EXHIBIT 10.1
Execution Version
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CREDIT AGREEMENT
Dated as of
March 16, 2004
among
NEWFIELD EXPLORATION COMPANY
The Lenders Party Hereto
and
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK,
as Administrative Agent and as Issuing Bank
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WACHOVIA BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as Syndication Agent
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BANK OF MONTREAL d/b/a XXXXXX XXXXXXX
CREDIT LYONNAIS NEW YORK BRANCH
FLEET NATIONAL BANK
As Co-Documentation Agents
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X. X. XXXXXX SECURITIES INC.,
and
WACHOVIA CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC
as Joint Bookrunners and Co-Lead Arrangers
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.01. Defined Terms............................................................................. 1
Section 1.02. Classification of Loans and Borrowings.................................................... 18
Section 1.03. Terms Generally........................................................................... 18
Section 1.04. Accounting Terms; GAAP.................................................................... 19
ARTICLE II
THE CREDITS
Section 2.01. Commitments............................................................................... 19
Section 2.02. Loans and Borrowings...................................................................... 19
Section 2.03. Requests for Borrowings................................................................... 19
Section 2.04. Borrowing Base............................................................................ 20
Section 2.05. Payments Generally; Pro Rata Treatment; Sharing of Set-offs............................... 21
Section 2.06. Letters of Credit......................................................................... 22
Section 2.07. Funding of Borrowings..................................................................... 26
Section 2.08. Interest Elections........................................................................ 26
Section 2.09. Termination and Reduction of Commitments.................................................. 27
Section 2.10. Repayment of Loans; Evidence of Debt...................................................... 28
Section 2.11. Prepayment of Loans....................................................................... 29
Section 2.12. Fees...................................................................................... 29
Section 2.13. Interest.................................................................................. 30
Section 2.14. Alternate Rate of Interest................................................................ 31
Section 2.15. Increased Costs........................................................................... 31
Section 2.16. Break Funding Payments.................................................................... 32
Section 2.17. Taxes..................................................................................... 32
Section 2.18. Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders............................................ 33
ARTICLE III
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
Section 3.01. Organization; Powers; Subsidiaries........................................................ 34
Section 3.02. Authorization; Enforceability............................................................. 34
Section 3.03. Governmental Approvals; No Conflicts...................................................... 35
Section 3.04. Financial Condition; No Material Adverse Change........................................... 35
Section 3.05. Properties................................................................................ 35
Section 3.06. Litigation and Environmental Matters...................................................... 36
Section 3.07. Compliance with Laws and Agreements....................................................... 37
Section 3.08. Investment and Holding Company Status..................................................... 37
Section 3.09. Taxes..................................................................................... 37
Section 3.10. ERISA..................................................................................... 37
Section 3.11. Disclosure................................................................................ 37
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Section 3.12. Insurance................................................................................. 38
Section 3.13. Fiscal Periods............................................................................ 38
Section 3.14. Use of Proceeds........................................................................... 38
ARTICLE IV
CONDITIONS
Section 4.01. Effective Date............................................................................ 38
Section 4.02. Each Credit Event......................................................................... 39
ARTICLE V
AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS
Section 5.01. Financial Statements; Ratings Change and Other Information................................ 40
Section 5.02. Notices of Material Events................................................................ 41
Section 5.03. Existence; Conduct of Business............................................................ 41
Section 5.04. Payment of Obligations.................................................................... 42
Section 5.05. Maintenance of Properties; Insurance...................................................... 42
Section 5.06. Books and Records; Inspection Rights...................................................... 42
Section 5.07. Compliance with Laws...................................................................... 42
Section 5.08. Oil and Gas Properties.................................................................... 42
Section 5.09. Principal Business........................................................................ 43
Section 5.10. Subsidiary Guaranties..................................................................... 43
Section 5.11. Engineering Reports....................................................................... 43
ARTICLE VI
NEGATIVE COVENANTS
Section 6.01. Debt...................................................................................... 44
Section 6.02. Liens..................................................................................... 45
Section 6.03. Fundamental Changes....................................................................... 45
Section 6.04. Investments, Loans, Advances, Guarantees and Acquisitions................................. 46
Section 6.05. Swap Agreements........................................................................... 46
Section 6.06. Restricted Payments....................................................................... 46
Section 6.07. Transactions with Affiliates.............................................................. 46
Section 6.08. Restrictive Agreements.................................................................... 46
Section 6.09. Subsidiary Debt and Preferred Stock....................................................... 47
Section 6.10. Designation of Unrestricted Subsidiaries.................................................. 47
Section 6.11. New Unrestricted Subsidiaries............................................................. 48
Section 6.12. Sale Leaseback Transactions............................................................... 48
Section 6.13. Sale or Discount of Receivables........................................................... 48
Section 6.14. Sale of Oil and Gas Properties............................................................ 48
Section 6.15. Subsidiaries and Partnerships............................................................. 48
Section 6.16. Hydrocarbon Sales Contract................................................................ 48
Section 6.17. Environmental Matters..................................................................... 48
Section 6.18. Subordinated Debt......................................................................... 48
Section 6.19. Fiscal Periods............................................................................ 49
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Section 6.20. Use of Proceeds........................................................................... 49
Section 6.21. Total Debt to EBITDA Ratio................................................................ 49
Section 6.22. EBITDA to Interest Ratio.................................................................. 49
ARTICLE VII
EVENTS OF DEFAULT
Section 7.01. Events of Default......................................................................... 49
ARTICLE VIII
THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Section 8.01. The Administrative Agent.................................................................. 51
ARTICLE IX
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 9.01. Notices................................................................................... 53
Section 9.02. Waivers; Amendments....................................................................... 54
Section 9.03. Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver........................................................ 55
Section 9.04. Successors and Assigns.................................................................... 56
Section 9.05. Survival.................................................................................. 58
Section 9.06. Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness.................................................. 59
Section 9.07. Severability.............................................................................. 59
Section 9.08. Right of Setoff........................................................................... 59
Section 9.09. Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process................................ 59
Section 9.10. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL...................................................................... 60
Section 9.11. Headings.................................................................................. 60
Section 9.12. Confidentiality........................................................................... 60
Section 9.13. Interest Rate Limitation.................................................................. 61
Section 9.14. Co-Lead Arrangers and Syndication Agent................................................... 61
Section 9.15. USA Patriot Act Notice.................................................................... 61
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SCHEDULES:
Schedule 1.01 -- Existing Investments; Existing Letters of Credit
Schedule 2.01 -- Commitments
Schedule 3.05 -- Subsidiaries
Schedule 6.02 -- Existing Liens
Schedule 6.08 -- Existing Restrictions
EXHIBITS:
Exhibit A Form of Assignment and Assumption
Exhibit B Form of Opinion of Borrower's Counsel
Exhibit C Form of Subsidiary Guaranty
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CREDIT AGREEMENT dated as of March 16, 2004 among Newfield Exploration Company,
a Delaware corporation, the LENDERS party hereto, and JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, as
Administrative Agent and as Issuing Bank.
The parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.01. Defined Terms. As used in this Agreement, the
following terms have the meanings specified below:
"ABR", when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers
to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are bearing
interest at a rate determined by reference to the Alternate Base Rate.
"Adjusted LIBO Rate" means, with respect to any Eurodollar
Borrowing for any Interest Period, an interest rate per annum (rounded upwards,
if necessary, to the next 1/16 of 1%) equal to (a) the LIBO Rate for such
Interest Period multiplied by (b) the Statutory Reserve Rate.
"Administrative Agent" means JPMorgan Chase Bank, in its
capacity as administrative agent for the Lenders hereunder.
"Administrative Questionnaire" means an Administrative
Questionnaire in a form supplied by the Administrative Agent.
"Affiliate" means, with respect to a specified Person, another
Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls
or is Controlled by or is under common Control with the Person specified.
"Agreement" means this Credit Agreement dated as of March 16,
2004, as amended or otherwise modified from time to time.
"Alternate Base Rate" means, for any day, a rate per annum
equal to the greatest of (a) the Prime Rate in effect on such day, (b) the Base
CD Rate in effect on such day plus 1% and (c) the Federal Funds Effective Rate
in effect on such day plus 1/2 of 1%. Any change in the Alternate Base Rate due
to a change in the Prime Rate, the Base CD Rate or the Federal Funds Effective
Rate shall be effective from and including the effective date of such change in
the Prime Rate, the Base CD Rate or the Federal Funds Effective Rate,
respectively.
"Applicable Percentage" means, with respect to any Lender, the
percentage (expressed as a decimal) of the total Commitments represented by such
Lender's Commitment. If the Commitments have terminated or expired, the
Applicable Percentages shall be determined based upon the Commitments most
recently in effect, giving effect to any assignments.
"Applicable Rate" means, for any day, with respect to any ABR
Loan or Eurodollar Loan, or with respect to the commitment fees payable
hereunder, as the case may be, the applicable rate per annum set forth below
under the caption "ABR Spread", "Eurodollar Spread" or "Commitment Fee Rate", as
the case may be, based upon the ratings by Xxxxx'x and S&P, respectively,
applicable on such date to the Index Debt:
ABR Eurodollar Commitment Fee
Index Debt Ratings: Spread Spread Rate
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Category 1 0 0.875% 0.20%
BBB/Baa2 or higher
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Category 2 0 1.125% 0.25%
BBB-/Baa3
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Category 3 0 1.250% 0.30%
BB+/Ba1
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Category 4 0 1.500% 0.35%
BB/Ba2
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Category 5 0.250% 1.750% 0.45%
BB-/Ba3 or lower
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For purposes of the foregoing, (i) if neither Xxxxx'x nor S&P
shall have in effect a rating for the Index Debt (other than by reason of the
circumstances referred to in the last sentence of this definition), then such
rating agencies shall be deemed to have established a rating in Category 5; (ii)
if only one of Xxxxx'x and S&P has in effect a rating for the Index Debt, then
the Applicable Rate shall be determined solely based on the rating of such
rating agency; (iii) if the ratings established or deemed to have been
established by Xxxxx'x and S&P for the Index Debt shall fall within different
Categories, the Applicable Rate shall be based on the higher of the two ratings
unless one of the two ratings is two or more Categories lower than the other, in
which case the Applicable Rate shall be determined by reference to the Category
next above that of the lower of the two ratings; and (iv) if the ratings
established or deemed to have been established by Xxxxx'x and S&P for the Index
Debt shall be changed (other than as a result of a change in the rating system
of Xxxxx'x or S&P), such change shall be effective as of the date on which it is
first announced by the applicable rating agency, irrespective of when notice of
such change shall have been furnished by the Borrower to the Administrative
Agent and the Lenders pursuant to Section 5.01 or otherwise. Each change in the
Applicable Rate shall apply during the period commencing on the effective date
of such change and ending on the date immediately preceding the effective date
of the next such change. If (a) the rating system of Xxxxx'x or S&P shall
change, the Borrower and the Lenders shall negotiate in good faith to amend this
definition to reflect such changed rating system of such rating agency and,
pending the effectiveness of any such amendment, the Applicable Rate shall be
determined by reference to the rating of such rating agency most recently in
effect prior to such change; and (b) both Xxxxx'x and S&P shall cease on the
same date to be in the business of rating corporate debt obligations, the
Borrower and the Lenders shall negotiate in good faith to amend this definition
to reflect the unavailability of ratings from such rating agencies and, pending
the effectiveness of any such amendment, the Applicable Rate shall be determined
by reference to the ratings of such rating agencies most recently in effect
prior to such cessation.
"Approved Fund" has the meaning assigned to such term in
Section 9.04(b).
"Assessment Rate" means, for any day, the annual assessment
rate in effect on such day that is payable by a member of the Bank Insurance
Fund classified as "well-capitalized" and within supervisory subgroup "B" (or a
comparable successor risk classification) within the meaning of 12 C.F.R. Part
327 (or any successor provision) to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
for insurance by such Corporation of time deposits made in dollars at the
offices of such member in the United States; provided that if, as a result of
any change in any law, rule or regulation, it is no longer possible to determine
the
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Assessment Rate as aforesaid, then the Assessment Rate shall be such annual rate
as shall be determined by the Administrative Agent to be representative of the
cost of such insurance to the Lenders.
"Assignment and Assumption" means an assignment and assumption
entered into by a Lender and an assignee (with the consent of any party whose
consent is required by Section 9.04), and accepted by the Administrative Agent,
in the form of Exhibit A or any other form approved by the Administrative Agent.
"Attributable Obligation" means, with respect to any Sale
Leaseback Transaction as of any particular time, the present value at such time
discounted at the rate of interest implicit in the terms of the lease of the
obligations of the lessee under such lease for net rental payments during the
remaining term of the lease (including any period for which such lease has been
extended or may, at the option of the Borrower or any Subsidiary, be extended).
"Availability Period" means the period from and including the
Effective Date to but excluding the earlier of the Maturity Date and the date of
termination of the Commitments.
"Available Commitment" means, for any Lender at any time, the
lesser of (i) such Lender's Commitment at such time and (ii) such Lender's
Applicable Percentage times the Borrowing Base at such time.
"Available Commitment (For Fee Purposes)" means, for any
Lender at any time, the amount that would be such Lender's Available Commitment
at such time if the Senior Notes were the only Debt included in the Borrowing
Base Debt Amount at such time.
"Base CD Rate" means the sum of (a) the Three-Month Secondary
CD Rate multiplied by the Statutory Reserve Rate plus (b) the Assessment Rate.
"Board" means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
System of the United States of America.
"Borrower" means Newfield Exploration Company, a Delaware
corporation.
"Borrowing" means Loans of the same Type, made, converted or
continued on the same date and, in the case of Eurodollar Loans, as to which a
single Interest Period is in effect.
"Borrowing Base" means, at any time, the amount by which the
Calculated Borrowing Base at such time exceeds the sum of (i) Borrowing Base
Debt Amount at such time plus (ii) 30% of the aggregate principal amount then
outstanding of all Subordinated Debt. Any change in the Borrowing Base due to a
change in the Calculated Borrowing Base, the Borrowing Base Debt Amount or the
principal amount of such Subordinated Debt shall be effective from and including
the date of such change in the Calculated Borrowing Base, the Borrowing Base
Debt Amount or the principal amount of such Subordinated Debt, respectively.
"Borrowing Base Approval Lenders" means, at any time, Lenders
having Credit Exposures and unused Commitments representing at least 75% of the
sum of the total Credit Exposures and unused Commitments at such time.
"Borrowing Base Debt Amount" means, at any time, the aggregate
principal amount outstanding at such time, without duplication, of all
consolidated Debt of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries, except (i)
the aggregate Credit Exposures of all Lenders at such time, (ii) Subordinated
Debt, (iii) letters of credit (other than Letters of Credit) not exceeding in
the aggregate (including both the aggregate maximum undrawn amount thereof and
the aggregate amount of all disbursements thereunder that have not been
reimbursed) an amount equal to $50,000,000 minus the LC Exposure at such time
and (iv) Debt referred to in clause (k) of the definition herein of Debt.
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A "Borrowing Base Deficiency" will be deemed to exist at all
times that the Borrowing Base Deficiency Amount is greater than zero.
"Borrowing Base Deficiency Amount" means, at any time, the
amount, if any, by which (a) the aggregate Credit Exposures of all Lenders at
such time exceeds (b) the Borrowing Base at such time.
"Borrowing Base Notice" means a written notice sent to the
Borrower by the Administrative Agent notifying the Borrower of the Calculated
Borrowing Base determined by the Borrowing Base Approval Lenders.
"Borrowing Request" means a request by the Borrower for a
Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.03.
"Business Day" means any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or
other day on which commercial banks in New York City are authorized or required
by law to remain closed; provided that, when used in connection with a
Eurodollar Loan, the term "Business Day" shall also exclude any day on which
banks are not open for dealings in dollar deposits in the London interbank
market.
"Calculated Borrowing Base" means at any time an amount equal
to the amount determined in accordance with Section 2.04 and in effect at such
time.
"Capital Lease Obligations" of any Person means the
obligations of such Person to pay rent or other amounts under any lease of (or
other arrangement conveying the right to use) real or personal property, or a
combination thereof, which obligations are required to be classified and
accounted for as capital leases on a balance sheet of such Person under GAAP,
and the amount of such obligations shall be the capitalized amount thereof
determined in accordance with GAAP.
"Change in Control" means (a) the acquisition of ownership,
directly or indirectly, beneficially or of record, by any Person or group
(within the meaning of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules of the
Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder as in effect on the date hereof),
of Equity Interests representing more than 30% of the aggregate ordinary voting
power represented by the issued and outstanding Equity Interests of the
Borrower; (b) occupation of a majority of the seats (other than vacant seats) on
the board of directors of the Borrower by Persons who were neither (i) nominated
by the board of directors of the Borrower nor (ii) appointed by directors so
nominated; or (c) the acquisition of direct or indirect Control of the Borrower
by any Person or group.
"Change in Law" means (a) the adoption of any law, rule or
regulation after the date of this Agreement by any Governmental Authority, (b)
any change in any law, rule or regulation or in the interpretation or
application thereof by any Governmental Authority after the date of this
Agreement or (c) compliance by any Lender or the Issuing Bank (or, for purposes
of Section 2.15(b), by any lending office of such Lender or by such Lender's or
the Issuing Bank's holding company, if any) with any request, guideline or
directive (whether or not having the force of law) of any Governmental Authority
made or issued after the date of this Agreement.
"Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
from time to time.
"Co-Documentation Agents" means Bank of Montreal d/b/a Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx, Credit Lyonnais New York Branch and Fleet National Bank, as
co-documentation agents in connection with this Agreement.
"Co-Lead Arrangers" means X.X. Xxxxxx Securities Inc. and
Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC.
"Commitment" means, with respect to each Lender, the
commitment of such Lender to
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make Loans and to acquire participations in Letters of Credit hereunder,
expressed as an amount representing the maximum aggregate amount of such
Lender's Credit Exposure hereunder, as such commitment may be (a) reduced from
time to time pursuant to Section 2.09 and (b) reduced or increased from time to
time pursuant to assignments by or to such Lender pursuant to Section 9.04. The
initial amount of each Lender's Commitment is set forth on Schedule 2.01, or in
the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender shall have assumed
its Commitment, as applicable. The initial aggregate amount of the Lenders'
Commitments is $600,000,000.
"Company Report" has the meaning assigned to such term in
Section 5.11(a).
"Consolidated Interest Expense" means, for any period, the sum
of (i) gross interest expense (including all cash and accrued interest expense)
of the Borrower and its Consolidated Restricted Subsidiaries for such period on
a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP, including to the extent included
in interest expense in accordance with GAAP (a) the amortization of debt
discounts and (b) the portion of any payments or accruals with respect to
capital leases allocable to interest expense plus (ii) capitalized interest of
the Borrower and its Consolidated Restricted Subsidiaries for such period on a
consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP. If any Consolidated Restricted
Subsidiary is designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary in accordance with
Section 6.10, then on and after the date of such designation, Consolidated
Interest Expense shall be computed for all prior periods as if such Subsidiary
was not a Consolidated Restricted Subsidiary during such periods.
"Consolidated Restricted Subsidiaries" means each Restricted
Subsidiary of the Borrower (whether now existing or hereafter created or
acquired) the financial statements of which shall be (or should have been)
consolidated with the financial statements of the Borrower in accordance with
GAAP.
"Control" means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the
power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a
Person, whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or
otherwise. "Controls", "Controlling" and "Controlled" have meanings correlative
thereto.
"Credit Exposure" means, with respect to any Lender at any
time, the sum of the outstanding principal amount of such Lender's Loans and its
LC Exposure at such time.
"Debt" of any Person means, without duplication, (a) all
obligations of such Person for borrowed money or with respect to deposits or
advances of any kind, (b) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds,
debentures, notes or similar instruments, (c) all obligations of such Person
under conditional sale or other title retention agreements relating to property
acquired by such Person, (d) all obligations of such Person in respect of the
deferred purchase price of property or services (excluding accounts payable
incurred in the ordinary course of business that are not more than 90 days past
due or that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and as
to which such Person has set aside on its books adequate reserves with respect
thereto in accordance with GAAP), (e) all Debt of others secured by (or for
which the holder of such Debt has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to
be secured by) any Lien on property owned or acquired by such Person, whether or
not the Debt secured thereby has been assumed, (f) all Guarantees by such Person
of Debt of others, (g) all Capital Lease Obligations of such Person, (h) all
obligations, contingent or otherwise, of such Person as an account party in
respect of letters of credit and letters of guaranty, (i) all obligations,
contingent or otherwise, of such Person in respect of bankers' acceptances, (j)
all obligations or undertakings of such Person with respect to payments received
by such Person in consideration of oil, gas, or other minerals yet to be
acquired or produced at the time of payment (including obligations under
"take-or-pay" contracts, contracts to deliver oil, gas or other minerals in
return for payments already received and the undischarged balance of any
production payment created by such Person or for the creation of which such
Person directly or indirectly received payment) or with respect to other
obligations to deliver goods or services in consideration of advance payments
therefor but excluding gas imbalances arising in the ordinary course of business
between joint working interest owners of production; (k) obligations arising
under futures contracts, swap contracts or similar hedging agreements; and (l)
all obligations of such Person under any synthetic lease, tax retention
operating lease or off-balance sheet loan or financing. The
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Debt of any Person shall include the Debt of any other entity (including any
partnership in which such Person is a general partner) to the extent such Person
is liable therefor as a result of such Person's ownership interest in or other
relationship with such entity, except to the extent the terms of such Debt
provide that such Person is not liable therefor.
"Default" means any event or condition which constitutes an
Event of Default or which upon notice, lapse of time or both would, unless cured
or waived, become an Event of Default.
"dollars" or "$" refers to lawful money of the United States
of America.
"EBITDA" means, for any period, the sum of (i) the
consolidated net income (or loss) of the Borrower and its Consolidated
Restricted Subsidiaries for such period determined in accordance with GAAP plus
(ii) to the extent included in the determination of such net income (or loss),
the consolidated charges for such period for interest, depreciation, depletion
and amortization plus (or, if there is a benefit from income taxes, minus) (iii)
to the extent included in the determination of such net income, the amount of
the provision for or benefit from income taxes; provided that in determining
such consolidated net income and such consolidated charges, there shall be
excluded therefrom (to the extent otherwise included therein) (a) the net income
(but not loss) of, and charges for interest, depreciation, depletion and
amortization of, any Person which is subject to any restriction, contractual or
otherwise, which prevents the payment of dividends or distributions or the
making of dividends or distributions on Equity Interests of such Person to the
extent of such restrictions, (b) pre-tax gains or losses on the sale, transfer
or other disposition of any property by the Borrower or its Consolidated
Restricted Subsidiaries (other than sales, transfers and other dispositions in
the ordinary course of business), (c) all extraordinary gains and extraordinary
losses, prior to applicable income taxes, and (d) any item constituting the
cumulative effect of a change in accounting principles, prior to applicable
income taxes; provided further that in determining EBITDA, there shall be
disregarded the after-tax effects of each of the following matters: (i)
write-downs after December 31, 2002 under FASB Statement No. 19, (ii) non-cash
write-downs of assets after December 31, 2002 under FASB Statement No. 121 or
pursuant to Rule 4-10(c) of SEC Regulation S-X (17CFR Section 210.4-10(c)), and
(iii) non-cash gains, losses or adjustments under FASB Statement. No. 133;
provided further that if during such period the Borrower or any of its
Consolidated Restricted Subsidiaries acquires or disposes of any Person (or any
Equity Interest in any Person other than the Borrower) or all or substantially
all of the assets of any Person, the EBITDA attributable to such assets (or an
amount equal to the percentage of ownership of the Borrower or Consolidated
Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, in such Person so acquired or
disposed times the EBITDA of such Person) for such period determined on a pro
forma basis (which determination, in each case, shall be subject to approval of
the Administrative Agent, not to be unreasonably withheld) shall be included (in
the case of an acquisition) or excluded (in the case of a disposition) as EBITDA
for such period; except that during the portion of such period that follows such
acquisition or disposition, the computation in respect of EBITDA of such Person
or such assets, as the case may be, shall be made on the basis of actual (rather
than pro forma) results. If any Consolidated Restricted Subsidiary is designated
as an Unrestricted Subsidiary in accordance with Section 6.10, then on and after
the date of such designation, EBITDA shall be computed for all prior periods as
if such Subsidiary was not a Consolidated Restricted Subsidiary during such
periods.
"EBITDA to Interest Ratio" means, for any period, the ratio of
(i) EBITDA for such period to (ii) Consolidated Interest Expense for such
period.
"Effective Date" means the date on which the conditions
specified in Section 4.01 are satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section
9.02).
"Engineering Reports" has the meaning assigned to that term in
Section 2.04(b).
"Environmental Laws" means all laws, rules, regulations,
codes, ordinances, orders, decrees, judgments, injunctions, notices, permits or
binding agreements issued, promulgated or entered into by any Governmental
Authority, relating in any way to the environment, preservation or reclamation
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of natural resources, or the management, release or threatened release of any
Hazardous Material.
"Environmental Liability" means any liability, contingent or
otherwise (including any liability for damages, costs of environmental
remediation, fines, penalties or indemnities), of the Borrower or any Subsidiary
directly or indirectly resulting from or based upon (a) violation of any
Environmental Law, (b) the generation, use, handling, transportation, storage,
treatment or disposal of any Hazardous Materials, (c) exposure to any Hazardous
Materials, (d) the release or threatened release of any Hazardous Materials into
the environment or (e) any contract, agreement or other consensual arrangement
pursuant to which liability is assumed or imposed with respect to any of the
foregoing.
"Equity Interests" means shares of capital stock, partnership
interests, membership interests in a limited liability company, beneficial
interests in a trust or other equity ownership interests in a Person, and any
warrants, options or other rights entitling the holder thereof to purchase or
acquire any such equity interest.
"ERISA" means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
1974, as amended from time to time.
"ERISA Affiliate" means any trade or business (whether or not
incorporated) that, together with the Borrower, is treated as a single employer
under Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code or, solely for purposes of Section 302
of ERISA and Section 412 of the Code, is treated as a single employer under
Section 414 of the Code.
"ERISA Event" means (a) any "reportable event", as defined in
Section 4043 of ERISA or the regulations issued thereunder with respect to a
Plan (other than an event for which the 30-day notice period is waived); (b) the
existence with respect to any Plan of an "accumulated funding deficiency" (as
defined in Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA), whether or not
waived; (c) the filing pursuant to Section 412(d) of the Code or Section 303(d)
of ERISA of an application for a waiver of the minimum funding standard with
respect to any Plan; (d) the incurrence by the Borrower or any of its ERISA
Affiliates of any liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to the
termination of any Plan; (e) the receipt by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate
from the PBGC or a plan administrator of any notice relating to an intention to
terminate any Plan or Plans or to appoint a trustee to administer any Plan; (f)
the incurrence by the Borrower or any of its ERISA Affiliates of any liability
with respect to the withdrawal or partial withdrawal from any Plan or
Multiemployer Plan; or (g) the receipt by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate of
any notice, or the receipt by any Multiemployer Plan from the Borrower or any
ERISA Affiliate of any notice, concerning the imposition of Withdrawal Liability
or a determination that a Multiemployer Plan is, or is expected to be, insolvent
or in reorganization, within the meaning of Title IV of ERISA.
"Eurodollar", when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing,
refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are bearing
interest at a rate determined by reference to the Adjusted LIBO Rate.
"Event of Default" has the meaning assigned to such term in
Article VII.
"Excepted Liens" means (i) Liens for taxes, assessments or
other governmental charges or levies not yet due or which are being contested in
good faith by appropriate action and for which adequate reserves have been
maintained; (ii) pledges and deposits made in the ordinary course of business in
compliance with workmen's compensation, unemployment insurance or other social
security laws or regulations; (iii) operator's, vendors', carriers',
warehousemen's, repairmen's, mechanics', workmen's, materialmen's, construction
or other like Liens arising by operation of law in the ordinary course of
business or incident to the exploration, development, operation and maintenance
of Oil and Gas Properties or statutory landlord's liens, each of which is in
respect of obligations that have not been outstanding more than 90 days or which
are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which
adequate reserves have been maintained in accordance with GAAP; (iv) any Liens
reserved in
-11-
leases or farmout agreements for rent or royalties and for compliance with the
terms of the farmout agreements or leases in the case of leasehold estates, to
the extent that any such Lien referred to in this clause does not materially
impair the use of the Property covered by such Lien for the purposes for which
such Property is held by the Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary or materially
impair the value of such Property subject thereto; (v) encumbrances (other than
to secure the payment of Debt, the deferred purchase price of Property or
services or other monetary obligations), easements, restrictions, servitudes,
permits, conditions, covenants, exceptions or reservations in any rights of way
or other Property of the Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary for the purpose of
roads, pipelines, transmission lines, transportation lines and distribution
lines for the removal of gas, oil, coal or other minerals or timber, and other
like purposes, or for the joint or common use of real estate, rights of way,
facilities and equipment which in the aggregate do not have a Material Adverse
Effect and, in each case, arise in the ordinary course of business; (vi)
defects, irregularities in title, zoning restrictions and deficiencies in title
of any Property which in the aggregate do not have a Material Adverse Effect;
(vii) deposits not exceeding $10,000,000 in the aggregate outstanding at any one
time to secure the performance of requirements of any Governmental Authority,
bids, trade contracts, leases, statutory obligations and other obligations of a
like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business; (viii) reservations in
original grants from any Governmental Authority; (ix) rights of any Governmental
Authority to terminate a lease; and (x) Liens of judgments that do not
constitute an Event of Default under Section 7.01(k); provided that in no event
will any Lien on property of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary that
secures any obligation of an Unrestricted Subsidiary be an Excepted Lien.
"Excluded Taxes" means, with respect to the Administrative
Agent, any Lender, the Issuing Bank or any other recipient of any payment to be
made by or on account of any obligation of the Borrower hereunder, (a) income or
franchise taxes imposed on (or measured by) its net income by the United States
of America, or by the jurisdiction under the laws of which such recipient is
organized or in which its principal office is located or, in the case of any
Lender, in which its applicable lending office is located, (b) any branch
profits taxes imposed by the United States of America or any similar tax imposed
by any other jurisdiction in which the Borrower is located and (c) in the case
of a Foreign Lender (other than an assignee pursuant to a request by the
Borrower under Section 2.18(b)), any withholding tax that is imposed on amounts
payable to such Foreign Lender at the time such Foreign Lender becomes a party
to this Agreement (or designates a new lending office) or is attributable to
such Foreign Lender's failure to comply with Section 2.17(e), except to the
extent that such Foreign Lender (or its assignor, if any) was entitled, at the
time of designation of a new lending office (or assignment), to receive
additional amounts from the Borrower with respect to such withholding tax
pursuant to Section 2.17(a).
"Existing Credit Agreement" means the Credit Agreement dated
as of January 23, 2001 among the Borrower, JPMorgan Chase Bank and others, as
amended.
"Existing Letters of Credit" means the letters of credit
listed on Schedule 1.01.
"Facility Obligations" means all obligations (liquidated,
contingent or otherwise) from time to time owed by the Borrower or any
Subsidiary pursuant to, as a result of, or in connection with any Loan Document,
including all principal of and interest on the Loans, all reimbursement and
other obligations in connection with the Letters of Credit and all obligations
to pay fees, costs, expenses, indemnities and other amounts payable under any
Loan Document.
"Federal Funds Effective Rate" means, for any day, the
weighted average (rounded upwards, if necessary, to the next 1/100 of 1%) of the
rates on overnight Federal funds transactions with members of the Federal
Reserve System arranged by Federal funds brokers, as published on the next
succeeding Business Day by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, or, if such
rate is not so published for any day that is a Business Day, the average
(rounded upwards, if necessary, to the next 1/100 of 1%) of the quotations for
such day for such transactions received by the Administrative Agent from three
Federal funds brokers of recognized standing selected by it.
"Financial Officer" means the chief financial officer,
principal accounting officer,
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treasurer or controller of the Borrower.
"Foreign Lender" means any Lender that is organized under the
laws of a jurisdiction other than that in which the Borrower is located. For
purposes of this definition, the United States of America, each state thereof
and the District of Columbia shall be deemed to constitute a single
jurisdiction.
"GAAP" means generally accepted accounting principles in the
United States of America.
"Governmental Authority" means the government of the United
States of America, any other nation or any political subdivision thereof,
whether state or local, and any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory
body, court, central bank or other entity exercising executive, legislative,
judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative powers or functions of or
pertaining to government.
"Guarantee" of or by any Person (the "guarantor") means any
obligation, contingent or otherwise, of the guarantor guaranteeing or having the
economic effect of guaranteeing any Debt or other obligation of any other Person
(the "primary obligor") in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, and
including the creation of any Lien on any asset of the guarantor to secure any
such Debt or obligation and any obligation of the guarantor, direct or indirect,
(a) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment
of) such Debt or other obligation or to purchase (or to advance or supply funds
for the purchase of) any security for the payment thereof, (b) to purchase or
lease property, securities or services for the purpose of assuring the owner of
such Debt or other obligation of the payment thereof, (c) to maintain working
capital, equity capital or any other financial statement condition or liquidity
of the primary obligor so as to enable the primary obligor to pay such Debt or
other obligation or (d) as an account party in respect of any letter of credit
or letter of guaranty issued to support such Debt or obligation; provided, that
the term Guarantee shall not include endorsements for collection or deposit in
the ordinary course of business.
"Hazardous Materials" means all explosive or radioactive
substances or wastes and all hazardous or toxic substances, wastes or other
pollutants, including petroleum or petroleum distillates released into the
environment, asbestos or asbestos containing materials, polychlorinated
biphenyls, radon gas, infectious or medical wastes and all other substances or
wastes of any nature regulated pursuant to any Environmental Law.
"Hydrocarbon Interests" means all rights, titles, interests
and estates now or hereafter acquired in and to oil and gas leases, oil, gas and
mineral leases, or other liquid or gaseous hydrocarbon leases, mineral fee
interests, overriding royalty and royalty interests, net profit interests and
production payment interests, including any reserved or residual interests of
whatever nature.
"Hydrocarbons" means oil, gas, casinghead gas, drip gasoline,
natural gasoline, condensate, distillate, liquid hydrocarbons, gaseous
hydrocarbons and all products refined or separated therefrom.
"Indemnified Taxes" means Taxes other than Excluded Taxes.
"Index Debt" means senior, unsecured, long-term indebtedness
for borrowed money of the Borrower that is not guaranteed by any other Person or
subject to any other credit enhancement.
"Information Memorandum" means the Confidential Information
Memorandum dated February, 2004 relating to the Borrower and the Transactions.
"Interest Election Request" means a request by the Borrower to
convert or continue a Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.08.
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"Interest Payment Date" means (a) with respect to any ABR Loan
the last day of each March, June, September and December, and (b) with respect
to any Eurodollar Loan, the last day of the Interest Period applicable to the
Borrowing of which such Loan is a part and, in the case of a Eurodollar
Borrowing with an Interest Period of more than three months' duration, each day
prior to the last day of such Interest Period that occurs at intervals of three
months' duration after the first day of such Interest Period.
"Interest Period" means (a) with respect to any Eurodollar
Borrowing, the period commencing on the date of such Borrowing and ending on the
fourteenth day thereafter (subject to availability) (an "Irregular Interest
Period") or on the numerically corresponding day in the first, second, third or
sixth calendar month thereafter, as the Borrower may elect, or such other period
as may be requested by the Borrower and agreed to by all of the Lenders (also an
"Irregular Interest Period"), provided, that (i) if any Interest Period would
end on a day other than a Business Day, such Interest Period shall be extended
to the next succeeding Business Day unless such next succeeding Business Day
would fall in the next calendar month, in which case such Interest Period shall
end on the next preceding Business Day, (ii) no Interest Period may be elected
that would end after the Maturity Date, and (iii) any Interest Period (other
than an Irregular Interest Period) that commences on the last Business Day of a
calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day
in the last calendar month of such Interest Period) shall end on the last
Business Day of the last calendar month of such Interest Period. For purposes
hereof, the date of a Borrowing initially shall be the date on which such
Borrowing is made and thereafter shall be the effective date of the most recent
conversion or continuation of such Borrowing.
"Investment" means, as applied to any Person, any direct or
indirect (i) purchase or other acquisition by such Person of any Equity
Interest, Debt or other securities (including any option, warrant or other right
to acquire any of the foregoing) of any other Person, (ii) loan or advance made
by such Person to any other Person, (iii) Guarantee, assumption or other
incurrence of liability by such Person of or for any Debt or other obligation of
any other Person, (iv) creation of any Debt owed to such Person by any other
Person, (v) capital contribution or other investment by such Person in any other
Person or (vi) purchase or other acquisition (in one transaction or a series of
transactions) of any assets of any other Person constituting a business unit.
The amount of any Investment shall be the original cost of such Investment plus
the cost of all additions thereto, without any adjustments for increases or
decreases in value, or write-ups, write-downs or write-offs with respect to such
Investment or interest earned on such Investment.
"Issuing Bank" means JPMorgan Chase Bank, in its capacity as
the issuer of Letters of Credit hereunder, and its successors in such capacity
as provided in Section 2.06(i). The Issuing Bank may, in its discretion, arrange
for one or more Letters of Credit to be issued by Affiliates of the Issuing
Bank, in which case the term "Issuing Bank" shall include any such Affiliate
with respect to Letters of Credit issued by such Affiliate.
"LC Disbursement" means a payment made by the Issuing Bank
pursuant to a Letter of Credit.
"LC Exposure" means, at any time, the sum of (a) the aggregate
maximum undrawn amount of all outstanding Letters of Credit at such time plus
(b) the aggregate amount of all LC Disbursements that have not yet been
reimbursed by or on behalf of the Borrower at such time. The LC Exposure of any
Lender at any time shall be its Applicable Percentage of the total LC Exposure
at such time.
"Lenders" means the Persons listed on Schedule 2.01 and any
other Person that shall have become a party hereto pursuant to an Assignment and
Assumption, other than any such Person that ceases to be a party hereto pursuant
to an Assignment and Assumption.
"Letter of Credit" means any letter of credit issued pursuant
to this Agreement and the
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Existing Letters of Credit.
"LIBO Rate" means, with respect to any Eurodollar Borrowing
for any Interest Period, the rate appearing on Page 3750 of the Dow Xxxxx Market
Service (or on any successor or substitute page of such Service, or any
successor to or substitute for such Service, providing rate quotations
comparable to those currently provided on such page of such Service, as
determined by the Administrative Agent from time to time for purposes of
providing quotations of interest rates applicable to dollar deposits in the
London interbank market) at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two Business
Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period, as the rate for dollar
deposits with a maturity comparable to such Interest Period. In the event that
such rate is not available at such time for any reason, then the "LIBO Rate"
with respect to such Eurodollar Borrowing for such Interest Period shall be the
rate at which dollar deposits of $5,000,000 and for a maturity comparable to
such Interest Period are offered by the principal London office of the
Administrative Agent in immediately available funds in the London interbank
market at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two Business Days prior to the
commencement of such Interest Period.
"Lien" means, with respect to any asset, (a) any mortgage,
deed of trust, lien, pledge, hypothecation, encumbrance, charge or security
interest in, on or of such asset, (b) the interest of a vendor or a lessor under
any conditional sale agreement, capital lease or title retention agreement (or
any financing lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the
foregoing) relating to such asset, (c) production payments and the like payable
out of Oil and Gas Properties and (d) in the case of securities, any purchase
option, call or similar right of a third party with respect to such securities.
"Loan Documents" means this Agreement, any promissory note
referred to in Section 2.10(e) and each Subsidiary Guaranty.
"Loans" means the loans made by the Lenders to the Borrower
pursuant to this Agreement.
"Material Adverse Effect" means a material adverse effect on
(a) the business, assets, operations or financial condition of the Borrower and
the Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole, (b) the ability of the Borrower to
perform any of its obligations under this Agreement or (c) the rights of or
benefits available to the Lenders under this Agreement or any other Loan
Document, except that seasonal declines in energy prices will not constitute a
Material Adverse Effect.
"Material Indebtedness" means Debt (other than the Loans and
Letters of Credit), or obligations in respect of one or more Swap Agreements, of
any one or more of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries in an aggregate
principal amount equal to or exceeding $25,000,000. For purposes of determining
Material Indebtedness, the "principal amount" of the obligations of the Borrower
or any Restricted Subsidiary in respect of any Swap Agreement at any time shall
be the maximum aggregate amount (giving effect to any netting agreements) that
the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary would be required to pay if such Swap
Agreement were terminated at such time.
"Maturity Date" means March 14, 2008.
"Moody's" means Xxxxx'x Investors Service, Inc.
"Multiemployer Plan" means a multiemployer plan as defined in
Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA.
"Non-Recourse Debt" means Debt of a Subsidiary:
(1) as to which neither the Borrower nor any Restricted
Subsidiary (a) provides credit support of any kind (including any Guarantee,
undertaking, agreement or instrument that would constitute Debt), (b) is
directly or indirectly liable as a guarantor or otherwise or (c) is the lender;
-15-
(2) no default with respect to which (including any
rights that the holders thereof may have to take enforcement action against an
Unrestricted Subsidiary) would permit upon notice, lapse of time or both any
holder of Debt of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary to declare a default
on such Debt or cause the payment thereof to be accelerated or payable prior to
its stated maturity; and
(3) as to which the lenders of such Non-Recourse Debt
have been notified in writing that they will not have any recourse to the
Borrower, any Restricted Subsidiary or any assets of any of them.
"Oil and Gas Properties" means Hydrocarbon Interests; the
Properties now or hereafter pooled or unitized with Hydrocarbon Interests; all
presently existing or future unitization, pooling agreements and declarations of
pooled units and the units created thereby (including all units created under
orders, regulations and rules of any Governmental Authority) which may affect
all or any portion of the Hydrocarbon Interests; all operating agreements,
contracts and other agreements which relate to any of the Hydrocarbon Interests
or the production, sale, purchase, exchange or processing of Hydrocarbons from
or attributable to such Hydrocarbon Interests; all Hydrocarbons in and under and
which may be produced and saved or attributable to the Hydrocarbon Interests,
including all oil in tanks, the lands covered thereby and all rents, issues,
profits, proceeds, products, revenues and other incomes from or attributable to
the Hydrocarbon Interests; all tenements, hereditaments, appurtenances and
Properties in any manner appertaining, belonging, affixed or incidental to the
Hydrocarbon Interests and all Properties, rights, titles, interests and estates
described or referred to above, including any and all Property, real or
personal, now owned or hereafter acquired and situated upon, used, held for use
or useful in connection with the operating, working or development of any of
such Hydrocarbon Interests or Property (excluding drilling rigs, automotive
equipment or other personal property which may be on such premises for the
purpose of drilling a well or for other similar temporary uses) and including
any and all oil xxxxx, gas xxxxx, injection xxxxx or other xxxxx, buildings,
structures, fuel separators, liquid extraction plants, plant compressors, pumps,
pumping units, field gathering systems, tanks and tank batteries, fixtures,
valves, fittings, machinery and parts, engines, boilers, meters, apparatus,
equipment, appliances, tools, implements, cables, wires, towers, casing, tubing
and rods, surface leases, rights-of-way, easements and servitudes, together with
all additions, substitutions, replacements, accessions and attachments to any
and all of the foregoing.
"Oil or Gas Swap Contract" means any crude oil or natural gas
price swap, price cap, price collar, forward agreement, or other exchange or
price protection transaction or any combination of such transactions or
agreements or options with respect to any such transaction or agreement.
"Other Taxes" means any and all present or future stamp or
documentary taxes or any other excise or property taxes, charges or similar
levies arising from any payment made hereunder or from the execution, delivery
or enforcement of, or otherwise with respect to, any Loan Document.
"Outside Report" has the meaning assigned to such term in
Section 5.11(a).
"Participant" has the meaning set forth in Section 9.04.
"PBGC" means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation referred
to and defined in ERISA and any successor entity performing similar functions.
"Permitted Investments" means:
(a) investments existing on the Effective Date and listed
on Schedule 1.01;
(b) investments in additional Oil and Gas Properties and
gas gathering systems related thereto;
(c) accounts receivable arising out of the sale of
Hydrocarbons, other assets or
-16-
services in the ordinary course of business;
(d) direct obligations of, or obligations the principal
of and interest on which are unconditionally guaranteed by, the United States
(or any agency thereof to the extent such obligations are legally backed by the
full faith and credit of the United States), in each case maturing within one
year from the date of creation thereof;
(e) commercial paper maturing within one year from the
date of creation thereof rated A2 or higher by S&P or P2 or higher by Xxxxx'x;
(f) deposits maturing within one year from the date of
creation thereof with, including certificates of deposit issued by, any Lender
or any office located in the United States of any other bank or trust company
which is organized under the laws of the United States or any state thereof and
has capital, surplus and undivided profits aggregating at least $500,000,000 (as
of the date such Lender's or bank or trust company's most recent financial
reports) and has a short term deposit rating of no lower than A2 or P2, as such
rating is set forth from time to time by S&P or Xxxxx'x, respectively;
(g) advances to operators under operating agreements
entered into by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary in the ordinary course
of business;
(h) repurchase agreements of any commercial banks in the
United States and Canada, if the commercial paper of such bank or of the bank
holding company of which such bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary is rated in the
highest rating categories of S&P, Xxxxx'x or any other rating agency
satisfactory to the Required Lenders, that are fully secured by securities
described in paragraph (d) of this definition;
(i) eurodollar investments maturing within one year with
financial institutions meeting the qualifications established in paragraph (f)
of this definition;
(j) any investment in any Unrestricted Subsidiary if, at
the time of making such investment, the aggregate book value of the assets of
the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis (excluding
investments in Unrestricted Subsidiaries) exceeds $2,250,000,000;
(k) any investment in, or loans or advances to, or
Guarantees of any Debt permitted by Section 6.09 of, Restricted Subsidiaries
that are wholly-owned by the Borrower;
(l) investments in loan participations purchased from a
bank with which deposits may be made under paragraph (f) of this definition, if
the remaining term of any such participation at the time such participation is
bought is 90 days or less and the borrower obligated to pay such loan then has a
credit rating of A2 or higher from S&P or P2 or higher from Xxxxx'x on such
borrower's short term unsecured obligations;
(m) remarketed certificates of participation sold in
private placements, representing undivided interests in the assets of a trust or
similar entity owning debt instruments, provided that such certificates of
participation have received a credit rating of A2 or higher from S&P or of P2 or
higher from Xxxxx'x and are payable in full within 90 days after purchase;
(n) asset backed securities with an average life of 24
months or less and rated in one of the top two rating categories of Xxxxx'x or
S&P;
(o) corporate notes or bonds rated A3 or better by
Xxxxx'x or A- or better by S&P maturing within one year;
(p) loans and advances made by any Restricted Subsidiary
to the Borrower;
-17-
(q) money market funds that (i) comply with the criteria
set forth in Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 2a-7 under the Investment
Company Act of 1940, (ii) are rated AAA by S&P and Aaa by Xxxxx'x and (iii) have
portfolio assets of at least $5,000,000,000;
(r) any acquisition of any Equity Interest or other
securities if the only consideration given therefor is shares of common stock of
the Borrower; and
(s) investments in the Newfield Foundation in an amount
up to $2,000,000 per year (and the Newfield Foundation may invest such amounts
and any amounts funded prior to the Effective Date in any securities or
investments deemed appropriate by the trustee committee thereof).
"Person" means any natural person, corporation, limited
liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership,
Governmental Authority or other entity.
"Plan" means any employee pension benefit plan (other than a
Multiemployer Plan) subject to the provisions of Title IV of ERISA or Section
412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, and in respect of which the Borrower or
any ERISA Affiliate is (or, if such plan were terminated, would under Section
4069 of ERISA be deemed to be) an "employer" as defined in Section 3(5) of
ERISA.
"Prime Rate" means the rate of interest per annum publicly
announced from time to time by JPMorgan Chase Bank as its prime rate in effect
at its principal office in New York City; each change in the Prime Rate shall be
effective from and including the date such change is publicly announced as being
effective.
"Property" and "asset" (in each case whether or not
capitalized) each means any and all tangible and intangible assets and
properties, including goods, real property, personal property, fixtures, cash,
securities, accounts, contract rights, intangibles, intellectual property, any
other form of asset or property and any interest therein.
"Redetermination Date" has the meaning set forth in Section
2.04.
"Register" has the meaning set forth in Section 9.04.
"Related Parties" means, with respect to any specified Person,
such Person's Affiliates and the respective directors, officers, employees,
agents and advisors of such Person and such Person's Affiliates.
"Required Lenders" means, at any time, Lenders having Credit
Exposures and unused Commitments representing more than 50% of the sum of the
total Credit Exposures and unused Commitments at such time.
"Reserve Report" means a report, in form and substance
satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, setting forth, as of the last day of
each December (the "December 31 Reserve Report") and as of the last day of June
(the "June 30 Reserve Report") (or such other date as comports with Section
5.11(b) in the event of an unscheduled redetermination) the proved oil and gas
reserves attributable to the Oil and Gas Properties of the Borrower and its
Restricted Subsidiaries, together with a projection of the rate of production
and future net income, production, severance or similar taxes, operating
expenses and capital expenditures with respect thereto as of such date, based
upon the pricing assumptions consistent with SEC reporting requirements at the
time. Furthermore, such information shall be provided for each field, unit or
lease comprising the Oil and Gas Properties of the Borrower and its Restricted
Subsidiaries and by category of the reserves contained in each well, unit or
lease, including proved producing, proved non-producing and proved undeveloped.
"Responsible Officer" means the chief executive officer, the
president, any vice president or the chief financial officer of the Borrower.
-18-
"Restricted Payment" means any dividend or other distribution
(whether in cash, securities or other property) with respect to any Equity
Interests in the Borrower or any Subsidiary, or any payment (whether in cash,
securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on
account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, acquisition, cancellation or
termination of any such Equity Interests in the Borrower or any Subsidiary or
any option, warrant or other right to acquire any such Equity Interests in the
Borrower or any Subsidiary.
"Restricted Subsidiaries" mean all Subsidiaries that are not
Unrestricted Subsidiaries.
"S&P" means Standard & Poor's.
"Sale Leaseback Transaction" means any arrangement entered
into by the Borrower or any Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, whereby the
Borrower or any Subsidiary shall sell or transfer any Property and whereby the
Borrower or any Subsidiary shall then or thereafter rent or lease as lessee such
property or any part thereof or other property which the Borrower or any
Subsidiary intends to use for substantially the same purpose or purposes as the
property sold or transferred.
"Scheduled Redetermination Date" shall have the meaning set
forth in Section 2.04(a).
"Senior Notes" means the senior unsecured notes having a
principal balance of $300,000,000 on the Effective Date issued under the
indenture dated October 15, 1997 between the Borrower and Wachovia Bank,
National Association (formerly First Union National Bank), as trustee, and all
other senior notes (other than notes evidencing the Loans) issued by the
Borrower or any Subsidiary after the Effective Date to the extent that the
principal of such senior notes is due more than one year after the date of
issuance thereof.
"Senior Subordinated Indenture" means that certain indenture
dated as of December 10, 2001 between the Borrower and Wachovia Bank, National
Association (formerly known as First Union National Bank), as Trustee, as
supplemented by the First Supplemental Indenture dated as of August 13, 2002.
"Senior Subordinated Notes" means those certain 8 3/8% Senior
Subordinated Notes due 2012 in an aggregate amount of $250,000,000 issued under
the Senior Subordinated Indenture by the Borrower and all obligations relating
thereto.
"Statutory Reserve Rate" means a fraction (expressed as a
decimal), the numerator of which is the number one and the denominator of which
is the number one minus the aggregate of the maximum reserve percentages
(including any marginal, special, emergency or supplemental reserves) expressed
as a decimal established by the Board to which the Administrative Agent is
subject (a) with respect to the Base CD Rate, for new negotiable nonpersonal
time deposits in dollars of over $100,000 with maturities approximately equal to
three months and (b) with respect to the Adjusted LIBO Rate, for eurocurrency
funding (currently referred to as "Eurocurrency Liabilities" in Regulation D of
the Board). Such reserve percentages shall include those imposed pursuant to
such Regulation D. Eurodollar Loans shall be deemed to constitute eurocurrency
funding and to be subject to such reserve requirements without benefit of or
credit for proration, exemptions or offsets that may be available from time to
time to any Lender under such Regulation D or any comparable regulation. The
Statutory Reserve Rate shall be adjusted automatically on and as of the
effective date of any change in any reserve percentage.
"Subordinated Debt" means the Senior Subordinated Notes and
other Debt issued by the Borrower containing provisions subordinating such Debt
to the Facility Obligations on terms reasonably comparable to subordination
provisions generally used at the time for public subordinated debt issuances and
containing other terms and conditions which are substantially similar to
subordinated debt issued by companies of similar credit rating in the same
industry, but in any event such Debt shall not (i) have any covenants or default
provisions more restrictive than this Agreement or be Guaranteed by any
Subsidiary or (ii) require any payment of principal or any redemption or
purchase prior to March 31, 2011.
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"subsidiary" means, with respect to any Person (the "parent")
at any date, any corporation, limited liability company, partnership,
association or other entity the accounts of which would be consolidated with
those of the parent in the parent's consolidated financial statements if such
financial statements were prepared in accordance with GAAP as of such date, as
well as any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership,
association or other entity (a) of which securities or other ownership interests
representing more than 50% of the equity or more than 50% of the ordinary voting
power or, in the case of a partnership, more than 50% of the general partnership
interests are, as of such date, owned, controlled or held, or (b) that is, as of
such date, otherwise Controlled, by the parent or one or more subsidiaries of
the parent or by the parent and one or more subsidiaries of the parent.
"Subsidiary" means any subsidiary of the Borrower.
"Subsidiary Guarantor" means each Subsidiary that has executed
a Subsidiary Guaranty.
"Subsidiary Guaranty" means a Guaranty Agreement substantially
in the form of Exhibit C with such changes thereto, if any, as the Required
Lenders may reasonable request, executed by a Subsidiary.
"Swap Agreement" means any agreement with respect to any swap,
forward, future or derivative transaction or option or similar agreement
involving, or settled by reference to, one or more rates, currencies,
commodities, equity or debt instruments or securities, or economic, financial or
pricing indices or measures of economic, financial or pricing risk or value or
any similar transaction or any combination of these transactions; provided that
no phantom stock or similar plan providing for payments only on account of
services provided by current or former directors, officers, employees or
consultants of the Borrower or the Subsidiaries shall be a Swap Agreement.
"Syndication Agent" means Wachovia Bank, National Association,
as syndication agent in connection with this Agreement.
"Taxes" means any and all present or future taxes, levies,
imposts, duties, deductions, charges or withholdings imposed by any Governmental
Authority.
"Three-Month Secondary CD Rate" means, for any day, the
secondary market rate for three-month certificates of deposit reported as being
in effect on such day (or, if such day is not a Business Day, the next preceding
Business Day) by the Board through the public information telephone line of the
Federal Reserve Bank of New York (which rate will, under the current practices
of the Board, be published in Federal Reserve Statistical Release H.15(519)
during the week following such day) or, if such rate is not so reported on such
day or such next preceding Business Day, the average of the secondary market
quotations for three-month certificates of deposit of major money center banks
in New York City received at approximately 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on
such day (or, if such day is not a Business Day, on the next preceding Business
Day) by the Administrative Agent from three negotiable certificate of deposit
dealers of recognized standing selected by it.
"Total Debt" means the consolidated Debt of the Borrower and
its Consolidated Restricted Subsidiaries (other than obligations described in
clause (k) of the definition herein of Debt).
"Total Debt to EBITDA Ratio" means, as of any day, the ratio
of (i) the aggregate principal amount of Total Debt outstanding on such day to
(ii) EBITDA for the four consecutive fiscal quarters of the Borrower most
recently ended prior to such day (or, if such day is the last day of a fiscal
quarter of the Borrower, for the four consecutive fiscal quarters of the
Borrower ended on such day).
"Transactions" means the execution, delivery and performance
by the Borrower and the Subsidiary Guarantors of the Loan Documents, the
borrowing of Loans, the use of the proceeds thereof and the issuance of Letters
of Credit hereunder.
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"Type", when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing,
refers to whether the rate of interest on such Loan, or on the Loans comprising
such Borrowing, is determined by reference to the Adjusted LIBO Rate or the
Alternate Base Rate.
"Unrestricted Subsidiary" means (i) any Subsidiary that has
been designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary by the Borrower in accordance with
Section 6.10, and (ii) each subsidiary of such Unrestricted Subsidiary.
"Withdrawal Liability" means liability to a Multiemployer Plan
as a result of a complete or partial withdrawal from such Multiemployer Plan, as
such terms are defined in Part I of Subtitle E of Title IV of ERISA.
Section 1.02. Classification of Loans and Borrowings. For
purposes of this Agreement, Loans and Borrowings may be classified and referred
to by Type (e.g., a "Eurodollar Loan" or a "Eurodollar Borrowing").
Section 1.03. Terms Generally. The definitions of terms herein
shall apply equally to the singular and plural forms of the terms defined.
Whenever the context may require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding
masculine, feminine and neuter forms. The words "include", "includes" and
"including" shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase "without limitation".
The word "will" shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect as the
word "shall". Unless the context requires otherwise (a) any definition of or
reference to any agreement, instrument or other document herein shall be
construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from
time to time amended, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any
restrictions on such amendments, supplements or modifications set forth herein),
(b) any reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such
Person's successors and assigns, subject to any limitation on assignments set
forth herein, (c) the words "herein", "hereof" and "hereunder", and words of
similar import, shall be construed to refer to this Agreement in its entirety
and not to any particular provision hereof, and (d) all references herein to
Articles, Sections, Exhibits and Schedules shall be construed to refer to
Articles and Sections of, and Exhibits and Schedules to, this Agreement.
Section 1.04. Accounting Terms; GAAP. Except as otherwise
expressly provided herein, all terms of an accounting or financial nature shall
be construed in accordance with GAAP, as in effect from time to time; provided
that, if the Borrower notifies the Administrative Agent that the Borrower
requests an amendment to any provision hereof to eliminate the effect of any
change occurring after the date hereof in GAAP or in the application thereof on
the operation of such provision (or if the Administrative Agent notifies the
Borrower that the Required Lenders request an amendment to any provision hereof
for such purpose), regardless of whether any such notice is given before or
after such change in GAAP or in the application thereof, then such provision
shall be interpreted on the basis of GAAP as in effect and applied immediately
before such change shall have become effective until such notice shall have been
withdrawn or such provision amended in accordance herewith.
ARTICLE II
THE CREDITS
Section 2.01. Commitments. Subject to the terms and conditions
set forth herein, each Lender agrees to make Loans in dollars to the Borrower
from time to time during the Availability Period in an aggregate principal
amount that will not result in (a) such Lender's Credit Exposure exceeding such
Lender's Available Commitment or (b) the total Credit Exposures exceeding the
total Available Commitments. Within the foregoing limits and subject to the
terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may borrow, prepay and
reborrow Loans.
Section 2.02. Loans and Borrowings. (a) Each Loan shall be
made as part of a Borrowing consisting of Loans made by the Lenders ratably in
accordance with their respective
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Applicable Percentages. The failure of any Lender to make any Loan required to
be made by it shall not relieve any other Lender of its obligations hereunder;
provided that the Commitments of the Lenders are several and no Lender shall be
responsible for any other Lender's failure to make Loans as required.
(b) Subject to Section 2.14, each Borrowing shall be
comprised entirely of ABR Loans or Eurodollar Loans as the Borrower may request
in accordance herewith. Each Lender at its option may make any Eurodollar Loan
by causing any domestic or foreign branch or Affiliate of such Lender to make
such Loan; provided that any exercise of such option shall not affect the
obligation of the Borrower to repay such Loan in accordance with the terms of
this Agreement.
(c) At the commencement of each Interest Period for any
Eurodollar Borrowing, such Borrowing shall be in an aggregate amount that is an
integral multiple of $1,000,000 and not less than $2,000,000. At the time that
each ABR Borrowing is made, such Borrowing shall be in an aggregate amount that
is an integral multiple of $1,000,000 and not less than $2,000,000; provided
that an ABR Borrowing may be in an aggregate amount that is equal to the entire
unused balance of the total Available Commitments or that is required to finance
the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as contemplated by Section 2.06(e).
Borrowings of more than one Type may be outstanding at the same time; provided
that there shall not at any time be more than a total of ten Eurodollar
Borrowings outstanding.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this
Agreement, the Borrower shall not be entitled to request, or to elect to convert
or continue, any Borrowing if the Interest Period requested with respect thereto
would end after the Maturity Date.
Section 2.03. Requests for Borrowings. To request a Borrowing,
the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such request by telephone
(a) in the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York
City time, three Business Days before the date of the proposed Borrowing or (b)
in the case of an ABR Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time,
one Business Day before the date of the proposed Borrowing; provided that any
such notice of an ABR Borrowing to finance the reimbursement of an LC
Disbursement as contemplated by Section 2.06(e) may be given not later than
10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date of the proposed Borrowing. Each such
telephonic Borrowing Request shall be irrevocable and shall be confirmed
promptly by hand delivery or telecopy to the Administrative Agent of a written
Borrowing Request in a form approved by the Administrative Agent and signed by
the Borrower. Each such telephonic and written Borrowing Request shall specify
the following information in compliance with Section 2.02:
(i) the aggregate amount of the requested Borrowing;
(ii) the date of such Borrowing, which shall be a Business
Day;
(iii) whether such Borrowing is to be an ABR Borrowing or a
Eurodollar Borrowing;
(iv) in the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing, the initial
Interest Period to be applicable thereto, which shall be a period
contemplated by the definition of the term "Interest Period"; and
(v) the location and number of the Borrower's account to
which funds are to be disbursed, which shall comply with the
requirements of Section 2.07.
If no election as to the Type of Borrowing is specified, then the requested
Borrowing shall be an ABR Borrowing. If no Interest Period is specified with
respect to any requested Eurodollar Borrowing, then the Borrower shall be deemed
to have selected an Interest Period of one month's duration. Promptly following
receipt of a Borrowing Request in accordance with this Section, the
Administrative Agent shall advise each Lender of the details thereof and of the
amount of such Lender's Loan to be made as part of the requested Borrowing.
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Section 2.04. Borrowing Base. (a) During the period beginning
on and including the Effective Date until the first Redetermination Date, the
amount of the Calculated Borrowing Base shall be $875,000,000. So long as any of
the Commitments is in effect or any Letter of Credit is outstanding and until
payment in full of all Facility Obligations, the Calculated Borrowing Base shall
be redetermined from time to time in accordance with Section 2.04(b) by the
Administrative Agent with the concurrence of the Borrowing Base Approval
Lenders. Redeterminations shall occur on or around the first Business Day of
each May and November, commencing November 1, 2004 (each being a "Scheduled
Redetermination Date") and may occur on other dates in accordance with Section
2.04(d). Upon any redetermination of the Calculated Borrowing Base, such
redetermination shall remain in effect until the next Redetermination Date.
"Redetermination Date" shall mean the date that the redetermined Calculated
Borrowing Base becomes effective subject to the notice requirements specified in
Section 2.04(e) both for scheduled redeterminations and unscheduled
redeterminations. So long as any of the Commitments is in effect or any Letter
of Credit is outstanding and until all of the Facility Obligations are paid in
full, the credit facilities provided herein shall be governed by the then
effective Calculated Borrowing Base.
(b) Upon receipt of the reports required by Section 5.11
and such other reports, data and supplemental information as may from time to
time be reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent (the "Engineering
Reports"), the Administrative Agent will redetermine a new Calculated Borrowing
Base. Such redetermination will be in accordance with the Administrative Agent's
normal and customary procedures for evaluating oil and gas reserves and other
related assets as such exist at that particular time. The Administrative Agent
in its sole discretion, may make adjustments to the rates, volumes, prices and
other assumptions set forth therein. The Administrative Agent shall propose to
the Lenders a new Calculated Borrowing Base within 30 days following receipt by
the Administrative Agent of the Engineering Reports in a timely and complete
manner. After having received notice of such proposal by the Administrative
Agent, each Lender shall have 10 days to agree or disagree with such proposal.
Any failure of a Lender to communicate its approval or disapproval within such
ten day period shall be deemed to be an approval of such proposal. If the
Borrowing Base Approval Lenders approve (including any such deemed approval) the
Administrative Agent's proposal, then such proposal shall be the new Calculated
Borrowing Base. If however, the Borrowing Base Approval Lenders do not approve
such proposal within 10 days, the Borrowing Base Approval Lenders shall, within
a reasonable period of time, agree on a new Calculated Borrowing Base.
(c) The Administrative Agent may exclude any Oil and Gas
Property or portion of production therefrom or any income from any other
Property from the Calculated Borrowing Base, at any time, if title information
is not reasonably satisfactory.
(d) In addition to scheduled redeterminations, the
Borrower may request an unscheduled redetermination of the Calculated Borrowing
Base at any other time but no more often than once between Scheduled
Redetermination Dates by specifying in writing to the Administrative Agent the
date on which such redetermination is to occur and providing a Reserve Report in
accordance with Section 5.11(b) at least 60 days prior to the requested
redetermination date. Also, the Required Lenders may initiate only one
unscheduled redetermination during any consecutive 12 month period by specifying
in writing to the Borrower the date on which the Borrower is to furnish a
Reserve Report in accordance with Section 5.11(b) and the date on which such
redetermination is to occur.
(e) The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify in
writing the Borrower and the Lenders of the new Calculated Borrowing Base. Any
redetermination of the Calculated Borrowing Base shall not be in effect until
written notice thereof is received by the Borrower.
Section 2.05. Payments Generally; Pro Rata Treatment; Sharing
of Set-offs. (a) The Borrower shall make each payment required to be made by it
hereunder (whether of principal, interest, fees or reimbursement of LC
Disbursements, or of amounts payable under Section 2.15, 2.16 or 2.17, or
otherwise) prior to 12:00 noon, New York City time, on the date when due, in
immediately available
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funds, without set-off or counterclaim. Any amounts received after such time on
any date may, in the discretion of the Administrative Agent, be deemed to have
been received on the next succeeding Business Day for purposes of calculating
interest thereon. All such payments shall be made to the Administrative Agent at
its offices at 000 Xxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx, except payments to be made
directly to the Issuing Bank as expressly provided herein and except that
payments pursuant to Sections 2.15, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03 shall be made directly
to the Persons entitled thereto. The Administrative Agent shall distribute any
such payments received by it for the account of any other Person to the
appropriate recipient promptly following receipt thereof. If any payment
hereunder shall be due on a day that is not a Business Day, the date for payment
shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day, and, in the case of any
payment accruing interest, interest thereon shall be payable for the period of
such extension. All payments hereunder shall be made in dollars.
(b) If at any time insufficient funds are received by and
available to the Administrative Agent to pay fully all amounts of principal,
unreimbursed LC Disbursements, interest and fees then due hereunder, such funds
shall be applied (i) first, towards payment of interest and fees then due
hereunder, ratably among the parties entitled thereto in accordance with the
amounts of interest and fees then due to such parties, and (ii) second, towards
payment of principal and unreimbursed LC Disbursements then due hereunder,
ratably among the parties entitled thereto in accordance with the amounts of
principal and unreimbursed LC Disbursements then due to such parties.
(c) If any Lender shall, by exercising any right of
set-off or counterclaim or otherwise, obtain payment in respect of any principal
of or interest on any of its Loans or participations in LC Disbursements
resulting in such Lender receiving payment of a greater proportion of the
aggregate amount of its Loans and participations in LC Disbursements and accrued
interest thereon than the proportion received by any other Lender, then the
Lender receiving such greater proportion shall purchase (for cash at face value)
participations in the Loans and participations in LC Disbursements of other
Lenders to the extent necessary so that the benefit of all such payments shall
be shared by the Lenders ratably in accordance with the aggregate amount of
principal of and accrued interest on their respective Loans and participations
in LC Disbursements; provided that (i) if any such participations are purchased
and all or any portion of the payment giving rise thereto is recovered, such
participations shall be rescinded and the purchase price restored to the extent
of such recovery, without interest, and (ii) the provisions of this paragraph
shall not be construed to apply to any payment made by the Borrower pursuant to
and in accordance with the express terms of this Agreement or any payment
obtained by a Lender as consideration for the assignment of or sale of a
participation in any of its Loans or participations in LC Disbursements to any
assignee or participant, other than to the Borrower or any Subsidiary or
Affiliate thereof (as to which the provisions of this paragraph shall apply).
The Borrower consents to the foregoing and agrees, to the extent it may
effectively do so under applicable law, that any Lender acquiring a
participation pursuant to the foregoing arrangements may exercise against the
Borrower rights of set-off and counterclaim with respect to such participation
as fully as if such Lender were a direct creditor of the Borrower in the amount
of such participation.
(d) Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received
notice from the Borrower prior to the date on which any payment is due to the
Administrative Agent for the account of the Lenders or the Issuing Bank
hereunder that the Borrower will not make such payment, the Administrative Agent
may assume that the Borrower has made such payment on such date in accordance
herewith and may, in reliance upon such assumption, distribute to the Lenders or
the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, the amount due. In such event, if the
Borrower has not in fact made such payment, then each of the Lenders or the
Issuing Bank, as the case may be, severally agrees to repay to the
Administrative Agent forthwith on demand the amount so distributed to such
Lender or Issuing Bank with interest thereon, for each day from and including
the date such amount is distributed to it to but excluding the date of payment
to the Administrative Agent, at the greater of the Federal Funds Effective Rate
and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking
industry rules on interbank compensation.
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(e) If any Lender shall fail to make any payment required
to be made by it pursuant to Section 2.05(d), 2.06(d) or (e) or 2.07(b), then
the Administrative Agent may, in its discretion (notwithstanding any contrary
provision hereof), apply any amounts thereafter received by the Administrative
Agent for the account of such Lender to satisfy such Lender's obligations under
such Sections until all such unsatisfied obligations are fully paid.
Section 2.06. Letters of Credit. (a) General. Subject to the
terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may request the issuance of
Letters of Credit in dollars for its own account or for the account of any
Restricted Subsidiary, in a form reasonably acceptable to the Administrative
Agent and the Issuing Bank, at any time and from time to time during the
Availability Period. In the event of any inconsistency between the terms and
conditions of this Agreement and the terms and conditions of any form of letter
of credit application or other agreement submitted by the Borrower to, or
entered into by the Borrower with, the Issuing Bank relating to any Letter of
Credit, the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall control.
(b) Notice of Issuance, Amendment, Renewal, Extension;
Certain Conditions. To request the issuance of a Letter of Credit (or the
amendment, renewal or extension of an outstanding Letter of Credit), the
Borrower shall hand deliver or telecopy (or transmit by electronic
communication, if arrangements for doing so have been approved by the Issuing
Bank) to the Issuing Bank and the Administrative Agent (reasonably in advance of
the requested date of issuance, amendment, renewal or extension) a notice
requesting the issuance of a Letter of Credit, or identifying the Letter of
Credit to be amended, renewed or extended, and specifying the date of issuance,
amendment, renewal or extension (which shall be a Business Day), the date on
which such Letter of Credit is to expire (which shall comply with paragraph (c)
of this Section), the amount of such Letter of Credit, the name and address of
the beneficiary thereof and such other information as shall be necessary to
prepare, amend, renew or extend such Letter of Credit. If requested by the
Issuing Bank, the Borrower also shall submit a letter of credit application on
the Issuing Bank's standard form in connection with any request for a Letter of
Credit. A Letter of Credit shall be issued, amended, renewed or extended only if
(and upon issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of each Letter of Credit the
Borrower shall be deemed to represent and warrant that), after giving effect to
such issuance, amendment, renewal or extension (i) the LC Exposure shall not
exceed $50,000,000 and (ii) the total Credit Exposures shall not exceed the
total Available Commitments.
(c) Expiration Date. Each Letter of Credit shall expire
at or prior to the close of business on the earlier of (i) the date one year
after the date of the issuance of such Letter of Credit (or, in the case of any
renewal or extension thereof, one year after such renewal or extension) and (ii)
the date that is five Business Days prior to the Maturity Date.
(d) Participations. By the issuance of a Letter of Credit
(or an amendment to a Letter of Credit increasing the amount thereof) and
without any further action on the part of the Issuing Bank or the Lenders, the
Issuing Bank hereby grants to each Lender, and each Lender hereby acquires from
the Issuing Bank, a participation in such Letter of Credit equal to such
Lender's Applicable Percentage of the aggregate amount available to be drawn
under such Letter of Credit. In consideration and in furtherance of the
foregoing, each Lender hereby absolutely and unconditionally agrees to pay to
the Administrative Agent, for the account of the Issuing Bank, such Lender's
Applicable Percentage of each LC Disbursement made by the Issuing Bank and not
reimbursed by the Borrower on the date due as provided in paragraph (e) of this
Section, or of any reimbursement payment required to be refunded to the Borrower
for any reason. Each Lender acknowledges and agrees that its obligation to
acquire participations pursuant to this paragraph in respect of Letters of
Credit is absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any
circumstance whatsoever, including any amendment, renewal or extension of any
Letter of Credit or the occurrence and continuance of a Default or reduction or
termination of the Commitments, and that each such payment shall be made without
any offset, abatement, withholding or reduction whatsoever.
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(e) Reimbursement. If the Issuing Bank shall make any LC
Disbursement in respect of a Letter of Credit, the Borrower shall reimburse such
LC Disbursement by paying to the Administrative Agent an amount equal to such LC
Disbursement not later than 12:00 noon, New York City time, on the date that
such LC Disbursement is made, if the Borrower shall have received notice of such
LC Disbursement prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on such date, or, if
such notice has not been received by the Borrower prior to such time on such
date, then not later than 12:00 noon, New York City time, on (i) the Business
Day that the Borrower receives such notice, if such notice is received prior to
10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the day of receipt, or (ii) the Business Day
immediately following the day that the Borrower receives such notice, if such
notice is not received prior to such time on the day of receipt; provided that,
if such LC Disbursement is not less than $1,000,000, the Borrower may, subject
to the conditions to borrowing set forth herein, request in accordance with
Section 2.03 that such payment be financed with an ABR Borrowing in an
equivalent amount and, to the extent so financed, the Borrower's obligation to
make such payment shall be discharged and replaced by the resulting ABR
Borrowing. If the Borrower fails to make such payment when due, the
Administrative Agent shall notify each Lender of the applicable LC Disbursement,
the payment then due from the Borrower in respect thereof and such Lender's
Applicable Percentage thereof. Promptly following receipt of such notice, each
Lender shall pay to the Administrative Agent its Applicable Percentage of the
payment then due from the Borrower, in the same manner as provided in Section
2.07 with respect to Loans made by such Lender (and Section 2.07 shall apply,
mutatis mutandis, to the payment obligations of the Lenders), and the
Administrative Agent shall promptly pay to the Issuing Bank the amounts so
received by it from the Lenders. Promptly following receipt by the
Administrative Agent of any payment from the Borrower pursuant to this
paragraph, the Administrative Agent shall distribute such payment to the Issuing
Bank or, to the extent that Lenders have made payments pursuant to this
paragraph to reimburse the Issuing Bank, then to such Lenders and the Issuing
Bank as their interests may appear. Any payment made by a Lender pursuant to
this paragraph to reimburse the Issuing Bank for any LC Disbursement (other than
the funding of ABR Loans as contemplated above) shall not constitute a Loan and
shall not relieve the Borrower of its obligation to reimburse such LC
Disbursement.
(f) Obligations Absolute. The Borrower's obligation to
reimburse LC Disbursements as provided in paragraph (e) of this Section shall be
absolute, unconditional and irrevocable, and shall be performed strictly in
accordance with the terms of this Agreement under any and all circumstances
whatsoever and irrespective of (i) any lack of validity or enforceability of any
Letter of Credit or this Agreement, or any term or provision therein, (ii) any
draft or other document presented under a Letter of Credit proving to be forged,
fraudulent or invalid in any respect or any statement therein being untrue or
inaccurate in any respect, (iii) payment by the Issuing Bank under a Letter of
Credit against presentation of a draft or other document that does not comply
with the terms of such Letter of Credit, or (iv) any other event or circumstance
whatsoever, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing, that might, but for
the provisions of this Section, constitute a legal or equitable discharge of, or
provide a right of setoff against, the Borrower's obligations hereunder. Neither
the Administrative Agent, the Lenders nor the Issuing Bank, nor any of their
Related Parties, shall have any liability or responsibility by reason of or in
connection with the issuance or transfer of any Letter of Credit or any payment
or failure to make any payment thereunder (irrespective of any of the
circumstances referred to in the preceding sentence), or any error, omission,
interruption, loss or delay in transmission or delivery of any draft, notice or
other communication under or relating to any Letter of Credit (including any
document required to make a drawing thereunder), any error in interpretation of
technical terms or any consequence arising from causes beyond the control of the
Issuing Bank; provided that the foregoing shall not be construed to excuse the
Issuing Bank from liability to the Borrower to the extent of any direct damages
(as opposed to consequential damages, claims in respect of which are hereby
waived by the Borrower to the extent permitted by applicable law) suffered by
the Borrower that are caused by the Issuing Bank's failure to exercise care when
determining whether drafts and other documents presented under a Letter of
Credit comply with the terms thereof. The parties hereto expressly agree that,
in the absence of gross negligence or wilful misconduct on the part of the
Issuing Bank (as finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction), the
Issuing Bank shall be deemed to have exercised care in each such determination.
In furtherance of the foregoing and without limiting the generality thereof, the
parties agree that, with
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respect to documents presented which appear on their face to be in substantial
compliance with the terms of a Letter of Credit, the Issuing Bank may, in its
sole discretion, either accept and make payment upon such documents without
responsibility for further investigation, regardless of any notice or
information to the contrary, or refuse to accept and make payment upon such
documents if such documents are not in strict compliance with the terms of such
Letter of Credit.
(g) Disbursement Procedures. The Issuing Bank shall,
promptly following its receipt thereof, examine all documents purporting to
represent a demand for payment under a Letter of Credit. The Issuing Bank shall
promptly notify the Administrative Agent and the Borrower by telephone
(confirmed by telecopy) of such demand for payment and whether the Issuing Bank
has made or will make an LC Disbursement thereunder; provided that any failure
to give or delay in giving such notice shall not relieve the Borrower of its
obligation to reimburse the Issuing Bank and the Lenders with respect to any
such LC Disbursement.
(h) Interim Interest. If the Issuing Bank shall make any
LC Disbursement, then, unless the Borrower shall reimburse such LC Disbursement
in full on the date such LC Disbursement is made, the unpaid amount thereof
shall bear interest, for each day from and including the date such LC
Disbursement is made to but excluding the date that the Borrower reimburses such
LC Disbursement, at the rate per annum then applicable to ABR Loans; provided
that, if the Borrower fails to reimburse such LC Disbursement when due pursuant
to paragraph (e) of this Section, then Section 2.13(c) shall apply. Interest
accrued pursuant to this paragraph shall be for the account of the Issuing Bank,
except that interest accrued on and after the date of payment by any Lender
pursuant to paragraph (e) of this Section to reimburse the Issuing Bank shall be
for the account of such Lender to the extent of such payment.
(i) Replacement of the Issuing Bank. The Issuing Bank may
be replaced at any time by written agreement among the Borrower, the
Administrative Agent, the replaced Issuing Bank and the successor Issuing Bank.
The Administrative Agent shall notify the Lenders of any such replacement of the
Issuing Bank. At the time any such replacement shall become effective, the
Borrower shall pay all unpaid fees accrued for the account of the replaced
Issuing Bank pursuant to Section 2.12(b). From and after the effective date of
any such replacement, (i) the successor Issuing Bank shall have all the rights
and obligations of the Issuing Bank under this Agreement with respect to Letters
of Credit to be issued thereafter and (ii) references herein to the term
"Issuing Bank" shall be deemed to refer to such successor or to any previous
Issuing Bank, or to such successor and all previous Issuing Banks, as the
context shall require. After the replacement of an Issuing Bank hereunder, the
replaced Issuing Bank shall remain a party hereto and shall continue to have all
the rights and obligations of an Issuing Bank under this Agreement with respect
to Letters of Credit issued by it prior to such replacement, but shall not be
required to issue additional Letters of Credit.
(j) Cash Collateralization. If any Event of Default shall
occur and be continuing, on the Business Day that the Borrower receives notice
from the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders (or, if the maturity of
the Loans has been accelerated, Lenders with LC Exposure representing greater
than 50% of the total LC Exposure) demanding the deposit of cash collateral
pursuant to this paragraph, the Borrower shall deposit in an account with the
Administrative Agent, in the name of the Administrative Agent and for the
benefit of the Lenders, an amount in cash equal to the LC Exposure as of such
date plus any accrued and unpaid interest thereon; provided that the obligation
to deposit such cash collateral shall become effective immediately, and such
deposit shall become immediately due and payable, without demand or other notice
of any kind, upon the occurrence of any Event of Default with respect to the
Borrower described in clause (h) or (i) of Article VII. Furthermore, if any
amount of cash collateral is required to be paid to the Administrative Agent
pursuant to subclause (i)(2) or (ii)(2) of Section 2.10(f), the Borrower shall
pay such amount to the Administrative Agent to be deposited in such account. All
deposits contemplated by this Section 2.06(j) shall be held by the
Administrative Agent as collateral for the payment and performance of the
Facility Obligations. The Administrative Agent shall have exclusive dominion and
control, including the exclusive right of withdrawal, over such account. Other
than any interest earned on the investment of such deposits, which investments
shall be made at the
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option and sole discretion of the Administrative Agent and at the Borrower's
risk and expense, such deposits shall not bear interest. Interest or profits, if
any, on such investments shall accumulate in such account. Moneys in such
account shall be applied by the Administrative Agent to reimburse the Issuing
Bank for LC Disbursements for which it has not been reimbursed and, to the
extent not so applied, shall be held for the satisfaction of the reimbursement
obligations of the Borrower for the LC Exposure at such time or, if the maturity
of the Loans has been accelerated (but subject to the consent of Lenders with LC
Exposure representing greater than 50% of the total LC Exposure), be applied to
satisfy other Facility Obligations. If the Borrower is required to provide an
amount of cash collateral hereunder as a result of the occurrence of an Event of
Default, such amount (to the extent not applied as aforesaid) shall be returned
to the Borrower within three Business Days after all Events of Default have been
cured or waived.
(k) Existing Letters of Credit. All Existing Letters of
Credit shall be deemed to be issued under this Agreement as of the Effective
Date and shall constitute Letters of Credit hereunder for all purposes
(including Section 2.06(d)), and no notice requesting issuance thereof shall be
required hereunder. Each reference herein to the issuance of a Letter of Credit
shall include any such deemed issuance. JPMorgan Chase Bank is the Issuing Bank
for purposes of the Existing Letters of Credit. All fees accrued on the Existing
Letters of Credit to but excluding the Effective Date shall be for the account
of the "Agent" and the "Banks" (as those terms are used in the Existing Credit
Agreement), and all fees accruing on the Existing Letters of Credit on and after
the Effective Date shall be for the account of the Issuing Bank and the Lenders
as provided herein.
Section 2.07. Funding of Borrowings. (a) Each Lender shall
make each Loan to be made by it hereunder on the proposed date thereof by wire
transfer of immediately available funds by 12:00 noon, New York City time, to
the account of the Administrative Agent most recently designated by it for such
purpose by notice to the Lenders. The Administrative Agent will make such Loans
available to the Borrower by promptly crediting the amounts so received, in like
funds, to an account of the Borrower maintained with the Administrative Agent in
New York City and designated by the Borrower in the applicable Borrowing
Request; provided that ABR Loans made to finance the reimbursement of an LC
Disbursement as provided in Section 2.06(e) shall be remitted by the
Administrative Agent to the Issuing Bank.
(b) Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received
notice from a Lender prior to the proposed date of any Borrowing that such
Lender will not make available to the Administrative Agent such Lender's share
of such Borrowing, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made
such share available on such date in accordance with paragraph (a) of this
Section and may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to the
Borrower a corresponding amount. In such event, if a Lender has not in fact made
its share of the applicable Borrowing available to the Administrative Agent,
then the applicable Lender and the Borrower severally agree to pay to the
Administrative Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount with interest
thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is made available
to the Borrower to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative
Agent, at (i) in the case of such Lender, the greater of the Federal Funds
Effective Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance
with banking industry rules on interbank compensation or (ii) in the case of the
Borrower, the interest rate applicable to the Loans comprising such Borrowing.
If such Lender pays such amount to the Administrative Agent, then such amount
shall constitute such Lender's Loan included in such Borrowing, and the
provisions of the preceding sentence applicable to the Borrower in respect of
the failure of such Lender to make such share of such Borrowing available to the
Administrative Agent shall apply only to the date such payment is made.
Section 2.08. Interest Elections. (a) Each Borrowing initially
shall be of the Type specified in the applicable Borrowing Request and, in the
case of a Eurodollar Borrowing, shall have an initial Interest Period as
specified in such Borrowing Request. Thereafter, the Borrower may elect to
convert such Borrowing to a different Type or to continue such Borrowing and, in
the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing, may elect Interest Periods therefor, all as
provided in this Section. The Borrower
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may elect different options with respect to different portions of the affected
Borrowing, in which case each such portion shall be allocated ratably among the
Lenders holding the Loans comprising such Borrowing, and the Loans comprising
each such portion shall be considered a separate Borrowing.
(b) To make an election pursuant to this Section, the
Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such election by telephone by
the time that a Borrowing Request would be required under Section 2.03 if the
Borrower were requesting a Borrowing of the Type resulting from such election to
be made on the effective date of such election. Each such telephonic Interest
Election Request shall be irrevocable and shall be confirmed promptly by hand
delivery or telecopy to the Administrative Agent of a written Interest Election
Request in a form approved by the Administrative Agent and signed by the
Borrower.
(c) Each telephonic and written Interest Election Request
shall specify the following information in compliance with Section 2.02:
(i) the Borrowing to which such Interest Election Request
applies and, if different options are being elected with respect to
different portions thereof, the portions thereof to be allocated to
each resulting Borrowing (in which case the information to be specified
pursuant to clauses (iii) and (iv) below shall be specified for each
resulting Borrowing);
(ii) the effective date of the election made pursuant to
such Interest Election Request, which shall be a Business Day;
(iii) whether the resulting Borrowing is to be an ABR
Borrowing or a Eurodollar Borrowing; and
(iv) if the resulting Borrowing is a Eurodollar Borrowing,
the Interest Period to be applicable thereto after giving effect to
such election, which shall be a period contemplated by the definition
of the term "Interest Period".
If any such Interest Election Request requests a Eurodollar Borrowing but does
not specify an Interest Period, then the Borrower shall be deemed to have
selected an Interest Period of one month's duration.
(d) Promptly following receipt of an Interest Election
Request, the Administrative Agent shall advise each Lender of the details
thereof and of such Lender's portion of each resulting Borrowing.
(e) If the Borrower fails to deliver a timely Interest
Election Request with respect to a Eurodollar Borrowing prior to the end of the
Interest Period applicable thereto, then, unless such Borrowing is repaid as
provided herein, at the end of such Interest Period such Borrowing shall be
converted to an ABR Borrowing. Notwithstanding any contrary provision hereof, if
an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the Administrative Agent,
at the request of the Required Lenders, so notifies the Borrower, then, so long
as an Event of Default is continuing (i) no outstanding Borrowing may be
converted to or continued as a Eurodollar Borrowing and (ii) unless repaid, each
Eurodollar Borrowing shall be converted to an ABR Borrowing at the end of the
Interest Period applicable thereto.
Section 2.09. Termination and Reduction of Commitments. (a)
Unless previously terminated, the Commitments shall terminate on the Maturity
Date.
(b) The Borrower may at any time terminate, or from time
to time reduce, the Commitments; provided that (i) each reduction of the
Commitments shall be in an amount that is an integral multiple of $5,000,000 and
not less than $10,000,000 and (ii) the Borrower shall not terminate or reduce
the Commitments if, after giving effect to any concurrent prepayment of the
Loans in accordance with Section 2.11, the total Credit Exposures would exceed
the total Available Commitments.
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(c) The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of
any election to terminate or reduce the Commitments under paragraph (b) of this
Section at least three Business Days prior to the effective date of such
termination or reduction, specifying such election and the effective date
thereof. Promptly following receipt of any such notice, the Administrative Agent
shall advise the Lenders of the contents thereof. Each notice delivered by the
Borrower pursuant to this Section shall be irrevocable; provided that a notice
of termination of the Commitments delivered by the Borrower may state that such
notice is conditioned upon the effectiveness of other credit facilities, in
which case such notice may be revoked by the Borrower (by notice to the
Administrative Agent on or prior to the specified effective date) if such
condition is not satisfied. Any termination or reduction of the Commitments
shall be permanent. Each reduction of the Commitments shall be made ratably
among the Lenders in accordance with their respective Commitments.
Section 2.10. Repayment of Loans; Evidence of Debt. (a) The
Borrower hereby unconditionally promises to pay to the Administrative Agent for
the account of each Lender the then unpaid principal amount of each Loan on the
Maturity Date.
(b) Each Lender shall maintain in accordance with its
usual practice an account or accounts evidencing the indebtedness of the
Borrower to such Lender resulting from each Loan made by such Lender, including
the amounts of principal and interest payable and paid to such Lender from time
to time hereunder.
(c) The Administrative Agent shall maintain accounts in
which it shall record (i) the amount of each Loan made hereunder, the Type
thereof and the Interest Period applicable thereto, (ii) the amount of any
principal or interest due and payable or to become due and payable from the
Borrower to each Lender hereunder and (iii) the amount of any sum received by
the Administrative Agent hereunder for the account of the Lenders and each
Lender's share thereof.
(d) The entries made in the accounts maintained pursuant
to paragraph (b) or (c) of this Section shall be prima facie evidence of the
existence and amounts of the obligations recorded therein; provided that the
failure of any Lender or the Administrative Agent to maintain such accounts or
any error therein shall not in any manner affect the obligation of the Borrower
to repay the Loans in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
(e) Any Lender may request that Loans made by it be
evidenced by a promissory note. In such event, the Borrower shall prepare,
execute and deliver to such Lender a promissory note payable to the order of
such Lender (or, if requested by such Lender, to such Lender and its registered
assigns) and in a form approved by the Administrative Agent. Thereafter, the
Loans evidenced by such promissory note and interest thereon shall at all times
(including after assignment pursuant to Section 9.04) be represented by one or
more promissory notes in such form payable to the order of the payee named
therein (or, if such promissory note is a registered note, to such payee and its
registered assigns).
(f) If at any time the Borrowing Base Deficiency Amount
is greater than zero, then the Borrower shall (i) within 45 days of receipt of
written notice thereof, (1) prepay the principal of the Loans (or reduce the LC
Exposure) in an amount equal to 50% of such Borrowing Base Deficiency Amount
(but this subclause (i)(1) shall not require prepayment or reduction in an
amount exceeding the outstanding principal balance of the Loans), and (2), if
the Loans are prepaid in full pursuant to the foregoing subclause (i)(1) and 50%
of such Borrowing Base Deficiency Amount exceeds the principal amount of the
Loans so prepaid plus the amount the LC Exposure was reduced pursuant to the
foregoing subclause (i)(l), pay to the Administrative Agent on behalf of the
Lenders an amount equal to such excess to be held as cash collateral as provided
in Section 2.06(j) hereof; and (ii) within 90 days of receipt of written notice
thereof, (1) prepay the principal of the Loans (or reduce the LC Exposure) in an
amount equal to such Borrowing Base Deficiency Amount remaining after
application of the amounts referenced in clause (i) of this sentence (but this
subclause (ii)(1) shall not require prepayment or reduction in an amount
exceeding the outstanding principal balance of the Loans), and (2) if the Loans
are prepaid in full pursuant to the foregoing subclause (ii)(l) and if such
remaining Borrowing Base Deficiency Amount
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exceeds the principal amount of the Loan so prepaid plus the amount the LC
Exposure was reduced pursuant to the foregoing subclause (ii)(l), pay to the
Administrative Agent on behalf of the Lenders an amount equal to such excess to
be held as cash collateral as provided in Section 2.06(j) hereof. Additionally,
at the time of each prepayment of principal of the Loans pursuant to this
Section 2.10(f), the Borrower will pay all interest accrued to the date of such
prepayment on the principal amount so prepaid.
Section 2.11. Prepayment of Loans. (a) The Borrower shall have
the right at any time and from time to time to prepay any Borrowing in whole or
in part, subject to prior notice in accordance with paragraph (b) of this
Section.
(b) The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent by
telephone (confirmed by telecopy) of any prepayment hereunder (i) in the case of
prepayment of a Eurodollar Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City
time, three Business Days before the date of prepayment, or (ii) in the case of
prepayment of an ABR Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time,
one Business Day before the date of prepayment. Each such notice shall be
irrevocable and shall specify the prepayment date and the principal amount of
each Borrowing or portion thereof to be prepaid; provided that, if a notice of
prepayment is given in connection with a conditional notice of termination of
the Commitments as contemplated by Section 2.09, then such notice of prepayment
may be revoked if such notice of termination is revoked in accordance with
Section 2.09. Promptly following receipt of any such notice relating to a
Borrowing, the Administrative Agent shall advise the Lenders of the contents
thereof. Each partial prepayment of any Borrowing shall be in an amount that
would be permitted in the case of an advance of a Borrowing of the same Type as
provided in Section 2.02. Each prepayment of a Borrowing shall be applied
ratably to the Loans included in the prepaid Borrowing. Prepayments shall be
accompanied by accrued interest to the extent required by Section 2.13.
Section 2.12. Fees. (a) The Borrower agrees to pay to the
Administrative Agent for the account of each Lender a commitment fee, which
shall accrue at the Applicable Rate on the daily amount of the unused Available
Commitment (For Fee Purposes) of such Lender during the period from and
including the date of this Agreement to but excluding the date on which the
Commitment of such Lender terminates. Commitment fees accrued through and
including the last day of March, June, September and December of each year shall
be payable on the third Business Day following such last day and on the date on
which the Commitments terminate, commencing on the first such date to occur
after the Effective Date. Additionally, if any principal of Senior Notes at any
time is paid, then the Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent, for
the ratable benefit of the Lenders, an additional commitment fee equal to the
Applicable Rate on the date of such payment times the amount of such payment,
for the period from the Redetermination Date immediately prior to such date of
payment (or if the first Redetermination Date has not occurred, from the
Effective Date) to such date of payment, which additional commitment fee shall
be payable on such date of payment. Additionally, if any principal of
Subordinated Debt at any time is paid, then the Borrower agrees to pay to the
Administrative Agent, for the ratable benefit of the Lenders, an additional
commitment fee equal to the Applicable Rate on the date of such payment times
the amount of such payment times 0.3, for the period from the Redetermination
Date immediately prior to such date of payment (or if the first Redetermination
Date has not occurred, from the Effective Date) to such date of payment, which
additional commitment fee shall be payable on such date of payment. All
commitment fees shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days and shall
be payable for the actual number of days elapsed (including the first day but
excluding the last day).
(b) The Borrower agrees to pay (i) to the Administrative
Agent for the account of each Lender a participation fee with respect to its
participations in Letters of Credit, which shall accrue at the same Applicable
Rate used to determine the interest rate applicable to Eurodollar Loans on the
average daily amount of such Lender's LC Exposure (excluding any portion thereof
attributable to unreimbursed LC Disbursements) during the period from and
including the Effective Date to but excluding the later of the date on which
such Lender's Commitment terminates and the date on which such Lender ceases to
have any LC Exposure, provided that the minimum participation fee payable to any
Lender with respect to any Letter of Credit will be $500 times such Lender's
Applicable Percentage, and
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(ii) to the Issuing Bank an issuance fee of $250 and a fronting fee, which shall
accrue at the rate of 1/8% per annum on the average daily amount of the LC
Exposure (excluding any portion thereof attributable to unreimbursed LC
Disbursements) during the period from and including the Effective Date to but
excluding the later of the date of termination of the Commitments and the date
on which there ceases to be any LC Exposure, as well as the Issuing Bank's
standard fees with respect to the issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of
any Letter of Credit or processing of drawings thereunder. Participation fees
and fronting fees accrued through and including the last day of March, June,
September and December of each year shall be payable on the third Business Day
following such last day, commencing on the first such date to occur after the
Effective Date; provided that all such fees shall be payable on the date on
which the Commitments terminate and any such fees accruing after the date on
which the Commitments terminate shall be payable on demand. Any other fees
payable to the Issuing Bank pursuant to this paragraph shall be payable within
10 days after demand. All participation fees and fronting fees shall be computed
on the basis of a year of 360 days and shall be payable for the actual number of
days elapsed (including the first day but excluding the last day).
(c) The Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative
Agent, for its own account, fees payable in the amounts and at the times
separately agreed upon between the Borrower and the Administrative Agent.
(d) All fees payable hereunder shall be paid on the dates
due, in immediately available funds, to the Administrative Agent (or to the
Issuing Bank, in the case of fees payable to it) for distribution, in the case
of commitment fees and participation fees, to the Lenders. Fees paid shall not
be refundable under any circumstances.
Section 2.13. Interest. (a) The Loans comprising each ABR
Borrowing shall bear interest at the Alternate Base Rate plus the Applicable
Rate.
(b) The Loans comprising each Eurodollar Borrowing shall
bear interest at the Adjusted LIBO Rate for the Interest Period in effect for
such Borrowing plus the Applicable Rate.
(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any principal of or
interest on any Loan or any fee or other amount payable by the Borrower
hereunder is not paid when due, whether at stated maturity, upon acceleration or
otherwise, such overdue amount shall bear interest, after as well as before
judgment, at a rate per annum equal to (i) in the case of overdue principal of
any Loan, 2% plus the rate otherwise applicable to such Loan as provided in the
preceding paragraphs of this Section or (ii) in the case of any other amount, 2%
plus the rate applicable to ABR Loans as provided in paragraph (a) of this
Section.
(d) Accrued interest on each Loan shall be payable in
arrears on each Interest Payment Date for such Loan and upon termination of the
Commitments; provided that (i) interest accrued pursuant to paragraph (c) of
this Section shall be payable on demand, (ii) in the event of any repayment or
prepayment of any Loan (other than a prepayment pursuant to Section 2.11 of an
ABR Loan prior to the end of the Availability Period), accrued interest on the
principal amount repaid or prepaid shall be payable on the date of such
repayment or prepayment and (iii) in the event of any conversion of any
Eurodollar Loan prior to the end of the current Interest Period therefor,
accrued interest on such Loan shall be payable on the effective date of such
conversion.
(e) All interest hereunder shall be computed on the basis
of a year of 360 days, except that interest computed by reference to the
Alternate Base Rate at times when the Alternate Base Rate is based on the Prime
Rate shall be computed on the basis of a year of 365 days (or 366 days in a leap
year), and in each case shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed
(including the first day but excluding the last day). The applicable Alternate
Base Rate, Adjusted LIBO Rate or LIBO Rate shall be determined by the
Administrative Agent, and such determination shall be conclusive absent manifest
error.
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Section 2.14. Alternate Rate of Interest. If prior to the
commencement of any Interest Period for a Eurodollar Borrowing:
(a) the Administrative Agent determines (which
determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error) that adequate and
reasonable means do not exist for ascertaining the Adjusted LIBO Rate for such
Interest Period; or
(b) the Administrative Agent is advised by the Required
Lenders that the Adjusted LIBO Rate for such Interest Period will not adequately
and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders of making or maintaining their Loans
included in such Borrowing for such Interest Period;
then the Administrative Agent shall give notice thereof to the Borrower and the
Lenders by telephone or telecopy as promptly as practicable thereafter and,
until the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower and the Lenders that the
circumstances giving rise to such notice no longer exist, (i) any Interest
Election Request that requests the conversion of any Borrowing to, or
continuation of any Borrowing as, a Eurodollar Borrowing shall be ineffective,
and (ii) if any Borrowing Request requests a Eurodollar Borrowing, such
Borrowing shall be made as an ABR Borrowing.
Section 2.15. Increased Costs. (a) If any Change in Law shall:
(i) impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve,
special deposit or similar requirement against assets of, deposits with
or for the account of, or credit extended by, any Lender (except any
such reserve requirement reflected in the Adjusted LIBO Rate) or the
Issuing Bank; or
(ii) impose on any Lender or the Issuing Bank or the
London interbank market any other condition affecting this Agreement or
Eurodollar Loans made by such Lender or any Letter of Credit or
participation therein;
and the result of any of the foregoing shall be to increase the cost to such
Lender of making or maintaining any Eurodollar Loan (or of maintaining its
obligation to make any such Loan) or to increase the cost to such Lender or the
Issuing Bank of participating in, issuing or maintaining any Letter of Credit or
to reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by such Lender or the
Issuing Bank hereunder (whether of principal, interest or otherwise), then the
Borrower will pay to such Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, such
additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or the Issuing Bank,
as the case may be, for such additional costs incurred or reduction suffered.
(b) If any Lender or the Issuing Bank determines that any
Change in Law regarding capital requirements has or would have the effect of
reducing the rate of return on such Lender's or the Issuing Bank's capital or on
the capital of such Lender's or the Issuing Bank's holding company, if any, as a
consequence of this Agreement or the Loans made by, or participations in Letters
of Credit held by, such Lender, or the Letters of Credit issued by the Issuing
Bank, to a level below that which such Lender or the Issuing Bank or such
Lender's or the Issuing Bank's holding company could have achieved but for such
Change in Law (taking into consideration such Lender's or the Issuing Bank's
policies and the policies of such Lender's or the Issuing Bank's holding company
with respect to capital adequacy), then from time to time the Borrower will pay
to such Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, such additional amount
or amounts as will compensate such Lender or the Issuing Bank or such Lender's
or the Issuing Bank's holding company for any such reduction suffered.
(c) A certificate of a Lender or the Issuing Bank setting
forth the amount or amounts necessary to compensate such Lender or the Issuing
Bank or its holding company, as the case may be, as specified in paragraph (a)
or (b) of this Section shall be delivered to the Borrower and shall be prima
facie evidence of the matters covered thereby absent manifest error. The
Borrower shall pay such Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, the
amount shown as due on any such certificate within 10 days after receipt
thereof.
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(d) Failure or delay on the part of any Lender or the
Issuing Bank to demand compensation pursuant to this Section shall not
constitute a waiver of such Lender's or the Issuing Bank's right to demand such
compensation; provided that the Borrower shall not be required to compensate a
Lender or the Issuing Bank pursuant to this Section for any increased costs or
reductions incurred more than 180 days prior to the date that such Lender or the
Issuing Bank, as the case may be, notifies the Borrower of the Change in Law
giving rise to such increased costs or reductions and of such Lender's or the
Issuing Bank's intention to claim compensation therefor; provided further that,
if the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions is
retroactive, then the 180-day period referred to above shall be extended to
include the period of retroactive effect thereof.
Section 2.16. Break Funding Payments. In the event of (a) the
payment of any principal of any Eurodollar Loan other than on the last day of an
Interest Period applicable thereto (including as a result of an Event of Default
or the existence of a Borrowing Base Deficiency), (b) the conversion of any
Eurodollar Loan other than on the last day of the Interest Period applicable
thereto, (c) the failure to borrow, convert, continue or prepay any Eurodollar
Loan on the date specified in any notice delivered pursuant hereto (regardless
of whether such notice may be revoked under Section 2.11(b) and is revoked in
accordance therewith), or (d) the assignment of any Eurodollar Loan other than
on the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto as a result of a
request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.18, then, in any such event, the
Borrower shall compensate each Lender for the loss, cost and expense
attributable to such event. Such loss, cost or expense to any Lender shall be
deemed to include an amount determined by such Lender to be the excess, if any,
of (i) the amount of interest which would have accrued on the principal amount
of such Loan had such event not occurred, at the Adjusted LIBO Rate that would
have been applicable to such Loan, for the period from the date of such event to
the last day of the then current Interest Period therefor (or, in the case of a
failure to borrow, convert or continue, for the period that would have been the
Interest Period for such Loan), over (ii) the amount of interest which would
accrue on such principal amount for such period at the interest rate which such
Lender would bid were it to bid, at the commencement of such period, for dollar
deposits of a comparable amount and period from other banks in the eurodollar
market. A certificate of any Lender setting forth any amount or amounts that
such Lender is entitled to receive pursuant to this Section shall be delivered
to the Borrower and shall be prima facie evidence of the matters covered thereby
absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender the amount shown as
due on any such certificate within 10 days after receipt thereof.
Section 2.17. Taxes. (a) Any and all payments by or on account
of any obligation of the Borrower hereunder shall be made free and clear of and
without deduction for any Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes; provided that if the
Borrower shall be required to deduct any Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes from
such payments, then (i) the sum payable shall be increased as necessary so that
after making all required deductions (including deductions applicable to
additional sums payable under this Section) the Administrative Agent, Lender or
Issuing Bank (as the case may be) receives an amount equal to the sum it would
have received had no such deductions been made, (ii) the Borrower shall make
such deductions and (iii) the Borrower shall pay the full amount deducted to the
relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law.
(b) In addition, the Borrower shall pay any Other Taxes
to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law.
(c) The Borrower shall indemnify the Administrative
Agent, each Lender and the Issuing Bank, within 10 days after written demand
therefor, for the full amount of any Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes paid by
the Administrative Agent, such Lender or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be,
on or with respect to any payment by or on account of any obligation of the
Borrower hereunder (including Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes imposed or
asserted on or attributable to amounts payable under this Section) and any
penalties, interest and reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect
thereto, whether or not such Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes were correctly or
legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A
certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability
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delivered to the Borrower by a Lender or the Issuing Bank, or by the
Administrative Agent on its own behalf or on behalf of a Lender or the Issuing
Bank, shall be prima facie evidence of the matters covered thereby absent
manifest error.
(d) As soon as practicable after any payment of
Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes by the Borrower to a Governmental Authority,
the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent the original or a
certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing
such payment, a copy of the return reporting such payment or other evidence of
such payment reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
(e) Any Foreign Lender that is entitled to an exemption
from or reduction of withholding tax under the law of the jurisdiction in which
the Borrower is located, or any treaty to which such jurisdiction is a party,
with respect to payments under this Agreement shall deliver to the Borrower
(with a copy to the Administrative Agent), at the time or times prescribed by
applicable law, such properly completed and executed documentation prescribed by
applicable law or reasonably requested by the Borrower as will permit such
payments to be made without withholding or at a reduced rate.
(f) If the Administrative Agent or a Lender determines,
in its sole discretion, that it has received a refund of any Taxes or Other
Taxes as to which it has been indemnified by the Borrower or with respect to
which the Borrower has paid additional amounts pursuant to this Section 2.17, it
shall pay over such refund to the Borrower (but only to the extent of indemnity
payments made, or additional amounts paid, by the Borrower under this Section
2.17 with respect to the Taxes or Other Taxes giving rise to such refund), net
of all out-of-pocket expenses of the Administrative Agent or such Lender and
without interest (other than any interest paid by the relevant Governmental
Authority with respect to such refund); provided, that the Borrower, upon the
request of the Administrative Agent or such Lender, agrees to repay the amount
paid over to the Borrower (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed
by the relevant Governmental Authority) to the Administrative Agent or such
Lender in the event the Administrative Agent or such Lender is required to repay
such refund to such Governmental Authority. This Section shall not be construed
to require the Administrative Agent or any Lender to make available its tax
returns (or any other information relating to its taxes which it deems
confidential) to the Borrower or any other Person or to take any position to
obtain a refund, deduction or credit that is inconsistent with any position
otherwise taken by the Administrative Agent or such Lender, as the case may be,
on any of its tax returns.
Section 2.18. Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders.
(a) If any Lender requests compensation under Section 2.15, or if the Borrower
is required to pay any additional amount to any Lender or any Governmental
Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 2.17, then such
Lender shall use reasonable efforts to designate a different lending office for
funding or booking its Loans hereunder or to assign its rights and obligations
hereunder to another of its offices, branches or affiliates, if, in the judgment
of such Lender, such designation or assignment (i) would eliminate or reduce
amounts payable pursuant to Section 2.15 or 2.17, as the case may be, in the
future and (ii) would not subject such Lender to any unreimbursed cost or
expense and would not otherwise be disadvantageous to such Lender. The Borrower
hereby agrees to pay all reasonable costs and expenses incurred by any Lender in
connection with any such designation or assignment.
(b) If any Lender requests compensation under Section
2.15, or if the Borrower is required to pay any additional amount to any Lender
or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section
2.17, or if any Lender defaults in its obligation to fund Loans hereunder, then
the Borrower may, at its sole expense and effort, upon notice to such Lender and
the Administrative Agent, require such Lender to assign and delegate, without
recourse (in accordance with and subject to the restrictions contained in
Section 9.04), all its interests, rights and obligations under this Agreement to
an assignee that shall assume such obligations (which assignee may be another
Lender, if a Lender accepts such assignment); provided that (i) the Borrower
shall have received the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent, which
consent shall not unreasonably be withheld, (ii) such Lender shall have
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received payment of an amount equal to the outstanding principal of its Loans
and participations in LC Disbursements, accrued interest thereon, accrued fees
and all other amounts payable to it hereunder, from the assignee (to the extent
of such outstanding principal and accrued interest and fees) or the Borrower (in
the case of all other amounts) and (iii) in the case of any such assignment
resulting from a claim for compensation under Section 2.15 or payments required
to be made pursuant to Section 2.17, such assignment will result in a reduction
in such compensation or payments. A Lender shall not be required to make any
such assignment and delegation if, prior thereto, as a result of a waiver by
such Lender or otherwise, the circumstances entitling the Borrower to require
such assignment and delegation cease to apply.
ARTICLE III
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
The Borrower represents and warrants to the Lenders that:
Section 3.01. Organization; Powers; Subsidiaries. The Borrower
is duly organized and validly existing under the laws of Delaware. The Borrower
is in good standing under the laws of Delaware, each of its Subsidiaries is duly
organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the
jurisdiction of its organization and each of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries
has all requisite power and authority to carry on its business as now conducted
and is qualified to do business in, and is in good standing in, every
jurisdiction where such qualification is required, except where the failure to
do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to
result in a Material Adverse Effect. As of the Effective Date, all Subsidiaries
are Restricted Subsidiaries. As of the Effective Date, no Subsidiary has in
effect any Guarantee of any Debt or other obligation of the Borrower or any
Subsidiary.
Section 3.02. Authorization; Enforceability. The Transactions
are within the Borrower's (and, in the case of the execution, delivery and
performance of a Subsidiary Guaranty by a Subsidiary Guarantor, such Subsidiary
Guarantor's) powers and have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate
and, if required, stockholder action. This Agreement has been duly executed and
delivered by the Borrower and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation
of the Borrower, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other laws affecting
creditors' rights generally and subject to general principles of equity,
regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law. Each
Subsidiary Guaranty signed by a Subsidiary Guarantor has been duly executed and
delivered by such Subsidiary Guarantor and constitutes a legal, valid and
binding obligation of such Subsidiary Guarantor, enforceable in accordance with
its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization,
moratorium or other laws affecting creditors' rights generally and subject to
general principles of equity, regardless of whether considered in a proceeding
in equity or at law.
Section 3.03. Governmental Approvals; No Conflicts. The
Transactions (a) do not require any consent or approval of, registration or
filing with, or any other action by, any Governmental Authority, except such as
have been obtained or made and are in full force and effect, (b) will not
violate any applicable law or regulation or the charter, by-laws or other
organizational documents of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or any order
of any Governmental Authority, (c) will not violate or result in a default under
any indenture, agreement or other instrument binding upon the Borrower or any of
its Subsidiaries or its assets, or give rise to a right thereunder to require
any payment to be made by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, and (d) will
not result in the creation or imposition of any Lien on any asset of the
Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries.
Section 3.04. Financial Condition; No Material Adverse Change.
(a) The Borrower has heretofore furnished to the Lenders its consolidated
balance sheet and statements of income, stockholders equity and cash flows (i)
as of and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002, reported on by
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC, independent public accountants, and (ii) as of and
for the fiscal quarter and the portion of the fiscal year ended September 30,
2003, certified by its chief financial officer. Such
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financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial
position and results of operations and cash flows of the Borrower and its
consolidated Subsidiaries as of such dates and for such periods in accordance
with GAAP, subject to year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes in
the case of the statements referred to in clause (ii) above.
(b) Since December 31, 2002, there has been no material
adverse change in the business, assets, operations or financial condition of the
Borrower and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except that seasonal declines
in energy prices will not constitute a material adverse change for purposes
hereof.
(c) Neither the Borrower nor any Subsidiary has on the
Effective Date any material Debt, contingent liabilities, liabilities for taxes,
unusual forward or long-term commitments or unrealized or anticipated losses
from any unfavorable commitments, except as referred to or reflected or provided
for in the financial statements dated as of December 31, 2002 referred to in
Section 3.04(a). Since the date of such financial statements, neither the
business nor the Properties of the Borrower or any Subsidiary have been
materially and adversely affected as a result of any fire, explosion,
earthquake, flood, drought, windstorm, accident, strike or other labor
disturbance, embargo, requisition or taking of Property or cancellation of
contracts, permits or concessions by any Governmental Authority, riot,
activities of armed forces or acts of God or of any public enemy.
(d) As of the Effective Date, no Subordinated Debt is
outstanding except the Senior Subordinated Notes.
Section 3.05. Properties. (a) Each of the Borrower and its
Subsidiaries has good title to, or valid leasehold interests in, all its real
and personal property (except Oil and Gas Properties) material to its business,
except where the failure to have such title and leasehold interests,
individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in
a Material Adverse Effect.
(b) Each of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries owns, or is
licensed to use, all trademarks, tradenames, copyrights, patents and other
intellectual property material to its business, and the use thereof by the
Borrower and its Subsidiaries does not infringe upon the rights of any other
Person, except where the failure to have such ownership or license or the
existence of such infringement, individually or in the aggregate, could not
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(c) Except as set out in the certificates delivered
pursuant to Sections 4.01(f) and 5.11(d), each of the Borrower and the
Subsidiaries has good and defensible title to its material (individually or in
the aggregate) Oil and Gas Properties, free and clear of all Liens except Liens
permitted by Section 6.02. As used in this Agreement, "good and defensible
title" to Oil and Gas Properties shall be based on the standard that a prudent
Person engaged in the business of ownership, development and operation of Oil
and Gas Properties where such Oil and Gas Properties are located with knowledge
of all of the facts and their legal bearing would be willing to accept as good
and defensible title. Except as set forth in the certificates delivered pursuant
to Sections 4.01(f) and 5.11(d), after giving full effect to the Liens permitted
by Section 6.02 and subject to permitted sales under this Agreement, the
Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries own the net interests in production
attributable to the Hydrocarbon Interests reflected in the most recently
delivered Reserve Report in all material respects and the ownership of such
Properties shall not in any material respect obligate the Borrower or any
Restricted Subsidiary to bear the costs and expenses relating to the
maintenance, development and operation of any such Property in an amount in
excess of the working interest of such Property set forth in the most recently
delivered Reserve Report. All factual information contained in the most recently
delivered Reserve Report is true and correct in all material respects as of the
date of such Reserve Report.
(d) All leases and agreements necessary for the conduct
of the business of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries are, to the best knowledge
of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, valid and subsisting, in full force and
effect and, to the best knowledge of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, there
exists no default or event or circumstance which with the giving of notice or
the passage of time or both
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would give rise to a default under any such lease or leases, which would in the
aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect.
(e) The rights, properties and other assets presently
owned, leased or licensed by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries including all
easement and rights of way, include all rights, Properties and other assets
necessary to permit the Borrower and its Subsidiaries to conduct their business
in all material respects in the same manner as their business has been conducted
prior to the Effective Date.
(f) All of the assets and Properties of the Borrower and
its Subsidiaries which are reasonably necessary for the operation of their
business are in good working condition for their current use and are maintained
in accordance with business standards of a reasonably prudent operator where
such assets and Properties are located.
(g) Except (i) as set forth on Schedule 3.05 and (ii) for
participation agreements existing or entered into in the ordinary course of
business of the Borrower with respect to the drilling, development or
acquisition of Oil and Gas Properties with participants under arrangements which
do not constitute state law partnerships, as of the Effective Date the Borrower
has no Subsidiaries and no interest in any partnerships.
Section 3.06. Litigation and Environmental Matters. (a) There
are no actions, suits or proceedings by or before any arbitrator or Governmental
Authority pending against or, to the knowledge of the Borrower, threatened
against or affecting the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries (i) as to which
there is a reasonable possibility of an adverse determination and that, if
adversely determined, could reasonably be expected, individually or in the
aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect or (ii) that involve this
Agreement or the Transactions.
(b) Except for matters that, individually or in the
aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
Effect, neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries (i) has failed to
comply with any Environmental Law or to obtain, maintain or comply with any
permit, license or other approval required under any Environmental Law, (ii) has
become subject to any Environmental Liability, (iii) has received notice of any
claim asserting or alleging any Environmental Liability or (iv) knows of any
basis for any Environmental Liability.
Section 3.07. Compliance with Laws and Agreements. Each of the
Borrower and its Subsidiaries is in compliance with all laws, regulations and
orders of any Governmental Authority applicable to it or its property and all
indentures, agreements and other instruments binding upon it or its property,
except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. No Default has
occurred and is continuing.
Section 3.08. Investment and Holding Company Status. Neither
the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries is (a) an "investment company" or a
company "controlled" by an "investment company" as those terms are defined in,
or subject to regulation under, the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended,
or (b) a "holding company" or a "subsidiary company" of a "holding company," or
an "affiliate" of a "holding company" or of a "subsidiary company" of a "holding
company," or a "public utility" as those terms are defined in, or subject to
regulation under, the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935.
Section 3.09. Taxes. Each of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries
has timely filed or caused to be filed all Tax returns and reports required to
have been filed and has paid or caused to be paid all Taxes required to have
been paid by it, except (a) Taxes that are being contested in good faith by
appropriate proceedings and for which the Borrower or such Subsidiary, as
applicable, has set aside on its books adequate reserves or (b) to the extent
that the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to result in a
Material Adverse Effect.
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Section 3.10. ERISA. No ERISA Event has occurred or is
reasonably expected to occur that, when taken together with all other such ERISA
Events for which liability is reasonably expected to occur, could reasonably be
expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. The present value of all
accumulated benefit obligations under each Plan (based on the assumptions used
for purposes of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 87) did not, as
of the date of the most recent financial statements reflecting such amounts,
exceed by more than $10,000,000 the fair market value of the assets of such
Plan, and the present value of all accumulated benefit obligations of all
underfunded Plans (based on the assumptions used for purposes of Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 87) did not, as of the date of the most
recent financial statements reflecting such amounts, exceed by more than
$20,000,000 the fair market value of the assets of all such underfunded Plans.
Section 3.11. Disclosure. The Borrower has disclosed to the
Lenders all agreements, instruments and corporate or other restrictions to which
it or any of its Subsidiaries is subject, and all other matters known to it,
that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to result
in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Information Memorandum nor any of the
other reports, financial statements, certificates or other written information
furnished by or on behalf of the Borrower to the Administrative Agent, the
Syndication Agent, either Co-Lead Arranger or any Lender in connection with the
negotiation of this Agreement or delivered hereunder (as modified or
supplemented by other information so furnished), taken as a whole, contained
when furnished any material misstatement of fact or omitted to state any
material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that, with
respect to projected financial information, the Borrower represents only that
such information was prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed by
the Borrower to be reasonable at the time recognizing that there are
industry-wide risks normally associated with the types of business conducted by
the Borrower and its Subsidiaries; provided further that it is understood that
the Reserve Reports are based upon professional opinions, estimates and
projections.
Section 3.12. Insurance. Insurance complying with the
requirements of Section 5.05 is in full force and effect. Neither the Borrower
nor any Subsidiary has been refused any insurance with respect to its assets or
operations, nor has its coverage been limited below usual and customary policy
limits, by an insurance carrier to which it has applied for any such insurance
or with which it has carried insurance during the last three years.
Section 3.13. Fiscal Periods. The fiscal year of the Borrower
and its consolidated Subsidiaries is the twelve-month period ending on December
31 of each year and the fiscal quarters of the Borrower and its consolidated
Subsidiaries are each of the three-month periods ending on March 31, June 30,
September 30 and December 31 of each year.
Section 3.14. Use of Proceeds. Following application of the
proceeds of each Loan, not more than 25% of the value of assets (either of the
Borrower only or of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries on a
consolidated basis), which are subject to any arrangement with the
Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender (herein or otherwise)
whereby the Borrower's or any Restricted Subsidiary's right or ability to sell,
pledge or otherwise dispose of assets is in any way restricted (or pursuant to
which the exercise of any such right is or may be cause for accelerating the
maturity of all or any portion of the Loans or any amount payable hereunder or
under any such other arrangement), will be margin stock (within the meaning of
Regulation U of the Board).
ARTICLE IV
CONDITIONS
Section 4.01. Effective Date. The obligations of the Lenders
to make Loans and of the Issuing Bank to issue Letters of Credit hereunder shall
not become effective until the date on which each of the following conditions is
satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section 9.02):
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(a) The Administrative Agent shall have received from
each party hereto either (i) a counterpart of this Agreement signed on behalf of
such party or (ii) written evidence satisfactory to the Administrative Agent
(which may include telecopy transmission of a signed signature page of this
Agreement) that such party has signed a counterpart of this Agreement.
(b) The Administrative Agent shall have received a
favorable written opinion (addressed to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders
and dated the Effective Date) of Xxxxxx & Xxxxxx L.L.P., counsel for the
Borrower, substantially in the form of Exhibit B, and covering such other
matters relating to the Borrower, this Agreement or the Transactions as the
Required Lenders shall reasonably request. The Borrower hereby requests such
counsel to deliver such opinion.
(c) The Administrative Agent shall have received such
documents and certificates as the Administrative Agent or its counsel may
reasonably request relating to the organization, existence and good standing of
the Borrower, the authorization of the Transactions and any other legal matters
relating to the Borrower, this Agreement or the Transactions, all in form and
substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and its counsel.
(d) The Administrative Agent shall have received a
certificate, dated the Effective Date and signed by the President, a Vice
President or a Financial Officer of the Borrower, confirming compliance with the
conditions set forth in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of Section 4.02 and setting
forth the calculation of the Borrowing Base as of the Effective Date.
(e) The Administrative Agent shall have received all fees
and other amounts due and payable on or prior to the Effective Date, including,
to the extent invoiced, reimbursement or payment of all out-of-pocket expenses
required to be reimbursed or paid by the Borrower hereunder.
(f) The Administrative Agent shall have received the
December 31 Reserve Report for 2003 comporting with the requirements of Section
5.11(a), the related reports contemplated by Section 5.11(c), any related
Engineering Reports requested by the Administrative Agent and the certificate
contemplated by Section 5.11(d).
(g) The Administrative Agent shall have received an
original promissory note as contemplated by Section 2.10(e) for each Lender that
has notified the Administrative Agent prior to the Effective Date that such
Lender requests such note.
(h) The Administrative Agent shall have received such
other documents as it may reasonably request.
(i) All commitments under, and all letters of credit
(other than the Existing Letters of Credit) issued pursuant to, the Existing
Credit Agreement shall have been terminated and all amounts outstanding under
the Existing Credit Agreement shall have been paid in full. Each Lender that is
a party to the Existing Credit Agreement waives each notice of termination of
such commitments or of prepayment required thereby.
The Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders of the
Effective Date, and such notice shall be conclusive and binding. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the obligations of the Lenders to make Loans and of the Issuing
Bank to issue Letters of Credit hereunder shall not become effective unless each
of the foregoing conditions is satisfied (or waived pursuant to Section 9.02) at
or prior to 3:00 p.m., New York City time, on March 31, 2004 (and, in the event
such conditions are not so satisfied or waived, the Commitments shall terminate
at such time).
Section 4.02. Each Credit Event. The obligation of each Lender
to make a Loan on the occasion of any Borrowing, and of the Issuing Bank to
issue, amend, renew or extend any Letter of Credit, is subject to the
satisfaction of the following conditions:
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(a) The representations and warranties of the Borrower
set forth in this Agreement (and, if any Subsidiary Guaranty has been executed,
of the Subsidiary Guarantors set forth in the Subsidiary Guaranties) shall be
true and correct on and as of the date of such Borrowing or the date of
issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of such Letter of Credit, as
applicable.
(b) At the time of and immediately after giving effect to
such Borrowing or the issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of such Letter
of Credit, as applicable, no Default shall have occurred and be continuing and
no Borrowing Base Deficiency shall exist.
(c) No Material Adverse Effect shall have occurred since
December 31, 2002.
Each Borrowing and each issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of a Letter of
Credit shall be deemed to constitute a representation and warranty by the
Borrower on the date thereof as to the matters specified in paragraphs (a), (b)
and (c) of this Section.
ARTICLE V
AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS
Until the Commitments have expired or been terminated and the
principal of and interest on each Loan and all fees payable hereunder shall have
been paid in full and all Letters of Credit shall have expired or terminated and
all LC Disbursements shall have been reimbursed, the Borrower covenants and
agrees with the Lenders that:
Section 5.01. Financial Statements; Ratings Change and Other
Information. The Borrower will furnish to the Administrative Agent and each
Lender:
(a) within 90 days after the end of each fiscal year of
the Borrower, its audited consolidated (and if any Unrestricted Subsidiary
existed during such year, its unaudited consolidating) balance sheet and related
statements of operations, stockholders' equity and cash flows as of the end of
and for such year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures
for the previous fiscal year, (i) all (other than any such consolidating balance
sheet and consolidating statements) reported on by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC or
other independent public accountants of recognized national standing (without a
"going concern" or like qualification or exception and without any qualification
or exception as to the scope of such audit) to the effect that such consolidated
financial statements present fairly in all material respects the financial
condition and results of operations of the Borrower and its consolidated
Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP consistently
applied, and (ii) in the case of such consolidating balance sheet and
consolidating statements, if any, certified by one of its Financial Officers as
presenting fairly in all material respects the financial condition and results
of operations of the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries on a
consolidating basis in accordance with GAAP consistently applied;
(b) within 45 days after the end of each of the first
three fiscal quarters of each fiscal year of the Borrower, its consolidated (and
if any Unrestricted Subsidiary existed during such year its consolidating)
balance sheet and related statements of operations, stockholders' equity and
cash flows as of the end of and for such fiscal quarter and the then elapsed
portion of the fiscal year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the
figures for the corresponding period or periods of (or, in the case of the
balance sheet, as of the end of) the previous fiscal year, all certified by one
of its Financial Officers as presenting fairly in all material respects the
financial condition and results of operations of the Borrower and its
consolidated Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis (and, in the case of such
consolidating balance sheet and consolidating statements, if any, on a
consolidating basis) in accordance with GAAP consistently applied, subject to
normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes;
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(c) concurrently with any delivery of financial
statements under clause (a) or (b) above, a certificate of a Financial Officer
of the Borrower (i) certifying as to whether a Default has occurred and, if a
Default has occurred, specifying the details thereof and any action taken or
proposed to be taken with respect thereto, (ii) setting forth reasonably
detailed calculations demonstrating compliance with Sections 6.21 and 6.22,
(iii) setting forth a calculation of the Borrowing Base and (iv) stating whether
any change in GAAP or in the application thereof has occurred since the date of
the audited financial statements referred to in Section 3.04 and, if any such
change has occurred, specifying the effect of such change on the financial
statements accompanying such certificate;
(d) promptly after the delivery to the Securities and
Exchange Commission, a copy of the certification signed by the principal
executive officer and the principal financial officer of the Borrower (each, a
"Certifying Officer") as required by Rule 13A-14 under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 and a copy of the internal controls disclosure statement by such
Certifying Officers as required by Rule 13A-15 under the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 and Final Rules Release No. 33-8238 of the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission, each as included in the Borrower's Annual Report on Form
10-K or Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, for the applicable fiscal period;
(e) promptly after the same become publicly available,
copies of all periodic and other reports, proxy statements and other materials
filed by the Borrower or any Subsidiary with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, or any Governmental Authority succeeding to any or all of the
functions of said Commission, or with any national securities exchange, or
distributed by the Borrower to its shareholders generally, as the case may be;
(f) promptly after Xxxxx'x or S&P shall have announced a
change in the rating established or deemed to have been established for the
Index Debt, notice of such rating change;
(g) within three Business Days of any issuance of
Subordinated Debt or any Senior Note, notice of such issuance including the
amount and maturity thereof and a copy of the indenture or other instrument
pursuant to which such Subordinated Debt or Senior Note was issued;
(h) if the Borrowing Base Debt Amount has increased by
more than $5,000,000 since the most recent Redetermination Date (or if the first
Redetermination Date has not occurred, since the Effective Date), (i) within
five Business Days of such increase, notice of such amount and (ii) until the
next Redetermination Date, notice of the amount of each additional increase (if
$5,000,000 or more) in the Borrowing Base Debt Amount; provided that the
Borrower will not be required to provide such notices with respect to increases
in the Borrowing Base Debt Amount resulting from short term borrowings under the
Borrower's money market lines of credit so long as the total aggregate
outstanding principal amount of such borrowings does not exceed $40,000,000; and
(i) promptly following any request therefor, such other
information regarding the operations, business affairs and financial condition
of the Borrower or any Subsidiary, or compliance with the terms of this
Agreement, as the Administrative Agent or any Lender may reasonably request.
Section 5.02. Notices of Material Events. The Borrower will
furnish to the Administrative Agent and each Lender prompt written notice of the
following:
(a) the occurrence of any Default or the occurrence of
any Borrowing Base Deficiency;
(b) the filing or commencement of any claim for taxes,
action, suit or proceeding by or before any arbitrator or Governmental Authority
against or affecting the Borrower or any Affiliate thereof that involves
monetary claims in excess of $20,000,000 or that, if adversely determined, could
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect;
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(c) the occurrence of any ERISA Event that, alone or
together with any other ERISA Events that have occurred, could reasonably be
expected to result in liability of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in an
aggregate amount exceeding $10,000,000; and
(d) any other development that results in, or could
reasonably be expected to result in, a Material Adverse Effect.
Each notice delivered under this Section shall be accompanied by a statement of
a Financial Officer or other executive officer of the Borrower setting forth the
details of the event or development requiring such notice and any action taken
or proposed to be taken with respect thereto.
Section 5.03. Existence; Conduct of Business. The Borrower
will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, do or cause to be done all
things necessary to preserve, renew and keep in full force and effect its legal
existence and the rights, licenses, permits, privileges and franchises used or
useful in the conduct of its business; provided that the foregoing shall not
prohibit any merger, consolidation, liquidation or dissolution permitted under
Section 6.03 or the release, surrender or disposition of the legal existence of
any Restricted Subsidiary or of any such rights, licenses, permits, privileges
and franchises (other than the legal existence of the Borrower), if all such
releases, surrenders and dispositions, individually or in the aggregate, could
not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.04. Payment of Obligations. The Borrower will, and
will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, pay its obligations, including Tax
liabilities, that, if not paid, could result in a Material Adverse Effect before
the same shall become delinquent or in default, except where (a) the validity or
amount thereof is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, (b)
the Borrower or such Subsidiary has set aside on its books adequate reserves
with respect thereto in accordance with GAAP and (c) the failure to make payment
pending such contest could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material
Adverse Effect.
Section 5.05. Maintenance of Properties; Insurance. The
Borrower will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, (a) keep and maintain
all property (except Oil and Gas Properties) material to the conduct of its
business in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted,
and (b) maintain, with financially sound and reputable insurance companies,
insurance in such amounts and against such risks as is customarily maintained by
companies engaged in the same or similar businesses operating in the same or
similar locations.
Section 5.06. Books and Records; Inspection Rights. The
Borrower will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, keep proper books of
record and account in which full, true and correct entries are made of all
dealings and transactions in relation to its business and activities. The
Borrower will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, permit any
representatives designated by the Administrative Agent or any Lender, upon
reasonable prior notice, to visit and inspect its properties, to examine and
make extracts from its books and records, and to discuss its affairs, finances
and condition with its officers and independent accountants, all at such
reasonable times and as often as reasonably requested.
Section 5.07. Compliance with Laws. The Borrower will, and
will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, comply with all laws, rules, regulations
and orders of any Governmental Authority applicable to it or its property,
except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.08. Oil and Gas Properties. (a) The Borrower will
operate, and will cause the Subsidiaries to operate, their Oil and Gas
Properties or cause such Oil and Gas Properties to be operated in a careful and
efficient manner in accordance with the practices of the industry and in
compliance with all applicable contracts and agreements and in compliance in all
respects with all requirements of any Governmental Authority, except where the
failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be
expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
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(a) The Borrower will and will cause each Subsidiary to,
at its own expense, do or cause to be done all things reasonably necessary to
preserve and keep in good repair and working order (ordinary wear and tear
excepted) all of its Oil and Gas Properties and other material Properties
including all equipment, machinery and facilities, and from time to time will
make all the reasonably necessary repairs, renewals and replacements so that at
all times the state and condition of its Oil and Gas Properties and other
material Properties will be fully preserved and maintained, except to the extent
a portion of such Properties is no longer capable of producing Hydrocarbons in
economically reasonable amounts or where the failure to do so could not
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. In a manner
consistent with the prudent operator standard, the Borrower will and will cause
each Subsidiary to promptly: (i) pay and discharge, or make reasonable and
customary efforts to cause to be paid and discharged, all delay rentals,
royalties, expenses and obligations accruing under the leases or other
agreements affecting or pertaining to its Oil and Gas Properties, (ii) perform
or make reasonable and customary efforts to cause to be performed, in accordance
with industry standards, the obligations required by each and all of the
assignments, deeds, leases, sub-leases, contracts and agreements affecting its
interests in its Oil and Gas Properties and other material Properties, (iii)
will and will cause each Subsidiary to do all other things necessary to keep
unimpaired, except for Liens permitted by Section 6.02, its rights with respect
thereto and prevent any forfeiture thereof or a default thereunder, except where
the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material
Adverse Effect.
Section 5.09. Principal Business. Borrower will, and will
cause each Subsidiary to, maintain as its primary business the exploration,
production and development of oil, natural gas and other liquid and gaseous
Hydrocarbons.
Section 5.10. Subsidiary Guaranties. If any Restricted
Subsidiary is created or acquired which has Guaranteed, or any Restricted
Subsidiary Guarantees or proposes to Guarantee (in each case, the "Guaranteeing
Subsidiary"), any Debt or other obligation of the Borrower or any Restricted
Subsidiary, then the Borrower will cause the Guaranteeing Subsidiary,
simultaneously with or prior to such acquisition or creation or such Guarantee
of Debt or other obligation, as the case may be, to deliver to the
Administrative Agent (i) a Subsidiary Guaranty duly executed by such
Guaranteeing Subsidiary, (ii) certified copies of the charter, by-laws,
partnership or company agreement or similar documents pertaining to such
Guaranteeing Subsidiary, (iii) evidence, reasonably satisfactory to the
Administrative Agent, of the authorization and due execution and delivery of
such Subsidiary Guaranty by such Guaranteeing Subsidiary, (iv) other documents
and certificates of the type referred to in Section 4.01(c) with respect to such
Guaranteeing Subsidiary and (v) a legal opinion of counsel reasonably acceptable
to the Administrative Agent in substantially the form of Exhibit B, but
referring to such Guaranteeing Subsidiary and such Subsidiary Guaranty rather
than the Borrower and the documents referred to in Exhibit B.
Section 5.11. Engineering Reports. (a) The Borrower shall
deliver the December 31 Reserve Report at least 60 days prior to the next
following May 1 Scheduled Redetermination Date. The Borrower shall deliver the
June 30 Reserve Report at least 60 days prior to the next following November 1
Scheduled Redetermination Date. The December 31 Reserve Report shall include (a)
a report prepared by Xxxxx-Xxxxx Company, Petroleum Engineers, DeGoyler &
XxXxxxxxxx or other certified independent engineer of recognized standing
satisfactory to the Administrative Agent (the "Outside Report"), which covers at
least 80% of the proved oil and gas reserves attributable to the Oil and Gas
Properties of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries, and (b) a report
prepared by or under the supervision of the chief engineer of the Borrower who
shall certify such report to be true and accurate and to have been prepared in
accordance with the procedures used in such Outside Report (the "Company
Report"), which covers the proved oil and gas reserves attributable to the Oil
and Gas Properties of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries which were
not covered by such Outside Report. The June 30 Report shall be a Company Report
which covers the proved oil and gas reserves attributable to all of the Oil and
Gas Properties of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries. The Borrower may
elect to use the immediately preceding December 31 Reserve Report instead of
preparing the June 30 Reserve Report, in which case reserve run off with no
replacement will be assumed. Further, the Borrower will be required to
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provide a review of the Oil and Gas Properties which shall include a comparison
of actual and projected production volumes.
(a) For each unscheduled redetermination, the Borrower
shall furnish to the Lenders, a Reserve Report, as of a date no earlier than 60
days prior to the date on which such redetermination is to occur in accordance
with Section 2.04(d), prepared by or under the supervision of the chief engineer
of the Borrower who shall certify such Reserve Report to be true and accurate
and to have been prepared in accordance with the procedures used in the
immediately preceding December 31 Reserve Report. For any unscheduled
redetermination requested by the Required Lenders pursuant to Section 2.04(d),
the Borrower shall provide such Reserve Report as soon as possible, but in any
event no later than 45 days following its receipt of the request by the Required
Lenders.
(b) Concurrently with the delivery of each Reserve
Report, the Borrower shall provide the Lenders production reports covering in
the aggregate the net production of oil and gas of the Borrower and the
Restricted Subsidiaries, which reports shall include quantities or volumes of
production, realized product prices, operating expenses, taxes, capital
expenditures and such other information as the Administrative Agent may
reasonably request and covering the six month period ending on the "as of" date
of the Reserve Report being delivered with such production report.
(c) With the delivery of each Reserve Report, the
Borrower shall provide to the Lenders, a certificate from the Responsible
Officer who is the chief engineer of the Borrower that, to the best of his
knowledge and in all material respects, (i) the factual information contained in
the Reserve Report and Engineering Reports is true and correct, (ii) the
Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary owns good and defensible title to the Oil
and Gas Properties evaluated in such Reserve Report free of all Liens except for
Excepted Liens, (iii) except as set forth on an exhibit to the certificate or in
the Reserve Report, on a net basis there are no gas imbalances, take or pay or
other prepayments with respect to the Oil and Gas Properties evaluated in such
Reserve Report which would require the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary to
deliver Hydrocarbons produced from such Oil and Gas Properties at some future
time without then or thereafter receiving full payment therefor, (iv) no Oil and
Gas Properties have been sold since the date of the last Calculated Borrowing
Base determination except as permitted by the terms of this Agreement, (v)
attached to the certificate are statements of the Borrower's and each Restricted
Subsidiary's outstanding Oil or Gas Swap Contracts, which statements shall
include for each such Oil or Gas Swap Contract (A) the termination date, (B) the
notional amounts or volumes and the periods covered by such volumes, and (C) the
price to be paid or the basis for calculating the price to be paid by the
Borrower and the other Person under each Oil or Gas Swap Contract for each of
the future periods covered by each Oil or Gas Swap Contract, (vi) the Borrowing
Base Debt Amount on the date of such certificate is the amount set forth in such
certificate, and (vii) the amount of Subordinated Debt outstanding on the date
of such certificate is the amount set forth in such certificate.
ARTICLE VI
NEGATIVE COVENANTS
Until the Commitments have expired or terminated and the
principal of and interest on each Loan and all fees payable hereunder have been
paid in full and all Letters of Credit have expired or terminated and all LC
Disbursements shall have been reimbursed, the Borrower covenants and agrees with
the Lenders that:
Section 6.01. Debt. The Borrower will not, and will not permit
any Restricted Subsidiary to, create, incur or assume any Debt, if at the time
of such creation, incurrence or assumption or immediately after giving effect
thereto any Borrowing Base Deficiency would exist or any Default shall have
occurred and be continuing; provided that this Section 6.01 shall not prohibit
the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries from creating or incurring, even if
a Borrowing Base Deficiency or any Default
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shall have occurred, (i) Debt evidenced by bonds or surety obligations, in each
case required by any Governmental Authority, (ii) obligations to pay into escrow
accounts or establish other reserves, in each case under this clause (ii) only
in amounts necessary to cover costs of abandonment of oil and gas xxxxx or
drilling sites, and (iii) obligations described in clause (k) of the definition
herein of Debt that arise after the occurrence of a Borrowing Base Deficiency or
Default pursuant to a futures contract, swap contract or similar hedging
agreement entered into prior to such occurrence; provided further that this
Section 6.01 shall not prohibit obligations described in clause (k) of the
definition herein of Debt if no Default shall have occurred and be continuing.
Section 6.02. Liens. The Borrower will not, and will not
permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, create, incur, assume or permit to exist
any Lien on any property or asset now owned or hereafter acquired by it, or
assign or sell any income or revenues (including accounts receivable) or rights
in respect of any thereof, except:
(a) Excepted Liens;
(b) any Lien on any property or asset of the Borrower or
any Restricted Subsidiary existing on the date hereof and set forth in Schedule
6.02; provided that (i) such Lien shall not apply to any other property or asset
of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary and (ii) such Lien shall secure
only those obligations which it secures on the date hereof;
(c) any Lien existing on any property or asset prior to
the acquisition thereof by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary or existing
on any property or asset of any Person that becomes a Subsidiary after the date
hereof prior to the time such Person becomes a Subsidiary; provided that (i)
such Lien is not created in contemplation of or in connection with such
acquisition or such Person becoming a Subsidiary, as the case may be, (ii) such
Lien shall not apply to any other property or assets of the Borrower or any
Restricted Subsidiary, (iii) such Lien does not secure any obligation of an
Unrestricted Subsidiary and (iv) such Lien shall secure only those obligations
which it secures on the date of such acquisition or the date such Person becomes
a Subsidiary, as the case may be;
(d) Liens securing Capital Lease Obligations of the
Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary if the aggregate amount of all such
Capital Lease Obligations does not exceed $25,000,000 and such Liens do not
encumber any Oil and Gas Properties;
(e) Liens on cash or securities securing obligations of
the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary arising by law or under production
sharing contracts, joint operating agreements or similar agreements to pay into
escrow accounts or establish other reserves, in each case only in amounts
necessary to cover costs of abandonment of oil and gas xxxxx or drilling sites;
and
(f) Liens on the Equity Interests of any Unrestricted
Subsidiary.
Section 6.03. Fundamental Changes. (a) The Borrower will not,
and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, merge into or consolidate with
any other Person, or permit any other Person to merge into or consolidate with
it, or sell, transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of (in one transaction or in a
series of transactions) all or any substantial part of its business or assets,
or any Equity Interests of any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (in each case,
whether now owned or hereafter acquired), or liquidate or dissolve, except that,
if at the time thereof and immediately after giving effect thereto no Default
shall have occurred and be continuing, this Section 6.03 shall not prohibit (i)
any Person from merging into the Borrower in a transaction in which the Borrower
is the surviving corporation, (ii) any Person (other than the Borrower) from
merging into any Restricted Subsidiary in a transaction in which the surviving
entity is a Restricted Subsidiary wholly-owned by the Borrower, (iii) any
Restricted Subsidiary from selling, transferring, leasing or otherwise disposing
of its assets to the Borrower or to another Restricted Subsidiary wholly-owned
by the Borrower, (iv) any Restricted Subsidiary from liquidating or dissolving
if the Borrower determines in good faith that such liquidation or dissolution is
in the best interests of the Borrower and is not materially disadvantageous to
the Lenders and (v) any Restricted Subsidiary from
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selling, transferring, leasing or otherwise disposing of its assets if such
sale, transfer, lease or other disposition would otherwise be permitted under
Section 6.14.
(a) The Borrower will not, and will not permit any of its
Subsidiaries to, engage to any material extent in any business other than
businesses of the type conducted by the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on the
date of execution of this Agreement and businesses reasonably related thereto.
Section 6.04. Investments, Loans, Advances, Guarantees and
Acquisitions. The Borrower will not, and will not permit any Restricted
Subsidiary to, purchase, hold or acquire (including pursuant to any merger with
any Person that was not a wholly owned Subsidiary prior to such merger) any
Investment in any Person except Permitted Investments. The Borrower will not,
and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, Guarantee any obligation of
any Unrestricted Subsidiary.
Section 6.05. Swap Agreements. The Borrower will not, and will
not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, enter into any Swap Agreement, except
(a) Swap Agreements entered into to hedge or mitigate risks to which the
Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary has actual exposure (other than those in
respect of Equity Interests of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries), and (b)
Swap Agreements entered into in order to effectively cap, collar or exchange
interest rates (from fixed to floating rates, from one floating rate to another
floating rate or otherwise) with respect to any interest-bearing liability or
investment of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary.
Section 6.06. Restricted Payments. The Borrower will not, and
will not permit any of the Restricted Subsidiaries to, pay, declare or make, or
agree to pay, declare or make, directly or indirectly, any Restricted Payment,
except (a) the Borrower may declare and pay dividends with respect to its Equity
Interests payable solely in additional shares of its common stock, (b)
Subsidiaries may declare and pay dividends ratably with respect to their Equity
Interests, (c) the Borrower may make Restricted Payments pursuant to and in
accordance with stock option plans or other benefit plans for management or
employees of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries and (d) the Borrower may declare
and pay cash dividends, and redeem for cash or repurchase for cash its common
and preferred stock, if in each case (i) the aggregate amount of such dividends
plus the aggregate amount paid for such redemptions and repurchases during each
four consecutive fiscal quarters of the Borrower does not exceed 100% of the
consolidated net income of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such
four quarters, and (ii) at the time of any such dividend, redemption or
repurchase, and immediately after giving effect thereto, no Borrowing Base
Deficiency shall exist and no Default shall have occurred and be continuing.
Section 6.07. Transactions with Affiliates. The Borrower will
not, and will not permit any Subsidiary to, sell, lease or otherwise transfer
any property or assets to, or purchase, lease or otherwise acquire any property
or assets from, or otherwise engage in any other transactions with, any of its
Affiliates, except (a) in the ordinary course of business at prices and on terms
and conditions not less favorable to the Borrower and each Subsidiary than could
be obtained on an arm's-length basis from unrelated third parties, (b)
transactions between or among the Borrower and its wholly-owned Restricted
Subsidiaries not involving any other Affiliate and (c) any Restricted Payment
permitted by Section 6.06.
Section 6.08. Restrictive Agreements. The Borrower will not,
and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly, enter
into, incur or permit to exist any agreement or other arrangement that
prohibits, restricts or imposes any condition upon (a) the ability of the
Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary to create, incur or permit to exist any
Lien upon any of its property or assets, or (b) the ability of any Restricted
Subsidiary to pay dividends or other distributions with respect to any of its
Equity Interests or to make or repay loans or advances to the Borrower or any
other Restricted Subsidiary or to Guarantee Debt of the Borrower or any other
Restricted Subsidiary; provided that (i) the foregoing shall not apply to
restrictions and conditions imposed by law or by this Agreement, (ii) the
foregoing shall not apply to restrictions and conditions existing on the date
hereof identified on Schedule 6.08 (but shall apply to any extension or renewal
of, or any amendment or modification expanding the scope of, any such
restriction or condition), (iii) the foregoing shall not apply to customary
restrictions and conditions contained in agreements relating to the sale of a
Subsidiary pending such sale, provided such restrictions
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and conditions apply only to the Subsidiary that is to be sold and such sale is
permitted hereunder, (iv) clause (a) of the foregoing shall not apply to
restrictions or conditions imposed by any agreement relating to secured Debt
(including Capital Lease Obligations) permitted by this Agreement if such
restrictions or conditions apply only to the property or assets securing such
Debt and (v) clause (a) of the foregoing shall not apply to customary provisions
in leases and other contracts restricting the assignment thereof.
Section 6.09. Subsidiary Debt and Preferred Stock. The
Borrower will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to issue preferred stock and
will not permit the aggregate principal amount of Debt of its Restricted
Subsidiaries (excluding any Debt of a Restricted Subsidiary owed to the Borrower
or another Restricted Subsidiary, but including any Guarantee by a Restricted
Subsidiary of Debt of the Borrower) at any time to exceed $25,000,000.
Section 6.10. Designation of Unrestricted Subsidiaries. The
Borrower will not designate any Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary,
unless:
(i) neither such Subsidiary nor any of its subsidiaries
has any Debt except Non-Recourse Debt;
(ii) neither such Subsidiary nor any of its subsidiaries
is a party to any agreement, arrangement, understanding or other
transaction with the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary, except
those agreements and other transactions entered into in writing in the
ordinary course of business at prices and on terms and conditions not
less favorable to the Borrower and each Restricted Subsidiary than
could be obtained on an arm's-length basis from unrelated third
parties;
(iii) at the time of such designation, the aggregate book
value of the assets of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries, on
a consolidated basis (excluding investments in Unrestricted
Subsidiaries) exceeds $2,250,000,000;
(iv) neither such Subsidiary nor any of its subsidiaries
is a Guarantor Subsidiary or has any outstanding Letter of Credit
issued for its account;
(v) neither such Subsidiary nor any of its subsidiaries
owns any Oil and Gas Properties included in the Calculated Borrowing
Base or other Property relevant to the Calculated Borrowing Base in
effect at the time of such designation;
(vi) at the time of such designation and immediately after
giving effect thereto, no Borrowing Base Deficiency shall exist and no
Default shall have occurred and be continuing;
(vii) the Borrower would have been in compliance with
Section 6.22 on the last day of the most recently ended fiscal quarter
of the Borrower had such Subsidiary been an Unrestricted Subsidiary on
such day;
(viii) neither such Subsidiary nor any of its subsidiaries
owns any Debt or Equity Interest of, or is the beneficiary of any Lien
on any property of, the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary; and
(ix) at or immediately prior to such designation, the
Borrower delivers a certificate to the Lenders certifying (a) the names
of such Subsidiary and all of its subsidiaries, and (b) that all
requirements of this Section have been met for such designation.
Section 6.11. New Unrestricted Subsidiaries. The Borrower will
not permit any Unrestricted Subsidiary to acquire or create any subsidiary of
such Unrestricted Subsidiary unless such subsidiary is designated as an
Unrestricted Subsidiary in accordance with Section 6.10.
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Section 6.12. Sale Leaseback Transactions. The Borrower will
not enter into, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to enter into, any
Sale Leaseback Transaction if, immediately after giving effect thereto, the
aggregate amount of all Attributable Obligations for all Sale Leaseback
Transactions would exceed $25,000,000.
Section 6.13. Sale or Discount of Receivables. The Borrower
will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, discount or sell
(with or without recourse) any of its notes receivable or accounts receivable,
except that the Borrower may discount or sell past due accounts receivable and
past due notes receivable if the Borrower determines in its reasonable judgment
that such course of action is a reasonably prudent means of collection with
respect to such note receivable or account receivable and if the notes and
accounts receivables discounted or sold do not constitute a material portion of
the Borrower's and the Restricted Subsidiaries' notes receivable or accounts
receivable outstanding at such time.
Section 6.14. Sale of Oil and Gas Properties. Except for
Hydrocarbons sold in the ordinary course of business as and when produced, the
Borrower will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, sell,
assign, transfer, farm-out or convey, directly or indirectly, by way of merger
or sale of equity securities in a Subsidiary or otherwise ("Transfer"), any
interest in any of its Oil and Gas Properties in excess of $100,000,000 in the
aggregate during the period from the Effective Date to the initial
Redetermination Date or during any period from one Redetermination Date to the
next Redetermination Date, as such value is determined by the most recent
December 31 Reserve Report using a 9% discount rate and giving effect to
production prior to the effective date of the Transfer, without the prior
written consent of Required Lenders, which consent will not be unreasonably
withheld.
Section 6.15. Subsidiaries and Partnerships. The Borrower will
not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, create or acquire any
Subsidiary unless (i) the Borrower shall give the Administrative Agent prompt
notice of the creation of such Subsidiary and (ii) the Borrower is in compliance
with Sections 5.10 and 6.04.
Section 6.16. Hydrocarbon Sales Contract. The Borrower will
not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, enter into any contract
for the sale of Hydrocarbons produced from any of its Oil and Gas Properties in
which the Borrower or such Subsidiary warrants quantities of Hydrocarbons to be
delivered thereunder.
Section 6.17. Environmental Matters. The Borrower will not,
and will not permit any Subsidiary to, cause or permit any of its Property to be
in violation of, or do anything or permit anything to be done which will subject
any such Property to any remedial obligations under any Environmental Laws,
assuming disclosure to the applicable Governmental Authority of all relevant
facts, conditions and circumstances, if any, pertaining to such Property, where
such violations and remedial obligations would in the aggregate, have a Material
Adverse Effect.
Section 6.18. Subordinated Debt. The Borrower will not modify
or amend the terms of any Subordinated Debt or any related indentures or other
document, if the effect of such modification or amendment would be to shorten
the time for payment on any Subordinated Debt, increase the rate of interest on
any Subordinated Debt or change the method of calculating interest so as to
effectively increase the rate of interest on any Subordinated Debt, change any
of the provisions of the covenants, subordination provisions and events of
default or any of the definitions used in or relating thereto, or any other
provisions which would detrimentally affect the rights of the Lenders.
Section 6.19. Fiscal Periods. The Borrower will not change,
and will not permit any of its Consolidated Restricted Subsidiaries to change,
its fiscal year from the twelve-month period ending on December 31 of each year
or any of its fiscal quarters from the three-month periods ending March 31, June
30, September 30 and December 31 of each year.
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Section 6.20. Use of Proceeds. The Borrower will not use, and
will not permit any Subsidiary to use, the proceeds of any Loan for any purpose
other than general corporate and working capital purposes which may include the
acquisition, exploration and development of Oil and Gas Properties, and in any
event will not use, and will not permit any Subsidiary to use, any such proceeds
(i) in any manner that violates or results in a violation of any law or
regulation or this Agreement, or to purchase or carry, directly or indirectly,
any margin stock (within the meaning of Regulation U of the Board) or for any
purpose that would result in any Loan being a "purpose credit" within the
meaning of Regulation U. The Borrower will not use and will not permit any
Subsidiary to use any Letter of Credit to support any Debt of any Person or to
support any obligation of an Unrestricted Subsidiary.
Section 6.21. Total Debt to EBITDA Ratio. The Borrower will
not permit the Total Debt to EBITDA Ratio to exceed 3.00 to 1.00 at any time.
Section 6.22. EBITDA to Interest Ratio. The Borrower will not
permit the EBITDA to Interest Ratio to be less than 3.00 to 1.00 for any period
of four consecutive fiscal quarters of the Borrower.
ARTICLE VII
EVENTS OF DEFAULT
Section 7.01. Events of Default. If any of the following
events ("Events of Default") shall occur:
(a) the Borrower shall fail to pay any principal of any
Loan or any reimbursement obligation in respect of any LC Disbursement (other
than LC Disbursements that are financed as a Borrowing in accordance with
Section 2.06(e)) when and as the same shall become due and payable, whether at
the due date thereof or at a date fixed for prepayment thereof or otherwise;
(b) the Borrower shall fail to pay any interest on any
Loan or any fee or any other amount (other than an amount referred to in clause
(a) of this Article) payable under this Agreement, when and as the same shall
become due and payable, and such failure shall continue unremedied for a period
of three Business Days;
(c) any representation or warranty made or deemed made by
or on behalf of the Borrower or any Subsidiary in or in connection with this
Agreement, any other Loan Document or any amendment, waiver or modification
hereof or thereof, or in any report, certificate, financial statement or other
document furnished pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement, any other
Loan Document or any amendment or modification hereof or waiver hereunder, shall
prove to have been incorrect in any material respect when made or deemed made;
(d) the Borrower shall fail to observe or perform any
covenant, condition or agreement contained in Section 5.02 or 5.03 (with respect
to the Borrower's existence) or in Article II or Article VI;
(e) the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor shall fail
to observe or perform any covenant, condition or agreement contained in this
Agreement or any other Loan Document (other than those specified in clause (a),
(b) or (d) of this Article), and such failure shall continue unremedied for a
period of 30 days after notice thereof from the Administrative Agent to the
Borrower (which notice will be given at the request of any Lender);
(f) the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary shall fail
to make any payment (whether of principal or interest and regardless of amount)
in respect of any Material Indebtedness, when and as the same shall become due
and payable;
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(g) any event or condition occurs that results in any
Material Indebtedness becoming due prior to its scheduled maturity or that
enables or permits (with or without the giving of notice, the lapse of time or
both) the holder or holders of any Material Indebtedness or any trustee or agent
on its or their behalf to cause any Material Indebtedness to become due, or to
require the prepayment, repurchase, redemption or defeasance thereof, prior to
its scheduled maturity; provided that this clause (g) shall not apply to secured
Debt that becomes due as a result of the voluntary sale or transfer of the
property or assets securing such Debt if such indebtedness is paid when due;
(h) an involuntary proceeding shall be commenced or an
involuntary petition shall be filed seeking (i) liquidation, reorganization or
other relief in respect of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary or its
debts, or of a substantial part of its assets, under any Federal, state or
foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in
effect or (ii) the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, sequestrator,
conservator or similar official for the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary or
for a substantial part of its assets, and, in any such case, such proceeding or
petition shall continue undismissed for 60 days or an order or decree approving
or ordering any of the foregoing shall be entered;
(i) the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary shall (i)
voluntarily commence any proceeding or file any petition seeking liquidation,
reorganization or other relief under any Federal, state or foreign bankruptcy,
insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect, (ii) consent
to the institution of, or fail to contest in a timely and appropriate manner,
any proceeding or petition described in clause (h) of this Article, (iii) apply
for or consent to the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian,
sequestrator, conservator or similar official for the Borrower or any Restricted
Subsidiary or for a substantial part of its assets, (iv) file an answer
admitting the material allegations of a petition filed against it in any such
proceeding, (v) make a general assignment for the benefit of creditors or (vi)
take any action for the purpose of effecting any of the foregoing;
(j) the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary shall
become unable, admit in writing its inability or fail generally to pay its debts
as they become due;
(k) one or more judgments for the payment of money in an
aggregate amount in excess of $25,000,000 (net of insured amounts payable by a
financially responsible insurer that has been notified thereof and has not
denied coverage) shall be rendered against the Borrower, any Restricted
Subsidiary or any combination thereof and the same shall remain undischarged for
a period of 30 consecutive days during which execution shall not be effectively
stayed, or any action shall be legally taken by a judgment creditor to attach or
levy upon any assets of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary to enforce any
such judgment;
(l) an ERISA Event shall have occurred that, in the
opinion of the Required Lenders, when taken together with all other ERISA Events
that have occurred, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
Effect or result in liability of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in an
aggregate amount exceeding $25,000,000 for all periods;
(m) a Change in Control shall occur;
(n) any provision of any Subsidiary Guaranty for any
reason is not a legal, valid, binding and enforceable obligation of the
Subsidiary Guarantor shown as being a party thereto or any Subsidiary or the
Borrower shall so state in writing; or
(o) the Borrower or any other Person shall petition or
apply for or obtain any order restricting payment by the Issuing Bank under any
Letter of Credit or extending the liability of the Issuing Bank under any Letter
of Credit beyond the expiration date stated therein;
then, and in every such event (other than an event with respect to the Borrower
described in clause (h) or (i) of this Article), and at any time thereafter
during the continuance of such event, the Administrative
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Agent may, and at the request of the Required Lenders shall, by notice to the
Borrower, take either or both of the following actions, at the same or different
times: (i) terminate the Commitments, and thereupon the Commitments shall
terminate immediately, and (ii) declare the Loans then outstanding to be due and
payable in whole (or in part, in which case any principal not so declared to be
due and payable may thereafter be declared to be due and payable), and thereupon
the principal of the Loans so declared to be due and payable, together with
accrued interest thereon and all fees and other obligations of the Borrower
accrued hereunder, shall become due and payable immediately, without
presentment, demand, protest, notice of intent to accelerate, notice of
acceleration or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby waived by the
Borrower; and in case of any event with respect to the Borrower described in
clause (h) or (i) of this Article, the Commitments shall automatically terminate
and the principal of the Loans then outstanding, together with accrued interest
thereon and all fees and other obligations of the Borrower accrued hereunder,
shall automatically become due and payable, without presentment, demand,
protest, notice of intent to accelerate, notice of acceleration or other notice
of any kind, all of which are hereby waived by the Borrower. Without limiting
the foregoing or any other provision hereof, the Borrower shall also have the
obligations, and the Administrative Agent and Lenders shall have the rights and
remedies, specified in Section 2.06(j).
ARTICLE VIII
THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Section 8.01. The Administrative Agent. Each of the Lenders
and the Issuing Bank hereby irrevocably appoints the Administrative Agent as its
agent and authorizes the Administrative Agent to take such actions on its behalf
and to exercise such powers as are delegated to the Administrative Agent by the
terms hereof, together with such actions and powers as are reasonably incidental
thereto.
The bank serving as the Administrative Agent hereunder shall
have the same rights and powers in its capacity as a Lender as any other Lender
and may exercise the same as though it were not the Administrative Agent, and
such bank and its Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to and
generally engage in any kind of business with the Borrower or any Subsidiary or
other Affiliate thereof as if it were not the Administrative Agent hereunder.
The Administrative Agent shall not have any duties or
obligations except those expressly set forth herein. Without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, (a) the Administrative Agent shall not be subject
to any fiduciary or other implied duties, regardless of whether a Default has
occurred and is continuing, (b) the Administrative Agent shall not have any duty
to take any discretionary action or exercise any discretionary powers, except
discretionary rights and powers expressly contemplated hereby that the
Administrative Agent is required to exercise as directed in writing by the
Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be
necessary under the circumstances as provided in Section 9.02), and (c) except
as expressly set forth herein, the Administrative Agent shall not have any duty
to disclose, and shall not be liable for the failure to disclose, any
information relating to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries that is
communicated to or obtained by the bank serving as Administrative Agent or any
of its Affiliates in any capacity. THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT SHALL NOT BE LIABLE
FOR ANY ACTION TAKEN OR NOT TAKEN BY IT WITH THE CONSENT OR AT THE REQUEST OF
THE REQUIRED LENDERS (OR SUCH OTHER NUMBER OR PERCENTAGE OF THE LENDERS AS SHALL
BE NECESSARY UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 9.02) OR IN THE
ABSENCE OF ITS OWN GROSS NEGLIGENCE OR WILFUL MISCONDUCT. The Administrative
Agent shall not be liable for the accuracy of, or the methodology or procedures
used by it in redetermining or proposing, any Calculated Borrowing Base. The
Administrative Agent shall be deemed not to have knowledge of any Default unless
and until written notice thereof is given to the Administrative Agent by the
Borrower or a Lender, and the Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for
or have any duty to ascertain or inquire into (i) any statement, warranty or
representation made in or in connection with this Agreement, any other Loan
Document or any other agreement,
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instrument or document, (ii) the contents of any certificate, report or other
document delivered hereunder or in connection herewith, (iii) the performance or
observance of any of the covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set
forth herein, (iv) the validity, enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of
this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other agreement, instrument or
document, (v) the amount of the Borrowing Base, or (vi) the satisfaction of any
condition set forth in Article IV or elsewhere herein, other than to confirm
receipt of items expressly required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent.
The Administrative Agent shall be entitled to rely upon, and
shall not incur any liability for relying upon, any notice, request,
certificate, consent, statement, instrument, document or other writing believed
by it to be genuine and to have been signed or sent by the proper Person. The
Administrative Agent also may rely upon any statement made to it orally or by
telephone and believed by it to be made by the proper Person, and shall not
incur any liability for relying thereon. The Administrative Agent may consult
with legal counsel (who may be counsel for the Borrower), independent
accountants and other experts selected by it, and shall not be liable for any
action taken or not taken by it in accordance with the advice of any such
counsel, accountants or experts.
The Administrative Agent may perform any and all its duties
and exercise its rights and powers by or through any one or more sub-agents
appointed by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent and any such
sub-agent may perform any and all its duties and exercise its rights and powers
through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory provisions of the
preceding paragraphs shall apply to any such sub-agent and to the Related
Parties of the Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent, and shall apply to
their respective activities in connection with the syndication of the credit
facilities provided for herein as well as activities as Administrative Agent.
Subject to the appointment and acceptance of a successor
Administrative Agent as provided in this paragraph, the Administrative Agent may
resign at any time by notifying the Lenders, the Issuing Bank and the Borrower.
Upon any such resignation, the Required Lenders shall have the right, in
consultation with the Borrower (but such consultation shall not be required if
an Event of Default shall have occurred and is continuing), to appoint a
successor. If no successor shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders
and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days after the retiring
Administrative Agent gives notice of its resignation, then the retiring
Administrative Agent may, on behalf of the Lenders and the Issuing Bank, appoint
a successor Administrative Agent which shall be a bank with an office in New
York, New York, or an Affiliate of any such bank. Upon the acceptance of its
appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder by a successor, such successor
shall succeed to and become vested with all the rights, powers, privileges and
duties of the retiring Administrative Agent, and the retiring Administrative
Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder. The fees
payable by the Borrower to a successor Administrative Agent shall be the same as
those payable to its predecessor unless otherwise agreed between the Borrower
and such successor. After the Administrative Agent's resignation hereunder, the
provisions of this Article and Section 9.03 shall continue in effect for the
benefit of such retiring Administrative Agent, its sub-agents and their
respective Related Parties in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be
taken by any of them while it was acting as Administrative Agent.
Each Lender acknowledges that it has, independently and
without reliance upon the Administrative Agent or any other Lender and based on
such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit
analysis and decision to enter into this Agreement. Each Lender also
acknowledges that it will, independently and without reliance upon the
Administrative Agent or any other Lender and based on such documents and
information as it shall from time to time deem appropriate, continue to make its
own decisions in taking or not taking action under or based upon this Agreement,
any related agreement or any document furnished hereunder or thereunder.
EACH LENDER, RATABLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS RESPECTIVE
APPLICABLE PERCENTAGE, SHALL INDEMNIFY THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, SUB-AGENTS
APPOINTED BY THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT PURSUANT
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TO THIS ARTICLE VIII AND EACH RELATED PARTY OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT AND SUCH
SUB-AGENTS (EACH SUCH PERSON BEING CALLED AN "AGENT INDEMNITEE") AGAINST, AND
HOLD EACH AGENT INDEMNITEE HARMLESS FROM, ANY AND ALL LOSSES, CLAIMS, DAMAGES,
LIABILITIES AND RELATED EXPENSES, INCLUDING THE FEES, CHARGES AND DISBURSEMENTS
OF ANY COUNSEL FOR ANY AGENT INDEMNITEE, INCURRED BY OR ASSERTED AGAINST ANY
AGENT INDEMNITEE TO THE EXTENT (i) THAT SUCH AGENT INDEMNITEE IS ENTITLED TO
INDEMNIFICATION FROM THE BORROWER PURSUANT TO SECTION 9.03(b) AND (ii) EITHER
(1) SUCH AGENT INDEMNITEE IS NOT PROMPTLY AND INDEFEASIBLY PAID THE AMOUNT OF
SUCH INDEMNIFICATION BY THE BORROWER OR (2) ANY SUCH PAYMENT IS RESCINDED OR
MUST OTHERWISE BE RETURNED BY SUCH AGENT INDEMNITEE UPON THE INSOLVENCY,
BANKRUPTCY OR REORGANIZATION OF ANY PERSON OR OTHERWISE. IT IS THE EXPRESS
INTENT OF THE PARTIES HERETO THAT EACH AGENT INDEMNITEE SHALL, TO THE EXTENT
CONTEMPLATED IN SECTION 9.03 BE INDEMNIFIED FOR ITS OWN ORDINARY, SOLE OR
CONTRIBUTORY NEGLIGENCE. PAYMENT BY ANY LENDER PURSUANT TO THIS ARTICLE VIII
SHALL NOT RELIEVE THE BORROWER OF ITS OBLIGATIONS UNDER SECTION 9.03, AND EACH
LENDER MAKING A PAYMENT UNDER THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL BE ENTITLED TO RECEIVE FROM
EACH AGENT INDEMNITEE SUCH LENDER'S RATABLE SHARE OF ANY AMOUNT INDEFEASIBLY
RECOVERED BY SUCH AGENT INDEMNITEE FROM THE BORROWER ON ACCOUNT OF THE
PREVIOUSLY UNPAID INDEMNIFICATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 9.03(b) THAT REQUIRED SUCH
PAYMENT BY SUCH LENDER UNDER THIS PARAGRAPH, IN EACH CASE WITHOUT INTEREST.
ARTICLE IX
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 9.01. Notices. (a) Except in the case of notices and
other communications expressly permitted to be given by telephone (and subject
to paragraph (b) below), all notices and other communications provided for
herein shall be in writing and shall be delivered by hand or overnight courier
service, mailed by certified or registered mail or sent by telecopy, as follows:
(i) if to the Borrower, to it at 000 X. Xxx Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 00000, Attention of chief financial
officer (Telecopy No. (000) 000-0000);
(ii) if to the Administrative Agent, to JPMorgan Chase
Bank, Loan and Agency Services Group, 0000 Xxxxxx Xx., 00xx Xxxxx,
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 00000-0000, Attention of Ms. Xxxxxx English (Telecopy
No. (000) 000-0000), with a copy to JPMorgan Chase Bank, 000 Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx, 00xx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 00000, Attention of Xx. Xxxxx
Xxxxxxx (Telecopy No. (000) 000-0000);
(iii) if to the Issuing Bank, to it at the address set
forth in paragraph (ii) above; and
(iv) if to any other Lender, to it at its address (or
telecopy number) set forth in its Administrative Questionnaire.
(b) Notices and other communications to the Lenders
hereunder may be delivered or furnished by electronic communications pursuant to
procedures approved by the Administrative Agent; provided that the foregoing
shall not apply to notices pursuant to Article II unless otherwise agreed by the
Administrative Agent and the applicable Lender. The Administrative Agent or the
Borrower may, in its discretion, agree to accept notices and other
communications to it hereunder by electronic communications pursuant to
procedures approved by it; provided that approval of such procedures may be
limited to particular notices or communications.
(c) Any party hereto may change its address or telecopy
number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the other
parties hereto or, in the case of a change by a Lender, to the Administrative
Agent and the Borrower. All notices and other communications given to any party
hereto in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed to
have been given on the date of receipt.
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Section 9.02. Waivers; Amendments. (a) No failure or delay by
the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender in exercising any right
or power hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or
partial exercise of any such right or power, or any abandonment or
discontinuance of steps to enforce such a right or power, preclude any other or
further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power. The rights
and remedies of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders
hereunder are cumulative and are not exclusive of any rights or remedies that
they would otherwise have. No waiver of any provision of this Agreement or
consent to any departure by the Borrower therefrom shall in any event be
effective unless the same shall be permitted by paragraph (b) of this Section,
and then such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance
and for the purpose for which given. Without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, the making of a Loan or issuance of a Letter of Credit shall not be
construed as a waiver of any Default, regardless of whether the Administrative
Agent, any Lender or the Issuing Bank may have had notice or knowledge of such
Default at the time.
(a) Neither this Agreement nor any provision hereof may
be waived, amended or modified except pursuant to an agreement or agreements in
writing entered into by the Borrower and the Required Lenders or by the Borrower
and the Administrative Agent with the consent of the Required Lenders; provided
that no such agreement shall (i) increase or extend the Commitment of any Lender
without the written consent of such Lender, (ii) reduce the principal amount of
any Loan or LC Disbursement or reduce the rate of interest thereon, or reduce
any fees payable hereunder, without the written consent of each Lender affected
thereby, (iii) postpone the scheduled date of payment of the principal amount of
any Loan or LC Disbursement, or any interest thereon, or any fees payable
hereunder, or reduce the amount of, waive or excuse any such payment, or
postpone the scheduled date of expiration of any Commitment, without the written
consent of each Lender affected thereby, (iv) postpone the due date of any
payment of the principal amount of any Loan or LC Disbursement due pursuant to
Section 2.10(f), or reduce the amount of, waive or excuse any such payment,
without the written consent of each Lender affected thereby, (v) delete (or make
changes that have the practical effect of deleting) from this Agreement (1) the
borrowing base mechanism or (2) the related requirement for mandatory
prepayments, without the written consent of each Lender affected thereby (for
avoidance of doubt, this clause (v) does not prevent changes consented to
pursuant to clause (vi) of this sentence relating to methodology, timing,
amounts or matters included or excluded in determining the Calculated Borrowing
Base or the Borrowing Base, content of reports and similar items), (vi) change
Section 2.04 or 5.11 or change, for the purpose of any such Section, the
definitions of defined terms used in any such Section, in each case without the
written consent of the Administrative Agent and the Borrowing Base Approval
Lenders, (vii) change Section 2.05(b) or (c) or Section 2.09 in a manner that
would alter the pro rata treatment of Lenders or pro rata sharing of payments
required thereby, without the written consent of each Lender, or (viii) change
any of the provisions of this Section, the definition of "Borrowing Base
Approval Lenders" or the definition of "Required Lenders" or any other provision
hereof specifying the number or percentage of Lenders required to waive, amend
or modify any rights hereunder or make any determination or grant any consent
hereunder, without the written consent of each Lender; provided further that no
such agreement shall amend, modify or otherwise affect the rights or duties of
the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Bank hereunder without the prior written
consent of the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be.
Section 9.03. Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver. (a) The
Borrower shall pay (i) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the
Administrative Agent and its Affiliates, including the reasonable fees, charges
and disbursements of counsel for the Administrative Agent, in connection with
the syndication of and due diligence related to the credit facilities provided
for herein, the preparation and administration of this Agreement, the other Loan
Documents or any amendments, modifications or waivers of the provisions hereof
or thereof (whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall
be consummated), (ii) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the
Issuing Bank in connection with the issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of
any Letter of Credit or any demand for payment thereunder and (iii) all
reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent, the
Issuing Bank or any Lender, including the fees, charges and disbursements of
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any counsel for the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender, in
connection with the enforcement or protection of its rights in connection with
this Agreement or any other Loan Document, including its rights under this
Section, or in connection with the Loans made or Letters of Credit issued
hereunder, including all such out-of-pocket expenses incurred during any
workout, restructuring or negotiations in respect of such Loans or Letters of
Credit.
(b) THE BORROWER SHALL INDEMNIFY THE ADMINISTRATIVE
AGENT, THE ISSUING BANK AND EACH LENDER, AND EACH RELATED PARTY OF ANY OF THE
FOREGOING PERSONS (EACH SUCH PERSON BEING CALLED AN "INDEMNITEE") AGAINST, AND
HOLD EACH INDEMNITEE HARMLESS FROM, ANY AND ALL LOSSES, CLAIMS, DAMAGES,
LIABILITIES AND RELATED EXPENSES, INCLUDING THE FEES, CHARGES AND DISBURSEMENTS
OF ANY COUNSEL FOR ANY INDEMNITEE, INCURRED BY OR ASSERTED AGAINST ANY
INDEMNITEE ARISING OUT OF, IN CONNECTION WITH, OR AS A RESULT OF (i) THE
EXECUTION OR DELIVERY OF THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY AGREEMENT OR INSTRUMENT
CONTEMPLATED HEREBY, THE PERFORMANCE BY THE PARTIES HERETO OF THEIR RESPECTIVE
OBLIGATIONS HEREUNDER OR THE CONSUMMATION OF THE TRANSACTIONS OR ANY OTHER
TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY, (ii) ANY LOAN OR LETTER OF CREDIT OR THE USE
OF THE PROCEEDS THEREFROM (INCLUDING ANY REFUSAL BY THE ISSUING BANK TO HONOR A
DEMAND FOR PAYMENT UNDER A LETTER OF CREDIT IF THE DOCUMENTS PRESENTED IN
CONNECTION WITH SUCH DEMAND DO NOT STRICTLY COMPLY WITH THE TERMS OF SUCH LETTER
OF CREDIT), (iii) ANY ACTUAL OR ALLEGED PRESENCE OR RELEASE OF HAZARDOUS
MATERIALS ON OR FROM ANY PROPERTY OWNED OR OPERATED BY THE BORROWER OR ANY OF
ITS SUBSIDIARIES, OR ANY ENVIRONMENTAL LIABILITY RELATED IN ANY WAY TO THE
BORROWER OR ANY OF ITS SUBSIDIARIES, OR (iv) ANY ACTUAL OR PROSPECTIVE CLAIM,
LITIGATION, INVESTIGATION OR PROCEEDING RELATING TO ANY OF THE FOREGOING,
WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY AND REGARDLESS OF WHETHER
ANY INDEMNITEE IS A PARTY THERETO; PROVIDED THAT SUCH INDEMNITY SHALL NOT, AS TO
ANY INDEMNITEE, BE AVAILABLE TO THE EXTENT THAT SUCH LOSSES, CLAIMS, DAMAGES,
LIABILITIES OR RELATED EXPENSES ARE DETERMINED BY A COURT OF COMPETENT
JURISDICTION BY FINAL AND NONAPPEALABLE JUDGMENT TO HAVE RESULTED FROM THE GROSS
NEGLIGENCE OR WILFUL MISCONDUCT OF SUCH INDEMNITEE. IT IS THE EXPRESS INTENT OF
THE PARTIES HERETO THAT EACH INDEMNITEE SHALL, TO THE EXTENT PROVIDED IN THIS
SECTION 9.03, BE INDEMNIFIED FOR ITS OWN ORDINARY, SOLE OR CONTRIBUTORY
NEGLIGENCE.
(c) To the extent that the Borrower fails to pay any
amount required to be paid by it to the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Bank
under paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section, each Lender severally agrees to pay
to the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Bank, as the case may be, such
Lender's Applicable Percentage (determined as of the time that the applicable
unreimbursed expense or indemnity payment is sought) of such unpaid amount;
provided that the unreimbursed expense or indemnified loss, claim, damage,
liability or related expense, as the case may be, was incurred by or asserted
against the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Bank in its capacity as such.
(d) To the extent permitted by applicable law, the
Borrower shall not assert, and hereby waives, any claim against any Indemnitee,
on any theory of liability, for special, indirect, consequential or punitive
damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages) arising out of, in connection
with, or as a result of, this Agreement or any agreement or instrument
contemplated hereby, the Transactions, any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use
of the proceeds thereof.
(e) All amounts due under this Section shall be payable
promptly after written demand therefor.
Section 9.04. Successors and Assigns. (a) The provisions of
this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties
hereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby (including
any Affiliate of the Issuing Bank that issues any Letter of Credit), except that
(i) the Borrower may not assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or
obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of each Lender (and any
attempted assignment or transfer by the Borrower without such consent shall be
null and void) and (ii) no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer its rights or
obligations hereunder except in accordance with this Section. Nothing in this
Agreement, expressed or implied, shall be construed to confer upon any Person
(other than the parties hereto, their respective
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successors and assigns permitted hereby (including any Affiliate of the Issuing
Bank that issues any Letter of Credit), Participants (to the extent provided in
paragraph (c) of this Section), sub-agents appointed by the Administrative Agent
pursuant to Article VIII and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the
Related Parties of each of the Administrative Agent, any such sub-agent, the
Issuing Bank and the Lenders) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim
under or by reason of this Agreement.
(b)(i) Subject to the conditions set forth in paragraph
(b)(ii) below, any Lender may assign to one or more assignees all or a portion
of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion
of its Commitment and the Loans at the time owing to it) with the prior written
consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld) of:
(A) the Borrower, provided that no consent of
the Borrower shall be required for an assignment to a Lender,
an Affiliate of a Lender, an Approved Fund or, if an Event of
Default has occurred and is continuing, any other assignee;
and
(B) the Administrative Agent.
(ii) Assignments shall be subject to the following
additional conditions:
(A) except in the case of an assignment to a
Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender or an assignment of the
entire remaining amount of the assigning Lender's Commitment
or Loans, the amount of the Commitment or Loans of the
assigning Lender subject to each such assignment (determined
as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with respect to
such assignment is delivered to the Administrative Agent)
shall not be less than $5,000,000 unless each of the Borrower
and the Administrative Agent otherwise consent, provided that
no such consent of the Borrower shall be required if an Event
of Default has occurred and is continuing;
(B) each partial assignment shall be made as an
assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning
Lender's rights and obligations under this Agreement;
(C) the parties to each assignment shall execute
and deliver to the Administrative Agent an Assignment and
Assumption, together with a processing and recordation fee of
$3,500; and
(D) the assignee, if it shall not be a Lender,
shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an Administrative
Questionnaire.
For the purposes of this Section 9.04(b), the term "Approved
Fund" has the following meaning:
"Approved Fund" means any Person (other than a natural person)
that is engaged in making, purchasing, holding or investing in bank loans and
similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its business and that is
administered or managed by (a) a Lender, (b) an Affiliate of a Lender or (c) an
entity or an Affiliate of an entity that administers or manages a Lender.
(iii) Subject to acceptance and recording thereof pursuant
to paragraph (b)(iv) of this Section, from and after the effective date
specified in each Assignment and Assumption the assignee thereunder shall be a
party hereto and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and
Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender under this Agreement,
and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent of the interest
assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released from its obligations
under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and Assumption covering
all of the assigning Lender's rights and obligations under this Agreement, such
Lender shall cease to be a party hereto but shall continue to be entitled to the
benefits of Sections 2.15, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03). Any
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assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement
that does not comply with this Section 9.04 shall be treated for purposes of
this Agreement as a sale by such Lender of a participation in such rights and
obligations in accordance with paragraph (c) of this Section.
(iv) The Administrative Agent, acting for this purpose as
an agent of the Borrower, shall maintain at one of its offices a copy of each
Assignment and Assumption delivered to it and a register for the recordation of
the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Commitment of, and principal
amount of the Loans and LC Disbursements owing to, each Lender pursuant to the
terms hereof from time to time (the "Register"). The entries in the Register
shall be conclusive, and the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing
Bank and the Lenders may treat each Person whose name is recorded in the
Register pursuant to the terms hereof as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of
this Agreement, notwithstanding notice to the contrary. The Register shall be
available for inspection by the Borrower, the Issuing Bank and any Lender, at
any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.
(v) Upon its receipt of a duly completed Assignment and
Assumption executed by an assigning Lender and an assignee, the assignee's
completed Administrative Questionnaire (unless the assignee shall already be a
Lender hereunder), the processing and recordation fee referred to in paragraph
(b) of this Section and any written consent to such assignment required by
paragraph (b) of this Section, the Administrative Agent shall accept such
Assignment and Assumption and record the information contained therein in the
Register. No assignment shall be effective for purposes of this Agreement unless
it has been recorded in the Register as provided in this paragraph.
(c)(i) Any Lender may, without the consent of the Borrower,
the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Bank, sell participations to one or more
banks or other entities (a "Participant") in all or a portion of such Lender's
rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its
Commitment and the Loans owing to it); provided that (A) such Lender's
obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged, (B) such Lender shall
remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of
such obligations and (C) the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing
Bank and the other Lenders shall continue to deal solely and directly with such
Lender in connection with such Lender's rights and obligations under this
Agreement. Any agreement or instrument pursuant to which a Lender sells such a
participation shall provide that such Lender shall retain the sole right to
enforce this Agreement and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of
any provision of this Agreement; provided that such agreement or instrument may
provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree
to any amendment, modification or waiver described in the first proviso to
Section 9.02(b) that affects such Participant. Subject to paragraph (c)(ii) of
this Section, the Borrower agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the
benefits of Sections 2.15, 2.16 and 2.17 to the same extent as if it were a
Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to paragraph (b) of
this Section. To the extent permitted by law, each Participant also shall be
entitled to the benefits of Section 9.08 as though it were a Lender, provided
such Participant agrees to be subject to Section 2.05(c) as though it were a
Lender.
(ii) A Participant shall not be entitled to receive any
greater payment under Section 2.15 or 2.17 than the applicable Lender would have
been entitled to receive with respect to the participation sold to such
Participant, unless the sale of the participation to such Participant is made
with the Borrower's prior written consent. A Participant that would be a Foreign
Lender if it were a Lender shall not be entitled to the benefits of Section 2.17
unless the Borrower is notified of the participation sold to such Participant
and such Participant agrees, for the benefit of the Borrower, to comply with
Section 2.17(e) as though it were a Lender.
(d) Any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a
security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement to
secure obligations of such Lender, including without limitation any pledge or
assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank, and this Section
shall not apply to any such pledge or assignment of a security interest;
provided that no such pledge or
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assignment of a security interest shall release a Lender from any of its
obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender
as a party hereto.
Section 9.05. Survival. All covenants, agreements,
representations and warranties made by the Borrower herein and in the
certificates or other instruments delivered in connection with or pursuant to
this Agreement shall be considered to have been relied upon by the other parties
hereto and shall survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the
making of any Loans and issuance of any Letters of Credit, regardless of any
investigation made by any such other party or on its behalf and notwithstanding
that the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender may have had
notice or knowledge of any Default or incorrect representation or warranty at
the time any credit is extended hereunder, and shall continue in full force and
effect as long as the principal of or any accrued interest on any Loan or any
fee or any other amount payable under this Agreement is outstanding and unpaid
or any Letter of Credit is outstanding and so long as the Commitments have not
expired or terminated. The provisions of Sections 2.15, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03 and
Article VIII shall survive and remain in full force and effect regardless of the
consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, the repayment of the
Loans, the expiration or termination of the Letters of Credit and the
Commitments or the termination of this Agreement or any provision hereof.
Section 9.06. Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness. This
Agreement may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto on
different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of
which when taken together shall constitute a single contract. This Agreement and
any separate letter agreements with respect to fees payable to the
Administrative Agent or the Syndication Agent constitute the entire contract
among the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersede any and
all previous agreements and understandings, oral or written, relating to the
subject matter hereof. Except as provided in Section 4.01, this Agreement shall
become effective when it shall have been executed by the Administrative Agent
and when the Administrative Agent shall have received counterparts hereof which,
when taken together, bear the signatures of each of the other parties hereto,
and thereafter shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties
hereto and their respective successors and assigns. Delivery of an executed
counterpart of a signature page of this Agreement by telecopy shall be effective
as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.
Section 9.07. Severability. Any provision of this Agreement
held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to
such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity, illegality
or unenforceability without affecting the validity, legality and enforceability
of the remaining provisions hereof; and the invalidity of a particular provision
in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate such provision in any other
jurisdiction.
Section 9.08. Right of Setoff. If an Event of Default shall
have occurred and be continuing, each Lender and each of its Affiliates is
hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, to the fullest extent
permitted by law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special,
time or demand, provisional or final) at any time held and other obligations at
any time owing by such Lender or Affiliate to or for the credit or the account
of the Borrower against any of and all the obligations of the Borrower now or
hereafter existing under this Agreement held by such Lender, irrespective of
whether or not such Lender shall have made any demand under this Agreement and
although such obligations may be unmatured. The rights of each Lender under this
Section are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of
setoff) which such Lender may have.
Section 9.09. Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Consent to Service
of Process. (a) This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and
governed by the law of the State of New York.
(b) The Borrower hereby irrevocably and unconditionally
submits, for itself and its property, to the nonexclusive jurisdiction of the
Supreme Court of the State of New York sitting in New York County and of the
United States District Court of the Southern District of New York, and any
appellate court from any thereof, in any action or proceeding arising out of or
relating to this Agreement, or for recognition or enforcement of any judgment,
and each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and
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unconditionally agrees that all claims in respect of any such action or
proceeding may be heard and determined in such New York State or, to the extent
permitted by law, in such Federal court. Each of the parties hereto agrees that
a final judgment in any such action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be
enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner
provided by law. Nothing in this Agreement shall affect any right that the
Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender may otherwise have to bring
any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement against the Borrower or its
properties in the courts of any jurisdiction.
(c) The Borrower hereby irrevocably and unconditionally
waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any
objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any suit,
action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement in any court
referred to in paragraph (b) of this Section. Each of the parties hereto hereby
irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the defense of an
inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such action or proceeding in any such
court.
(d) Each party to this Agreement irrevocably consents to
service of process in the manner provided for notices in Section 9.01. Nothing
in this Agreement will affect the right of any party to this Agreement to serve
process in any other manner permitted by law.
Section 9.10. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY
WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE
TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF
OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY (WHETHER
BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY). EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES
THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED,
EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF
LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT
AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY,
AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.
Section 9.11. Headings. Article and Section headings and the
Table of Contents used herein are for convenience of reference only, are not
part of this Agreement and shall not affect the construction of, or be taken
into consideration in interpreting, this Agreement.
Section 9.12. Confidentiality. Each of the Administrative
Agent, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders agrees to maintain the confidentiality
of the Information (as defined below), except that Information may be disclosed
(a) to its and its Affiliates' directors, officers, employees and agents,
including accountants, legal counsel and other advisors (it being understood
that the Persons to whom such disclosure is made will be informed of the
confidential nature of such Information and instructed to keep such Information
confidential), (b) to the extent requested by any regulatory authority, (c) to
the extent required by applicable laws or regulations or by any subpoena or
similar legal process, (d) to any other party to any Loan Document, (e) in
connection with the exercise of any remedies hereunder or under any other Loan
Document or any suit, action or proceeding relating to any Loan Document or the
enforcement of rights hereunder or thereunder, (f) subject to an agreement
containing provisions substantially the same as those of this Section, to (i)
any assignee of or Participant in, or any prospective assignee of or Participant
in, any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement or (ii) any actual or
prospective counterparty (or its advisors) to any swap or derivative transaction
relating to the Borrower or any Subsidiary, (g) with the consent of the Borrower
or (h) to the extent such Information (i) becomes publicly available other than
as a result of a breach of this Section or (ii) becomes available to the
Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender on a nonconfidential basis
from a source other than the Borrower. For the purposes of this Section,
"Information" means all information received from the Borrower relating to the
Borrower or its business, other than any such information that is available to
the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender on a nonconfidential
basis prior to disclosure by
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the Borrower; provided that, in the case of information received from the
Borrower after the date hereof, such information is clearly identified at the
time of delivery as confidential. Any Person required to maintain the
confidentiality of Information as provided in this Section shall be considered
to have complied with its obligation to do so if such Person has exercised the
same degree of care to maintain the confidentiality of such Information as such
Person would accord to its own confidential information.
Section 9.13. Interest Rate Limitation. Notwithstanding
anything herein to the contrary, if at any time the interest rate applicable to
any Loan, together with all fees, charges and other amounts which are treated as
interest on such Loan under applicable law (collectively the "Charges"), shall
exceed the maximum lawful rate (the "Maximum Rate") which may be contracted for,
charged, taken, received or reserved by the Lender holding such Loan in
accordance with applicable law, the rate of interest payable in respect of such
Loan hereunder, together with all Charges payable in respect thereof, shall be
limited to the Maximum Rate and, to the extent lawful, the interest and Charges
that would have been payable in respect of such Loan but were not payable as a
result of the operation of this Section shall be cumulated and the interest and
Charges payable to such Lender in respect of other Loans or periods shall be
increased (but not above the Maximum Rate therefor) until such cumulated amount,
together with interest thereon at the Federal Funds Effective Rate to the date
of repayment, shall have been received by such Lender.
Section 9.14. Co-Lead Arrangers, Co-Documentation Agents and
Syndication Agent. None of the Co-Lead Arrangers, Co-Documentation Agents and
Syndication Agent shall have any duty, responsibility or liability under the
Loan Documents in their respective capacities as Co-Lead Arranger,
Co-Documentation Agent or Syndication Agent, as the case may be.
Section 9.15. USA Patriot Act Notice. Each Lender hereby
notifies the Borrower that pursuant to the requirements of the USA Patriot Act
(Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)) (the "Act"), it
is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies the
Borrower, which information includes the name and address of the Borrower and
other information that will allow such Lender to identify the Borrower in
accordance with the Act.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this
Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized officers as of the
day and year first above written.
NEWFIELD EXPLORATION COMPANY
By: /s/ XXXXX X. XXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
Title: Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, individually and as
Administrative Agent
By: /s/ XXXXXX X. XXXXXXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxxx
Title: Managing Director
WACHOVIA BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
By: /s/ XXXXXX XXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx
Title: Vice President
XXXXXX XXXXXXX FINANCING, INC.
By: /s/ XXXXX X. XXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Title: Vice President
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CREDIT LYONNAIS NEW YORK BRANCH
By: /s/ XXXXXXX XXXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx
Title: Senior Vice President
FLEET NATIONAL BANK
By: /s/ XXXXXXX X. XXXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Title: Director
BARCLAYS BANK PLC
By: /s/ XXXXXXXX X. XXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxxxx X. Xxxx
Title: Director - Loan Transaction Management
THE BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA
By: /s/ XXXXXX XXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxx Xxxx
Title: Senior Manager
UNION BANK OF CALIFORNIA
By: /s/ XXX XXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxx Xxxxx
Title: Vice President
By: /s/ XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
Title: Senior Vice President
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XXX XXXX XX XXX XXXX
By: /s/ XXXXX X. XXXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Title: Vice President
THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND PLC
By: /s/ XXXXX X. XXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxx X. XxXxxxx
Title: Managing Director
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
By: /s/ XXXX X. XXXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Title: Vice President
WASHINGTON MUTUAL BANK, FA
By: /s/ XXXXX X. XXXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Title: Vice President
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SOCIETE GENERALE
By: /s/ XXXXX XXXXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
Title: Vice President
COMERICA BANK
By: /s/ XXXXXXX X. XXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxx
Title: Sr. Vice President
UFJ BANK
By: /s/ XXXXX X. XXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
Title: Senior Vice President
COMPASS BANK
By: /s/ XXXXXXX XXXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx
Title: Senior Vice President
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
By: /s/ XXXXXX X. XXXXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx
Title: Vice President
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DNB NOR BANK ASA
By: /s/ XXXXX X. XXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxx
Title: First Vice President
By: /s/ XXXXXX X. XXXXX III
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx III
Title: Senior Vice President
THE FROST NATIONAL BANK
By: /s/ XXXXXX X. XXXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Title: Senior Vice President
NATEXIS BANQUES POPULAIRES
By: /s/ XXXXXXX X. XXXXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx
Title: Vice President & Manager
By: /s/ XXXXXX XXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxx Xxxxx
Title: Vice President
SOUTHWEST BANK OF TEXAS
By: /s/ W. XXXXX XXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------
Name: W. Xxxxx Xxxxxxx
Title: Senior Vice President - Energy Lending
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SCHEDULE 2.01
INITIAL COMMITMENTS
AMOUNT OF PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL
LENDER COMMITMENT COMMITMENTS
----------------------------------- ----------- -------------------
JPMorgan Chase Bank $ 45,000,000 7.50%
Wachovia Bank, National Association $ 45,000,000 7.50%
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Financing, Inc. $ 45,000,000 7.50%
Credit Lyonnais $ 45,000,000 7.50%
Barclays Bank plc $ 32,500,000 5.000000%
The Bank of Nova Scotia $ 32,500,000 5.000000%
Union Bank of California $ 32,500,000 5.416667%
The Bank of New York $ 32,500,000 5.416667%
The Royal Bank of Scotland plc $ 32,500,000 5.416667%
U.S. Bank National Association $ 32,500,000 5.416667%
Fleet National Bank $ 30,000,000 5.00%
Washington Mutual Bank, FA $ 28,500,000 4.75%
Societe Generale $ 28,500,000 4.75%
Comerica Bank $ 22,500,000 3.75%
UFJ Bank $ 22,500,000 3.75%
Compass Bank $ 18,000,000 3.00%
Bank of America, N.A. $ 15,000,000 2.50%
DnB NOR Bank ASA $ 15,000,000 2.50%
The Frost National Bank $ 15,000,000 2.50%
Natexis Banques Populaires $ 15,000,000 2.50%
Southwest Bank of Texas $ 15,000,000 2.50%
------------ --------
TOTAL $600,000,000 100%
