Exhibit 10.4
ALLEGHENY ENERGY
SUPPLEMENTAL EXECUTIVE RETIREMENT
PLAN
(Amended and Restated as of
February 24, 2006)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Page
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1.
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INTRODUCTION
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1
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1.1
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History and Purpose
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1
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1.2
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Effective Date
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1
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2.
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DEFINITIONS
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1
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2.1
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Accrued Benefit
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1
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2.2
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Affiliate
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1
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2.3
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“Beneficiary” or
“Beneficiaries”
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1
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2.4
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Board of Directors
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1
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2.5
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Cause
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1
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2.6
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Code
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1
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2.7
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Committee
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1
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2.8
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Company
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1
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2.9
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Compensation
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2
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2.10
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Contingent Annuitant Option
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2
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2.11
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Early Retirement Date
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2
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2.12
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Eligible Employee
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2
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2.13
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Employee
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2
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2.14
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ERISA
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2
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2.15
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Final Average Compensation
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2
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2.16
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Normal Retirement Date
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2
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2.17
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Other Supplemental Plan Reduction
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2
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2.18
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Participant
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2
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2.19
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Plan
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2
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2.20
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Qualified Joint and Survivor Annuity
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3
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2.21
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Retirement Plan
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3
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2.22
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Retirement Plan Reduction
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3
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2.23
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Single Life Annuity
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3
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2.24
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Surviving Spouse
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3
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2.25
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Year of Service
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3
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3.
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PARTICIPATION AND ELIGIBILITY
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3
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3.1
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Current Participants
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3
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3.2
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New Participants
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3
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3.3
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Eligibility Requirements
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3
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3.4
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Termination of Participation
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4
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3.5
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Additional Age and Service
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4
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4.
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RETIREMENT BENEFITS
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4
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4.1
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Determination of Accrued Benefit
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4
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4.2
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Normal Retirement Benefit
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5
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4.3
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Early Retirement Benefit
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5
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4.4
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Timing and Form of Payment for the Accrued
Benefit
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5
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4.5
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Benefit Computation
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5
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5.
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DEATH BENEFITS
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5
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5.1
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Death Before Commencement of
Benefits
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5
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5.2
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Death After Commencement of Benefits
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6
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5.3
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Designating a Beneficiary
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6
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-i-
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
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Page
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6.
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VESTING
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6
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7.
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FUNDED NATURE OF THE PLAN
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6
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8.
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ADMINISTRATION OF THE PLAN
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6
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8.1
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Authority of the Committee
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6
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8.2
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Delegation of Authority
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6
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8.3
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Compensation and Expenses
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7
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8.4
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Liability of the Committee and Board;
Indemnification
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7
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9.
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AMENDMENTS AND TERMINATION
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7
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10.
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CLAIMS PROCEDURES
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7
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11.
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MISCELLANEOUS
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8
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11.1
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Construction
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8
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11.2
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Taxes
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8
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11.3
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Governing Law
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8
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11.4
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No Right of Employment
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8
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11.5
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Payment in Satisfaction of Claims
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8
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11.6
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No Alienation of Benefits
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8
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11.7
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Incapacity
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9
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11.8
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Adjustment
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9
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11.9
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Compliance With Code Section 409A
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9
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Appendix A
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-ii-
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 History and Purpose
. Allegheny Energy Service Corporation (the
“Company”) previously established the Allegheny Energy
Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (the “Plan”), an
unfunded supplemental executive retirement plan. The purpose of the
Plan is to provide special supplemental retirement benefits to a
select group of senior executives of the Company and its Affiliates
(as defined below) in order to assist the Company and its
Affiliates in attracting, motivating and retaining executives of
superior ability, industry and loyalty. It is intended that the
Plan shall at all times be maintained on an unfunded basis for
federal income tax purposes under the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended, be administered as a “top-hat” plan
for a “select group of management or highly compensated
employees”, and be exempt from the substantive requirements
of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as
amended.
1.2 Effective Date
. The Plan was originally established
effective as of July 1, 1990. The Plan is hereby amended and
restated as of February 24, 2006, to reflect certain changes
in the administration and operation of the Plan, to update the Plan
for certain changes in applicable law, and to make certain other
clarifying changes.
2. DEFINITIONS
Except as otherwise stated herein,
capitalized terms used in this Plan have the meanings set forth
below:
2.1 “Accrued Benefit”
means, at any time, the annual benefit payable to a Participant at
his Normal Retirement Date in the form of a Single Life Annuity as
determined in accordance with Section 4.1, adjusted to the
extent applicable in accordance with Section 4.3.
2.2 “Affiliate” means a
parent or subsidiary of the Company.
2.3 “Beneficiary” or
“Beneficiaries” mean the person or persons entitled to
receive a Participant’s retirement benefits as designated in
accordance with Section 5.3.
2.4 “Board of Directors”
means the Board of Directors of the Company.
2.5 “Cause” means the
definition of “Cause” as set forth in any employment
agreement, offer letter, or similar agreement between a Participant
and the Company or an Affiliate or, if no such agreement exists,
“Cause” means (i) the Employee’s conviction
of, or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, (A) a
felony, or (B) a lesser crime or offense which, in the
reasonable opinion of the Company, could adversely affect the
business or reputation of the Company or its Affiliates,
(ii) the Employee’s repeated failure to follow specific
lawful directions of the Board of Directors or any officer to whom
he reports, (iii) the Employee’s willful misconduct,
fraud, embezzlement or dishonesty either in connection with his
duties to the Company or its Affiliates or which otherwise causes
damage or, in the reasonable opinion of the Company, is likely to
cause damage, to the Company or its Affiliates, (iv) the
Employee’s failure to perform a substantial part of his
duties following notice and a reasonable opportunity to cure (if
such failure is capable of cure), (v) the Employee’s
material violation of any policy, procedure or guideline of the
Company or its Affiliates following notice and reasonable
opportunity to cure (if such violation is capable of cure),
(vi) the Employee’s abuse of alcohol or illegal drugs,
or (vii) the Employee’s violation of any applicable
confidentiality, non-competition or non-solicitation covenants
relating to the Company or its Affiliates.
2.6 “Code” means the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
2.7 “Committee” means
the Management Compensation and Development Committee of the Board
of Directors, as it shall be constituted from time to
time.
2.8 “Company” means
Allegheny Energy Service Corporation and any successor to all or a
major portion of the assets or business of Allegheny Energy Service
Corporation.
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2.9 “Compensation” means
a Participant’s total earnings from the Company and any
Affiliate including base pay, overtime, commissions, bonuses and
other elements of earnings (whether or not payment thereof is
deferred as part of any plan, program or policy of the Company),
but excluding (i) any compensation that is designated as
“long-term incentive compensation”, (ii) proceeds
from the exercise of stock options or stock appreciation rights and
earnings from grants of restricted stock, restricted stock units,
or other stock-based awards, (iii) moving expenses or other
payments made in connection with a relocation,
(iv) reimbursements for medical or dental premiums,
(v) other reimbursements or allowances for reasonable
business-related expenses, including, without limitation, any
automobile allowance, (vi) payments made to
“gross-up” a Participant for any applicable taxes,
(vii) any bonuses that are paid to a Participant for reasons
other than the direct performance of services for the Company or
its Affiliates, including, without limitation, signing bonuses and
retention or stay bonuses, (viii) spot awards, (ix) the
imputed value of Company-provided life insurance, (x) the
value of any Company-paid educational assistance benefits that are
taxable to the Participant, (xi) any separation or severance
payments, (xii) any other elements of compensation that are
designated by the Committee as not being eligible for purposes of
the Plan.
2.10 “Contingent Annuitant
Option” shall mean the optional annuity forms of distribution
set forth in the Retirement Plan.
2.11 “Early Retirement
Date” means the date upon which a Participant retires after
attaining age 55 and completing ten or more Years of Service, and
prior to his Normal Retirement Date.
2.12 “Eligible Employee”
means any Employee who is employed by the Company or an Affiliate
as a Vice President or in a more senior position and who is
designated for participation in the Plan by the Chief Executive
Officer of the Company. Consistent with the authority delegated to
him by the Committee, the Chief Executive Officer of the Company
may also designate other Employees as Eligible Employees. The
Employees who have been designated as Eligible Employees are set
forth in Appendix A to the Plan as amended and updated by the
Company from time to time.
2.13 “Employee” means a
person who receives salary, wages or commissions from the Company
or an Affiliate that are subject to withholding for purposes of
federal income and employment taxes. The term Employee shall not
include an independent contractor or any other person who the
Committee or its designees determines is not subject to withholding
for purposes of federal income and employment taxes, regardless of
any contrary governmental or judicial determination relating to
such employment or tax withholding status.
2.14 “ERISA” means the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from
time to time.
2.15 “Final Average
Compensation” means 12 times the Participant’s highest
average monthly Compensation for any 36-consecutive calendar month
period. In the event the Participant has less than 36 months of
Compensation prior to his termination of employment, Final Average
Compensation means 12 times the average of his months of
Compensation for his total period of service.
2.16 “Normal Retirement
Date” means the first day of the month following the
attainment of age 60.
2.17 “Other Supplemental Plan
Reduction” means the retirement benefit payable to a
Participant under any other supplemental pension benefit provided
to the Participant by the Company or any other Affiliate for any
period of service for which the Participant is receiving a benefit
under this Plan.
2.18 “Participant” means
an Eligible Employee who has satisfied the eligibility requirements
set forth in Article III.
2.19 “Plan” means the
Allegheny Energy Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan as set
forth in this document and in any amendments from time to time made
hereto.
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2.20 “Qualified Joint and
Survivor Annuity” means an annuity that provides equal
monthly installments to a Participant during his lifetime and equal
monthly installments, which are one-half of the amount of the
installments paid to the Participant, to the Participant’s
Surviving Spouse after the Participant’s death.
2.21 “Retirement Plan”
means the Allegheny Energy Retirement Plan.
2.22 “Retirement Plan
Reduction” means the retirement benefit payable to a
Participant under the Retirement Plan, excluding any increases in
such Retirement Plan benefits that become effective after the
Participant has retired from the Company and its
Affiliates.
2.23 “Single Life
Annuity” means an annuity that provides equal monthly
installments to a Participant for his lifetime and no payments to
his Surviving Spouse or any other Beneficiary after his
death.
2.24 “Surviving Spouse”
refers to the person who is legally married to the Participant at
the time of his death and for the full one year (365 days) period
immediately prior to his death.
2.25 “Year of Service”
shall mean a Participant’s “Service” (as that
term is defined under the terms of the Retirement Plan) as
determined for purposes of calculating the amount of a
Participant’s Retirement Plan benefit under Article IV of the
Retirement Plan; provided, that for purposes of this Plan, Service
shall also include Service with any Affiliate, regardless of
whether such Affiliate has adopted the Retirement Plan.
3. PARTICIPATION AND ELIGIBILITY
3.1 Current Participants
. Each individual who was a Participant in
the Plan on the date immediately before this amendment and
restatement shall be a Participant in the Plan on and after such
date; provided, that a Participant must satisfy the eligibility
requirements of Section 3.3 in order to receive a benefit from
the Plan.
3.2 New Participants
. Each Employee who first becomes an
Eligible Employee on or after the date of this amendment and
restatement shall become a Participant on the first day of the
month in which he first becomes an Eligible Employee or such
earlier or later date as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company
shall specify; provided, that a Participant must satisfy the
eligibility requirements of Section 3.3 in order to receive a
benefit from the Plan.
3.3 Eligibility Requirements
. Each individual who satisfies the
requirements of Section 3.1 or 3.2 shall be a Participant and
shall be eligible to receive a benefit from the Plan upon
satisfying the following age and service and other eligibility
requirements:
(a) General Eligibility
Requirements . A Participant who is
actively employed by the Company or an Affiliate shall be eligible
for a benefit from the Plan if (i) he retires when he has ten
or more Years of Service, (ii) he retires on or after
attaining age 55, and (iii) he elects to commence payment of
his Retirement Plan benefits as of the earliest date that such
benefits are payable under the Retirement Plan.
(b) Special Eligibility Rules in
the Event of Death Before Retirement . A
Participant who is actively employed by the Company or an Affiliate
shall be eligible to receive a death benefit from the Plan if he
(i) dies after attaining age 55, but before retiring from the
Company or an Affiliate, and (ii) has ten or more Years of
Service as of the date of his death. Further, a Participant who is
actively employed by the Company or an Affiliate shall be eligible
to receive a death benefit from the Plan if he (i) dies before
age 55 and before retiring from the Company or an Affiliate, and
(ii) if he has 15 or more Years of Service as of the date of
his death. The death benefits provided under the Plan shall be
determined in accordance with Article V and shall be paid to the
Participant’s Surviving Spouse.
(c) Termination for Cause and
Other Similar Circumstances
. Notwithstanding paragraph (a) hereof
and any other provision of the Plan to the contrary,
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(i) a Participant and his
Beneficiaries shall not be eligible for a benefit from the Plan if
(A) a Participant’s employment with the Company or an
Affiliate is terminated for Cause, or (B) the Committee
determines that the facts and circumstances surrounding a
Participant’s termination of employment (whether
characterized as a voluntary or involuntary termination) with the
Company or an Affiliate constitute a basis for terminating the
Participant for Cause, or
(ii) benefits being paid to a
Participant or his Beneficiaries under the Plan shall immediately
cease and all Plan benefits shall be forfeited if (A) based
upon material information that was not previously known to the
Committee or the senior management of the Company or its Affiliates
at the time of a Participant