
2/98ths of
the number of Common Units so issued pursuant to the
Over-Allotment Option, and the General Partner shall not be
obligated to make any additional Capital Contribution to the
Partnership in exchange for such issuance.
(c) Upon the issuance of any additional Limited Partner
Interests by the Partnership (other than the Common Units issued
in the Initial Offering, the Common Units issued pursuant to the
Over-Allotment Option, the Subordinated Units issued pursuant to
Section 5.2(a), any Class B Units issued pursuant to
Section 5.11 and any Common Units issued upon conversion of
Class B Units), the General Partner may, in exchange for a
proportionate number of General Partner Units, make additional
Capital Contributions in an amount equal to the product obtained
by multiplying (i) the quotient determined by dividing
(A) the General Partner’s Percentage Interest by
(B) 100 less the General Partner’s Percentage Interest
times (ii) the amount contributed to the Partnership by the
Limited Partners in exchange for such additional Limited Partner
Interests. Except as set forth in Article XII, the General
Partner shall not be obligated to make any additional Capital
Contributions to the Partnership.
Section 5.3 Contributions
by Initial Limited Partners.
(a) On the Closing Date and pursuant to the Underwriting
Agreement, each Underwriter shall contribute to the Partnership
cash in an amount equal to the Issue Price per Initial Common
Unit, multiplied by the number of Common Units specified in the
Underwriting Agreement to be purchased by such Underwriter at
the Closing Date. In exchange for such Capital Contributions by
the Underwriters, the Partnership shall issue Common Units to
each Underwriter on whose behalf such Capital 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
Initial Common Unit.
(b) Upon the exercise of the Over-Allotment Option, each
Underwriter shall contribute to the Partnership cash in an
amount equal to the Issue Price per Initial Common Unit,
multiplied by the number of Common Units to be purchased by such
Underwriter at the Option Closing Date. In exchange for such
Capital Contributions by the Underwriters, the Partnership shall
issue Common Units to each Underwriter on whose behalf such
Capital Contribution is made in an amount equal to the quotient
obtained by dividing (i) the cash contributions to the
Partnership by or on behalf of such Underwriter by (ii) the
Issue Price per Initial Common Unit.
(c) No Limited Partner Interests will be issued or issuable
as of or at the Closing Date other than (i) the Common
Units issuable pursuant to subparagraph (a) hereof in
aggregate number equal to 16,800,000, (ii) the “Option
Units” as such term is used in the Underwriting Agreement
in an aggregate number up to 2,520,000 issuable upon exercise of
the Over-Allotment Option pursuant to
subparagraph (b) hereof, (iii) the 11,528,231
Subordinated Units issuable to Targa GP Inc. and Targa LP Inc.
pursuant to Section 5.2 hereof and (iv) the Incentive
Distribution Rights.
26
Section 5.4 Interest
and Withdrawal.
No interest shall be paid by the Partnership on Capital
Contributions. No Partner or Assignee shall be entitled to the
withdrawal or return of its Capital Contribution, except to the
extent, if any, that distributions made pursuant to this
Agreement or upon termination of the Partnership may be
considered as such by law and then only to the extent provided
for in this Agreement. Except to the extent expressly provided
in this Agreement, no Partner shall have priority over any other
Partner or Assignee either as to the return of Capital
Contributions or as to profits, losses or distributions. Any
such return shall be a compromise to which all Partners agree
within the meaning of
Section 17-502(b)
of the Delaware Act.
Section 5.5 Capital
Accounts.
(a) The Partnership shall maintain for each Partner (or a
beneficial owner of Partnership Interests held by a nominee
in any case in which the nominee has furnished the identity of
such owner to the Partnership in accordance with
Section 6031(c) of the Code or any other method acceptable
to the General Partner) owning a Partnership Interest a
separate Capital Account with respect to such
Partnership Interest in accordance with the rules of
Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv).
Such Capital Account shall be increased by (i) the amount
of all Capital Contributions made to the Partnership with
respect to such Partnership Interest and (ii) all
items of Partnership income and gain (including income and gain
exempt from tax) computed in accordance with Section 5.5(b)
and allocated with respect to such Partnership Interest
pursuant to Section 6.1, and decreased by (x) the
amount of cash or Net Agreed Value of all actual and deemed
distributions of cash or property made with respect to such
Partnership Interest and (y) all items of Partnership
deduction and loss computed in accordance with
Section 5.5(b) and allocated with respect to such
Partnership Interest pursuant to Section 6.1.
(b) For purposes of computing the amount of any item of
income, gain, loss or deduction which is to be allocated
pursuant to Article VI and is to be reflected in the
Partners’ Capital Accounts, the determination, recognition
and classification of any such item shall be the same as its
determination, recognition and classification for federal income
tax purposes (including any method of depreciation, cost
recovery or amortization used for that purpose),
provided, that:
(i) Solely for purposes of this Section 5.5, the
Partnership shall be treated as owning directly its
proportionate share (as determined by the General Partner based
upon the provisions of the applicable Group Member Agreement or
governing, organizational or similar documents) of all property
owned by any other Group Member that is classified as a
partnership for federal income tax purposes and (y) any
other partnership, limited liability company, unincorporated
business or other entity classified as a partnership for federal
income tax purposes of which a Group Member is, directly or
indirectly, a partner.
(ii) All fees and other expenses incurred by the
Partnership to promote the sale of (or to sell) a
Partnership Interest that can neither be deducted nor
amortized under Section 709 of the Code, if any, shall, for
purposes of Capital Account maintenance, be treated as an item
of deduction at the time such fees and other expenses are
incurred and shall be allocated among the Partners pursuant to
Section 6.1.
(iii) Except as otherwise provided in Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m),
the computation of all items of income, gain, loss and deduction
shall be made without regard to any election under
Section 754 of the Code which may be made by the
Partnership and, as to those items described in
Section 705(a)(1)(B) or 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code, without
regard to the fact that such items are not includable in gross
income or are neither currently deductible nor capitalized for
federal income tax purposes. To the extent an adjustment to the
adjusted tax basis of any Partnership asset pursuant to
Section 734(b) or 743(b) of the Code is required, pursuant
to Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m),
to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts, the
amount of such adjustment in the Capital Accounts shall be
treated as an item of gain or loss.
27
(iv) Any income, gain or loss attributable to the taxable
disposition of any Partnership property shall be determined as
if the adjusted basis of such property as of such date of
disposition were equal in amount to the Partnership’s
Carrying Value with respect to such property as of such date.
(v) In accordance with the requirements of
Section 704(b) of the Code, any deductions for
depreciation, cost recovery or amortization attributable to any
Contributed Property shall be determined as if the adjusted
basis of such property on the date it was acquired by the
Partnership were equal to the Agreed Value of such property.
Upon an adjustment pursuant to Section 5.5(d) to the
Carrying Value of any Partnership property subject to
depreciation, cost recovery or amortization, any further
deductions for such depreciation, cost recovery or amortization
attributable to such property shall be determined as if the
adjusted basis of such property were equal to the Carrying Value
of such property immediately following such adjustment.
(vi) If the Partnership’s adjusted basis in a
depreciable or cost recovery property is reduced for federal
income tax purposes pursuant to Section 48(q)(1) or
48(q)(3) of the Code, the amount of such reduction shall, solely
for purposes hereof, be deemed to be an additional depreciation
or cost recovery deduction in the year such property is placed
in service and shall be allocated among the Partners pursuant to
Section 6.1. Any restoration of such basis pursuant to
Section 48(q)(2) of the Code shall, to the extent possible,
be allocated in the same manner to the Partners to whom such
deemed deduction was allocated.
(c) (i) A transferee of a Partnership Interest
shall succeed to a pro rata portion of the Capital Account of
the transferor relating to the Partnership Interest so
transferred.
(ii) Subject to Section 6.7(c), immediately prior to
the transfer of a Subordinated Unit or of a Subordinated Unit
that has converted into a Common Unit pursuant to
Section 5.7 by a holder thereof (other than a transfer to
an Affiliate unless the General Partner elects to have this
subparagraph 5.5(c)(ii) apply), the Capital Account
maintained for such Person with respect to its Subordinated
Units or converted Subordinated Units will (A) first, be
allocated to the Subordinated Units or converted Subordinated
Units to be transferred in an amount equal to the product of
(x) the number of such Subordinated Units or converted
Subordinated Units to be transferred and (y) the Per Unit
Capital Amount for a Common Unit, and (B) second, any
remaining balance in such Capital Account will be retained by
the transferor, regardless of whether it has retained any
Subordinated Units or converted Subordinated Units
(“Retained Converted Subordinated
Units”). Following any such allocation, the
transferor’s Capital Account, if any, maintained with
respect to the retained Subordinated Units or Retained Converted
Subordinated Units, if any, will have a balance equal to the
amount allocated under clause (B) hereinabove, and the
transferee’s Capital Account established with respect to
the transferred Subordinated Units or converted Subordinated
Units will have a balance equal to the amount allocated under
clause (A) hereinabove.
(d) (i) In accordance with Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f),
on an issuance of additional Partnership Interests for cash
or Contributed Property, the issuance of
Partnership Interests as consideration for the provision of
services or the conversion of the General Partner’s
Combined Interest to Common Units pursuant to
Section 11.3(b), the Capital Account of all Partners and
the Carrying Value of each Partnership property immediately
prior to such issuance shall be adjusted upward or downward to
reflect any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to
such Partnership property, as if such Unrealized Gain or
Unrealized Loss had been recognized on an actual sale of each
such property immediately prior to such issuance and had been
allocated to the Partners at such time pursuant to
Section 6.1 in the same manner as any item of gain or loss
actually recognized during such period would have been
allocated. In determining such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized
Loss, the aggregate cash amount and fair market value of all
Partnership assets (including cash or cash equivalents)
immediately prior to the issuance of additional
Partnership Interests shall be determined by the General
Partner using such method of valuation as it may adopt;
provided, however, that the General Partner, in arriving
at such valuation, must take fully into account the fair market
value of the Partnership Interests of all Partners at such
time. The General Partner shall allocate such aggregate
28
value among the assets of the Partnership (in such manner as it
determines) to arrive at a fair market value for individual
properties.
(ii) In accordance with Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f),
immediately prior to any actual or deemed distribution to a
Partner of any Partnership property (other than a distribution
of cash that is not in redemption or retirement of a
Partnership Interest), the Capital Accounts of all Partners
and the Carrying Value of all Partnership property shall be
adjusted upward or downward to reflect any Unrealized Gain or
Unrealized Loss attributable to such Partnership property, as if
such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss had been recognized in a
sale of such property immediately prior to such distribution for
an amount equal to its fair market value, and had been allocated
to the Partners, at such time, pursuant to Section 6.1 in
the same manner as any item of gain or loss actually recognized
during such period would have been allocated. In determining
such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss the aggregate cash
amount and fair market value of all Partnership assets
(including cash or cash equivalents) immediately prior to a
distribution shall (A) in the case of an actual
distribution that is not made pursuant to Section 12.4 or
in the case of a deemed distribution, be determined and
allocated in the same manner as that provided in
Section 5.5(d)(i) or (B) in the case of a liquidating
distribution pursuant to Section 12.4, be determined and
allocated by the Liquidator using such method of valuation as it
may adopt.
Section 5.6 Issuances
of Additional Partnership Securities.
(a) The Partnership may issue additional Partnership
Securities and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights
relating to the 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 the
General Partner shall determine, all without the approval of any
Limited Partners.
(b) Each additional Partnership Security authorized to be
issued by the Partnership pursuant to Section 5.6(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, including (i) the right to share in Partnership
profits and losses or items thereof; (ii) the right to
share in Partnership distributions; (iii) the rights upon
dissolution and liquidation of the Partnership;
(iv) whether, and the terms and conditions upon which, the
Partnership may redeem the Partnership Security;
(v) whether such Partnership Security is issued with the
privilege of conversion or exchange and, if so, the terms and
conditions of such conversion or exchange; (vi) the terms
and conditions upon which each Partnership Security will be
issued, evidenced by certificates and assigned or transferred;
(vii) the method for determining the Percentage Interest as
to such Partnership Security; and (viii) 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 shall take all actions that it
determines to be necessary or appropriate in connection with
(i) each issuance of Partnership Securities and options,
rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to Partnership
Securities pursuant to this Section 5.6, (ii) the
conversion of the General Partner Interest (represented by
General Partner Units) or any Incentive Distribution Rights into
Units pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, (iii) the
issuance of Class B Units pursuant to Section 5.11 and
the conversion of Class B Units into Common Units pursuant
to the terms of this Agreement, (iv) reflecting admission
of such additional Limited Partners in the books and records of
the Partnership as the Record Holder of such Limited Partner
Interest and (v) all additional issuances of Partnership
Securities. The General Partner shall determine 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 that it
determines to be necessary or appropriate in connection with any
future issuance of Partnership Securities or in connection with
the conversion of the General Partner Interest or any Incentive
Distribution Rights into Units pursuant to the terms of this
Agreement, including compliance with any statute, rule,
regulation or guideline of any federal,
29
state or other governmental agency or any National Securities
Exchange on which the Units or other Partnership Securities are
listed or admitted to trading.
(d) No fractional Units shall be issued by the Partnership.
Section 5.7 Conversion
of Subordinated Units.
(a) All of the Subordinated Units shall convert into Common
Units on a
one-for-one
basis on the second Business Day following the distribution of
Available Cash to Partners pursuant to Section 6.3(a) in
respect of the final Quarter of the Subordination Period.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 5.7(a) above, the
Subordination Period shall terminate and all Outstanding
Subordinated Units shall convert into Common Units on a
one-for-one
basis on the second Business Day following the distribution of
Available Cash to Partners pursuant to Section 6.3(a) in
respect of any Quarter ending on or after March 31, 2008 in
respect of which:
(i) distributions of Available Cash from Operating Surplus
under Section 6.4 in respect of all Outstanding Common
Units. Subordinated Units and General Partner Units and any
other Outstanding Units that are senior or equal in right of
distribution to the Subordinated Units with respect to the
four-Quarter period immediately preceding such date equaled or
exceeded the sum of the Third Target Distribution on all of the
Outstanding Common Units, Subordinated Units and General Partner
Units and any other Outstanding Units that are senior or equal
in right of distribution to the Subordinated Units during such
period;
(ii) the Adjusted Operating Surplus generated during the
four-Quarter period immediately preceding such date equaled or
exceeded the sum of the Third Target Distribution on all of the
Common Units, Subordinated Units and General Partner Units and
any other Units that are senior or equal in right of
distribution to the Subordinated Units that were Outstanding
during such period on a Fully Diluted Basis; and
(iii) there are no Cumulative Common Unit Arrearages.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement,
all the then Outstanding Subordinated Units will automatically
convert into Common Units on a
one-for-one
basis as set forth in, and pursuant to the terms of,
Section 11.4.
(d) A Subordinated Unit that has converted into a Common
Unit shall be subject to the provisions of Section 6.7(b)
and Section 6.7(c).
Section 5.8 Limited
Preemptive Right.
Except as provided in this Section 5.8 and in
Section 5.2, 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. 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.
Section 5.9 Splits
and Combinations.
(a) Subject to Section 5.9(d), Section 6.6 and
Section 6.9 (dealing with adjustments of distribution
levels), the Partnership 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
any amounts calculated on a per Unit basis (including any Common
Unit Arrearage or Cumulative Common Unit
30
Arrearage) or stated as a number of Units (including the number
of Subordinated Units that may convert prior to the end of the
Subordination Period) are proportionately adjusted.
(b) Whenever such a distribution, subdivision or
combination of Partnership 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 a date not less than 10 days
prior to the date of such notice. The General Partner also may
cause a firm of independent public accountants selected by it to
calculate the number of Partnership Securities to be held by
each Record Holder after giving effect to such distribution,
subdivision or combination. The General Partner shall be
entitled to rely on any certificate provided by such firm as
conclusive evidence of the accuracy of such calculation.
(c) Promptly following any such distribution, subdivision
or combination, the Partnership may issue Certificates to the
Record Holders of Partnership Securities as of the applicable
Record Date representing the new number of Partnership
Securities held by such Record Holders, or the General Partner
may adopt such other procedures that it determines to be
necessary or appropriate to reflect such changes. If any such
combination results in a smaller total number of Partnership
Securities Outstanding, the Partnership shall require, as a
condition to the delivery to a Record Holder of such new
Certificate, the surrender of any Certificate held by such
Record Holder immediately prior to such Record Date.
(d) The Partnership shall not issue fractional Units upon
any distribution, subdivision or combination of Units. If a
distribution, subdivision or combination of Units would result
in the issuance of fractional Units but for the provisions of
this Section 5.9(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).
Section 5.10 Fully
Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Limited Partner Interests.
All Limited Partner Interests issued pursuant to, and in
accordance with the requirements of, this Article V shall
be fully paid and non-assessable Limited Partner Interests in
the Partnership, except as such non-assessability may be
affected by
Section 17-607
of the Delaware Act.
Section 5.11 Issuance
of Class B Units in Connection with Reset of Incentive
Distribution Rights.
(a) Subject to the provisions of this Section 5.11,
the holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights (or, if there is
more than one holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights, the
holders of a majority in interest of the Incentive Distribution
Rights) shall have the right, at any time when there are no
Subordinated Units outstanding and the Partnership has made a
distribution pursuant to Section 6.4(b)(v) for each of the
four most recently completed Quarters and the amount of each
such distribution did not exceed Adjusted Operating Surplus for
such Quarter, to make an election (the “IDR
Reset Election”) to cause the Minimum Quarterly
Distribution and the Target Distributions to be reset in
accordance with the provisions of Section 5.11(e) and, in
connection therewith, the holder or holders of the Incentive
Distribution Rights will become entitled to receive their
respective proportionate share of a number of Class B Units
derived by dividing (i) the average amount of cash
distributions made by the Partnership for the two full Quarters
immediately preceding the giving of the Reset Notice (as defined
in Section 5.11(b)) in respect of the Incentive
Distribution Rights by (ii) the average of the cash
distributions made by the Partnership in respect of each Common
Unit for the two full Quarters immediately preceding the giving
of the Reset Notice (the number of Class B Units determined
by such quotient is referred to herein as the
“Aggregate Quantity of Class B
Units”). Upon the issuance of such Class B
Units, the Partnership will issue to the General Partner that
number of additional General Partner Units equal to the product
of (x) the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the
Percentage Interest of the General Partner immediately prior to
such issuance by (B) a percentage equal to 100% less such
Percentage Interest by (y) the number of such Class B
Units, and the General Partner shall not be obligated to make
any additional Capital Contribution to the Partnership in
exchange for such issuance. The making of the IDR Reset Election
in the manner specified in Section 5.11(b) shall cause the
Minimum Quarterly Distribution and the Target Distributions to
be reset in accordance with the provisions of
Section 5.11(e) and, in connection therewith, the holder or
holders of
31
the Incentive Distribution Rights will become entitled to
receive Class B Units and General Partner Units on the
basis specified above, without any further approval required by
the General Partner or the Unitholders, at the time specified in
Section 5.11(c) unless the IDR Reset Election is rescinded
pursuant to Section 5.11(d).
(b) To exercise the right specified in
Section 5.11(a), the holder of the Incentive Distribution
Rights (or, if there is more than one holder of the Incentive
Distribution Rights, the holders of a majority in interest of
the Incentive Distribution Rights) shall deliver a written
notice (the “Reset Notice”) to the
Partnership. Within 10 Business Days after the receipt by
the Partnership of such Reset Notice, as the case may be, the
Partnership shall deliver a written notice to the holder or
holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights of the
Partnership’s determination of the aggregate number of
Class B Units that each holder of Incentive Distribution
Rights will be entitled to receive.
(c) The holder or holders of the Incentive Distribution
Rights will be entitled to receive the Aggregate Quantity of
Class B Units and related additional General Partner Units
on the fifteenth Business Day after receipt by the Partnership
of the Reset Notice, and the Partnership shall issue
Certificates for the Class B Units to the holder or holders
of the Incentive Distribution Rights; provided, however,
that the issuance of Class B Units to the holder or holders
of the Incentive Distribution Rights shall not occur prior to
the approval of the listing or admission for trading of the
Common Units into which the Class B Units are convertible
pursuant to Section 5.11(f) by the principal National
Securities Exchange upon which the Common Units are then listed
or admitted for trading if any such approval is required
pursuant to the rules and regulations of such National
Securities Exchange.
(d) If the principal National Securities Exchange upon
which the Common Units are then traded have not approved the
listing or admission for trading of the Common Units into which
the Class B Units are convertible pursuant to
Section 5.11(f) on or before the 30th calendar day
following the Partnership’s receipt of the Reset Notice and
such approval is required by the rules and regulations of such
National Securities Exchange, then the holder of the Incentive
Distribution Rights (or, if there is more than one holder of the
Incentive Distribution Rights, the holders of a majority in
interest of the Incentive Distribution Rights) shall have the
right to either rescind the IDR Reset Election or elect to
receive other Partnership Securities having such terms as the
General Partner may approve, with the approval of the Conflicts
Committee, that will provide (i) the same economic value,
in the aggregate, as the Aggregate Quantity of Class B
Units would have had at the time of the Partnership’s
receipt of the Reset Notice, as determined by the General
Partner, and (ii) for the subsequent conversion of such
Partnership Securities into Common Units within not more than
12 months following the Partnership’s receipt of the
Reset Notice upon the satisfaction of one or more conditions
that are reasonably acceptable to the holder of the Incentive
Distribution Rights (or, if there is more than one holder of the
Incentive Distribution Rights, the holders of a majority in
interest of the Incentive Distribution Rights).
(e) The Minimum Quarterly Distribution, First Target
Distribution, Second Target Distribution and Third Target
Distribution shall be adjusted at the time of the issuance of
Common Units or other Partnership Securities pursuant to this
Section 5.11 such that (i) the Minimum Quarterly
Distribution shall be reset to equal to the average cash
distribution amount per Common Unit for the two Quarters
immediately prior to the Partnership’s receipt of the Reset
Notice (the “Reset MQD”), (ii) the
First Target Distribution shall be reset to equal 115% of the
Reset MQD, (iii) the Second Target Distribution shall be
reset to equal to 125% of the Reset MQD and (iv) the Third
Target Distribution shall be reset to equal 150% of the Reset
MQD.
(f) Any holder of Class B Units shall have the right
to elect, by giving written notice to the General Partner, to
convert all or a portion of the Class B Units held by such
holder, at any time following the first anniversary of the
issuance of such Class B Units, into Common Units on a
one-for-one
basis, such conversion to be effective on the second Business
Day following the General Partner’s receipt of such written
notice.
32
ARTICLE VI
ALLOCATIONS
AND DISTRIBUTIONS
Section 6.1 Allocations
for Capital Account Purposes.
For purposes of maintaining the Capital Accounts and in
determining the rights of the Partners among themselves, the
Partnership’s items of income, gain, loss and deduction
(computed in accordance with
Section 5.5(b))
shall be allocated among the Partners in each taxable year (or
portion thereof) as provided herein below.
(a) Net Income. After giving effect to
the special allocations set forth in
Section 6.1(d),
Net Income for each taxable year and all items of income, gain,
loss and deduction taken into account in computing Net Income
for such taxable year shall be allocated as follows:
(i) First, 100% to the General Partner, in an amount equal
to the aggregate Net Losses allocated to the General Partner
pursuant to
Section 6.1(b)(iii)
for all previous taxable years until the aggregate Net Income
allocated to the General Partner pursuant to this
Section 6.1(a)(i)
for the current taxable year and all previous taxable years is
equal to the aggregate Net Losses allocated to the General
Partner pursuant to
Section 6.1(b)(iii)
for all previous taxable years;
(ii) Second, 100% to the General Partner and the
Unitholders, in accordance with their respective Percentage
Interests, until the aggregate Net Income allocated to such
Partners pursuant to this
Section 6.1(a)(ii)
for the current taxable year and all previous taxable years is
equal to the aggregate Net Losses allocated to such Partners
pursuant to
Section 6.1(b)(ii)
for all previous taxable years; and
(iii) Third, the balance, if any, 100% to the General
Partner and the Unitholders, in accordance with their respective
Percentage Interests.
(b) Net Losses. After giving effect to
the special allocations set forth in
Section 6.1(d),
Net Losses for each taxable period and all items of income,
gain, loss and deduction taken into account in computing Net
Losses for such taxable period shall be allocated as follows:
(i) First, 100% to the General Partner and the Unitholders,
in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests, until
the aggregate Net Losses allocated pursuant to this
Section 6.1(b)(i)
for the current taxable year and all previous taxable years is
equal to the aggregate Net Income allocated to such Partners
pursuant to
Section 6.1(a)(iii)
for all previous taxable years, provided that the Net
Losses shall not be allocated pursuant to this
Section 6.1(b)(i)
to the extent that such allocation would cause any Unitholder to
have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account at the
end of such taxable year (or increase any existing deficit
balance in its Adjusted Capital Account);
(ii) Second, 100% to the General Partner and the
Unitholders, in accordance with their respective Percentage
Interests; provided, that Net Losses shall not be
allocated pursuant to this
Section 6.1(b)(ii)
to the extent that such allocation would cause any Unitholder to
have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account at the
end of such taxable year (or increase any existing deficit
balance in its Adjusted Capital Account); and
(iii) Third, the balance, if any, 100% to the General
Partner.
(c) Net Termination Gains and
Losses. After giving effect to the special
allocations set forth in
Section 6.1(d),
all items of income, gain, loss and deduction taken into account
in computing Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss for
such taxable period shall be allocated in the same manner as
such Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss is allocated
hereunder. All allocations under this
Section 6.1(c)
shall be made after Capital Account balances have been adjusted
by all other allocations provided under this Section 6.1
and after all distributions of Available Cash provided under
Section 6.4 and Section 6.5 have been made;
provided, however, that solely for purposes of
this
Section 6.1(c),
Capital Accounts shall not be adjusted for distributions made
pursuant to Section 12.4.
33
(i) If a Net Termination Gain is recognized (or deemed
recognized pursuant to
Section 5.5(d)),
such Net Termination Gain shall be allocated among the Partners
in the following manner (and the Capital Accounts of the
Partners shall be increased by the amount so allocated in each
of the following subclauses, in the order listed, before an
allocation is made pursuant to the next succeeding subclause):
(A) First, to each Partner having a deficit balance in its
Capital Account, in the proportion that such deficit balance
bears to the total deficit balances in the Capital Accounts of
all Partners, until each such Partner has been allocated Net
Termination Gain equal to any such deficit balance in its
Capital Account;
(B) Second, (x) to the General Partner in accordance
with its Percentage Interest and (y) to all Unitholders
holding Common Units, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less
the percentage applicable to subclause (x) of this
clause (B), until the Capital Account in respect of each
Common Unit then Outstanding is equal to the sum of (1) its
Unrecovered Initial Unit Price, (2) the Minimum Quarterly
Distribution for the Quarter during which the Liquidation Date
occurs, reduced by any distribution pursuant to
Section 6.4(a)(i)
or Section 6.4(b)(i) with respect to such Common Unit for
such Quarter (the amount determined pursuant to this
clause (2) is hereinafter defined as the “Unpaid
MQD”) and (3) any then existing Cumulative
Common Unit Arrearage;
(C) Third, if such Net Termination Gain is recognized (or
is deemed to be recognized) prior to the conversion of the last
Outstanding Class B Unit, (x) to the General Partner
in accordance with its Percentage Interest and (y) to all
Unitholders holding Class B Units, Pro Rata, a percentage
equal to 100% less the percentage applicable to
subclause (x) of this clause (C), until the
Capital Account in respect of each Class B Unit then
Outstanding equals the sum of (1) its Unrecovered Initial
Unit Price, and (2) the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for
the Quarter during which the Liquidation Date occurs, reduced by
any distribution pursuant to
Section 6.4(b)(i)
with respect to such Class B Unit for such Quarter;
(D) Fourth, if such Net Termination Gain is recognized (or
is deemed to be recognized) prior to the conversion of the last
Outstanding Subordinated Unit, (x) to the General Partner
in accordance with its Percentage Interest and (y) to all
Unitholders holding Subordinated Units, Pro Rata, a percentage
equal to 100% less the percentage applicable to
subclause (x) of this clause (D), until the
Capital Account in respect of each Subordinated Unit then
Outstanding equals the sum of (1) its Unrecovered Initial
Unit Price, determined for the taxable year (or portion thereof)
to which this allocation of gain relates, and (2) the
Minimum Quarterly Distribution for the Quarter during which the
Liquidation Date occurs, reduced by any distribution pursuant to
Section 6.4(a)(iii)
with respect to such Subordinated Unit for such Quarter;
(E) Fifth, 100% to the General Partner and all Unitholders
in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests, until
the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit then
Outstanding is equal to the sum of (1) its Unrecovered
Initial Unit Price, (2) the Unpaid MQD, (3) any then
existing Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage, and (4) the
excess of (aa) the First Target Distribution less the
Minimum Quarterly Distribution for each Quarter of the
Partnership’s existence over (bb) the cumulative per
Unit amount of any distributions of Available Cash that is
deemed to be Operating Surplus made pursuant to
Section 6.4(a)(iv)
and
Section 6.4(b)(ii)
(the sum of (1), (2), (3) and (4) is hereinafter
defined as the “First Liquidation Target
Amount”);
(F) Sixth, (x) to the General Partner in accordance
with its Percentage Interest, (y) 13% to the holders of the
Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and (z) to all
Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the sum
of the percentages applicable to subclause (x) and
(y) of this clause (F), until the Capital Account in
respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding is equal to the sum
of (1) the First Liquidation Target Amount, and
(2) the excess of (aa) the Second Target Distribution
less the First Target Distribution for each Quarter of the
Partnership’s existence over (bb) the cumulative per
Unit amount of any distributions of Available Cash that is
deemed to be Operating Surplus made pursuant to
Section 6.4(a)(v)
and
Section 6.4(b)(iii)
(the sum of (1) and (2) is hereinafter defined as the
“Second Liquidation Target Amount”);
34
(G) Seventh, (x) to the General Partner in accordance
with its Percentage Interest, (y) 23% to the holders of the
Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and (z) to all
Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the sum
of the percentages applicable to subclause (x) and
(y) of this clause (G), until the Capital Account in
respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding is equal to the sum
of (1) the Second Liquidation Target Amount, and
(2) the excess of (aa) the Third Target Distribution
less the Second Target Distribution for each Quarter of the
Partnership’s existence over (bb) the cumulative per
Unit amount of any distributions of Available Cash that is
deemed to be Operating Surplus made pursuant to
Section 6.4(a)(vi)
and
Section 6.4(b)(iv)
(the sum of (1) and (2) is hereinafter defined as the
“Third Liquidation Target
Amount”); and
(H) Finally, (x) to the General Partner in accordance
with its Percentage Interest, (y) 48% to the holders of the
Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and (z) to all
Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the sum
of the percentages applicable to subclause (x) and
(y) of this clause (H).
(ii) If a Net Termination Loss is recognized (or deemed
recognized pursuant to
Section 5.5(d)),
such Net Termination Loss shall be allocated among the Partners
in the following manner:
(A) First, if such Net Termination Loss is recognized (or
is deemed to be recognized) prior to the conversion of the last
Outstanding Subordinated Unit, (x) to the General Partner
in accordance with its Percentage Interest and (y) to all
Unitholders holding Subordinated Units, Pro Rata, a percentage
equal to 100% less the percentage applicable to
subclause (x) of this clause (A), until the
Capital Account in respect of each Subordinated Unit then
Outstanding has been reduced to zero;
(B) Second, (x) to the General Partner in accordance
with its Percentage Interest and (y) to the Class B
Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the
percentage applicable to subclause (x) of this
clause (B) until the Capital Account in respect of
each Class B Unit then Outstanding has been reduced to zero;
(C) Third, (x) to the General Partner in accordance
with its Percentage Interest and (y) to all Unitholders,
Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the percentage
applicable to subclause (x) of this
clause (B) until the Capital Account in respect of
each Unit then Outstanding has been reduced to zero; and
(D) Fourth, the balance, if any, 100% to the General
Partner.
(d) Special Allocations. Notwithstanding
any other provision of this Section 6.1, the following
special allocations shall be made for such taxable period:
(i) Partnership Minimum Gain
Chargeback. Notwithstanding any other provision
of this Section 6.1, if there is a net decrease in
Partnership Minimum Gain during any Partnership taxable period,
each Partner shall be allocated items of Partnership income and
gain for such period (and, if necessary, subsequent periods) in
the manner and amounts provided in Treasury
Regulation Sections 1.704-2(f)(6),
1.704-2(g)(2)
and
1.704-2(j)(2)(i),
or any successor provision. For purposes of this
Section 6.1(d),
each Partner’s Adjusted Capital Account balance shall be
determined, and the allocation of income or gain required
hereunder shall be effected, prior to the application of any
other allocations pursuant to this
Section 6.1(d)
with respect to such taxable period (other than an allocation
pursuant to
Section 6.1(d)(vi)
and Section 6.1(d)(vii)). This
Section 6.1(d)(i)
is intended to comply with the Partnership Minimum Gain
chargeback requirement in Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-2(f)
and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.
(ii) Chargeback of Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum
Gain. Notwithstanding the other provisions of
this Section 6.1 (other than Section 6.1(d)(i)),
except as provided in Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(4),
if there is a net decrease in Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum
Gain during any Partnership taxable period, any Partner with a
share of Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain at the beginning
of such taxable period shall be allocated items of Partnership
income and gain for such period (and, if necessary, subsequent
periods) in the manner and amounts provided in Treasury
35
Regulation Sections 1.704-2(i)(4)
and
1.704-2(j)(2)(ii),
or any successor provisions. For purposes of this
Section 6.1(d),
each Partner’s Adjusted Capital Account balance shall be
determined, and the allocation of income or gain required
hereunder shall be effected, prior to the application of any
other allocations pursuant to this
Section 6.1(d),
other than
Section 6.1(d)(i)
and other than an allocation pursuant to
Section 6.1(d)(vi)
and
Section 6.1(d)(vii),
with respect to such taxable period. This
Section 6.1(d)(ii)
is intended to comply with the chargeback of items of income and
gain requirement in Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(4)
and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.
(iii) Priority Allocations.
(A) If the amount of cash or the Net Agreed Value of any
property distributed (except cash or property distributed
pursuant to Section 12.4) to any Unitholder with respect to
its Units for a taxable year is greater (on a per Unit basis)
than the amount of cash or the Net Agreed Value of property
distributed to the other Unitholders with respect to their Units
(on a per Unit basis), then (1) there shall be allocated
income and gain to each Unitholder receiving such greater cash
or property distribution until the aggregate amount of such
items allocated pursuant to this
Section 6.1(d)(iii)(A)
for the current taxable year and all previous taxable years is
equal to the product of (aa) the amount by which the
distribution (on a per Unit basis) to such Unitholder exceeds
the distribution (on a per Unit basis) to the Unitholders
receiving the smallest distribution and (bb) the number of Units
owned by the Unitholder receiving the greater distribution; and
(2) the General Partner shall be allocated income and gain
in an aggregate amount equal to the product obtained by
multiplying (aa) the quotient determined by dividing
(x) the General Partner’s Percentage Interest at the
time in which the greater cash or property distribution occurs
by (y) the sum of 100 less the General Partner’s
Percentage Interest at the time in which the greater cash or
property distribution occurs times (bb) the sum of the amounts
allocated in clause (1) above.
(B) After the application of
Section 6.1(d)(iii)(A),
all or any portion of the remaining items of Partnership income
or gain for the taxable period, if any, shall be allocated
(1) to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro
Rata, until the aggregate amount of such items allocated to the
holders of Incentive Distribution Rights pursuant to this
Section 6.1(d)(iii)(B)
for the current taxable year and all previous taxable years is
equal to the cumulative amount of all Incentive Distributions
made to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights from the
Closing Date to a date 45 days after the end of the current
taxable year; and (2) to the General Partner an amount
equal to the product of (aa) an amount equal to the quotient
determined by dividing (x) the General Partner’s
Percentage Interest by (y) the sum of 100 less the General
Partner’s Percentage Interest times (bb) the sum of the
amounts allocated in clause (1) above.
(iv) Qualified Income Offset. In the
event any Partner unexpectedly receives any adjustments,
allocations or distributions described in Treasury
Regulation Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4),
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5),
or
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6),
items of Partnership income and gain shall be specially
allocated to such Partner in an amount and manner sufficient to
eliminate, to the extent required by the Treasury Regulations
promulgated under
Section 704(b)
of the Code, the deficit balance, if any, in its Adjusted
Capital Account created by such adjustments, allocations or
distributions as quickly as possible unless such deficit balance
is otherwise eliminated pursuant to
Section 6.1(d)(i)
or
Section 6.1(d)(ii).
(v) Gross Income Allocations. In the
event any Partner has a deficit balance in its Capital Account
at the end of any Partnership taxable period in excess of the
sum of (A) the amount such Partner is required to restore
pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement and (B) the
amount such Partner is deemed obligated to restore pursuant to
Treasury
Regulation Sections 1.704-2(g)
and
1.704-2(i)(5),
such Partner shall be specially allocated items of Partnership
income and gain in the amount of such excess as quickly as
possible; provided, that an allocation pursuant to this
Section 6.1(d)(v)
shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would
have a deficit balance in its Capital Account as adjusted after
all other allocations provided for in this Section 6.1 have
been tentatively made as if this
Section 6.1(d)(v)
were not in this Agreement.
36
(vi) Nonrecourse Deductions. Nonrecourse
Deductions for any taxable period shall be allocated to the
Partners in accordance with their respective Percentage
Interests. If the General Partner determines that the
Partnership’s Nonrecourse Deductions should be allocated in
a different ratio to satisfy the safe harbor requirements of the
Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 704(b) of
the Code, the General Partner is authorized, upon notice to the
other Partners, to revise the prescribed ratio to the
numerically closest ratio that does satisfy such requirements.
(vii) Partner Nonrecourse
Deductions. Partner Nonrecourse Deductions for
any taxable period shall be allocated 100% to the Partner that
bears the Economic Risk of Loss with respect to the Partner
Nonrecourse Debt to which such Partner Nonrecourse Deductions
are attributable in accordance with Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-2(i).
If more than one Partner bears the Economic Risk of Loss with
respect to a Partner Nonrecourse Debt, such Partner Nonrecourse
Deductions attributable thereto shall be allocated between or
among such Partners in accordance with the ratios in which they
share such Economic Risk of Loss.
(viii) Nonrecourse Liabilities. For
purposes of Treasury
Regulation Section 1.752-3(a)(3),
the Partners agree that Nonrecourse Liabilities of the
Partnership in excess of the sum of (A) the amount of
Partnership Minimum Gain and (B) the total amount of
Nonrecourse Built-in Gain shall be allocated among the Partners
in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.
(ix) Code Section 754
Adjustments. To the extent an adjustment to the
adjusted tax basis of any Partnership asset pursuant to
Section 734(b)
or 743(b) of
the Code is required, pursuant to Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m),
to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts, the
amount of such adjustment to the Capital Accounts shall be
treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the
basis of the asset) or loss (if the adjustment decreases such
basis), and such item of gain or loss shall be specially
allocated to the Partners in a manner consistent with the manner
in which their Capital Accounts are required to be adjusted
pursuant to such Section of the Treasury Regulations.
(x) Economic Uniformity.
(A) At the election of the General Partner with respect to
any taxable period ending upon, or after, the termination of the
Subordination Period, all or a portion of the remaining items of
Partnership income or gain for such taxable period, after taking
into account allocations pursuant to
Section 6.1(d)(iii),
shall be allocated 100% to each Partner holding Subordinated
Units that are Outstanding as of the termination of the
Subordination Period (“Final Subordinated
Units”) in the proportion of the number of Final
Subordinated Units held by such Partner to the total number of
Final Subordinated Units then Outstanding, until each such
Partner has been allocated an amount of income or gain that
increases the Capital Account maintained with respect to such
Final Subordinated Units to an amount equal to the product of
(A) the number of Final Subordinated Units held by such
Partner and (B) the Per Unit Capital Amount for a Common
Unit. The purpose of this allocation is to establish uniformity
between the Capital Accounts underlying Final Subordinated Units
and the Capital Accounts underlying Common Units held by Persons
other than the General Partner and its Affiliates immediately
prior to the conversion of such Final Subordinated Units into
Common Units. This allocation method for establishing such
economic uniformity will be available to the General Partner
only if the method for allocating the Capital Account maintained
with respect to the Subordinated Units between the transferred
and retained Subordinated Units pursuant to
Section 5.5(c)(ii)
does not otherwise provide such economic uniformity to the Final
Subordinated Units.
(B) At the election of the General Partner with respect to
any taxable period ending upon, or after, the conversion of the
Class B Units pursuant to
Section 5.11(f),
all or a portion of the remaining items of Partnership income or
gain for such taxable period, after taking into account
allocations pursuant to
Section 6.1(d)(iii)
and
Section 6.1(d)(x)(A),
shall be allocated 100% to the holder or holders of the Common
Units resulting from the conversion pursuant to
Section 5.11(f) (“Converted Common Units”)
in the proportion of the number of the Converted Common
Units held by such holder or holders to the total number of
Converted Common Units then Outstanding, until each such
37
holder has been allocated an amount of income or gain that
increases the Capital Account maintained with respect to such
Converted Common Units to an amount equal to the product of
(A) the number of Converted Common Units held by such
holder and (B) the Per Unit Capital Amount for a Common
Unit. The purpose of this allocation is to establish uniformity
between the Capital Accounts underlying Converted Common Units
and the Capital Accounts underlying Common Units held by Persons
other than the General Partner and its Affiliates immediately
prior to the receipt of Common Units pursuant to
Section 5.11(f).
(xi) Curative Allocation.
(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of this
Section 6.1, other than the Required Allocations, the
Required Allocations shall be taken into account in making the
Agreed Allocations so that, to the extent possible, the net
amount of items of income, gain, loss and deduction allocated to
each Partner pursuant to the Required Allocations and the Agreed
Allocations, together, shall be equal to the net amount of such
items that would have been allocated to each such Partner under
the Agreed Allocations had the Required Allocations and the
related Curative Allocation not otherwise been provided in this
Section 6.1. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence,
Required Allocations relating to (1) Nonrecourse Deductions
shall not be taken into account except to the extent that there
has been a decrease in Partnership Minimum Gain and
(2) Partner Nonrecourse Deductions shall not be taken into
account except to the extent that there has been a decrease in
Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain. Allocations pursuant to
this
Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A)
shall only be made with respect to Required Allocations to the
extent the General Partner determines that such allocations will
otherwise be inconsistent with the economic agreement among the
Partners. Further, allocations pursuant to this
Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A)
shall be deferred with respect to allocations pursuant to
clauses (1) and (2) hereof to the extent the General
Partner determines that such allocations are likely to be offset
by subsequent Required Allocations.
(B) The General Partner shall, with respect to each taxable
period, (1) apply the provisions of
Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A)
in whatever order is most likely to minimize the economic
distortions that might otherwise result from the Required
Allocations, and (2) divide all allocations pursuant to
Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A)
among the Partners in a manner that is likely to minimize such
economic distortions.
(xii) Corrective Allocations. In the
event of any allocation of Additional Book Basis Derivative
Items or any Book-Down Event or any recognition of a Net
Termination Loss, the following rules shall apply:
(A) In the case of any allocation of Additional Book Basis
Derivative Items (other than an allocation of Unrealized Gain or
Unrealized Loss under Section 5.5(d) hereof), the General
Partner shall allocate additional items of income and gain away
from the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights to the
Unitholders and the General Partner, or additional items of
deduction and loss away from the Unitholders and the General
Partner to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights, to the
extent that the Additional Book Basis Derivative Items allocated
to the Unitholders or the General Partner exceed their Share of
Additional Book Basis Derivative Items. For this purpose, the
Unitholders and the General Partner shall be treated as being
allocated Additional Book Basis Derivative Items to the extent
that such Additional Book Basis Derivative Items have reduced
the amount of income that would otherwise have been allocated to
the Unitholders or the General Partner under the Partnership
Agreement (e.g., Additional Book Basis Derivative Items taken
into account in computing cost of goods sold would reduce the
amount of book income otherwise available for allocation among
the Partners). Any allocation made pursuant to this
Section 6.1(d)(xii)(A)
shall be made after all of the other Agreed Allocations have
been made as if this
Section 6.1(d)(xii)
were not in this Agreement and, to the extent necessary, shall
require the reallocation of items that have been allocated
pursuant to such other Agreed Allocations.
(B) In the case of any negative adjustments to the Capital
Accounts of the Partners resulting from a Book-Down Event or
from the recognition of a Net Termination Loss, such negative
adjustment
38
(1) shall first be allocated, to the extent of the
Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments, in such a manner,
as determined by the General Partner, that to the extent
possible the aggregate Capital Accounts of the Partners will
equal the amount that would have been the Capital Account
balance of the Partners if no prior
Book-Up
Events had occurred, and (2) any negative adjustment in
excess of the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments shall
be allocated pursuant to
Section 6.1(c)
hereof.
(C) In making the allocations required under this
Section 6.1(d)(xii),
the General Partner may apply whatever conventions or other
methodology it determines will satisfy the purpose of this
Section 6.1(d)(xii).
Section 6.2 Allocations
for Tax Purposes.
(a) Except as otherwise provided herein, for federal income
tax purposes, each item of income, gain, loss and deduction
shall be allocated among the Partners in the same manner as its
correlative item of “book” income, gain, loss or
deduction is allocated pursuant to Section 6.1.
(b) In an attempt to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities
attributable to a Contributed Property or Adjusted Property,
items of income, gain, loss, depreciation, amortization and cost
recovery deductions shall be allocated for federal income tax
purposes among the Partners as follows:
(i)(A) In the case of a Contributed Property, such items
attributable thereto shall be allocated among the Partners in
the manner provided under
Section 704(c)
of the Code that takes into account the variation between the
Agreed Value of such property and its adjusted basis at the time
of contribution; and (B) any item of Residual Gain or
Residual Loss attributable to a Contributed Property shall be
allocated among the Partners in the same manner as its
correlative item of “book” gain or loss is allocated
pursuant to Section 6.1.
(ii)(A) In the case of an Adjusted Property, such items
shall (1) first, be allocated among the Partners in a
manner consistent with the principles of
Section 704(c)
of the Code to take into account the Unrealized Gain or
Unrealized Loss attributable to such property and the
allocations thereof pursuant to
Section 5.5(d)(i)
or
Section 5.5(d)(ii),
and (2) second, in the event such property was originally a
Contributed Property, be allocated among the Partners in a
manner consistent with
Section 6.2(b)(i)(A);
and (B) any item of Residual Gain or Residual Loss
attributable to an Adjusted Property shall be allocated among
the Partners in the same manner as its correlative item of
“book” gain or loss is allocated pursuant to
Section 6.1.
(iii) The General Partner shall apply the principles of
Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-3(d)
to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities, except with respect to
goodwill contributed to the Partnership upon formation.
(c) For the proper administration of the Partnership and
for the preservation of uniformity of the Limited Partner
Interests (or any class or classes thereof), the General Partner
shall (i) adopt such conventions as it deems appropriate in
determining the amount of depreciation, amortization and cost
recovery deductions; (ii) make special allocations for
federal income tax purposes of income (including gross income)
or deductions; and (iii) amend the provisions of this
Agreement as appropriate (x) to reflect the proposal or
promulgation of Treasury Regulations under
Section 704(b)
or
Section 704(c)
of the Code or (y) otherwise to preserve or achieve
uniformity of the Limited Partner Interests (or any class or
classes thereof). The General Partner may adopt such
conventions, make such allocations and make such amendments to
this Agreement as provided in this
Section 6.2(c)
only if such conventions, allocations or amendments would not
have a material adverse effect on the Partners, the holders of
any class or classes of Limited Partner Interests issued and
Outstanding or the Partnership, and if such allocations are
consistent with the principles of Section 704 of the Code.
(d) The General Partner may determine to depreciate or
amortize the portion of an adjustment under
Section 743(b)
of the Code attributable to unrealized appreciation in any
Adjusted Property (to the extent of the unamortized Book-Tax
Disparity) using a predetermined rate derived from the
depreciation or
39
amortization method and useful life applied to the
Partnership’s common basis of such property, despite any
inconsistency of such approach with Treasury
Regulation Section 1.167(c)-l(a)(6)
or any successor regulations thereto. If the General Partner
determines that such reporting position cannot reasonably be
taken, the General Partner may adopt depreciation and
amortization conventions under which all purchasers acquiring
Limited Partner Interests in the same month would receive
depreciation and amortization deductions, based upon the same
applicable rate as if they had purchased a direct interest in
the Partnership’s property. If the General Partner chooses
not to utilize such aggregate method, the General Partner may
use any other depreciation and amortization conventions to
preserve the uniformity of the intrinsic tax characteristics of
any Limited Partner Interests, so long as such conventions would
not have a material adverse effect on the Limited Partners or
the Record Holders of any class or classes of Limited Partner
Interests.
(e) In accordance with Treasury
Regulation Section 1.1245-1(e),
any gain allocated to the Partners upon the sale or other
taxable disposition of any Partnership asset shall, to the
extent possible, after taking into account other required
allocations of gain pursuant to this Section 6.2, be
characterized as Recapture Income in the same proportions and to
the same extent as such Partners (or their predecessors in
interest) have been allocated any deductions directly or
indirectly giving rise to the treatment of such gains as
Recapture Income.
(f) All items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit
recognized by the Partnership for federal income tax purposes
and allocated to the Partners in accordance with the provisions
hereof shall be determined without regard to any election under
Section 754 of the Code that may be made by the
Partnership; provided, however, that such allocations,
once made, shall be adjusted (in the manner determined by the
General Partner) to take into account those adjustments
permitted or required by Sections 734 and 743 of the Code.
(g) Each item of Partnership income, gain, loss and
deduction, for federal income tax purposes, shall be determined
on an annual basis and prorated on a monthly basis and shall be
allocated to the Partners as of the opening of the National
Securities Exchange on which the Partnership Interests are
listed or admitted to trading on the first Business Day of each
month; provided, however, such items for the period
beginning on the Closing Date and ending on the last day of the
month in which the Option Closing Date or the expiration of the
Over-Allotment Option occurs shall be allocated to the Partners
as of the opening of the National Securities Exchange on which
the Partnership Interests are listed or admitted to trading
on the first Business Day of the next succeeding month; and
provided, further, that gain or loss on a sale or other
disposition of any assets of the Partnership or any other
extraordinary item of income or loss realized and recognized
other than in the ordinary course of business, as determined by
the General Partner, shall be allocated to the Partners as of
the opening of the National Securities Exchange on which the
Partnership Interests are listed or admitted to trading on
the first Business Day of the month in which such gain or loss
is recognized for federal income tax purposes. The General
Partner may revise, alter or otherwise modify such methods of
allocation to the extent permitted or required by
Section 706 of the Code and the regulations or rulings
promulgated thereunder.
(h) Allocations that would otherwise be made to a Limited
Partner under the provisions of this Article VI shall
instead be made to the beneficial owner of Limited Partner
Interests held by a nominee in any case in which the nominee has
furnished the identity of such owner to the Partnership in
accordance with
Section 6031(c)
of the Code or any other method determined by the General
Partner.
Section 6.3 Requirement
and Characterization of Distributions; Distributions to Record
Holders.
(a) Within 45 days following the end of each Quarter
commencing with the Quarter ending on March 31, 2007, an
amount equal to 100% of Available Cash with respect to such
Quarter shall, subject to
Section 17-607
of the Delaware Act, be distributed in accordance with this
Article VI by the Partnership to the Partners as of the
Record Date selected by the General Partner. All amounts of
Available Cash distributed by the Partnership on any date from
any source shall be deemed to be Operating Surplus until the sum
of all amounts of Available Cash theretofore distributed by the
Partnership to the Partners
40
pursuant to Section 6.4 equals the Operating Surplus from
the Closing Date through the close of the immediately preceding
Quarter. Any remaining amounts of Available Cash distributed by
the Partnership on such date shall, except as otherwise provided
in Section 6.5, be deemed to be “Capital
Surplus.” All distributions required to be made under this
Agreement shall be made subject to
Section 17-607
of the Delaware Act.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 6.3(a), in the event of
the dissolution and liquidation of the Partnership, all receipts
received during or after the Quarter in which the Liquidation
Date occurs shall be applied and distributed solely in
accordance with, and subject to the terms and conditions of,
Section 12.4.
(c) The General Partner may treat taxes paid by the
Partnership on behalf of, or amounts withheld with respect to,
all or less than all of the Partners, as a distribution of
Available Cash to such Partners.
(d) Each distribution in respect of a
Partnership Interest shall be paid by the Partnership,
directly or through the Transfer Agent or through any other
Person or agent, only to the Record Holder of such
Partnership Interest as of the Record Date set for such
distribution. Such payment shall constitute full payment and
satisfaction of the Partnership’s liability in respect of
such payment, regardless of any claim of any Person who may have
an interest in such payment by reason of an assignment or
otherwise.
Section 6.4 Distributions
of Available Cash from Operating Surplus.
(a) During Subordination
Period. Available Cash with respect to any
Quarter within the Subordination Period that is deemed to be
Operating Surplus pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.3
or 6.5 shall, subject to
Section 17-607
of the Delaware Act, be distributed as follows, except as
otherwise contemplated by Section 5.6 in respect of other
Partnership Securities issued pursuant thereto:
(i) First, to the General Partner and the Unitholders
holding Common Units, in accordance with their respective
Percentage Interests, until there has been distributed in
respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to
the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such Quarter;
(ii) Second, to the General Partner and the Unitholders
holding Common Units, in accordance with their respective
Percentage Interests, until there has been distributed in
respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to
the Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage existing with respect to
such Quarter;
(iii) Third, to the General Partner and the Unitholders
holding Subordinated Units, in accordance with their respective
Percentage Interests, until there has been distributed in
respect of each Subordinated Unit then Outstanding an amount
equal to the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such Quarter;
(iv) Fourth, to the General Partner and all Unitholders, in
accordance with their respective Percentage Interests, until
there has been distributed in respect of each Unit then
Outstanding an amount equal to the excess of the First Target
Distribution over the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such
Quarter;
(v) Fifth, (A) to the General Partner in accordance
with its Percentage Interest; (B) 13% to the holders of the
Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata; and (C) to all
Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the sum
of the percentages applicable to subclauses (A) and
(B) of this clause (v) until there has been
distributed in respect of each Unit then Outstanding an amount
equal to the excess of the Second Target Distribution over the
First Target Distribution for such Quarter;
(vi) Sixth, (A) to the General Partner in accordance
with its Percentage Interest, (B) 23% to the holders of the
Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata; and (C) to all
Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the sum
of the percentages applicable to subclauses (A) and
(B) of this subclause (vi), until there has been
distributed in respect of each Unit then Outstanding an amount
equal to the excess of the Third Target Distribution over the
Second Target Distribution for such Quarter; and
41
(vii) Thereafter, (A) to the General Partner in
accordance with its Percentage Interest; (B) 48% to the
holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata; and
(C) to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to
100% less the sum of the percentages applicable to
subclauses (A) and (B) of this clause (vii);
provided, however, if the Minimum Quarterly Distribution,
the First Target Distribution, the Second Target Distribution
and the Third Target Distribution have been reduced to zero
pursuant to the second sentence of
Section 6.6(a),
the distribution of Available Cash that is deemed to be
Operating Surplus with respect to any Quarter will be made
solely in accordance with
Section 6.4(a)(vii).
(b) After Subordination Period. Available
Cash with respect to any Quarter after the Subordination Period
that is deemed to be Operating Surplus pursuant to the
provisions of Section 6.3 or Section 6.5, subject to
Section 17-607
of the Delaware Act, shall be distributed as follows, except as
otherwise required by Section 5.6(b) in respect of
additional Partnership Securities issued pursuant thereto:
(i) First, 100% to the General Partner and the Unitholders
in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests, until
there has been distributed in respect of each Unit then
Outstanding an amount equal to the Minimum Quarterly
Distribution for such Quarter;
(ii) Second, 100% to the General Partner and the
Unitholders in accordance with their respective Percentage
Interests, until there has been distributed in respect of each
Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the excess of the First
Target Distribution over the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for
such Quarter;
(iii) Third, (A) to the General Partner in accordance
with its Percentage Interest; (B) 13% to the holders of the
Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata; and (C) to all
Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the sum
of the percentages applicable to subclauses (A) and
(B) of this clause (iii), until there has been distributed
in respect of each Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the
excess of the Second Target Distribution over the First Target
Distribution for such Quarter;
(iv) Fourth, (A) to the General Partner in accordance
with its Percentage Interest; (B) 23% to the holders of the
Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata; and (C) to all
Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to 100% less the sum
of the percentages applicable to subclause (A) and
(B) of this clause (iv), until there has been
distributed in respect of each Unit then Outstanding an amount
equal to the excess of the Third Target Distribution over the
Second Target Distribution for such Quarter; and
(v) Thereafter, (A) to the General Partner in
accordance with its Percentage Interest; (B) 48% to the
holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata; and
(C) to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, a percentage equal to
100% less the sum of the percentages applicable to
subclauses (A) and (B) of this clause (v);
provided, however, if the Minimum Quarterly Distribution,
the First Target Distribution, the Second Target Distribution
and the Third Target Distribution have been reduced to zero
pursuant to the second sentence of
Section 6.6(a),
the distribution of Available Cash that is deemed to be
Operating Surplus with respect to any Quarter will be made
solely in accordance with
Section 6.4(b)(v).
Section 6.5 Distributions
of Available Cash from Capital Surplus.
Available Cash that is deemed to be Capital Surplus pursuant to
the provisions of
Section 6.3(a)
shall, subject to
Section 17-607
of the Delaware Act, be distributed, unless the provisions of
Section 6.3 require otherwise, 100% to the General Partner
and the Unitholders in accordance with their respective
Percentage Interests, until a hypothetical holder of a Common
Unit acquired on the Closing Date has received with respect to
such Common Unit, during the period since the Closing Date
through such date, distributions of Available Cash that are
deemed to be Capital Surplus in an aggregate amount equal to the
Initial Unit Price. Available Cash that is deemed to be Capital
Surplus shall then be distributed to the General Partner and all
Unitholders holding Common Units, in accordance with their
respective Percentage Interests, until
42
there has been distributed in respect of each Common Unit then
Outstanding an amount equal to the Cumulative Common Unit
Arrearage. Thereafter, all Available Cash shall be distributed
as if it were Operating Surplus and shall be distributed in
accordance with Section 6.4.
Section 6.6 Adjustment
of Minimum Quarterly Distribution and Target Distribution
Levels.
(a) The Minimum Quarterly Distribution, First Target
Distribution, Second Target Distribution, Third Target
Distribution, Common Unit Arrearages and Cumulative Common Unit
Arrearages shall be proportionately adjusted in the event of any
distribution, combination or subdivision (whether effected by a
distribution payable in Units or otherwise) of Units or other
Partnership Securities in accordance with Section 5.9. In
the event of a distribution of Available Cash that is deemed to
be from Capital Surplus, the then applicable Minimum Quarterly
Distribution, First Target Distribution, Second Target
Distribution and Third Target Distribution, shall be adjusted
proportionately downward to equal the product obtained by
multiplying the otherwise applicable Minimum Quarterly
Distribution, First Target Distribution, Second Target
Distribution and Third Target Distribution, as the case may be,
by a fraction of which the numerator is the Unrecovered Initial
Unit Price of the Common Units immediately after giving effect
to such distribution and of which the denominator is the
Unrecovered Initial Unit Price of the Common Units immediately
prior to giving effect to such distribution.
(b) The Minimum Quarterly Distribution, First Target
Distribution, Second Target Distribution and Third Target
Distribution, shall also be subject to adjustment pursuant to
Section 5.11 and Section 6.9.
Section 6.7 Special
Provisions Relating to the Holders of Subordinated Units and
Class B Units.
(a) Except with respect to the right to vote on or approve
matters requiring the vote or approval of a percentage of the
holders of Outstanding Common Units and the right to participate
in allocations of income, gain, loss and deduction and
distributions made with respect to Common Units, the holder of a
Subordinated Unit shall have all of the rights and obligations
of a Unitholder holding Common Units hereunder; provided,
however, that immediately upon the conversion of
Subordinated Units into Common Units pursuant to
Section 5.7, the Unitholder holding a Subordinated Unit
shall possess all of the rights and obligations of a Unitholder
holding Common Units hereunder, including the right to vote as a
Common Unitholder and the right to participate in allocations of
income, gain, loss and deduction and distributions made with
respect to Common Units; provided, however, that such
converted Subordinated Units shall remain subject to the
provisions of
Sections 5.5(c)(ii),
6.1(d)(x)(A),
6.7(b) and
6.7(c).
(b) A Unitholder shall not be permitted to transfer a
Subordinated Unit or a Subordinated Unit that has converted into
a Common Unit pursuant to Section 5.7 (other than a
transfer to an Affiliate) if the remaining balance in the
transferring Unitholder’s Capital Account with respect to
the retained Subordinated Units or Retained Converted
Subordinated Units would be negative after giving effect to the
allocation under
Section 5.5(c)(ii)(B).
(c) The Unitholder holding a Common Unit that has resulted
from the conversion of a Subordinated Unit pursuant to
Section 5.7 shall not be issued a Common Unit Certificate
pursuant to Section 4.1, and shall not be permitted to
transfer such Common Units to a Person that is not an Affiliate
of the holder until such time as the General Partner determines,
based on advice of counsel, that each such Common Unit should
have, as a substantive matter, like intrinsic economic and
federal income tax characteristics, in all material respects, to
the intrinsic economic and federal income tax characteristics of
an Initial Common Unit. In connection with the condition imposed
by this
Section 6.7(c),
the General Partner may take whatever steps are required to
provide economic uniformity to such Common Units in preparation
for a transfer of such Common Units, including the application
of
Sections 5.5(c)(ii),
6.1(d)(x)
and 6.7(b);
provided, however, that no such steps may be taken that
would have a material adverse effect on the Unitholders holding
Common Units represented by Common Unit Certificates.
(d) Except with respect to the right to vote on or approve
matters requiring the vote or approval of a percentage of the
holders of Outstanding Common Units and the right to participate
in allocations of income, gain, loss and deduction and
distributions made with respect to Common Units, the holders of
43
Class B Units shall have all the rights and obligations of
a Unitholder holding Common Units; provided, however,
that immediately upon the conversion of Class B Units into
Common Units pursuant to Section 5.11, the Unitholders
holding a Class B Unit shall possess all the rights and
obligations of a Unitholder holding Common Units hereunder,
including the right to vote as a Common Unitholder and the right
to participate in allocations of income, gain, loss and
deduction and distributions made with respect to Common Units;
provided, however, that such converted Class B Units
shall remain subject to the provisions of
Sections 6.1(d)(x)(B)
and 6.7(e).
(e) The holder or holders of Common Units resulting from
the conversion pursuant to
Section 5.11(f)
of any Class B Units pursuant to Section 5.11 shall
not be issued a Common Unit Certificate pursuant to
Section 4.1, and shall not be permitted to transfer such
Common Units until such time as the General Partner determines,
based on advice of counsel, that each such Common Unit should
have, as a substantive matter, like intrinsic economic and
federal income tax characteristics, in all material respects, to
the intrinsic economic and federal income tax characteristics of
an Initial Common Unit. In connection with the condition imposed
by this
Section 6.7(d),
the General Partner may take whatever steps are required to
provide economic uniformity to such Common Units, including the
application of
Section 6.1(d)(x)(B);
provided, however, that no such steps may be taken
that would have a material adverse effect on the Unitholders
holding Common Units represented by Common Unit Certificates.
Section 6.8 Special
Provisions Relating to the Holders of Incentive Distribution
Rights.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this
Agreement, the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights
(a) shall (i) possess the rights and obligations
provided in this Agreement with respect to a Limited Partner
pursuant to Article III and Article VII and
(ii) have a Capital Account as a Partner pursuant to
Section 5.5 and all other provisions related thereto and
(b) shall not (i) be entitled to vote on any matters
requiring the approval or vote of the holders of Outstanding
Units, except as provided by law, (ii) be entitled to any
distributions other than as provided in Sections 6.4(a)(v),
(vi) and (vii),
Section 6.4(b)(iii),
(iv) and (v), and Section 12.4 or (iii) be
allocated items of income, gain, loss or deduction other than as
specified in this Article VI.
Section 6.9 Entity-Level Taxation.
If legislation is enacted or the interpretation of existing
language is modified by a governmental taxing authority so that
a Group Member is treated as an association taxable as a
corporation or is otherwise subject to an entity-level tax for
federal, state or local income tax purposes, then the General
Partner may reduce the Minimum Quarterly Distribution, the First
Target Distribution, the Second Target Distribution and the
Third Target Distribution by the amount of income taxes that are
payable by reason of any such new legislation or interpretation
(the “Incremental Income Taxes”), or any portion
thereof selected by the General Partner, in the manner provided
in this Section 6.9. If the General Partner elects to reduce the
Minimum Quarterly Distribution, the First Target Distribution,
the Second Target Distribution and the Third Target Distribution
for any Quarter with respect to all or a portion of any
Incremental Income Taxes, the General Partner shall estimate for
such Quarter the Partnership Group’s aggregate liability
(the “Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax
Amount”) for all (or the relevant portion of) such
Incremental Income Taxes; provided that any difference
between such estimate and the actual tax liability for
Incremental Income Taxes (or the relevant portion thereof) for
such Quarter may, to the extent determined by the General
Partner be taken into account in determining the Estimated
Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount with respect to each Quarter in
which any such difference can be determined. For each such
Quarter, the Minimum Quarterly Distribution, First Target
Distribution, Second Target Distribution and Third Target
Distribution, shall be the product obtained by multiplying
(a) the amounts therefor that are set out herein prior to
the application of this Section 6.9 times (b) the
quotient obtained by dividing (i) Available Cash with
respect to such Quarter by (ii) the sum of Available Cash
with respect to such Quarter and the Estimated Incremental
Quarterly Tax Amount for such Quarter, as determined by the
General Partner. For purposes of the foregoing, Available Cash
with respect to a Quarter will be deemed reduced by the
Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount for that Quarter.
44
ARTICLE VII
MANAGEMENT
AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS
Section 7.1 Management.
(a) The General Partner shall conduct, direct and manage
all activities of the Partnership. Except as otherwise expressly
provided in this Agreement, all management powers over the
business and affairs of the Partnership shall be exclusively
vested in the General Partner, and no Limited Partner 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 that are granted to the General Partner under any other
provision of this Agreement, the General Partner, subject to
Section 7.3, shall have full power and authority to do all
things and on such terms as it determines to be necessary or
appropriate to conduct the business of the Partnership, to
exercise all powers set forth in Section 2.5 and to
effectuate the purposes set forth in Section 2.4, including
the following:
(i) the making of any expenditures, the lending or
borrowing of money, the assumption or guarantee of, or other
contracting for, indebtedness and other liabilities, the
issuance of evidences of indebtedness, including indebtedness
that is convertible into Partnership Securities, and the
incurring of any other obligations;
(ii) the making of tax, regulatory and other filings, or
rendering of periodic or other reports to governmental or other
agencies having jurisdiction over the business or assets of the
Partnership;
(iii) the acquisition, disposition, mortgage, pledge,
encumbrance, hypothecation or exchange of any or all of the
assets of the Partnership or the merger or other combination of
the Partnership with or into another Person (the matters
described in this clause (iii) being subject, however, to
any prior approval that may be required by Section 7.3 and
Article XIV);
(iv) the use of the assets of the Partnership (including
cash on hand) for any purpose consistent with the terms of this
Agreement, including the financing of the conduct of the
operations of the Partnership Group; subject to
Section 7.6(a), the lending of funds to other Persons
(including other Group Members); the repayment or guarantee of
obligations of any Group Member; and the making of capital
contributions to any Group Member;
(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 insurance for the benefit of the
Partnership Group, the Partners and Indemnitees;
(ix) the formation of, or acquisition of an interest in,
and the contribution of property and the making of loans to, any
further limited or general partnerships, joint ventures,
corporations, limited liability companies or other relationships
(including the acquisition of interests in, and the
contributions of property to, any Group Member from time to
time) subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 2.4;
45
(x) the control of any matters affecting the rights and
obligations of the Partnership, including the bringing and
defending of actions at law or in equity and otherwise engaging
in the conduct of litigation, arbitration or mediation and the
incurring of legal expense and the settlement of claims and
litigation;
(xi) the indemnification of any Person against liabilities
and contingencies to the extent permitted by law;
(xii) the entering into of listing agreements with any
National Securities Exchange and the delisting of some or all of
the Limited Partner Interests from, or requesting that trading
be suspended on, any such exchange (subject to any prior
approval that may be required under Section 4.8);
(xiii) the purchase, sale or other acquisition or
disposition of Partnership Securities, or the issuance of
options, rights, warrants, appreciation rights and tracking and
phantom interests relating to Partnership Securities;
(xiv) the undertaking of any action in connection with the
Partnership’s participation in any Group Member; and
(xv) the entering into of agreements with any of its
Affiliates to render services to a Group Member or to itself in
the discharge of its duties as General Partner of the
Partnership.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement,
any Group Member Agreement, the Delaware Act or any applicable
law, rule or regulation, each of the Partners and the Assignees
and each other Person who may acquire an interest in Partnership
Securities hereby (i) approves, ratifies and confirms the
execution, delivery and performance by the parties thereto of
this Agreement and the Group Member Agreement of each other
Group Member, the Underwriting Agreement, the Omnibus Agreement,
the Contribution Agreement, the Natural Gas Purchase Agreement,
the NGL and Products Purchase Agreement, any Group Member
Agreement and the other agreements described in or filed as
exhibits to the Registration Statement that are related to the
transactions contemplated by 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 Partnership
Securities; 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 XV) shall not constitute a breach by the
General Partner of any duty that the General Partner may owe the
Partnership or the Limited Partners or any other Persons under
this Agreement (or any other agreements) or of any duty stated
or implied by law or equity.
Section 7.2 Certificate
of Limited Partnership.
The General Partner has caused the Certificate of Limited
Partnership to be filed with the Secretary of State of the State
of Delaware as required by the Delaware Act. The General Partner
shall use all reasonable efforts to cause to be filed such other
certificates or documents that the General Partner determines to
be necessary or appropriate for the formation, continuation,
qualification and operation of a limited partnership (or a
partnership in which the limited partners have limited
liability) in the State of Delaware or any other state in which
the Partnership may elect to do business or own property. To the
extent the General Partner determines such action to be
necessary or appropriate, the General Partner shall file
amendments to and restatements of the Certificate of Limited
Partnership and do all things to maintain the Partnership as a
limited partnership (or a partnership or other entity in which
the limited partners have limited liability) under the laws of
the State of Delaware or of any other state in which the
Partnership may elect to do business or own property. Subject to
the terms of Section 3.4(a), the General Partner shall
46
not be required, before or after filing, to deliver or mail a
copy of the Certificate of Limited Partnership, any
qualification document or any amendment thereto to any Limited
Partner.
Section 7.3 Restrictions
on the General Partner’s Authority.
Except as provided in Article XII and Article XIV, the
General Partner may not sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of
all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership Group,
taken as a whole, in a single transaction or a series of related
transactions (including by way of merger, consolidation, other
combination or sale of ownership interests of the
Partnership’s Subsidiaries) without the approval of holders
of a Unit Majority; provided, however, that this
provision shall not preclude or limit the General Partner’s
ability to mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or grant a security
interest in all or substantially all of the assets of the
Partnership Group and shall not apply to any forced sale of any
or all of the assets of the Partnership Group pursuant to the
foreclosure of, or other realization upon, any such encumbrance.
Without the approval of holders of a Unit Majority, the General
Partner shall not, on behalf of the Partnership, except as
permitted under Section 4.6, 11.1 and Section 11.2,
elect or cause the Partnership to elect a successor general
partner of the Partnership.
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Section 7.4
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Reimbursement
of the General Partner.
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(a) Except as provided in this Section 7.4 and
elsewhere in this Agreement, the General Partner shall not be
compensated for its services as a general partner or managing
member of any Group Member.
(b) Subject to the limitations contained in the Omnibus
Agreement, the General Partner shall be reimbursed on a monthly
basis, or such other basis as the General Partner may determine,
for (i) all direct and indirect expenses it incurs or
payments it makes on behalf of the Partnership Group (including
salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to
any Person, including Affiliates of the General Partner to
perform services for the Partnership Group or for the General
Partner in the discharge of its duties to the Partnership
Group), and (ii) all other expenses allocable to the
Partnership Group or otherwise incurred by the General Partner
in connection with operating the Partnership Group’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 Group.
Reimbursements pursuant to this Section 7.4 shall be in
addition to any reimbursement to the General Partner as a result
of indemnification pursuant to Section 7.7.
(c) The General Partner, without the approval of the
Limited Partners (who shall have no right to vote in respect
thereof), may propose and adopt on behalf of the Partnership
employee benefit plans, employee programs and employee practices
(including plans, programs and practices involving the issuance
of Partnership Securities or options to purchase or rights,
warrants or appreciation rights or phantom or tracking interests
relating to Partnership Securities), or cause the Partnership to
issue Partnership Securities in connection with, or pursuant to,
any employee benefit plan, employee program or employee practice
maintained or sponsored by the General Partner, Group Member or
any Affiliates in each case for the benefit of employees and
directors of the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, in
respect of services performed, directly or indirectly, for the
benefit of the Partnership Group. The Partnership agrees to
issue and sell to the General Partner or any of its Affiliates
any Partnership Securities that the General Partner or such
Affiliates are obligated to provide to any employees and
directors pursuant to any such employee benefit plans, employee
programs or employee practices. Expenses incurred by the General
Partner in connection with any such plans, programs and
practices (including the net cost to the General Partner or such
Affiliates of Partnership Securities purchased by the General
Partner or such Affiliates from the Partnership to fulfill
options or awards under such plans, programs and practices)
shall be reimbursed in accordance with Section 7.4(b). Any
and all obligations of the General Partner under any employee
benefit plans, employee programs or employee practices adopted
by the General Partner as permitted by this Section 7.4(c)
shall constitute obligations of the General Partner hereunder
and shall be assumed by any successor General Partner approved
pursuant to Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 or the
transferee of or successor to all of the General Partner’s
General Partner Interest (represented by General Partner Units)
pursuant to Section 4.6.
47
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Section 7.5
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Outside
Activities.
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(a) After the Closing Date, the General Partner, for so
long as it is the General Partner of the Partnership
(i) agrees that its sole business will be to act as a
general partner or managing member, as the case may be, of the
Partnership and any other partnership or limited liability
company of which the Partnership is, directly or indirectly, a
partner or member and to undertake activities that are ancillary
or related thereto (including being a limited partner in the
Partnership) and (ii) shall not engage in any business or
activity or incur any debts or liabilities except in connection
with or incidental to (A) its performance as general
partner or managing member, if any, of one or more Group Members
or as described in or contemplated by the Registration Statement
(B) the acquiring, owning or disposing of debt or equity
securities in any Group Member or (C) the guarantee of, and
mortgage, pledge, or encumbrance of any or all of its assets in
connection with, any indebtedness of Targa Resources, Inc., any
of its successors or permitted assigns or any other Affiliate of
the General Partner.
(b) Each Indemnitee (other than the General Partner) shall
have the right to engage in businesses of every type and
description and other activities for profit and to engage in and
possess an interest in other business ventures of any and every
type or description, whether in businesses engaged in or
anticipated to be engaged in by any Group Member, independently
or with others, including business interests and activities in
direct competition with the business and activities of any Group
Member, and none of the same shall constitute a breach of this
Agreement or any duty expressed or implied by law to any Group
Member or any Partner or Assignee. None of any Group Member, any
Limited Partner or any other Person shall have any rights by
virtue of this Agreement, any Group Member Agreement, or the
partnership relationship established hereby in any business
ventures of any Indemnitee. Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary in this Agreement, (i) the engaging in competitive
activities by any Indemnitees (other than the General Partner)
in accordance with the provisions of this Section 7.5 is
hereby approved by the Partnership and all Partners,
(ii) it shall be deemed not to be a breach of any fiduciary
duty or any other obligation of any type whatsoever of any
Indemnitee for the Indemnitees (other than the General Partner)
to engage in such business interests and activities in
preference to or to the exclusion of the Partnership and
(iii) the Indemnitees shall have no obligation hereunder or
as a result of any duty expressed or implied by law to present
business opportunities to the Partnership. Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the doctrine of
corporate opportunity, or any analogous doctrine, shall not
apply to any Indemnitee (including the General Partner). No
Indemnitee (including the General Partner) who acquires
knowledge of a potential transaction, agreement, arrangement or
other matter that may be an opportunity for the Partnership,
shall have any duty to communicate or offer such opportunity to
the Partnership, and such Indemnitee (including the General
Partner) shall not be liable to the Partnership, to any Limited
Partner or any other Person for breach of any fiduciary or other
duty by reason of the fact that such Indemnitee (including the
General Partner) pursues or acquires for itself, directs such
opportunity to another Person or does not communicate such
opportunity or information to the Partnership; provided such
Indemnitee does not engage in such business or activity as a
result of or using confidential or proprietary information
provided by or on behalf of the Partnership to such Indemnitee.
(c) The General Partner and each 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, at
their option, all rights relating to all Units or other
Partnership Securities acquired by them. The term
“Affiliates” when used in this Section 7.5(d)
with respect to the General Partner shall not include any Group
Member.
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Section 7.6
|
Loans
from the General Partner; Loans or Contributions from the
Partnership or Group Members.
|
(a) The General Partner or any of its Affiliates may lend
to any Group Member, and any Group Member may borrow from the
General Partner or any of its Affiliates, funds needed or
desired by the Group Member for such periods of time and in such
amounts as the General Partner may determine; provided,
however, that in any such case the lending party may not
charge the borrowing party interest at a rate greater than the
rate that would be charged the borrowing party or impose terms
less favorable to the
48
borrowing party than would be charged or imposed on the
borrowing party by unrelated lenders on comparable loans made on
an arm’s-length basis (without reference to the lending
party’s financial abilities or guarantees), all as
determined by the General Partner. The borrowing party shall
reimburse the lending party for any costs (other than any
additional interest costs) incurred by the lending party in
connection with the borrowing of such funds. For purposes of
this Section 7.6(a) and Section 7.6(b), the term
“Group Member” shall include any Affiliate of a Group
Member that is controlled by the Group Member.
(b) The Partnership may lend or contribute to any Group
Member, and any Group Member may borrow from the Partnership,
funds on terms and conditions determined by the General Partner.
No Group Member may lend funds to the General Partner or any of
its Affiliates (other than another Group Member).
(c) No borrowing by any Group Member or the approval
thereof by the General Partner shall be deemed to constitute a
breach of any duty, expressed or implied, of the General Partner
or its Affiliates to the Partnership or the Limited Partners by
reason of the fact that the purpose or effect of such borrowing
is directly or indirectly to (i) enable distributions to
the General Partner or its Affiliates (including in their
capacities as Limited Partners) to exceed the General
Partner’s Percentage Interest of the total amount
distributed to all partners or (ii) hasten the expiration
of the Subordination Period or the conversion of any
Subordinated Units into Common Units.
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Section 7.7
|
Indemnification.
|
(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law but subject to
the limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, all
Indemnitees shall be indemnified and held harmless by the
Partnership from and against any and all losses, claims,
damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including
legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest,
settlements or other amounts arising from any and all 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 the Indemnitee shall not be indemnified
and held harmless if there has been a final and non-appealable
judgment entered by a court of competent jurisdiction
determining that, in respect of the matter for which the
Indemnitee is seeking indemnification pursuant to this
Section 7.7, the Indemnitee acted in bad faith or engaged
in fraud, willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal
matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct
was unlawful; provided, further, no indemnification
pursuant to this Section 7.7 shall be available to the
General Partner or its Affiliates (other than a Group Member)
with respect to its or their obligations incurred pursuant to
the Underwriting Agreement, the Omnibus Agreement or the
Contribution Agreement (other than obligations incurred by the
General Partner on behalf of the Partnership). Any
indemnification pursuant to this Section 7.7 shall be made
only out of the assets of the Partnership, it being agreed that
the General Partner shall not be personally liable for such
indemnification and shall have no obligation to contribute or
loan any monies or property to the Partnership to enable it to
effectuate such indemnification.
(b) To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses
(including legal fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnitee
who is indemnified pursuant to Section 7.7(a) in defending
any claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding shall, from time
to time, be advanced by the Partnership prior to a determination
that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified upon
receipt by the Partnership of any undertaking by or on behalf of
the Indemnitee to repay such amount if it shall be determined
that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified as
authorized in this Section 7.7.
(c) The indemnification provided by this Section 7.7
shall be in addition to any other rights to which an Indemnitee
may be entitled under any agreement, pursuant to any vote of the
holders of Outstanding Limited Partner Interests, 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.
49
(d) The Partnership may purchase and maintain (or reimburse
the General Partner or its Affiliates for the cost of)
insurance, on behalf of the General Partner, its Affiliates and
such other Persons as the General Partner shall determine,
against any liability that may be asserted against, or expense
that may be incurred by, such Person in connection with the
Partnership’s activities or such Person’s activities
on behalf of the Partnership, regardless of whether the
Partnership would have the power to indemnify such Person
against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement.
(e) For purposes of this Section 7.7, the Partnership
shall be deemed to have requested an Indemnitee to serve as
fiduciary of an employee benefit plan whenever the performance
by it of its duties to the Partnership also imposes duties on,
or otherwise involves services by, it to the plan or
participants or beneficiaries of the plan; excise taxes assessed
on an Indemnitee with respect to an employee benefit plan
pursuant to applicable law shall constitute “fines”
within the meaning of Section 7.7(a); and action taken or
omitted by it with respect to any employee benefit plan in the
performance of its duties for a purpose reasonably believed by
it to be in the best interest of the participants and
beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose
that is in the best interests of the Partnership.
(f) In no event may an Indemnitee subject the Limited
Partners to personal liability by reason of the indemnification
provisions set forth in this Agreement.
(g) An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in
whole or in part under this Section 7.7 because the
Indemnitee had an interest in the transaction with respect to
which the indemnification applies if the transaction was
otherwise permitted by the terms of this Agreement.
(h) The provisions of this Section 7.7 are for the
benefit of the Indemnitees, 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 7.7 or any provision hereof shall in any manner
terminate, reduce or impair the right of any past, present or
future Indemnitee to be indemnified by the Partnership, nor the
obligations of the Partnership to indemnify any such Indemnitee
under and in accordance with the provisions of this
Section 7.7 as in effect immediately prior to such
amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising
from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part,
prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of
when such claims may arise or be asserted.
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Section 7.8
|
Liability
of Indemnitees.
|
(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in
this Agreement, no Indemnitee shall be liable for monetary
damages to the Partnership, the Limited Partners, or any other
Persons who have acquired interests in the Partnership
Securities, for losses sustained or liabilities incurred as a
result of any act or omission of an Indemnitee unless there has
been a final and non-appealable judgment entered by a court of
competent jurisdiction determining that, in respect of the
matter in question, the Indemnitee acted in bad faith or engaged
in fraud, willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal
matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct
was criminal.
(b) Subject to its obligations and duties as General
Partner set forth in Section 7.1(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) To the extent that, at law or in equity, an Indemnitee
has duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating
thereto to the Partnership or to the Partners, the General
Partner and any other Indemnitee acting in connection with the
Partnership’s business or affairs shall not be liable to
the Partnership or to any Partner for its good faith reliance on
the provisions of this Agreement.
(d) Any amendment, modification or repeal of this
Section 7.8 or any provision hereof shall be prospective
only and shall not in any way affect the limitations on the
liability of the Indemnitees under this
50
Section 7.8 as in effect immediately prior to such
amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising
from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part,
prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of
when such claims may arise or be asserted.
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Section 7.9
|
Resolution
of Conflicts of Interest; Standards of Conduct and Modification
of Duties.
|
(a) Unless otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement
or any Group Member Agreement, whenever a potential conflict of
interest exists or arises between the General Partner or any of
its Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Partnership, any Group
Member or any Partner, on the other, any resolution or course of
action by the General Partner or its Affiliates in respect of
such conflict of interest shall be permitted and deemed approved
by all Partners, and shall not constitute a breach of this
Agreement, of any Group Member Agreement, of any agreement
contemplated herein or therein, or of any duty stated or implied
by law or equity, if the resolution or course of action in
respect of such conflict of interest is (i) approved by
Special Approval, (ii) approved by the vote of a majority
of the Common Units (excluding Common Units owned by the General
Partner and its Affiliates), (iii) on terms no less
favorable to the Partnership than those generally being provided
to or available from unrelated third parties or (iv) fair
and reasonable to the Partnership, taking into account the
totality of the relationships between the parties involved
(including other transactions that may be particularly favorable
or advantageous to the Partnership). The General Partner shall
be authorized but not required in connection with its resolution
of such conflict of interest to seek Special Approval of such
resolution, and the General Partner may also adopt a resolution
or course of action that has not received Special Approval. If
Special Approval is sought, then it shall be presumed that, in
making its decision, the Conflicts Committee acted in good
faith, and if Special Approval is not sought and the Board of
Directors determines that the resolution or course of action
taken with respect to a conflict of interest satisfies either of
the standards set forth in clauses (iii) or
(iv) above, then it shall be presumed that, in making its
decision, the Board of Directors acted in good faith, and in
either case, in any proceeding brought by any Limited Partner or
by or on behalf of such Limited Partner or any other Limited
Partner or the Partnership challenging such approval, the Person
bringing or prosecuting such proceeding shall have the burden of
overcoming such presumption. Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary in this Agreement or any duty otherwise existing at law
or equity, the existence of the conflicts of interest described
in the Registration Statement are hereby approved by all
Partners and shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement.
(b) Whenever the General Partner makes a determination or
takes or declines to take any other action, or any of its
Affiliates causes it to do so, in its capacity as the general
partner of the Partnership as opposed to in its individual
capacity, whether under this Agreement, any Group Member
Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby or
otherwise, then, unless another express standard is provided for
in this Agreement, the General Partner, or such Affiliates
causing it to do so, shall make such determination or take or
decline to take such other action in good faith and shall not be
subject to any other or different standards imposed by this
Agreement, any Group Member Agreement, any other agreement
contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law,
rule or regulation or at equity. In order for a determination or
other action to be in “good faith” for purposes of
this Agreement, the Person or Persons making such determination
or taking or declining to take such other action must believe
that the determination or other action is in the best interests
of the Partnership.
(c) Whenever the General Partner makes a determination or
takes or declines to take any other action, or any of its
Affiliates causes it to do so, in its individual capacity as
opposed to in its capacity as the general partner of the
Partnership, whether under this Agreement, any Group Member
Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby or
otherwise, then the General Partner, or such Affiliates causing
it to do so, are entitled to make such determination or to take
or decline to take such other action free of any fiduciary duty
or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership, any Limited
Partner, and the General Partner, or such Affiliates causing it
to do so, shall not be required to act in good faith or pursuant
to any other standard imposed by this Agreement, any Group
Member Agreement, any other agreement contemplated hereby or
under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or
at equity. By way of illustration and not of limitation,
whenever the phrase, “at the option of the General
Partner,” or some
51
variation of that phrase, is used in this Agreement, it
indicates that the General Partner is acting in its individual
capacity. For the avoidance of doubt, whenever the General
Partner votes or transfers its Partnership Interests, or
refrains from voting or transferring its
Partnership Interests, it shall be acting in its individual
capacity. The General Partner’s organizational documents
may provide that determinations to take or decline to take any
action in its individual, rather than representative, capacity
may or shall be determined by its members, if the General
Partner is a limited liability company, stockholders, if the
General Partner is a corporation, or the members or stockholders
of the General Partner’s general partner, if the General
Partner is a partnership.
(d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this
Agreement, the General Partner and its Affiliates shall have no
duty or obligation, express or implied, to (i) sell or
otherwise dispose of any asset of the Partnership Group other
than in the ordinary course of business or (ii) permit any
Group Member to use any facilities or assets of the General
Partner and its Affiliates, except as may be provided in
contracts entered into from time to time specifically dealing
with such use. Any determination by the General Partner or any
of its Affiliates to enter into such contracts shall be at its
option.
(e) Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement,
neither the General Partner nor any other Indemnitee shall have
any duties or liabilities, including fiduciary duties, to the
Partnership or any Limited Partner and the provisions of this
Agreement, to the extent that they restrict, eliminate or
otherwise modify the duties and liabilities, including fiduciary
duties, of the General Partner or any other Indemnitee otherwise
existing at law or in equity, are agreed by the Partners to
replace such other duties and liabilities of the General Partner
or such other Indemnitee.
(f) The Unitholders hereby authorize the General Partner,
on behalf of the Partnership as a partner or member of a Group
Member, to approve of actions by the general partner or managing
member of such Group Member similar to those actions permitted
to be taken by the General Partner pursuant to this
Section 7.9.
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Section 7.10
|
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.
(c) The General Partner shall have the right, in respect of
any of its powers or obligations hereunder, to act through any
of its duly authorized officers, a duly appointed attorney or
attorneys-in-fact
or the duly authorized officers of the Partnership or any Group
Member.
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Section 7.11
|
Purchase
or Sale of Partnership Securities.
|
The General Partner may cause the Partnership to purchase or
otherwise acquire Partnership Securities; provided that,
except as permitted pursuant to Section 4.10, the General
Partner may not cause any Group Member to purchase Subordinated
Units during the Subordination Period. Such Partnership
Securities shall be held by the Partnership as treasury
securities unless they are expressly cancelled by action of an
appropriate officer of the General Partner. As long as
Partnership Securities are held by any Group Member, such
Partnership Securities 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
52
or otherwise acquire and sell or otherwise dispose of
Partnership Securities for its own account, subject to the
provisions of Articles IV and X.
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|
Section 7.12
|
Registration
Rights of the General Partner and its Affiliates.
|
(a) If (i) the General Partner or any Affiliate of the
General Partner (including for purposes of this
Section 7.12, any Person that is an Affiliate of the
General Partner at the date hereof notwithstanding that it may
later cease to be an Affiliate of the General Partner) holds
Partnership 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
Partnership Securities (the “Holder”) to
dispose of the number of Partnership Securities it desires to
sell at the time it desires to do so without registration under
the Securities Act, then at the option and upon the request of
the Holder, the Partnership shall file with the Commission as
promptly as practicable after receiving such request, and use
commercially reasonable efforts to cause to become effective and
remain effective for a period of not less than six months
following its effective date or such shorter period as shall
terminate when all Partnership 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 Partnership Securities specified by the Holder;
provided, however, that the Partnership shall not be
required to effect more than three registrations pursuant to
this Section 7.12(a) and Section 7.12(b); and
provided further, however, that if the Conflicts
Committee determines in good faith that the requested
registration would be materially detrimental to the Partnership
and its Partners because such registration would
(x) materially interfere with a significant acquisition,
reorganization or other similar transaction involving the
Partnership, (y) require premature disclosure of material
information that the Partnership has a bona fide business
purpose for preserving as confidential or (z) render the
Partnership unable to comply with requirements under applicable
securities laws, then the Partnership shall have the right to
postpone such requested registration for a period of not more
than six months after receipt of the Holder’s
request, such right pursuant to this Section 7.12(a) or
Section 7.12(b) not to be utilized more than once in any
twelve-month period. In connection with any registration
pursuant to the first sentence of this Section 7.12(a), the
Partnership shall (i) promptly prepare and file
(A) such documents as may be necessary to register or
qualify the securities subject to such registration under the
securities laws of such states as the Holder shall reasonably
request; provided, however, that no such qualification
shall be required in any jurisdiction where, as a result
thereof, the Partnership would become subject to general service
of process or to taxation or qualification to do business as a
foreign corporation or partnership doing business in such
jurisdiction solely as a result of such registration, and
(B) such documents as may be necessary to apply for listing
or to list the Partnership Securities subject to such
registration on such National Securities Exchange as the Holder
shall reasonably request, and (ii) do any and all other
acts and things that may be necessary or appropriate to enable
the Holder to consummate a public sale of such Partnership
Securities in such states. Except as set forth in
Section 7.12(d), 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 any Holder holds Partnership Securities that it
desires to sell and 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 to dispose of the number of Partnership Securities it
desires to sell at the time it desires to do so without
registration under the Securities Act, then at the option and
upon the request of the Holder, the Partnership shall file with
the Commission as promptly as practicable after receiving such
request, and use commercially reasonable efforts to cause to
become effective and remain effective for a period of not less
than six months following its effective date or such shorter
period as shall terminate when all Partnership Securities
covered by such shelf registration statement have been sold, a
“shelf” registration statement covering the
Partnership Securities specified by the Holder on an appropriate
form under Rule 415 under the Securities Act, or any
similar rule that may be adopted by the Commission; provided,
however, that the Partnership shall not be required to
effect more than three registrations pursuant to
Section 7.12(a) and this Section 7.12(b); and
provided further, however, that if the Conflicts
Committee determines in good faith that any offering under, or
the use of any prospectus forming a part of, the shelf
registration statement would be materially detrimental to the
Partnership and its Partners because such
53
offering or use would (x) materially interfere with a
significant acquisition, reorganization or other similar
transaction involving the Partnership, (y) require
premature disclosure of material information that the
Partnership has a bona fide business purpose for preserving as
confidential or (z) render the Partnership unable to comply
with requirements under applicable securities laws, then the
Partnership shall have the right to suspend such offering or use
for a period of not more than six months after receipt of the
Holder’s request, such right pursuant to
Section 7.12(a) or this Section 7.12(b) not to be
utilized more than once in any twelve-month period. In
connection with any shelf registration pursuant to this
Section 7.12(b), the Partnership shall (i) promptly
prepare and file (A) such documents as may be necessary to
register or qualify the securities subject to such shelf
registration under the securities laws of such states as the
Holder shall reasonably request; provided, however, that
no such qualification shall be required in any jurisdiction
where, as a result thereof, the Partnership would become subject
to general service of process or to taxation or qualification to
do business as a foreign corporation or partnership doing
business in such jurisdiction solely as a result of such shelf
registration, and (B) such documents as may be necessary to
apply for listing or to list the Partnership Securities subject
to such shelf registration on such National Securities Exchange
as the Holder shall reasonably request, and (ii) do any and
all other acts and things that may be necessary or appropriate
to enable the Holder to consummate a public sale of such
Partnership Securities in such states. Except as set forth in
Section 7.12(d), all costs and expenses of any such shelf
registration and offering (other than the underwriting discounts
and commissions) shall be paid by the Partnership, without
reimbursement by the Holder.
(c) 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 notify all Holders of such proposal and 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; provided, that the Partnership
is not required to make any effort or take any action to so
include the securities of the Holder once the registration
statement is declared effective by the Commission or otherwise
becomes effective, including any registration statement
providing for the offering from time to time of securities
pursuant to Rule 415 of the Securities Act. If the proposed
offering pursuant to this Section 7.12(c) shall be an
underwritten offering, then, in the event that the managing
underwriter or managing underwriters of such offering advise the
Partnership and the Holder in writing that in their opinion the
inclusion of all or some of the Holder’s Partnership
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 that, in the opinion of the managing underwriter or
managing underwriters, will not so adversely and materially
affect the offering. Except as set forth in
Section 7.12(d), 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.
(d) If underwriters are engaged in connection with any
registration referred to in this Section 7.12, the
Partnership shall provide indemnification, representations,
covenants, opinions and other assurance to the underwriters in
form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such underwriters.
Further, in addition to and not in limitation of the
Partnership’s obligation under Section 7.7, the
Partnership shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law,
indemnify and hold harmless the Holder, its officers, directors
and each Person who controls the Holder (within the meaning of
the Securities Act) and any agent thereof (collectively,
“Indemnified Persons”) from and against
any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or
several, expenses (including legal fees and expenses),
judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other
amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits
or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or
investigative, in which any Indemnified Person may be involved,
or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, under
the Securities Act or otherwise (hereinafter referred to in this
Section 7.12(d) as a “claim” and in
the plural as “claims”) based upon,
arising out of or resulting from any untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement of any material fact contained in any
registration statement under which any Partnership Securities
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 any free writing prospectus or in
any amendment or supplement thereto (if used during the period
the Partnership is required to keep the
54
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 any free writing prospectus or
such amendment or supplement, in reliance upon and in conformity
with written information furnished to the Partnership by or on
behalf of such Indemnified Person specifically for use in the
preparation thereof.
(e) The provisions of Section 7.12(a),
Section 7.12(b) and Section 7.12(c) shall continue to
be applicable with respect to the General Partner (and any of
the General Partner’s Affiliates) after it ceases to be a
general partner of the Partnership, during a period of two years
subsequent to the effective date of such cessation and for so
long thereafter as is required for the Holder to sell all of the
Partnership Securities with respect to which it has requested
during such two-year period inclusion in a registration
statement otherwise filed or that a registration statement be
filed; provided, however, that the Partnership shall not
be required to file successive registration statements covering
the same Partnership Securities for which registration was
demanded during such two-year period. The provisions of
Section 7.12(d) shall continue in effect thereafter.
(f) The rights to cause the Partnership to register
Partnership Securities pursuant to this Section 7.12 may be
assigned (but only with all related obligations) by a Holder to
a transferee or assignee of such Partnership Securities,
provided (i) the Partnership is, within a reasonable time
after such transfer, furnished with written notice of the name
and address of such transferee or assignee and the Partnership
Securities with respect to which such registration rights are
being assigned; and (ii) such transferee or assignee agrees
in writing to be bound by and subject to the terms set forth in
this Section 7.12.
(g) Any request to register Partnership Securities pursuant
to this Section 7.12 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 Partnership Securities 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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Section 7.13
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Reliance
by Third Parties.
|
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, any
Person dealing with the Partnership shall be entitled to assume
that the General Partner and any officer of the General Partner
authorized by the General Partner to act on behalf of and in the
name of the Partnership has full power and authority to
encumber, sell or otherwise use in any manner any and all assets
of the Partnership and to enter into any authorized contracts on
behalf of the Partnership, and such Person shall be entitled to
deal with the General Partner or any such officer as if it were
the Partnership’s sole party in interest, both legally and
beneficially. Each Limited Partner hereby waives any and all
defenses or other remedies that may be available against such
Person to contest, negate or disaffirm any action of the General
Partner or any such officer in connection with any such dealing.
In no event shall any Person dealing with the General Partner or
any such officer or its representatives be obligated to
ascertain that the terms of this Agreement have been complied
with or to inquire into the necessity or expedience of any act
or action of the General Partner or any such officer or its
representatives. Each and every certificate, document or other
instrument executed on behalf of the Partnership by the General
Partner or its representatives shall be conclusive evidence in
favor of any and every Person relying thereon or claiming
thereunder that (a) at the time of the execution and
delivery of such certificate, document or instrument, this
Agreement was in full force and effect, (b) the Person
executing and delivering such certificate, document or
instrument was duly authorized and empowered to do so for and on
behalf of the Partnership and (c) such certificate,
document or instrument was duly executed and delivered in
accordance with the terms and provisions of this Agreement and
is binding upon the Partnership.
55
ARTICLE VIII
BOOKS,
RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS
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|
Section 8.1
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Records
and Accounting.
|
The General Partner shall keep or cause to be kept at the
principal office of the Partnership appropriate books and
records with respect to the Partnership’s business,
including all books and records necessary to provide to the
Limited Partners any information required to be provided
pursuant to Section 3.4(a). Any books and records
maintained by or on behalf of the Partnership in the regular
course of its business, including the record of the Record
Holders of Units or other Partnership 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 U.S. GAAP.
The fiscal year of the Partnership shall be a fiscal year ending
December 31.
(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 mailed or
made available, by any reasonable means (including posting on or
accessible through the Partnership’s or the SEC’s
website) to each Record Holder of a Unit as of a date selected
by the General Partner, an annual report containing financial
statements of the Partnership for such fiscal year of the
Partnership, presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP,
including a balance sheet and statements of operations,
Partnership equity and cash flows, such statements to be audited
by a firm of independent public accountants selected by the
General Partner.
(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 mailed or made available, by any reasonable means (including
posting on or accessible through the Partnership’s or the
SEC’s website) to each Record Holder of a Unit, as of a
date selected by the General Partner, a report containing
unaudited financial statements of the Partnership and such other
information as may be required by applicable law, regulation or
rule of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are
listed or admitted to trading, or as the General Partner
determines to be necessary or appropriate.
ARTICLE IX
TAX MATTERS
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Section 9.1
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Tax
Returns and Information.
|
The Partnership shall timely file all returns of the Partnership
that are required for federal, state and local income tax
purposes on the basis of the accrual method and the taxable year
or years that it is required by law to adopt, from time to time,
as determined by the General Partner. In the event the
Partnership is required to use a taxable year other than a year
ending on December 31, the General Partner shall use
reasonable efforts to change the taxable year of the Partnership
to a year ending on December 31. The tax information
reasonably required by Record Holders for federal and state
income tax reporting purposes with respect to a taxable year
shall be furnished to them within 90 days of the close of
the calendar year in which the Partnership’s taxable year
ends. The classification, realization and recognition of income,
gain, losses and deductions and other items shall be on the
accrual method of accounting for federal income tax purposes.
56
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|
Section 9.2
|
Tax
Elections.
|
(a) The Partnership shall make the election under
Section 754 of the Code in accordance with applicable
regulations thereunder, subject to the reservation of the right
to seek to revoke any such election upon the General
Partner’s determination that such revocation is in the best
interests of the Limited Partners. Notwithstanding any other
provision herein contained, for the purposes of computing the
adjustments under Section 743(b) of the Code, the General
Partner shall be authorized (but not required) to adopt a
convention whereby the price paid by a transferee of a Limited
Partner Interest will be deemed to be the lowest quoted closing
price of the Limited Partner Interests on any National
Securities Exchange on which such Limited Partner Interests are
listed or admitted to trading during the calendar month in which
such transfer is deemed to occur pursuant to Section 6.2(g)
without regard to the actual price paid by such transferee.
(b) Except as otherwise provided herein, the General
Partner shall determine whether the Partnership should make any
other elections permitted by the Code.
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|
Section 9.3
|
Tax
Controversies.
|
Subject to the provisions hereof, the General Partner is
designated as the Tax Matters Partner (as defined in the Code)
and is authorized and required to represent the Partnership (at
the Partnership’s expense) in connection with all
examinations of the Partnership’s affairs by tax
authorities, including resulting administrative and judicial
proceedings, and to expend Partnership funds for professional
services and costs associated therewith. Each Partner agrees to
cooperate with the General Partner and to do or refrain from
doing any or all things reasonably required by the General
Partner to conduct such proceedings.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the
General Partner is authorized to take any action that may be
required to cause the Partnership and other Group Members to
comply with any withholding requirements established under the
Code or any other federal, state or local law including pursuant
to Sections 1441, 1442, 1445 and 1446 of the Code. To the
extent that the Partnership is required or elects to withhold
and pay over to any taxing authority any amount resulting from
the allocation or distribution of income to any Partner or
Assignee (including by reason of Section 1446 of the Code),
the General Partner may treat the amount withheld as a
distribution of cash pursuant to Section 6.3 in the amount
of such withholding from such Partner.
ARTICLE X
ADMISSION OF
PARTNERS
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|
Section 10.1
|
Admission
of Limited Partners.
|
(a) Upon the issuance by the Partnership of Common Units,
Subordinated Units and Incentive Distribution Rights to the
General Partner, Targa GP Inc., Targa LP Inc. and the
Underwriters as described in Article V in connection with
the Initial Offering, the General Partner shall admit such
parties to the Partnership as Initial Limited Partners in
respect of the Common Units, Subordinated Units or Incentive
Distribution Rights issued to them.
(b) By acceptance of the transfer of any Limited Partner
Interests in accordance with Article IV or the acceptance
of any Limited Partner Interests issued pursuant to
Article V or pursuant to a merger or consolidation pursuant
to Article XIV, and except as provided in Section 4.9,
each transferee of, or other such Person acquiring, a Limited
Partner Interest (including any nominee holder or an agent or
representative acquiring such Limited Partner Interests for the
account of another Person) (i) shall be admitted to the
Partnership as a Limited Partner with respect to the Limited
Partner Interests so transferred or issued to such Person when
any such transfer, issuance or admission is reflected in the
books and records of the
57
Partnership and such Limited Partner becomes the Record Holder
of the Limited Partner Interests so transferred, (ii) shall
become bound by the terms of this Agreement,
(iii) represents that the transferee has the capacity,
power and authority to enter into this Agreement,
(iv) grants the powers of attorney set forth in this
Agreement and (v) makes the consents and waivers contained
in this Agreement, all with or without execution of this
Agreement by such Person. The transfer of any Limited Partner
Interests and the admission of any new Limited Partner shall not
constitute an amendment to this Agreement. A Person may become a
Limited Partner or Record Holder of a Limited Partner Interest
without the consent or approval of any of the Partners. A Person
may not become a Limited Partner without acquiring a Limited
Partner Interest and until such Person is reflected in the books
and records of the Partnership as the Record Holder of such
Limited Partner Interest. The rights and obligations of a Person
who is a Non-citizen Assignee shall be determined in accordance
with Section 4.9 hereof.
(c) The name and mailing address of each Limited Partner
shall be listed on the books and records of the Partnership
maintained for such purpose by the Partnership or the Transfer
Agent. The General Partner shall update the books and records of
the Partnership from time to time as necessary to reflect
accurately the information therein (or shall cause the Transfer
Agent to do so, as applicable). A Limited Partner Interest may
be represented by a Certificate, as provided in Section 4.1
hereof.
(d) Any transfer of a Limited Partner Interest shall not
entitle the transferee to share in the profits and losses, to
receive distributions, to receive allocations of income, gain,
loss, deduction or credit or any similar item or to any other
rights to which the transferor was entitled until the transferee
becomes a Limited Partner pursuant to Section 10.2(a).
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Section 10.2
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Admission
of Successor General Partner.
|
A successor General Partner approved pursuant to
Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 or the transferee of or
successor to all of the General Partner Interest (represented by
General Partner Units) pursuant to Section 4.6 who is
proposed to be admitted as a successor General Partner shall be
admitted to the Partnership as the General Partner, effective
immediately prior to the withdrawal or removal of the
predecessor or transferring General Partner, pursuant to
Section 11.1 or 11.2 or the transfer of the General Partner
Interest (represented by General Partner Units) pursuant to
Section 4.6, provided, however, that no such
successor shall be admitted to the Partnership until compliance
with the terms of Section 4.6 has occurred and such
successor has executed and delivered such other documents or
instruments as may be required to effect such admission. Any
such successor shall, subject to the terms hereof, carry on the
business of the members of the Partnership Group without
dissolution.
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Section 10.3
|
Amendment
of Agreement and Certificate of Limited Partnership.
|
To effect the admission to the Partnership of any Partner, the
General Partner shall take all steps necessary or appropriate
under the Delaware Act to amend the records of the Partnership
to reflect such admission and, if necessary, to prepare as soon
as practicable an amendment to this Agreement and, if required
by law, the General Partner shall prepare and file an amendment
to the Certificate of Limited Partnership, and the General
Partner may for this purpose, among others, exercise the power
of attorney granted pursuant to Section 2.6.
ARTICLE XI
WITHDRAWAL
OR REMOVAL OF PARTNERS
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|
Section 11.1
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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”);
58
(i) The General Partner voluntarily withdraws from the
Partnership by giving written notice to the other Partners;
(ii) The General Partner transfers all of its rights as
General Partner pursuant to Section 4.6;
(iii) The General Partner is removed pursuant to
Section 11.2;
(iv) The General Partner (A) makes a general
assignment for the benefit of creditors; (B) files a
voluntary bankruptcy petition for relief under Chapter 7 of
the United States Bankruptcy Code; (C) files a petition or
answer seeking for itself a liquidation, dissolution or similar
relief (but not a reorganization) under any law; (D) files
an answer or other pleading admitting or failing to contest the
material allegations of a petition filed against the General
Partner in a proceeding of the type described in
clauses (A)-(C) of this Section 11.1(a)(iv); or (E)
seeks, consents to or acquiesces in the appointment of a trustee
(but not a
debtor-in-possession),
receiver or liquidator of the General Partner or of all or any
substantial part of its properties;
(v) A final and non-appealable order of relief under
Chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code is entered
by a court with appropriate jurisdiction pursuant to a voluntary
or involuntary petition by or against the General
Partner; or
(vi) (A) in the event the General Partner is a
corporation, a certificate of dissolution or its equivalent is
filed for the General Partner, or 90 days expire after the
date of notice to the General Partner of revocation of its
charter without a reinstatement of its charter, under the laws
of its state of incorporation; (B) in the event the General
Partner is a partnership or a limited liability company, the
dissolution and commencement of winding up of the General
Partner; (C) in the event the General Partner is acting in
such capacity by virtue of being a trustee of a trust, the
termination of the trust; (D) in the event the General
Partner is a natural person, his death or adjudication of
incompetency; and (E) otherwise in the event of the
termination of the General Partner.
If an Event of Withdrawal specified in Section 11.1(a)(iv),
(v) or (vi)(A), (B), (C) or (E) occurs, the withdrawing General
Partner shall give notice to the Limited Partners within
30 days after such occurrence. The Partners hereby agree
that only the Events of Withdrawal described in this
Section 11.1 shall result in the withdrawal of the General
Partner from the Partnership.
(b) Withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership
upon the occurrence of an Event of Withdrawal shall not
constitute a breach of this Agreement under the following
circumstances: (i) at any time during the period beginning
on the Closing Date and ending at 12:00 midnight, Central Time,
on December 31, 2016, the General Partner voluntarily
withdraws by giving at least 90 days’ advance notice
of its intention to withdraw to the Limited Partners;
provided, that prior to the effective date of such
withdrawal, the withdrawal is approved by Unitholders holding at
least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units (excluding
Common Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates) and
the General Partner delivers to the Partnership an Opinion of
Counsel (“Withdrawal Opinion of
Counsel”) that such withdrawal (following the
selection of the successor General Partner) would not result in
the loss of the limited liability of any Limited Partner or 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 (to the extent not
already so treated or taxed); (ii) at any time after
12:00 midnight, Central Time, on December 31, 2016,
the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least
90 days’ advance notice to the Unitholders, such
withdrawal to take effect on the date specified in such notice;
(iii) at any time that the General Partner ceases to be the
General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1(a)(ii) or is
removed pursuant to Section 11.2; or
(iv) notwithstanding clause (i) of this sentence, at
any time that the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by
giving at least 90 days’ advance notice of its
intention to withdraw to the Limited Partners, such withdrawal
to take effect on the date specified in the notice, if at the
time such notice is given one Person and its Affiliates (other
than the General Partner and its Affiliates) own beneficially or
of record or control at least 50% of the Outstanding Units. The
withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership upon the
occurrence of an Event of Withdrawal shall also constitute the
withdrawal of the General Partner as general partner or managing
member, if any, to the extent applicable,
59
of the other Group Members. If the General Partner gives a
notice of withdrawal pursuant to Section 11.1(a)(i), the
holders of a Unit Majority, may, prior to the effective date of
such withdrawal, elect a successor General Partner. The Person
so elected as successor General Partner shall automatically
become the successor general partner or managing member, to the
extent applicable, of the other Group Members of which the
General Partner is a general partner or a managing member. If,
prior to the effective date of the General Partner’s
withdrawal, a successor is not selected by the Unitholders as
provided herein or the Partnership does not receive a Withdrawal
Opinion of Counsel, the Partnership shall be dissolved in
accordance with Section 12.1. Any successor General Partner
elected in accordance with the terms of this Section 11.1
shall be subject to the provisions of Section 10.3.
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Section 11.2
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Removal
of the General Partner.
|
The General Partner may be removed if such removal is approved
by the Unitholders holding at least 662/3% of the Outstanding
Units (including Units held by the General Partner and its
Affiliates) voting as a single class. Any such action by such
holders for removal of the General Partner must also provide for
the election of a successor General Partner by the Unitholders
holding a majority of the outstanding Common Units and
Class B Units, if any, voting as a single class and a
majority of the outstanding Subordinated Units (if any
Subordinated Units are then Outstanding) voting as a class
(including, in each case, Units held by the General Partner and
its Affiliates). Such removal shall be effective immediately
following the admission of a successor General Partner pursuant
to Section 10.3. The removal of the General Partner shall
also automatically constitute the removal of the General Partner
as general partner or managing member, to the extent applicable,
of the other Group Members of which the General Partner is a
general partner or a managing member. If a Person is elected as
a successor General Partner in accordance with the terms of this
Section 11.2, such Person shall, upon admission pursuant to
Section 10.3, automatically become a successor general
partner or managing member, to the extent applicable, of the
other Group Members of which the General Partner is a general
partner or a managing member. The right of the holders of
Outstanding Units to remove the General Partner shall not exist
or be exercised unless the Partnership has received an opinion
opining as to the matters covered by a Withdrawal Opinion of
Counsel. Any successor General Partner elected in accordance
with the terms of this Section 11.2 shall be subject to the
provisions of Section 10.3.
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Section 11.3
|
Interest
of Departing General Partner and Successor General
Partner.
|
(a) In the event of (i) withdrawal of the General
Partner under circumstances where such withdrawal does not
violate this Agreement or (ii) removal of the General
Partner by the holders of Outstanding Units under circumstances
where Cause does not exist, if the successor General Partner is
elected in accordance with the terms of Section 11.1 or
Section 11.2, the Departing General Partner shall have the
option, exercisable prior to the effective date of the departure
of such Departing General Partner, to require its successor to
purchase its General Partner Interest (represented by General
Partner Units) and its general partner interest (or equivalent
interest), if any, in the other Group Members and all of its
Incentive Distribution Rights (collectively, the
“Combined Interest”) in exchange for an
amount in cash equal to the fair market value of such Combined
Interest, such amount to be determined and payable as of the
effective date of its departure. If the General Partner is
removed by the Unitholders under circumstances where Cause
exists or if the General Partner withdraws under circumstances
where such withdrawal violates this Agreement, and if a
successor General Partner is elected in accordance with the
terms of Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 (or if the
business of the Partnership is continued pursuant to
Section 12.2 and the successor General Partner is not the
former General Partner), such successor shall have the option,
exercisable prior to the effective date of the departure of such
Departing General Partner (or, in the event the business of the
Partnership is continued, prior to the date the business of the
Partnership is continued), to purchase the Combined Interest for
such fair market value of such Combined Interest of the
Departing General Partner. In either event, the Departing
General Partner shall be entitled to receive all reimbursements
due such Departing General Partner pursuant to Section 7.4,
including any employee-related liabilities (including severance
liabilities), incurred in connection with the termination of any
employees employed by the
60
Departing General Partner or its Affiliates (other than any
Group Member) for the benefit of the Partnership or the other
Group Members.
For purposes of this Section 11.3(a), the fair market value
of the Departing General Partner’s Combined Interest shall
be determined by agreement between the Departing General Partner
and its successor or, failing agreement within 30 days
after the effective date of such Departing General
Partner’s departure, by an independent investment banking
firm or other independent expert selected by the Departing
General Partner and its successor, which, in turn, may rely on
other experts, and the determination of which shall be
conclusive as to such matter. If such parties cannot agree upon
one independent investment banking firm or other independent
expert within 45 days after the effective date of such
departure, then the Departing General Partner shall designate an
independent investment banking firm or other independent expert,
the Departing General Partner’s successor shall designate
an independent investment banking firm or other independent
expert, and such firms or experts shall mutually select a third
independent investment banking firm or independent expert, which
third independent investment banking firm or other independent
expert shall determine the fair market value of the Combined
Interest of the Departing General Partner. In making its
determination, such third independent investment banking firm or
other independent expert may consider the then current trading
price of Units on any National Securities Exchange on which
Units are then listed or admitted to trading, the value of the
Partnership’s assets, the rights and obligations of the
Departing General Partner and other factors it may deem relevant.
(b) If the Combined Interest is not purchased in the manner
set forth in Section 11.3(a), the Departing General Partner
(or its transferee) shall become a Limited Partner and its
Combined Interest shall be converted into Common Units pursuant
to a valuation made by an investment banking firm or other
independent expert selected pursuant to Section 11.3(a),
without reduction in such Partnership Interest (but subject
to proportionate dilution by reason of the admission of its
successor). Any successor General Partner shall indemnify the
Departing General Partner (or its transferee) as to all debts
and liabilities of the Partnership arising on or after the date
on which the Departing General Partner (or its transferee)
becomes a Limited Partner. For purposes of this Agreement,
conversion of the Combined Interest of the Departing General
Partner to Common Units will be characterized as if the
Departing General Partner (or its transferee) contributed its
Combined Interest to the Partnership in exchange for the newly
issued Common Units.
(c) If a successor General Partner is elected in accordance
with the terms of Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 (or if
the business of the Partnership is continued pursuant to
Section 12.2 and the successor General Partner is not the
former General Partner) and the option described in
Section 11.3(a) is not exercised by the party entitled to
do so, the successor General Partner shall, at the effective
date of its admission to the Partnership, contribute to the
Partnership cash in the amount equal to the product of the (x)
quotient obtained by dividing (A) the Percentage Interest
of the General Partner Interest of the Departing General Partner
by (B) a percentage equal to 100% less the Percentage
Interest of the General Partner Interest of the Departing
General Partner and (y) the Net Agreed Value of the
Partnership’s assets on such date. In such event, such
successor General Partner shall, subject to the following
sentence, be entitled to its Percentage Interest of all
Partnership allocations and distributions to which the Departing
General Partner was entitled. In addition, the successor General
Partner shall cause this Agreement to be amended to reflect
that, from and after the date of such successor General
Partner’s admission, the successor General Partner’s
interest in all Partnership distributions and allocations shall
be its Percentage Interest.
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Section 11.4
|
Termination
of Subordination Period, Conversion of Subordinated Units and
Extinguishment of Cumulative Common Unit Arrearages.
|
Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement, if the General
Partner is removed as general partner of the Partnership under
circumstances where Cause does not exist and Units held by the
General Partner and its Affiliates are not voted in favor of
such removal, (i) the Subordination Period will end and all
Outstanding Subordinated Units will immediately and
automatically convert into Common Units on a
one-for-one
basis, (ii) all Cumulative Common Unit Arrearages on the
Common Units will be extinguished
61
and (iii) the General Partner will have the right to
convert its General Partner Interest (represented by General
Partner Units) and its Incentive Distribution Rights into Common
Units or to receive cash in exchange therefor in accordance with
Section 11.3.
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Section 11.5
|
Withdrawal
of Limited Partners.
|
No Limited Partner shall have any right to withdraw from the
Partnership; provided, however, that when a transferee of
a Limited Partner’s Limited Partner Interest becomes a
Record Holder of the Limited Partner Interest so transferred,
such transferring Limited Partner shall cease to be a Limited
Partner with respect to the Limited Partner Interest so
transferred.
ARTICLE XII
DISSOLUTION
AND LIQUIDATION
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Section 12.1
|
Dissolution.
|
The Partnership shall not be dissolved by the admission of
additional Limited Partners or by the admission of a successor
General Partner in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
Upon the removal or withdrawal of the General Partner, if a
successor General Partner is elected pursuant to
Section 11.1 or Section 11.2, 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 12.2) its affairs shall
be wound up, upon:
(a) an Event of Withdrawal of the General Partner as
provided in Section 11.1(a) (other than
Section 11.1(a)(ii)), unless a successor is elected and an
Opinion of Counsel is received as provided in
Section 11.1(b) or 11.2 and such successor is admitted to
the Partnership pursuant to Section 10.3;
(b) an election to dissolve the Partnership by the General
Partner that is approved by the holders of a Unit Majority;
(c) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the
Partnership pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware
Act; or
(d) at any time there are no Limited Partners, unless the
Partnership is continued without dissolution in accordance with
the Delaware Act.
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Section 12.2
|
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 11.1(a)(i) or (iii) and the
failure of the Partners to select a successor to such Departing
General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1 or
Section 11.2, then within 90 days thereafter, or
(b) dissolution of the Partnership upon an event
constituting an Event of Withdrawal as defined in
Section 11.1(a)(iv), (v) or (vi), then, to the maximum
extent permitted by law, within 180 days thereafter, the
holders of a Unit Majority may elect to continue the business of
the Partnership on the same terms and conditions set forth in
this Agreement by appointing as a successor General Partner a
Person approved by the holders of a Unit Majority. Unless such
an election is made within the applicable time period as set
forth above, the Partnership shall conduct only activities
necessary to wind up its affairs. If such an election is so
made, then:
(i) the Partnership shall continue without dissolution
unless earlier dissolved in accordance with this
Article XII;
(ii) if the successor General Partner is not the former
General Partner, then the interest of the former General Partner
shall be treated in the manner provided in
Section 11.3; and
(iii) the successor General Partner shall be admitted to
the Partnership as General Partner, effective as of the Event of
Withdrawal, by agreeing in writing to be bound by this
Agreement;
62
provided, that the right of the holders of a Unit
Majority to approve a successor General Partner and to continue
the business of the Partnership shall not exist and may not be
exercised unless the Partnership has received an Opinion of
Counsel that (x) the exercise of the right would not result
in the loss of limited liability of any Limited Partner and
(y) neither the Partnership nor any Group Member would be
treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise
be taxable as an entity for federal income tax purposes upon the
exercise of such right to continue (to the extent not already so
treated or taxed).
Section 12.3 Liquidator.
Upon dissolution of the Partnership, unless the business of the
Partnership is continued pursuant to Section 12.2, the
General Partner shall select one or more Persons to act as
Liquidator. The Liquidator (if other than the General Partner)
shall be entitled to receive such compensation for its services
as may be approved by holders of at least a majority of the
Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units voting as a
single class. The Liquidator (if other than the General Partner)
shall agree not to resign at any time without 15 days’
prior notice and may be removed at any time, with or without
cause, by notice of removal approved by holders of at least a
majority of the Outstanding Common Units, Class B Units (if
any), and Subordinated Units voting as a single class. Upon
dissolution, removal or resignation of the Liquidator, a
successor and substitute Liquidator (who shall have and succeed
to all rights, powers and duties of the original Liquidator)
shall within 30 days thereafter be approved by holders of
at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units,
Class B Units (if any), and Subordinated Units voting as a
single class. The right to approve a successor or substitute
Liquidator in the manner provided herein shall be deemed to
refer also to any such successor or substitute Liquidator
approved in the manner herein provided. Except as expressly
provided in this Article XII, the Liquidator approved in
the manner provided herein shall have and may exercise, without
further authorization or consent of any of the parties hereto,
all of the powers conferred upon the General Partner under the
terms of this Agreement (but subject to all of the applicable
limitations, contractual and otherwise, upon the exercise of
such powers, other than the limitation on sale set forth in
Section 7.3) necessary or appropriate to carry out the
duties and functions of the Liquidator hereunder for and during
the period of time required to complete the winding up and
liquidation of the Partnership as provided for herein.
Section 12.4 Liquidation.
The Liquidator shall proceed to dispose of the assets of the
Partnership, discharge its liabilities, and otherwise wind up
its affairs in such manner and over such period as determined by
the Liquidator, subject to
Section 17-804
of the Delaware Act and the following:
(a) The assets may be disposed of by public or private sale
or by distribution in kind to one or more Partners on such terms
as the Liquidator and such Partner or Partners may agree. If any
property is distributed in kind, the Partner receiving the
property shall be deemed for purposes of Section 12.4(c) to
have received cash equal to its fair market value; and
contemporaneously therewith, appropriate cash distributions must
be made to the other Partners. The Liquidator may defer
liquidation or distribution of the Partnership’s assets for
a reasonable time if it determines that an immediate sale or
distribution of all or some of the Partnership’s assets
would be impractical or would cause undue loss to the Partners.
The Liquidator may distribute the Partnership’s assets, in
whole or in part, in kind if it determines that a sale would be
impractical or would cause undue loss to the Partners.
(b) Liabilities of the Partnership include amounts owed to
the Liquidator as compensation for serving in such capacity
(subject to the terms of Section 12.3) and amounts to
Partners otherwise than in respect of their distribution rights
under Article VI. With respect to any liability that is
contingent, conditional or unmatured or is otherwise not yet due
and payable, the Liquidator shall either settle such claim for
such amount as it thinks appropriate or establish a reserve of
cash or other assets to provide for its payment. When paid, any
unused portion of the reserve shall be distributed as additional
liquidation proceeds.
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(c) All property and all cash in excess of that required to
discharge liabilities as provided in Section 12.4(b) shall
be distributed to the Partners in accordance with, and to the
extent of, the positive balances in their respective Capital
Accounts, as determined after taking into account all Capital
Account adjustments (other than those made by reason of
distributions pursuant to this Section 12.4(c)) for the
taxable year of the Partnership during which the liquidation of
the Partnership occurs (with such date of occurrence being
determined pursuant to Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g)),
and such distribution shall be made by the end of such taxable
year (or, if later, within 90 days after said date of such
occurrence).
Section 12.5 Cancellation
of Certificate of Limited Partnership.
Upon the completion of the distribution of Partnership cash and
property as provided in Section 12.4 in connection with the
liquidation of the Partnership, the Certificate of Limited
Partnership and all qualifications of the Partnership as a
foreign limited partnership in jurisdictions other than the
State of Delaware shall be canceled and such other actions as
may be necessary to terminate the Partnership shall be taken.
Section 12.6 Return
of Contributions.
The General Partner shall not be personally liable for, and
shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or
property to the Partnership to enable it to effectuate, the
return of the Capital Contributions of the Limited Partners or
Unitholders, or any portion thereof, it being expressly
understood that any such return shall be made solely from
Partnership assets.
Section 12.7 Waiver
of Partition.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, each Partner hereby
waives any right to partition of the Partnership property.
Section 12.8 Capital
Account Restoration.
No Limited Partner shall have any obligation to restore any
negative balance in its Capital Account upon liquidation of the
Partnership. The General Partner shall be obligated to restore
any negative balance in its Capital Account upon liquidation of
its interest in the Partnership by the end of the taxable year
of the Partnership during which such liquidation occurs, or, if
later, within 90 days after the date of such liquidation.
ARTICLE XIII
AMENDMENT OF
PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT; MEETINGS; RECORD DATE
Section 13.1 Amendments
to be Adopted Solely by the General Partner.
Each Partner agrees that the General Partner, without the
approval of any Partner, may amend any provision of this
Agreement and execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and
record whatever documents may be required in connection
therewith, to reflect:
(a) a change in the name of the Partnership, the location
of the principal place of business of the Partnership, the
registered agent of the Partnership or the registered office of
the Partnership;
(b) admission, substitution, withdrawal or removal of
Partners in accordance with this Agreement;
(c) a change that the General Partner determines to be
necessary or appropriate to qualify or continue the
qualification of the Partnership as a limited partnership or a
partnership in which the Limited Partners have limited liability
under the laws of any state or to ensure that the Group Members
will not be treated as associations taxable as corporations or
otherwise taxed as entities for federal income tax purposes;
64
(d) a change that the General Partner determines,
(i) does not adversely affect the Limited Partners
(including any particular class of Partnership Interests as
compared to other classes of Partnership Interests) in any
material respect, (ii) to be necessary or appropriate to
(A) satisfy any requirements, conditions or guidelines
contained in any opinion, directive, order, ruling or regulation
of any federal or state agency or judicial authority or
contained in any federal or state statute (including the
Delaware Act) or (B) facilitate the trading of the Units
(including the division of any class or classes of Outstanding
Units into different classes to facilitate uniformity of tax
consequences within such classes of Units) or comply with any
rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National
Securities Exchange on which the Units are or will be listed or
admitted to trading, (iii) to be necessary or appropriate
in connection with action taken by the General Partner pursuant
to Section 5.9 or (iv) is required to effect the
intent expressed in the Registration Statement or the intent of
the provisions of this Agreement or is otherwise contemplated by
this Agreement;
(e) a change in the fiscal year or taxable year of the
Partnership and any other changes that the General Partner
determines to be necessary or appropriate as a result of a
change in the fiscal year or taxable year of the Partnership
including, if the General Partner shall so determine, a change
in the definition of “Quarter” and the dates on which
distributions are to be made by the Partnership;
(f) an amendment that is necessary, in the Opinion of
Counsel, to prevent the Partnership, or the General Partner or
its directors, officers, trustees or agents from in any manner
being subjected to the provisions of the Investment Company Act
of 1940, as amended, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as
amended, or “plan asset” regulations adopted under the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended,
regardless of whether such are substantially similar to plan
asset regulations currently applied or proposed by the United
States Department of Labor;
(g) an amendment that the General Partner determines to be
necessary or appropriate in connection with the authorization of
issuance of any class or series of Partnership Securities
pursuant to Section 5.6, including any amendment that the
General Partner determines is necessary or appropriate in
connection with (i) the adjustments of the Minimum
Quarterly Distribution, First Target Distribution, Second Target
Distribution and Third Target Distribution pursuant to the
provisions of Section 5.11, (ii) the implementation of
the provisions of Section 5.11 or (iii) any
modifications to the Incentive Distribution Rights made in
connection with the issuance of Partnership Securities pursuant
to Section 5.6, provided that, with respect to this
clause (iii), the modifications to the Incentive
Distribution Rights and the related issuance of Partnership
Securities have received Special Approval;
(h) any amendment expressly permitted in this Agreement to
be made by the General Partner acting alone;
(i) an amendment effected, necessitated or contemplated by
a Merger Agreement approved in accordance with Section 14.3;
(j) an amendment that the General Partner determines to be
necessary or appropriate to reflect and account for the
formation by the Partnership of, or investment by the
Partnership in, any corporation, partnership, joint venture,
limited liability company or other entity, in connection with
the conduct by the Partnership of activities permitted by the
terms of Section 2.4;
(k) a merger, conveyance or conversion pursuant to
Section 14.3(d); or
(l) any other amendments substantially similar to the
foregoing.
Section 13.2 Amendment
Procedures.
Except as provided in Section 13.1 and Section 13.3,
all amendments to this Agreement shall be made in accordance
with the requirements contained in this Section 13.2.
Amendments to this Agreement may be proposed only by the General
Partner; provided, however, that the General Partner
shall have no duty or obligation to propose any amendment to
this Agreement and may decline to do so free of any fiduciary
duty or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership or any Limited
Partner and, in declining to propose an
65
amendment, to the fullest extent permitted by law shall not be
required to act in good faith or pursuant to any other standard
imposed by this Agreement, any Group Member Agreement, any other
agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any
other law, rule or regulation or at equity. A proposed amendment
shall be effective upon its approval by the General Partner and
the holders of a Unit Majority, unless a greater or different
percentage is required under this Agreement or by Delaware law.
Each proposed amendment that requires the approval of the
holders of a specified percentage of Outstanding Units shall be
set forth in a writing that contains the text of the proposed
amendment. If such an amendment is proposed, the General Partner
shall seek the written approval of the requisite percentage of
Outstanding Units or call a meeting of the Unitholders to
consider and vote on such proposed amendment. The General
Partner shall notify all Record Holders upon final adoption of
any such proposed amendments.
Section 13.3 Amendment
Requirements.
(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 13.1 and
Section 13.2, no provision of this Agreement that
establishes a percentage of Outstanding Units (including Units
deemed owned by the General Partner) 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
percentage unless such amendment is approved by the written
consent or the affirmative vote of holders of Outstanding Units
whose aggregate Outstanding Units constitute not less than the
voting requirement sought to be reduced.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 13.1 and
Section 13.2, no amendment to this Agreement may
(i) enlarge the obligations of any Limited Partner without
its consent, unless such shall be deemed to have occurred as a
result of an amendment approved pursuant to
Section 13.3(c), or (ii) enlarge the obligations of,
restrict in any way any action by or rights of, or reduce in any
way the amounts distributable, reimbursable or otherwise payable
to, the General Partner or any of its Affiliates without its
consent, which consent may be given or withheld at its option.
(c) Except as provided in Section 14.3, and without
limitation of the General Partner’s authority to adopt
amendments to this Agreement without the approval of any
Partners or Assignees as contemplated in Section 13.1, any
amendment that would have a material adverse effect on the
rights or preferences of any class of Partnership Interests
in relation to other classes of Partnership Interests must
be approved by the holders of not less than a majority of the
Outstanding Partnership Interests of the class affected.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement,
except for amendments pursuant to Section 13.1 and except
as otherwise provided by Section 14.3(b), no amendments
shall become effective without the approval of the holders of at
least 90% of the Outstanding Units voting as a single class
unless the Partnership obtains an Opinion of Counsel to the
effect that such amendment will not affect the limited liability
of any Limited Partner under applicable partnership law of the
state under whose laws the Partnership is organized.
(e) Except as provided in Section 13.1, this
Section 13.3 shall only be amended with the approval of the
holders of at least 90% of the Outstanding Units.
Section 13.4 Special
Meetings.
All acts of Limited Partners to be taken pursuant to this
Agreement shall be taken in the manner provided in this
Article XIII. Special meetings of the Limited Partners may
be called by the General Partner or by Limited Partners owning
20% or more of the Outstanding Units of the class or classes for
which a meeting is proposed. Limited Partners shall call a
special meeting by delivering to the General Partner one or more
requests in writing stating that the signing Limited Partners
wish to call a special meeting and indicating the general or
specific purposes for which the special meeting is to be called.
Within 60 days after receipt of such a call from Limited
Partners or within such greater time as may be reasonably
necessary for the Partnership to comply with any statutes,
rules, regulations, listing agreements or similar requirements
governing the holding of a meeting or the solicitation of
proxies for use at such a meeting, the General Partner shall
send a notice of the meeting to the Limited Partners either
directly or indirectly through the Transfer Agent. A meeting
shall be held at a time and place determined by the General
66
Partner on a date not less than 10 days nor more than
60 days after the time notice of the meeting is given as
provided in Section 16.1. Limited Partners shall not vote
on matters that would cause the Limited Partners to be deemed to
be taking part in the management and control of the business and
affairs of the Partnership so as to jeopardize the Limited
Partners’ limited liability under the Delaware Act or the
law of any other state in which the Partnership is qualified to
do business.
Section 13.5 Notice
of a Meeting.
Notice of a meeting called pursuant to Section 13.4 shall
be given to the Record Holders of the class or classes of Units
for which a meeting is proposed in writing by mail or other
means of written communication in accordance with
Section 16.1. The notice shall be deemed to have been given
at the time when deposited in the mail or sent by other means of
written communication.
Section 13.6 Record
Date.
For purposes of determining the Limited Partners entitled to
notice of or to vote at a meeting of the Limited Partners or to
give approvals without a meeting as provided in
Section 13.11 the General Partner may set a Record Date,
which shall not be less than 10 nor more than 60 days
before (a) the date of the meeting (unless such requirement
conflicts with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of
any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed
or admitted to trading, in which case the rule, regulation,
guideline or requirement of such National Securities 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. If the General Partner does not set a Record Date,
then (a) the Record Date for determining the Limited
Partners entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the
Limited Partners shall be the close of business on the day next
preceding the day on which notice is given, and (b) the
Record Date for determining the Limited Partners entitled to
give approvals without a meeting shall be the date the first
written approval is deposited with the Partnership in care of
the General Partner in accordance with Section 13.11.
Section 13.7 Adjournment.
When a meeting is adjourned to another time or place, notice
need not be given of the adjourned meeting and a new Record Date
need not be fixed, if the time and place thereof are announced
at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken, unless such
adjournment shall be for more than 45 days. At the
adjourned meeting, the Partnership may transact any business
which might have been transacted at the original meeting. If the
adjournment is for more than 45 days or if a new Record
Date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, a notice of the
adjourned meeting shall be given in accordance with this
Article XIII.
Section 13.8 Waiver
of Notice; Approval of Meeting.
The transactions of any meeting of Limited Partners, however
called and noticed, and whenever held, shall be as valid as if
it had occurred at a meeting duly held after regular call and
notice, if a quorum is present either in person or by proxy.
Attendance of a Limited Partner at a meeting shall constitute a
waiver of notice of the meeting, except when the Limited Partner
attends the meeting for the express purpose of objecting, at the
beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any business
because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened; and
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.
Section 13.9 Quorum
and Voting.
The holders of a majority of the Outstanding Units of the class
or classes for which a meeting has been called (including
Outstanding Units deemed owned by the General Partner)
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
67
case the quorum shall be such greater percentage. 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 (including Outstanding Units deemed owned by the
General Partner). 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 entitled to vote at such meeting (including
Outstanding Units deemed owned by the General Partner)
represented either in person or by proxy, but no other business
may be transacted, except as provided in Section 13.7.
Section 13.10 Conduct
of a Meeting.
The General Partner shall have full power and authority
concerning the manner of conducting any meeting of the Limited
Partners or solicitation of approvals in writing, including the
determination of Persons entitled to vote, the existence of a
quorum, the satisfaction of the requirements of
Section 13.4, the conduct of voting, the validity and
effect of any proxies and the determination of any
controversies, votes or challenges arising in connection with or
during the meeting or voting. The General Partner shall
designate a Person to serve as chairman of any meeting and shall
further designate a Person to take the minutes of any meeting.
All minutes shall be kept with the records of the Partnership
maintained by the General Partner. The General Partner may make
such other regulations consistent with applicable law and this
Agreement as it may deem advisable concerning the conduct of any
meeting of the Limited Partners or solicitation of approvals in
writing, including regulations in regard to the appointment of
proxies, the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes and
approvals, the submission and examination of proxies and other
evidence of the right to vote, and the revocation of approvals
in writing.
Section 13.11 Action
Without a Meeting.
If authorized by the General Partner, any action that may be
taken at a meeting of the Limited Partners may be taken without
a meeting if an approval in writing setting forth the action so
taken is signed by Limited Partners owning not less than the
minimum percentage of the Outstanding Units (including Units
deemed owned by the General Partner) that would be necessary to
authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all the
Limited Partners were present and voted (unless such provision
conflicts with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of
any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed
or admitted to trading, in which case the rule, regulation,
guideline or requirement of such National Securities Exchange
shall govern). Prompt notice of the taking of action without a
meeting shall be given to the Limited Partners who have not
approved in writing. The General Partner may specify that any
written ballot submitted to Limited Partners for the purpose of
taking any action without a meeting shall be returned to the
Partnership within the time period, which shall be not less than
20 days, specified by the General Partner. If a ballot
returned to the Partnership does not vote all of the Units held
by the Limited Partners, the Partnership shall be deemed to have
failed to receive a ballot for the Units that were not voted. If
approval of the taking of any action by the Limited Partners is
solicited by any Person other than by or on behalf of the
General Partner, the written approvals shall have no force and
effect unless and until (a) they are deposited with the
Partnership in care of the General Partner, (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
68
liability, and (ii) is otherwise permissible under the
state statutes then governing the rights, duties and liabilities
of the Partnership and the Partners.
Section 13.12 Right
to Vote and Related Matters.
(a) Only those Record Holders of the Units on the Record
Date set pursuant to Section 13.6 (and also subject to the
limitations contained in the definition of
“Outstanding”) shall be entitled to notice of, and to
vote at, a meeting of Limited Partners or to act with respect to
matters as to which the holders of the Outstanding Units have
the right to vote or to act. All references in this Agreement to
votes of, or other acts that may be taken by, the Outstanding
Units shall be deemed to be references to the votes or acts of
the Record Holders of such Outstanding Units.
(b) With respect to Units that are held for a Person’s
account by another Person (such as a broker, dealer, bank, trust
company or clearing corporation, or an agent of any of the
foregoing), in whose name such Units are registered, such other
Person shall, in exercising the voting rights in respect of such
Units on any matter, and unless the arrangement between such
Persons provides otherwise, vote such Units in favor of, and at
the direction of, the Person who is the beneficial owner, and
the Partnership shall be entitled to assume it is so acting
without further inquiry. The provisions of this
Section 13.12(b) (as well as all other provisions of this
Agreement) are subject to the provisions of Section 4.3.
ARTICLE XIV
MERGER,
CONSOLIDATION OR CONVERSION
Section 14.1 Authority.
The Partnership may merge or consolidate with or into one or
more corporations, limited liability companies, statutory trusts
or associations, real estate investment trusts, common law
trusts or unincorporated businesses, including a partnership
(whether general or limited (including a limited liability
partnership)) or convert into any such entity, whether such
entity is formed under the laws of the State of Delaware or any
other state of the United States of America, pursuant to a
written plan of merger or consolidation (“Merger
Agreement”) or a written plan of conversion
(“Plan of Conversion”), as the case may
be, in accordance with this Article XIV.
Section 14.2 Procedure
for Merger, Consolidation or Conversion.
(a) Merger, consolidation or conversion of the Partnership
pursuant to this Article XIV requires the prior consent of
the General Partner, provided, however, that, to the
fullest extent permitted by law, the General Partner shall have
no duty or obligation to consent to any merger, consolidation or
conversion of the Partnership and may decline to do so free of
any fiduciary duty or obligation whatsoever to the Partnership,
any Limited Partner and, in declining to consent to a merger,
consolidation or conversion, shall not be required to act in
good faith or pursuant to any other standard imposed by this
Agreement, any other agreement contemplated hereby or under the
Act or any other law, rule or regulation or at equity.
(b) If the General Partner shall determine to consent to
the merger or consolidation, the General partner shall approve
the Merger Agreement, which shall set forth:
(i) name and state of domicile of each of the business
entities proposing to merge or consolidate;
(ii) the name and state of domicile of the business entity
that is to survive the proposed merger or consolidation (the
“Surviving Business Entity”);
(iii) the terms and conditions of the proposed merger or
consolidation;
(iv) the manner and basis of exchanging or converting the
equity securities of each constituent business entity for, or
into, cash, property or interests, rights, securities or
obligations of the Surviving Business Entity; and (i) if
any 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
69
general or limited partner interests, rights, securities or
obligations of the Surviving Business Entity, the cash, property
or interests, rights, securities or obligations of any general
or limited partnership, corporation, trust, limited liability
company, unincorporated business or other entity (other than the
Surviving Business Entity) which the holders of such general or
limited partner interests, securities or rights are to receive
in exchange for, or upon conversion of their interests,
securities or rights, and (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, limited liability company, unincorporated
business or other entity (other than the Surviving Business
Entity), or evidences thereof, are to be delivered;
(v) a statement of any changes in the constituent documents
or the adoption of new constituent documents (the articles or
certificate of incorporation, articles of trust, declaration of
trust, certificate or agreement of limited partnership,
operating agreement or other similar charter or governing
document) of the Surviving Business Entity to be effected by
such merger or consolidation;
(vi) the effective time of the merger, which may be the
date of the filing of the certificate of merger pursuant to
Section 14.4 or a later date specified in or determinable
in accordance with the Merger Agreement (provided, that
if the effective time of the merger is to be later than the date
of the filing of such certificate of merger, the effective time
shall be fixed at a date or time certain at or prior to the time
of the filing of such certificate of merger and stated
therein); and
(vii) such other provisions with respect to the proposed
merger or consolidation that the General Partner determines to
be necessary or appropriate.
(c) If the General Partner shall determine to consent to
the conversion, the General Partner shall approve the Plan of
Conversion, which shall set forth:
(i) the name of the converting entity and the converted
entity;
(ii) a statement that the Partnership is continuing its
existence in the organizational form of the converted entity;
(iii) a statement as to the type of entity that the
converted entity is to be and the state or country under the
laws of which the converted entity is to be incorporated, formed
or organized;
(iv) the manner and basis of exchanging or converting the
equity securities of each constituent business entity for, or
into, cash, property or interests, rights, securities or
obligations of the converted entity;
(v) in an attachment or exhibit, the certificate of limited
partnership of the Partnership; and
(vi) in an attachment or exhibit, the certificate of
limited partnership, articles of incorporation, or other
organizational documents of the converted entity;
(vii) the effective time of the conversion, which may be
the date of the filing of the articles of conversion or a later
date specified in or determinable in accordance with the Plan of
Conversion (provided, that if the effective time of the
conversion is to be later than the date of the filing of such
articles of conversion, the effective time shall be fixed at a
date or time certain at or prior to the time of the filing of
such articles of conversion and stated therein); and
(viii) such other provisions with respect to the proposed
conversion that the General Partner determines to be necessary
or appropriate.
Section 14.3 Approval
by Limited Partners.
(a) Except as provided in Section 14.3(d), the General
Partner, upon its approval of the Merger Agreement or the Plan
of Conversion, as the case may be, shall direct that the Merger
Agreement or the Plan of Conversion, as applicable, be submitted
to a vote of Limited Partners, whether at a special meeting
70
or by written consent, in either case in accordance with the
requirements of Article XIII. A copy or a summary of the
Merger Agreement or the Plan of Conversion, as the case may be,
shall be included in or enclosed with the notice of a special
meeting or the written consent.
(b) Except as provided in Section 14.3(d), the Merger
Agreement or Plan of Conversion, as the case may be, shall be
approved upon receiving the affirmative vote or consent of the
holders of a Unit Majority.
(c) Except as provided in Section 14.3(d), after such
approval by vote or consent of the Limited Partners, and at any
time prior to the filing of the certificate of merger or
articles of conversion pursuant to Section 14.4, the
merger, consolidation or conversion may be abandoned pursuant to
provisions therefor, if any, set forth in the Merger Agreement
or Plan of Conversion, as the case may be.
(d) Notwithstanding anything else contained in this
Article XIV or in this Agreement, the General Partner is
permitted, without Limited Partner approval, to convert the
Partnership or any Group Member into a new limited liability
entity, to merge the Partnership or any Group Member into, or
convey all of the Partnership’s assets to, another limited
liability entity that shall be newly formed and shall have no
assets, liabilities or operations at the time of such
conversion, merger or conveyance other than those it receives
from the Partnership or other Group Member if (i) the
General Partner has received an Opinion of Counsel that the
conversion, merger or conveyance, as the case may be, would not
result in the loss of the limited liability of any Limited
Partner or cause the Partnership to be treated as an association
taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity
for federal income tax purposes (to the extent not previously
treated as such), (ii) the sole purpose of such conversion,
merger, or conveyance is to effect a mere change in the legal
form of the Partnership into another limited liability entity
and (iii) the governing instruments of the new entity
provide the Limited Partners and the General Partner with the
same rights and obligations as are herein contained.
(e) Additionally, notwithstanding anything else contained
in this Article XIV or in this Agreement, the General
Partner is permitted, without Limited Partner approval, to merge
or consolidate the Partnership with or into another entity if
(A) the General Partner has received an Opinion of Counsel
that the merger or consolidation, as the case may be, would not
result in the loss of the limited liability of any Limited
Partner or cause the Partnership to be treated as an association
taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity
for federal income tax purposes (to the extent not previously
treated as such), (B) the merger or consolidation would not
result in an amendment to the Partnership Agreement, other than
any amendments that could be adopted pursuant to
Section 13.1, (C) the Partnership is the Surviving
Business Entity in such merger or consolidation, (D) each
Unit outstanding immediately prior to the effective date of the
merger or consolidation is to be an identical Unit of the
Partnership after the effective date of the merger or
consolidation, and (E) the number of Partnership Securities
to be issued by the Partnership in such merger or consolidation
do not exceed 20% of the Partnership Securities Outstanding
immediately prior to the effective date of such merger or
consolidation.
(f) Pursuant to
Section 17-211(g)
of the Delaware Act, an agreement of merger or consolidation
approved in accordance with this Article XIV may
(a) effect any amendment to this Agreement or
(b) effect the adoption of a new partnership agreement for
the Partnership if it is the Surviving Business Entity. Any such
amendment or adoption made pursuant to this Section 14.3
shall be effective at the effective time or date of the merger
or consolidation.
Section 14.4 Certificate
of Merger.
Upon the required approval by the General Partner and the
Unitholders of a Merger Agreement or the Plan of Conversion, as
the case may be, a certificate of merger or articles of
conversion, as applicable, shall be executed and filed with the
Secretary of State of the State of Delaware in conformity with
the requirements of the Delaware Act.
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Section 14.5 Effect
of Merger, Consolidation or Conversion.
(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) At the effective time of the articles of conversion:
(i) the Partnership shall continue to exist, without
interruption, but in the organizational form of the converted
entity rather than in its prior organizational form;
(ii) all rights, title, and interests to all real estate
and other property owned by the Partnership shall continue to be
owned by the converted entity in its new organizational form
without reversion or impairment, without further act or deed,
and without any transfer or assignment having occurred, but
subject to any existing liens or other encumbrances thereon;
(iii) all liabilities and obligations of the Partnership
shall continue to be liabilities and obligations of the
converted entity in its new organizational form without
impairment or diminution by reason of the conversion;
(iv) all rights of creditors or other parties with respect
to or against the prior interest holders or other owners of the
Partnership in their capacities as such in existence as of the
effective time of the conversion will continue in existence as
to those liabilities and obligations and may be pursued by such
creditors and obligees as if the conversion did not occur;
(v) a proceeding pending by or against the Partnership or
by or against any of Partners in their capacities as such may be
continued by or against the converted entity in its new
organizational form and by or against the prior partners without
any need for substitution of parties; and
(vi) the Partnership Units that are to be converted into
partnership interests, shares, evidences of ownership, or other
securities in the converted entity as provided in the plan of
conversion shall be so converted, and Partners shall be entitled
only to the rights provided in the Plan of Conversion.
ARTICLE XV
RIGHT TO
ACQUIRE LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS
Section 15.1 Right
to Acquire Limited Partner Interests.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement,
if at any time the General Partner and its Affiliates hold more
than 80% of the total Limited Partner Interests of any class
then Outstanding, the General Partner shall then have the right,
which right it may assign and transfer in whole or in part to
the Partnership or any Affiliate of the General Partner,
exercisable at its option, to purchase all, but not less than
all, of such Limited Partner Interests of such class then
Outstanding held by Persons other than the General Partner and
its Affiliates, at the greater of (x) the Current Market
Price as of the date three days prior to the date that the
notice described in Section 15.1(b) is mailed and
(y) the highest price paid by
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the General Partner or any of its Affiliates for any such
Limited Partner Interest of such class purchased during the
90-day
period preceding the date that the notice described in
Section 15.1(b) is mailed. As used in this Agreement,
(i) “Current Market Price” as of any date of any
class of Limited Partner Interests means the average of the
daily Closing Prices (as hereinafter defined) per Limited
Partner Interest 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, as reported in the
principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect
to securities listed on the principal National Securities
Exchange (other than the Nasdaq Stock Market) on which such
Limited Partner Interests are listed or admitted to trading or,
if such Limited Partner Interests of such class are not listed
or admitted to trading on any National Securities Exchange
(other than the Nasdaq Stock Market), 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 Nasdaq Stock Market or such other
system then in use, or, if on any such day such Limited Partner
Interests of such class are not quoted by any such organization,
the average of the closing bid and asked prices on such day as
furnished by a professional market maker making a market in such
Limited Partner Interests of such class selected by the General
Partner, or if on any such day no market maker is making a
market in such Limited Partner Interests of such class, the fair
value of such Limited Partner Interests on such day as
determined by the General Partner; and (iii) “Trading
Day” means a day on which the principal National Securities
Exchange on which such Limited Partner Interests of any class
are listed or admitted for trading is open for the transaction
of business or, if Limited Partner Interests of a class are not
listed or admitted for 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 Limited Partner Interests granted pursuant to
Section 15.1(a), the General Partner shall deliver to the
Transfer Agent notice of such election to purchase (the
“Notice of Election to Purchase”) and
shall cause the Transfer Agent to mail a copy of such Notice of
Election to Purchase to the Record Holders of Limited Partner
Interests of such class (as of a Record Date selected by the
General Partner) at least 10, but not more than 60, days
prior to the Purchase Date. Such Notice of Election to Purchase
shall also be published for a period of at least three
consecutive days in at least two daily newspapers of general
circulation printed in the English language and published in the
Borough of Manhattan, New York. The Notice of Election to
Purchase shall specify the Purchase Date and the price
(determined in accordance with Section 15.1(a)) at which
Limited Partner Interests will be purchased and state that the
General Partner, its Affiliate or the Partnership, as the case
may be, elects to purchase such Limited Partner Interests, upon
surrender of Certificates representing such Limited Partner
Interests in exchange for payment, at such office or offices of
the Transfer Agent as the Transfer Agent may specify, or as may
be required by any National Securities Exchange on which such
Limited Partner Interests are listed. Any such Notice of
Election to Purchase mailed to a Record Holder of Limited
Partner Interests at his address as reflected in the records of
the Transfer Agent shall be conclusively presumed to have been
given regardless of whether the owner receives such notice. On
or prior to the Purchase Date, the General Partner, 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 such Limited Partner
Interests to be purchased in accordance with this
Section 15.1. If the Notice of Election to Purchase shall
have been duly given as aforesaid at least 10 days prior to
the Purchase Date, and if on or prior to the Purchase Date the
deposit described in the preceding sentence has been made for
the benefit of the holders of Limited Partner Interests subject
to purchase as provided herein, then from and after the Purchase
Date, notwithstanding that any Certificate shall not have been
surrendered for purchase, all rights of the holders of such
Limited Partner Interests (including any rights pursuant to
Article IV, Article V, Article VI, and
Article XII) shall thereupon cease, except the right
to receive the purchase price (determined in accordance with
Section 15.1(a)) for Limited Partner Interests therefor,
without interest, upon surrender to the Transfer Agent of the
Certificates representing such Limited Partner Interests, and
such Limited Partner Interests shall thereupon be deemed to be
transferred to the General Partner, its Affiliate or the
Partnership, as the case
73
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 Limited Partner Interests
from and after the Purchase Date and shall have all rights as
the owner of such Limited Partner Interests (including all
rights as owner of such Limited Partner Interests pursuant to
Article IV, Article V, Article VI and
Article XII).
(c) At any time from and after the Purchase Date, a holder
of an Outstanding Limited Partner Interest subject to purchase
as provided in this Section 15.1 may surrender his
Certificate evidencing such Limited Partner Interest to the
Transfer Agent in exchange for payment of the amount described
in Section 15.1(a), therefor, without interest thereon.
ARTICLE XVI
GENERAL
PROVISIONS
Section 16.1 Addresses
and Notices; Written Communications.
(a) Any notice, demand, request, report or proxy materials
required or permitted to be given or made to a Partner under
this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed given or
made when delivered in person or when sent by first
class United States mail or by other means of written
communication to the Partner at the address described below. Any
notice, payment or report to be given or made to a Partner
hereunder shall be deemed conclusively to have been given or
made, and the obligation to give such notice or report or to
make such payment shall be deemed conclusively to have been
fully satisfied, upon sending of such notice, payment or report
to the Record Holder of such Partnership Securities at his
address as shown on the records of the Transfer Agent or as
otherwise shown on the records of the Partnership, regardless of
any claim of any Person who may have an interest in such
Partnership Securities 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 16.1 executed by the General Partner, the Transfer
Agent or the mailing organization shall be prima facie evidence
of the giving or making of such notice, payment or report. If
any notice, payment or report addressed to a Record Holder at
the address of such Record Holder appearing 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 his address) if they are available for the
Partner at the principal office of the Partnership for a period
of one year from the date of the giving or making of such
notice, payment or report to the other Partners. Any notice to
the Partnership shall be deemed given if received by the General
Partner at the principal office of the Partnership designated
pursuant to Section 2.3. The General Partner may rely and
shall be protected in relying on any notice or other document
from a Partner or other Person if believed by it to be genuine.
(b) The terms “in writing”, “written
communications,” “written notice” and words of
similar import shall be deemed satisfied under this Agreement by
use of
e-mail and
other forms of electronic communication.
Section 16.2 Further
Action.
The parties shall execute and deliver all documents, provide all
information and take or refrain from taking action as may be
necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this
Agreement.
Section 16.3 Binding
Effect.
This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of
the parties hereto and their heirs, executors, administrators,
successors, legal representatives and permitted assigns.
74
Section 16.4 Integration.
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement among the
parties hereto pertaining to the subject matter hereof and
supersedes all prior agreements and understandings pertaining
thereto.
Section 16.5 Creditors.
None of the provisions of this Agreement shall be for the
benefit of, or shall be enforceable by, any creditor of the
Partnership.
Section 16.6 Waiver.
No failure by any party to insist upon the strict performance of
any covenant, duty, agreement or condition of this Agreement or
to exercise any right or remedy consequent upon a breach thereof
shall constitute waiver of any such breach of any other
covenant, duty, agreement or condition.
Section 16.7 Third-Party
Beneficiaries.
Each Partner agrees that any Indemnitee shall be entitled to
assert rights and remedies hereunder as a third-party
beneficiary hereto with respect to those provisions of this
Agreement affording a right, benefit or privilege to such
Indemnitee.
Section 16.8 Counterparts.
This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, all of which
together shall constitute an agreement binding on all the
parties hereto, notwithstanding that all such parties are not
signatories to the original or the same counterpart. Each party
shall become bound by this Agreement immediately upon affixing
its signature hereto or, in the case of a Person acquiring a
Limited Partner Interest, pursuant to Section 10.1(a)
without execution hereto.
Section 16.9 Applicable
Law.
This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and
governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to
the principles of conflicts of law.
Section 16.10 Invalidity
of Provisions.
If any provision of this Agreement is or becomes invalid,
illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality
and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein
shall not be affected thereby.
Section 16.11 Consent
of Partners.
Each Partner hereby expressly consents and agrees that, whenever
in this Agreement it is specified that an action may be taken
upon the affirmative vote or consent of less than all of the
Partners, such action may be so taken upon the concurrence of
less than all of the Partners and each Partner shall be bound by
the results of such action.
Section 16.12 Facsimile
Signatures.
The use of facsimile signatures affixed in the name and on
behalf of the transfer agent and registrar of the Partnership on
certificates representing Common Units is expressly permitted by
this Agreement.
[REMAINDER
OF THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this
Agreement as of the date first written above.
GENERAL PARTNER:
TARGA RESOURCES GP LLC
Name: Xxxx X. Xxxxx
Title: Chief Executive Officer
ORGANIZATIONAL LIMITED PARTNERS:
TARGA GP INC.
Name: Xxxx X. Xxxxx
Title: Chief Executive Officer
TARGA LP INC.
Name: Xxxx X. Xxxxx
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Signature
Page — First Amended and Restated Agreement
of Limited Partnership of Targa Resources Partners, LP
76
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 or without execution hereof pursuant to
Section 10.2(a) hereof.
[ ]
Name:
Title:
Signature
Page — First Amended and Restated Agreement
of Limited Partnership of Targa Resources Partners, LP
77
EXHIBIT A
to the First Amended and Restated
Agreement of Limited Partnership of
Targa Resources Partners LP
Certificate Evidencing Common Units
Representing Limited Partner Interests in
Targa Resources Partners LP
In accordance with Section 4.1 of the First Amended and
Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Targa Resources
Partners LP, as amended, supplemented or restated from time to
time (the “Partnership Agreement”),
Targa Resources Partners LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the
“Partnership”), hereby certifies that
(the “Holder”) is the registered owner
of Common Units representing limited partner interests in the
Partnership (the “Common Units”)
transferable on the books of the Partnership, in person or by
duly authorized attorney, upon surrender of this Certificate
properly endorsed. The rights, preferences and limitations of
the Common Units are set forth in, and this Certificate and the
Common Units represented hereby are issued and shall in all
respects be subject to the terms and provisions of, the
Partnership Agreement. Copies of the Partnership Agreement are
on file at, and will be furnished without charge on delivery of
written request to the Partnership at, the principal office of
the Partnership located at 0000 Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000,
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 00000. Capitalized terms used herein but not
defined shall have the meanings given them in the Partnership
Agreement.
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY ACKNOWLEDGES FOR THE BENEFIT OF
TARGA RESOURCES PARTNERS LP THAT THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE SOLD,
OFFERED, RESOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED IF SUCH
TRANSFER WOULD (A) VIOLATE THE THEN APPLICABLE FEDERAL OR
STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, ANY STATE SECURITIES
COMMISSION OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY WITH JURISDICTION
OVER SUCH TRANSFER, (B) TERMINATE THE EXISTENCE OR
QUALIFICATION OF TARGA RESOURCES PARTNERS LP UNDER THE LAWS OF
THE STATE OF DELAWARE, OR (C) CAUSE TARGA RESOURCES
PARTNERS LP TO BE TREATED AS AN ASSOCIATION TAXABLE AS A
CORPORATION OR OTHERWISE TO BE TAXED AS AN ENTITY FOR FEDERAL
INCOME TAX PURPOSES (TO THE EXTENT NOT ALREADY SO TREATED OR
TAXED). TARGA RESOURCES GP LLC, THE GENERAL PARTNER OF TARGA
RESOURCES PARTNERS LP, MAY IMPOSE ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS ON THE
TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY IF IT RECEIVES AN OPINION OF COUNSEL
THAT SUCH RESTRICTIONS ARE NECESSARY TO AVOID A SIGNIFICANT RISK
OF TARGA RESOURCES PARTNERS LP BECOMING TAXABLE AS A CORPORATION
OR OTHERWISE BECOMING TAXABLE AS AN ENTITY FOR FEDERAL INCOME
TAX PURPOSES. THE RESTRICTIONS SET FORTH ABOVE SHALL NOT
PRECLUDE THE SETTLEMENT OF ANY TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THIS
SECURITY ENTERED INTO THROUGH THE FACILITIES OF ANY NATIONAL
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ON WHICH THIS SECURITY IS LISTED OR ADMITTED
TO TRADING.
The Holder, by accepting this Certificate, is deemed to have
(i) requested admission as, and agreed to become, a Limited
Partner and to have agreed to comply with and be bound by and to
have executed the 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.
Exhibit A-1
This Certificate shall not be valid for any purpose unless it
has been countersigned and registered by the Transfer Agent and
Registrar.
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Dated: _
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Targa Resources Partners LP
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By: Targa Resources GP
LLC
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Countersigned and Registered by:
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[ ]
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By:
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as Transfer Agent and Registrar
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Name:
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By: _
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By:
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Authorized Signature
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Secretary
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[Reverse of Certificate]
ABBREVIATIONS
The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the
face of this Certificate, shall be construed as follows
according to applicable laws or regulations:
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TEN COM -
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as tenants in common
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UNIF GIFT/TRANSFERS MIN ACT
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TEN ENT -
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as tenants by the entireties
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Custodian
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(Cust)
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(Minor)
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JT TEN -
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as joint tenants with right of
survivorship
and not as tenants in common
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under Uniform Gifts/Transfers to
CD Minors Act (State)
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Additional abbreviations, though not in the above list, may also
be used.
Exhibit A-2
ASSIGNMENT
OF COMMON UNITS OF
TARGA RESOURCES PARTNERS LP
FOR VALUE RECEIVED,
hereby assigns, conveys, sells and transfers unto
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(Please print or typewrite name
and address of assignee)
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(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 Targa Resources Partners LP.
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Date: _
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NOTE:
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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
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THE SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE
GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS,
STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS
WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION
PROGRAM), PURSUANT TO S.E.C. RULE 17d-15
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(Signature)
(Signature)
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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.
Exhibit A-3