Exhibit 1
IDAHO POWER COMPANY
First Mortgage Bonds,
Secured Medium-Term Notes,
Series H
Due
From Nine Months to Thirty Years
From Date of Issue
Selling Agency Agreement
April 3, 2008
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Banc of
America Securities LLC
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Wachovia
Capital Markets, LLC
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Hearst
Tower
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301 South
College
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214 North
Tryon Street
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Charlotte,
North Carolina 28288
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Charlotte,
North Carolina 28255
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Wedbush Morgan Securities Inc.
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BNY
Capital Markets, Inc.
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1000 Wilshire Boulevard, 9th Floor
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One
Wall Street, 18 th Floor
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Los
Angeles, California 90017
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New
York, New York 10286
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Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
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J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.
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123
N. Wacker Drive, Suite 1150
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270
Park Ave.
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Chicago, Illinois 60606
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New
York, New York 10017
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KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc.
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127
Public Square
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Cleveland, Ohio 44114
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Lazard Capital Markets LLC
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30
Rockefeller Plaza
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New
York, New York 10020
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Piper Jaffray & Co.
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800
Nicollet Mall
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Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402-7020
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RBC
Capital Markets Corporation
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One
Liberty Plaza
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165
Broadway, 2nd Floor
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New
York, New York 10006
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SunTrust Robinson
Humphrey, Inc.
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303
Peachtree Street, NE, 24 th Floor
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Atlanta, Georgia 30308
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Ladies and
Gentlemen:
Idaho Power Company, an Idaho corporation (the
“ Company ”), confirms its agreement with each
of you with respect to the issue and sale by the Company of up to
$350,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its First Mortgage
Bonds, Secured Medium-Term Notes, Series H, Due from Nine
Months to Thirty Years from Date of Issue (the “ Notes
”). The Notes will be issued under the Indenture of
Mortgage and Deed of Trust, dated as of October 1, 1937,
between the Company and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas
(formerly known as Bankers Trust Company), (the “
Trustee ”) and R.G. Page (Stanley Burg, successor
individual trustee), as trustees, as supplemented and amended by
all indentures supplemental thereto including the Forty-fourth
Supplemental Indenture relating to the Notes dated as of
April 1, 2008 (the “ Supplemental Indenture
”). The Indenture of Mortgage and Deed of Trust as it
has been and may be supplemented as of any specified date is
hereinafter referred to as the “ Indenture
.” Unless otherwise specifically provided for and set
forth in a Pricing Supplement (as defined below), the Notes will be
issued in minimum denominations of $1,000 and in denominations
exceeding such amount by integral multiples of $1,000, will be
issued only in fully registered form and will have the interest
rates, maturities and, if applicable, other terms set forth in such
Pricing Supplement. The Notes will be issued, and the terms
thereof established, in accordance with the Indenture and the
Medium-Term Notes Administrative Procedures attached hereto as
Exhibit A, as they may be amended from time to time (the
“ Procedures ”) (unless a Terms Agreement (as
defined in Section 2(b)) modifies or otherwise supersedes such
Procedures with respect to Notes issued pursuant to such Terms
Agreement). The Procedures may be amended only by written
agreement of the Company and you after notice to the Trustee.
For the purposes of this Agreement, the term “ Agent
” shall refer to any of you acting solely in the capacity as
agent for the Company pursuant to Section 2(a) and not as
principal (collectively, the “ Agents ”), the
term “ Purchaser ” shall refer to any of you
acting solely as principal pursuant to Section 2(b) and
not as agent, and the term “ you ” shall refer
to you collectively whether at any time any of you are acting in
both such capacities or in either such capacity. In acting
under this Agreement, in whatever capacity, each of you is acting
individually and not jointly.
1. Representations
and Warranties . The Company represents and warrants to,
and agrees with, each of you as set forth below in this
Section 1. Certain terms used in this Section 1 are
defined in paragraph (j) hereof.
(a) The Company meets the
requirements for use of Form S-3 under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the “ Act ”) and has filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “
Commission ”) a registration statement on
Form S-3 (File No. 333-147807), including a prospectus,
for the registration under the Act of $350,000,000 aggregate
principal amount of its first mortgage bonds and debt securities
(the “ Securities ”), including the Notes, which
registration statement was declared effective by the Commission on
December 18, 2007; and no stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the registration statement has been issued and no
proceeding for that purpose has been instituted or, to the
Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission. The
parts of the registration statement, including all exhibits thereto
and the documents filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended (the “ Exchange Act ”), that are
incorporated by reference in the prospectus contained in the
registration statement at the time such part of the registration
statement became effective, each as amended at the time each such
part of the registration statement most recently became effective,
are hereinafter
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collectively called the “ Registration
Statement ,” and such times are hereinafter collectively
called the “ applicable effective date ” of the
Registration Statement. The Registration Statement meets the
requirements set forth in Rule 415(a)(1)(ix) or
(x) under the Act. The prospectus dated
December 18, 2007 contained in the registration statement is
hereinafter referred to as the “ Base Prospectus
.” In connection with the sale of the Notes, the
Company has filed or proposes to file with the Commission pursuant
to Rule 424(b) under the Act a prospectus supplement
relating to the Notes (the “ Prospectus Supplement
”) and further supplements (each a “ Pricing
Supplement ”) specifying the interest rates, maturity
dates and other terms of the Notes to be sold pursuant hereto or
the offering thereof (the Base Prospectus as supplemented by the
Prospectus Supplement and any applicable Pricing Supplement being
referred to herein as the “ Prospectus ”).
Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, the Base
Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and
include the documents filed under the Exchange Act and incorporated
by reference therein on or before the applicable effective date of
the Registration Statement or the issue date of the Base Prospectus
or the Prospectus, as the case may be; and any reference herein to
the terms “amend”, “amendment” or
“supplement” with respect to the Registration
Statement, the Base Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to
refer to and include any documents filed under the Exchange Act and
incorporated by reference therein after the applicable effective
date of the Registration Statement or the issue date of the Base
Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be.
(b) (i) On the applicable
effective date the Registration Statement complied, and as of the
Execution Time the Registration Statement as amended or
supplemented complies, in all material respects with the applicable
requirements of the Act and the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as
amended (the “ Trust Indenture Act ”), and with
the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder;
(ii) on each date any supplement to the Prospectus relating to
the Notes is filed with the Commission and at the date of delivery
by the Company of any Notes sold hereunder (a “ Closing
Date ”), the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will
comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of
the Act and the Trust Indenture Act and the rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder; (iii) as of the
applicable effective date the Registration Statement did not, as of
the Execution Time the Prospectus does not, and as of the
Applicable Time the Pricing Disclosure Package will not, contain
any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order
to make the statements therein, and in the case of the Prospectus
and the Pricing Disclosure Package, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and
(iv) on any Closing Date, the Prospectus, as amended or
supplemented, will not contain any untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading; provided , however , that the Company
makes no representations or warranties as to (A) that part of
the Registration Statement which shall constitute the Statements of
Eligibility of the Trustees (Forms T-1 and T-2), or amendments
thereto, under the Trust Indenture Act or (B) the information
contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus or any amendments or supplements thereto or the Pricing
Disclosure Package in reliance upon and in conformity with
information, if any, furnished in writing to the Company by any of
you specifically for inclusion therein.
(c) Other than the Base Prospectus,
the Prospectus, any documents listed in Annex I to any Terms
Agreement, or any document not constituting a prospectus
under
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Section 2(a)(10)(a) of the Act or
Rule 134 under the Act, the Company (including its agents and
representatives, other than you) has not made, used, prepared,
authorized, approved or referred to and will not make, use,
prepare, authorize, approve or refer to, any “written
communication” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Act)
that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to
buy the Notes, unless such written communication is approved in
writing in advance by such of you as may be applicable. To
the extent any such written communication constitutes an
“issuer free writing prospectus” (as defined in
Rule 433 under the Act and referred to herein as an “
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus ”), such Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus will comply in all material respects with the
requirements of Rule 433(c) under the Act and, if the
filing thereof is required pursuant to Rule 433, such filing
will be made in the manner and within the time period required by
Rule 433(d) under the Act. The Company will retain
copies of each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in accordance
with Rule 433 under the Act if retention is required pursuant
to Rule 433.
(d) As of the time any Notes are
issued and sold hereunder, the Indenture will constitute a legal,
valid and binding instrument enforceable against the Company in
accordance with its terms and such Notes will have been duly
authorized, executed, authenticated and, when paid for by the
purchasers thereof, will constitute legal, valid and binding
obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits of the
Indenture.
(e) As of the time any Notes are
issued and sold, the issue and sale of the Notes and the compliance
by the Company with all the provisions of the Notes, the Indenture,
and this Agreement, and the consummation of the transactions herein
and therein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a
breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or
constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust,
loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the
Company is a party or by which the Company is bound or to which any
of the property or assets of the Company are subject, nor will such
action result in any violation of the provisions of the Restated
Articles of Incorporation, as amended or Bylaws of the Company or
any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or
governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or
any of its properties; and no consent, approval, authorization,
order, qualification of or registration with any such court or
governmental agency or body is required for the issue and sale of
the Notes or the consummation by the Company of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement or the Indenture, except such orders
as have been issued by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (which
grants authority to sell the Notes through January 11, 2010),
the Public Utility Commission of Oregon and the Public Service
Commission of Wyoming and are in full force and effect, and such as
have been, or will have been prior to any Closing Date, obtained
under the Act and the Trust Indenture Act and such consents,
approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may
be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection
with the sale and distribution of the Notes by the
Agents.
(f) The Company maintains a
system of internal control over financial reporting (as such term
is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act). The
Company’s internal control over financial reporting was
effective as of December 31, 2007 and the Company is not aware
of any material weaknesses in its internal control over financial
reporting.
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(g) Since the date of the latest
audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference
in the Prospectus, there has been no change in the Company’s
internal control over financial reporting that has materially
affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the
Company’s internal control over financial
reporting.
(h) The Company maintains
disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in
Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act) that were effective
as of December 31, 2007.
(i) At the earliest time
after the filing of the registration statement that the Company
makes a bona fide offer (within the meaning of
Rule 164(h)(2) under the Act) of the Notes, the Company
will not be an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in
Rule 405 under the Act.
(j) The terms that follow,
when used in this Agreement, shall have the meanings
indicated. The term “ Execution Time ”
shall mean the date and time that this Agreement is executed and
delivered by the parties hereto. With respect to any issue of
Notes, (A) the “ Applicable Time ” will be
(i) with respect to Notes sold to a Purchaser, such time as is
specified in the applicable Terms Agreement as the Applicable Time,
or, if the Terms Agreement does not specify the Applicable Time,
the Applicable Time shall mean the time of the first sale
(including, without limitation, a contract of sale) by the Company
to a Purchaser of such Notes, or (ii) with respect to Notes
sold by an Agent, the Applicable Time shall mean each time of sale
(including, without limitation, a contract of sale) of such Notes,
and (B) the “ Pricing Disclosure Package ”
shall mean the Prospectus as amended or supplemented immediately
prior to the Applicable Time taken together with any final term
sheet in the form set forth in Annex II to the applicable Terms
Agreement (the “ Final Term Sheet ”), any Issuer
Free Writing Prospectus and any other free writing prospectus that
the Company and such Agent shall expressly agree in writing to
include as part of the Pricing Disclosure Package with respect to
such issue of Notes.
2. Appointment of
Agents; Solicitation by the Agents of Offers to Purchase; Sales of
Notes to a Purchaser . (a) Subject to the terms and
conditions set forth herein and to the reservation by the Company
of the right to sell Securities directly on its own behalf, the
Company hereby appoints each of the Agents to act as its agent to
solicit offers for the purchase of all or part of the Notes from
the Company.
On
the basis of the representations and warranties, and subject to the
terms and conditions set forth herein, each of the Agents agrees,
as agent of the Company, when requested by the Company to use its
reasonable best efforts, to solicit offers to purchase the Notes
from the Company upon the terms and conditions set forth in the
Prospectus as amended or supplemented from time to time and in the
Procedures. Each Agent shall make reasonable efforts to
assist the Company in obtaining performance by each purchaser whose
offer to purchase Notes has been solicited by such Agent and
accepted by the Company, but such Agent shall not, except as
otherwise provided in this Agreement, be obligated to disclose the
identity of any purchaser or have any liability to the Company in
the event any such purchase is not consummated for any
reason. Except as provided in Section 2(b), under no
circumstances will any Agent be obligated to purchase any Notes for
its own account. It is understood and agreed, however, that
if approved by the Company any Agent may purchase Notes as
principal pursuant to Section 2(b).
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Each Agent agrees that in carrying out the
transactions contemplated by the Agreement, it will observe and
comply with all securities or blue sky laws, regulations,
rules and ordinances in any jurisdiction in which the Notes
may be offered, sold or delivered applicable to it as Agent
hereunder. Each Agent agrees not to cause any advertisement
of the Notes to be published in any newspaper or periodical or
posted in any public place and not to publicly issue any circular
relating to the Notes other than the Prospectus, except in any case
with the prior express consent of the Company.
Each Agent represents and agrees that, unless
it obtains the prior consent of the Company, it has not made and
will not make any offer relating to the Notes (other than by means
of a Final Term Sheet) that would constitute a “free writing
prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act,
required to be filed with the Commission.
The
Company reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to instruct the
Agents to suspend at any time, for any period of time or
permanently, the solicitation of offers to purchase Notes.
Upon receipt of instructions from the Company, the Agents will
forthwith suspend solicitation of offers to purchase Notes from the
Company until such time as the Company has advised them that such
solicitation may be resumed.
The
Company agrees to pay each Agent a commission, for such
Agent’s services in acting as an agent and not for a purchase
by such Agent as principal, at the Closing Date with respect to
each sale of Notes by the Company as a result of a solicitation
made by such Agent, in an amount equal to that percentage specified
in Schedule I hereto of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes
sold by the Company. Such commission shall be payable as
specified in the Procedures.
The
Company may from time to time offer Securities or Notes for sale
otherwise than through an Agent and from time to time may appoint
additional agents to sell the Notes; provided, however, that so
long as this Agreement shall be in effect, the Company shall not
solicit or accept offers to purchase Notes through any agent other
than an Agent, except that the Company may accept offers to
purchase Notes through an agent other than an Agent if the Company
gives the Agents reasonable prior notice of such acceptance and any
such agent enters into an agreement with the Company on terms that
are substantially similar to those contained in or incorporated in
this Agreement.
If
the Company shall default in its obligations to deliver Notes to a
purchaser whose offer it has accepted, the Company shall indemnify
and hold each of you harmless against any loss, claim or damage
arising from or as a result of such default by the
Company.
(b) Subject to the terms and
conditions stated herein, whenever the Company and any of you
determine that the Company shall sell Notes directly to any of you
as principal, each such sale of Notes shall be made in accordance
with the terms of this Agreement and a supplemental agreement
relating to such sale. Each such supplemental agreement is
herein referred to as a “ Terms Agreement
.” Each Terms Agreement shall describe the Notes to be
purchased by the Purchaser pursuant thereto and shall specify the
aggregate principal amount of such Notes, the price to be paid to
the Company for such Notes, the maturity date of such Notes, the
rate at which interest will be paid on such Notes, the dates on
which interest will be paid on
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such Notes and the record date with respect to
each such payment of interest, the Applicable Time with respect to
such Notes, the Closing Date, the place of delivery of the Notes
and payment therefor, the method of payment and any requirements
for the delivery of opinions of counsel, certificates from the
Company or its officers or a letter from the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm as described in
Section 6(b). Any such Terms Agreement may also specify
the period of time referred to in Section 4(1) and
certain terms of the reoffering of the Notes. Any Terms
Agreement shall be substantially in the form attached hereto as
Exhibit B and may take the form of an exchange of any standard
form of written telecommunication between the Purchaser and the
Company. The Purchaser’s commitment to purchase Notes
shall be deemed to have been made on the basis of the
representations and warranties of the Company herein contained and
shall be subject to the terms and conditions herein set
forth.
Delivery of the certificates for Notes sold to
the Purchaser pursuant to a Terms Agreement shall be made not later
than the Closing Date agreed to in such Terms Agreement, against
payment of funds to the Company in the net amount due to the
Company for such Notes by the method and in the form set forth in
the Procedures unless otherwise agreed to between the Company and
the Purchaser in such Terms Agreement.
Unless otherwise agreed to between the Company
and the Purchaser in a Terms Agreement, any Note sold to a
Purchaser (i) shall be purchased by such Purchaser at a price
equal to 100% of the principal amount thereof less a percentage
equal to the commission applicable to an agency sale of a Note of
identical maturity and (ii) may be resold by such Purchaser at
varying prices related to prevailing market prices determined at
the time of resale or, if set forth in the applicable Terms
Agreement and Pricing Supplement, at a fixed public offering
price. In connection with any resale of Notes purchased, a
Purchaser may use a selling or dealer group and may reallow to any
broker or dealer any portion of the discount or commission payable
pursuant hereto. Any resale at a discount may not exceed the
amount set forth in the Pricing Supplement relating to such
Notes.
3. Offering and Sale
of Notes . Each Agent and the Company agree to perform
the respective duties and obligations specifically provided to be
performed by them in the Procedures.
4. Agreements
. The Company agrees with you that:
(a) Prior to the termination of the
offering of the Notes (including by way of resale by a Purchaser of
Notes), the Company will not file any amendment or supplement to
the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (except for
(i) periodic or current reports filed under the Exchange Act,
(ii) a supplement relating to any offering of Notes providing
solely for the specification of or a change in the maturity dates,
interest rates, issuance prices or other similar terms of any Notes
or (iii) an amendment or a supplement relating to an offering
of Securities other than the Notes) unless the Company has
furnished each of you through your counsel a copy for your review
prior to filing and given each of you a reasonable opportunity to
comment on any such proposed amendment or supplement. Subject
to the foregoing sentence, the Company shall cause each supplement
to the Prospectus to be filed with the Commission pursuant to
the
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applicable paragraph of
Rule 424(b) under the Act within the time period
prescribed and shall provide evidence satisfactory to you of such
filing.
To
the extent required under the Act, the Company also agrees to
prepare, prior to the termination of the offering of the Notes,
with respect to any Notes to be sold pursuant to this Agreement, an
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is a Final Term Sheet, and to
file such Final Term Sheet pursuant to Rule 433(d) under
the Act within the time required by such rule.
The
Company will promptly advise each of you (i) when the
Prospectus, any supplement thereto and any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus has been filed with the Commission pursuant to
Rule 424(b) or Rule 433(d) under the Act,
(ii) when, prior to termination of any offering of Notes, any
amendment to the Registration Statement (except periodic or current
reports filed under the Exchange Act) has been filed or become
effective, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any
amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus or for any additional information, (iv) of the
issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the institution or
threatening of any proceeding for that purpose and (v) of the
receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the
suspension of the qualification of the Notes for sale in any
jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for
such purpose. The Company will use its best efforts to
prevent the issuance of any such stop order and, if issued, to
obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal thereof.
(b) If, at any time following the
relevant Applicable Time, when a prospectus relating to the Notes
is required to be delivered under the Act, any event occurs as a
result of which (i) the Prospectus, the Final Term Sheet or
any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus as then amended or supplemented
would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to
state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein,
in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading; (ii) it is necessary to amend or supplement the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus, the Final Term Sheet or any
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to comply with the Act or the
Exchange Act or the respective rules thereunder or
(iii) the information contained in an Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus conflicts with information contained in the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus that has not been superseded or
modified, the Company will promptly (x) notify each of you to
suspend solicitation of offers to purchase Notes (and, if so
notified by the Company, each of you shall forthwith suspend such
solicitation and cease using the Prospectus as then supplemented),
(y) prepare and file with the Commission, subject to the first
sentence of paragraph (a) of this Section 4, an amendment
or supplement to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, the
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Final Term Sheet, which will
correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance and
(z) supply any supplemented Prospectus, Final Term Sheet or
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to each of you in such quantities as
you may reasonably request. If such amendment or supplement
is satisfactory in all respects to you, you will, upon the filing
of such amendment or supplement with the Commission and upon the
effectiveness of an amendment to the Registration Statement, if
such an amendment is required, resume your obligation to solicit
offers to purchase Notes hereunder.
(c) The Company, during the period
when a prospectus relating to the Notes is required to be delivered
under the Act, will file promptly all documents required to be
filed with
8
the
Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or
15(d) of the Exchange Act and, to the extent such documents
are not available pursuant to the EDGAR filing system, will furnish
to each of you copies of such documents.
(d) As soon as practicable, the
Company will make generally available to its security holders and
to each of you an earnings statement or statements of the Company
and its subsidiaries which will satisfy the provisions of
Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule 158 under the
Act.
(e) The Company will furnish to
each of you and your counsel, without charge, as many copies of the
Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto), and, so long
as delivery of a prospectus may be required by the Act, the
Prospectus and each additional prospectus supplement, the Final
Term Sheet, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and each amendment
or supplement to the Indenture entered into subsequent to the date
hereof, as you may reasonably request.
(f) The Company will use its
best efforts to arrange for the qualification of the Notes for sale
under the laws of such jurisdictions as any of you may reasonably
designate, and will maintain such qualifications in effect so long
as required for the distribution of the Notes, except that the
Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation
or dealer in securities or to execute a general consent to service
of process in any jurisdiction.
(g) The Company shall, whether or
not any sale of the Notes is consummated, (i) pay all expenses
incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement
and any Terms Agreement, including the fees and disbursements of
its accountants and counsel, the cost of printing or other
production and delivery of the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus, all amendments thereof and supplements thereto, the
Supplemental Indenture, the Final Term Sheet, any Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus, this Agreement, any Terms Agreement and all
other documents relating to the offering, the cost of preparing,
printing, packaging and delivering the Notes, the fees and
disbursements of your counsel incurred in compliance with
Section 4(f) (such fees not to exceed $10,000), the fees
and disbursements of the Trustee and the fees of any agency that
rates the Notes, (ii) reimburse each of you as requested for
all out-of-pocket expenses (including pre-approved advertising
expenses), if any, incurred by you in connection with the
implementation of this program and (iii) pay the reasonable
fees and expenses of your counsel incurred in connection with the
implementation of this program.
(h) Each acceptance by the Company
of an offer to purchase Notes will be deemed to be an affirmation
that its representations and warranties contained in this Agreement
are true and correct at the time of such acceptance, as though made
at and as of such time, and a covenant that such representations
and warranties will be true and correct at the Closing Date
relating to such acceptance, as though made at and as of such time
(it being understood that for purposes of the foregoing affirmation
and covenant such representations and warranties shall relate to
the Registration Statement, the Prospectus as amended or
supplemented at each such time and any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus relating to the Notes). Each such acceptance by
the Company of an offer for the purchase of Notes shall be deemed
to constitute an additional representation, warranty and agreement
by the Company that, as of the Closing Date for the sale of such
Notes, after giving effect to the issuance of such Notes, of any
other Notes to be issued
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on
or prior to such Closing Date and of any other Securities to be
issued and sold by the Company on or prior to such Closing Date,
the aggregate amount of Securities (including any Notes) which have
been issued and sold by the Company will not exceed the amount of
Securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement.
The Company will inform you promptly upon your request of the
aggregate amount of Securities registered under the Registration
Statement which remain unsold.
(i) Each time the Company
files with the Commission an Annual Report on Form 10-K or a
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or a material amendment or
supplement thereto, the Company shall deliver or cause to be
delivered promptly to you a certificate of the Company, in form
reasonably satisfactory to you, signed by the Chief Executive
Officer or the President or the principal financial or accounting
officer of the Company, dated the date of delivery of such
certificate, of the same tenor as the certificate referred to in
Section 5(d) but modified to relate to the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented at the time
of delivery of such certificate.
(j) Each time the Company
files with the Commission an Annual Report on Form 10-K or a
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or a material amendment or
supplement thereto, the Company shall furnish or cause to be
furnished promptly to you a written opinion of counsel for the
Company, in form reasonably satisfactory to you, dated the date of
delivery of such opinion, of the same tenor as the opinion referred
to in Section 5(b) but modified to relate to the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or
supplemented at the time of delivery of such opinion or, in lieu of
such opinion, counsel last furnishing such an opinion to you may
furnish you with a letter to the effect that you may rely on such
last opinion to the same extent as though it were dated the date of
such letter authorizing reliance (except that statements in such
last opinion will be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement
and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented to the time of the
effectiveness of such amendment or the filing of such
supplement).
(k) Each time the Company files
with the Commission an Annual Report on Form 10-K or a
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or a material amendment or
supplement thereto, the Company shall cause its independent
registered public accounting firm promptly to furnish you a letter,
dated five business days after the date of the effectiveness of
such amendment or the date of filing of such supplement, in form
reasonably satisfactory to you, of the same tenor as the letter
referred to in Section 5(e) with such changes as may be
necessary to reflect the amended and supplemental financial
information included or incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as amended or
supplemented to the date of such letter; provided ,
however , that, if the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus is amended or supplemented solely to include or
incorporate by reference financial information as of and for a
fiscal quarter, the Company’s independent registered public
accounting firm may limit the scope of such letter, which shall be
satisfactory in form to you, to the unaudited financial statements,
the related “ Management’s Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ” and
any other information of an accounting, financial or statistical
nature included in such amendment or supplement, unless, in your
reasonable judgment, such letter should cover other information or
changes in specified financial statement line items.
10
(l)
During the period, if any, specified in any Terms Agreement, the
Company shall not, without the prior consent of the Purchaser
thereunder, offer, sell or contract to sell, or otherwise dispose
of, directly or indirectly, or announce the offering of, any first
mortgage bonds issued by the Company (other than the Notes being
sold pursuant to such Terms Agreement).
(m)
Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is agreed that if, at any time
and from time to time during the term of this Agreement, the
Company should deliver to the Agents notification of its decision
to suspend any sale of Notes hereunder, then during the period of
any such suspension or suspensions the Company shall be relieved of
its obligation to provide to the Agents the certificate, opinions
and letter required pursuant to Sections 4(i), 4(j) and
4(k) hereof. However, whenever such a suspension is
lifted, the Company shall be required to deliver to the Agents,
prior to the resumption of any sale of Notes hereunder, the most
recent certificate, opinions and letter which would have been
required except for the suspension.
(n)
During the term of this Agreement, the Company shall furnish to
each Agent (i) to the extent such documents are not available
pursuant to the EDGAR filing system, copies of all annual,
quarterly and current reports (without exhibits) of the Company
filed with the Commission under the Exchange Act, (ii) copies
of all announcements made to the general financial community and
(iii) notice of (x) any decrease in the rating or
(y) credit watch with negative implications, in either case of
the Notes or any other debt securities of the Company, by any
“nationally recognized statistical rating organization”
(as defined for purposes of Rule 436(g) under the
Act).
(o)
The Company agrees that any person who has agreed to purchase and
pay for any Note pursuant to a solicitation by any of the Agents
shall have the right to refuse to purchase such Note if, subsequent
to the agreement to purchase such Note, any change, condition or
development specified in any of Sections 8(b)(iii), (iv) or
(v) shall have occurred (with the judgment of the Agent that
presented the offer to purchase such Note being substituted for any
judgment of a Purchaser required therein) the effect of which is,
in the judgment of the Agent that presented the offer to purchase
such Note, so material and adverse as to make it impractical or
inadvisable to proceed with the sale and delivery of such Note (it
being understood that under no circumstance shall any such Agent
have any duty or obligation to the Company or to any such person to
exercise the judgment permitted to be exercised under this
Section 4(o)).
5.
Conditions to the Obligations of the Agents . The
obligations of each Agent to solicit offers to purchase the Notes
shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and
warranties on the part of the Company contained herein as of the
Execution Time, when any supplement to the Prospectus relating to
the Notes is filed with the Commission and as of each Closing Date,
to the accuracy of the statements of the Company made in any
certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance
by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following
additional conditions:
(a)
If filing of the Prospectus, or any supplement thereto, is required
pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act, the Prospectus,
and any supplement, shall have been filed in the manner and within
the time period required by Rule 424(b) under the Act;
and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement shall have been issued and no proceedings for that
purpose shall have been instituted or threatened.
11
(b)
The Company shall have furnished to each Agent the opinion and
letter of Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, counsel to the Company and
opinion of Thomas R. Saldin, Esq., General Counsel for
the Company, dated the Execution Time substantially in the forms of
Exhibits D-1 and D-2 hereto and Exhibit E hereto,
respectively.
(c)
Each Agent shall have received from Sullivan & Cromwell
LLP, counsel for the Agents, such opinion or opinions, dated the
Execution Time, with respect to the incorporation of the Company,
the validity of the Indenture and the Notes, the Registration
Statement, the Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto)
and other related matters as the Agents may reasonably require, and
the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as
they may reasonably request for the purpose of enabling them to
pass upon such matters. In rendering their opinions,
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP may rely upon the opinion
described above of Thomas R. Saldin, Esq., General Counsel for
the Company, as to all matters of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon
and Wyoming law.
(d)
The Company shall have furnished to each Agent a certificate of the
Company, signed by the Chief Executive Officer or the President or
the principal financial or accounting officer of the Company, dated
the Execution Time, to the effect that:
(i)
the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement
are true and correct in all material respects on and as of the date
hereof with the same effect as if made on the date hereof and the
Company has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the
conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied as a condition
to the obligation of the Agents to solicit offers to purchase the
Notes;
(ii)
no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have
been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened;
and
(iii)
since the date of the most recent audited financial statements
included in or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, there
has been no material adverse change or any development that could
reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change in
the condition (financial or other), earnings, business or
properties of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as a
whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary
course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated by the
Prospectus.
(e)
At the Execution Time, Deloitte & Touche LLP shall have
furnished to each Agent a letter or letters (which may refer to
letters previously delivered to the Agents), dated as of the
Execution Time to the effect set forth in Exhibit C
hereto.
(f)
Prior to the Execution Time, the Company shall have furnished to
each Agent such further information, documents and certificates as
the Agents may reasonably request.
If
any of the conditions specified in this Section 5 shall not
have been fulfilled in all material respects when and as provided
in this Agreement, or if any of the opinions and certificates
mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall not be in all
material respects
12
reasonably satisfactory in form and substance
to such Agents and counsel for the Agents, this Agreement and all
obligations of any Agent hereunder may be cancelled at any time by
the Agents. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the
Company in writing or by telephone or telegraph confirmed in
writing.
The
documents required to be delivered by this Section 5 shall be
delivered at the office of Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, counsel
for the Company, on the date hereof.
6.
Conditions to the Obligations of a Purchaser . The
obligations of a Purchaser to purchase any Notes will be subject to
the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of
the Company herein as of the date of the related Terms Agreement
and as of the Closing Date for such Notes, to the performance and
observance by the Company of all covenants and agreements herein
contained on its part to be performed and observed and to the
following additional conditions precedent:
(a)
No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement shall have been issued and no proceedings for that
purpose shall have been instituted or threatened.
(b)
To the extent agreed to between the Company and the Purchaser in a
Terms Agreement, the Purchaser shall have received, appropriately
updated, (i) a certificate of the Company, dated as of the
Closing Date, to the effect set forth in
Section 5(d) (except that references to the Prospectus
shall be to the Prospectus as amended or supplemented as of the
date of such Terms Agreement), (ii) the opinions of
Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, and Thomas R. Saldin, Esq.,
counsel for the Company, dated as of the Closing Date, to the
effect referred to in Section 5(b), (iii) the
opinion(s) of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, counsel for
the Purchaser, dated as of the Closing Date, to the effect referred
to in Section 5(c), and (iv) the letter of
Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent registered public
accounting firm for the Company, dated as of the Closing Date, to
the effect referred to in Section 5(e).
(c)
Prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to the
Purchaser such further information, certificates and documents as
the Purchaser may reasonably request.
If
any of the conditions specified in this Section 6 shall not
have been fulfilled in all material respects when and as provided
in this Agreement and the applicable Terms Agreement, or if any of
the opinions and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this
Agreement or such Terms Agreement and required to be delivered to
the Purchaser pursuant to the terms hereof and thereof shall not be
in all material respects reasonably satisfactory in form and
substance to the Purchaser and its counsel, such Terms Agreement
and all obligations of the Purchaser thereunder and with respect to
the Notes subject thereto may be cancelled at, or at any time prior
to, the respective Closing Date by the Purchaser. Notice of
such cancellation shall be given to the Company in writing or by
telephone or telegraph confirmed in writing.
7.
Indemnification . (a) The Company will indemnify
and hold harmless each of you against any losses, claims, damages
or liabilities, joint or several, to which you may become subject,
under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages
or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are
based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any
material fact contained in any preliminary prospectus, any
preliminary
13
prospectus supplement, the Registration
Statement, the Prospectus, any amendment or supplement thereto or
any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or arise out of or are based
upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material
fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading; and will reimburse each of you
for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by you in
connection with investigating or defending against such loss,
claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are incurred;
provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such
case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability
arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in any
preliminary prospectus, any preliminary prospectus supplement, the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any amendment or supplement
thereto or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and
in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company
by you or on your behalf for inclusion therein or arising out of,
or based upon, statements in or omissions from Exhibits 25.1 and
25.3 to the Registration Statement which shall constitute the
Statements of Eligibility of the Trustees on Forms T-1 and T-2, or
amendments thereto, under the Indenture. This indemnity
agreement shall be in addition to any liability that the Company
may otherwise have.
The
foregoing indemnity agreement shall, upon the same terms and
conditions, extend to and inure to the benefit of each person, if
any, that controls any of you within the meaning of the
Act.
(b)
Each of you severally and not jointly shall indemnify and hold
harmless the Company against any losses, claims, damages or
liabilities to which the Company may become subject, under the Act
or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or
liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are
based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any
material fact contained in any preliminary prospectus, any
preliminary prospectus supplement, the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus, any amendment or supplement thereto or any Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus, or arise out of or are based upon the omission
or the alleged omission to state therein a material fact required
to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein
not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent,
that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission
or alleged omission was made in any preliminary prospectus, any
preliminary prospectus supplement, the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus, any amendment or supplement thereto or any Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with
information furnished in writing to the Company by you or on your
behalf for inclusion therein; and will reimburse the Company for
any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in
connection with investigating or defending against any such loss,
claim, damage, liability or action as such expenses are
incurred. This indemnity agreement shall be in addition to
any liability that you may otherwise have.
The
foregoing indemnity agreement shall, upon the same terms and
conditions, extend to and inure to the benefit of each director of
the Company, each of its officers who has signed the Registration
Statement and each person, if any, that controls the Company within
the meaning of the Act.
(c)
Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection
(a) or (b) above of notice of the commencement of any
action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in
14
respect thereof is to be made against the
indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying
party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so
to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any
liability which it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than
under such subsection. In case any such action shall be
brought against any indemnified party, and it shall notify the
indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying
party shall be entitled to participate in, and, to the extent that
it shall wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly
notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory
to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent
of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party),
and after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified
party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the
indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party
under such subsection for any legal or other expenses subsequently
incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense
thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation.
(d)
If the indemnification provided for in this Section 7 is
unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified
party under subsection (a) or (b) above in respect of any
losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect
thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall
contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party
as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or
actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to
reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one
hand and each of you on the other from the offering of the Notes to
which such loss, claim, damage or liability (or actions in respect
thereof) relates and also the relative fault of the Company on the
one hand and each of you on the other in connection with the
statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims,
damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as
any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative
benefits received by the Company on the one hand and each of you on
the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total
net proceeds from such offering (before deducting expenses)
received by the Company bear to the total discounts and commissions
received by you. The relative fault shall be determined by
reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged
untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged
omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading
relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand or
any of you on the other and the parties’ relative intent,
knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or
prevent such statement or omission. The Company and each of
you agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution
pursuant to this subsection (d) were determined by pro rata
allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take
account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this
subsection (d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified
party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or
actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection
(d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses
reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with
investigating or defending any such action or claim.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (d), you shall
not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by
which the total price at which the Notes sold by or through you to
the public exceeds the amount of any damages which you have
otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged
untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person
guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of
Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to
contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent
misrepresentation. The obligations of each of you in this
subsection (d) to contribute
15
are
several in proportion to the respective sales made by or through
you to the public to which such loss, claim, damage or liability
(or action in respect thereof) relates and are not
joint.
8.
Termination . (a) This Agreement will continue
in effect until terminated as provided in this
Section 8. This Agreement may be terminated either by
the Company as to any Agent or by any of you insofar as this
Agreement relates to any Agent, by giving written notice of such
termination to such Agent or the Company, as the case may be.
This Agreement shall so terminate at the close of business on the
first business day following the receipt of such notice by the
party to whom such notice is given. In the event of such
termination, no party shall have any liability to the other party
hereto, except as provided in the sixth paragraph of
Section 2(a), Section 4(g), Section 7 and
Section 9 hereof.
(b)
Each Terms Agreement shall be subject to termination in the
absolute discretion of the Purchaser, by written notice given to
the Company prior to delivery of any payment for any Note to be
purchased thereunder, if subsequent to the agreement to purchase
such Note and prior to such payment time (i) there shall have
occurred any change in or affecting the business or properties of
the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole the effect of
which is, in the judgment of the Purchaser, so material and adverse
as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the
offer, sale or delivery of Notes in the manner contemplated in the
Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus and this Agreement,
(ii) there shal
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