dated as of October 2,
2008
PETROQUEST ENERGY, L.L.C.,
as Borrower,
PETROQUEST ENERGY, INC.,
as Parent,
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.,
as Administrative Agent,
CALYON NEW YORK BRANCH,
as Syndication Agent,
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,
as Documentation Agent,
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES INC. and
CALYON NEW YORK BRANCH
Co-Lead Arrangers
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Page
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE I
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING
MATTERS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Terms Defined
Above
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Certain Defined
Terms
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Types of Loans
and Borrowings
|
|
|
20
|
|
|
|
|
Terms
Generally; Rules of Construction
|
|
|
20
|
|
|
|
|
Accounting
Terms and Determinations; GAAP
|
|
|
20
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE II
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
THE CREDITS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commitments
|
|
|
21
|
|
|
|
|
Loans and
Borrowings
|
|
|
21
|
|
|
|
|
Requests for
Borrowings
|
|
|
22
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
Elections
|
|
|
23
|
|
|
|
|
Funding of
Borrowings
|
|
|
24
|
|
|
|
|
Termination and
Reduction of Aggregate Maximum Credit Amounts
|
|
|
25
|
|
|
|
|
Borrowing
Base
|
|
|
25
|
|
|
|
|
Letters of
Credit
|
|
|
27
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE III
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PAYMENTS OF PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST;
PREPAYMENTS; FEES
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Repayment of
Loans
|
|
|
32
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
|
|
|
32
|
|
|
|
|
Alternate Rate
of Interest
|
|
|
33
|
|
|
|
|
Prepayments
|
|
|
33
|
|
|
|
|
Fees
|
|
|
35
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE IV
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PAYMENTS; PRO RATA TREATMENT;
SHARING OF SET-OFFS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payments
Generally; Pro Rata Treatment; Sharing of Set-offs
|
|
|
36
|
|
|
|
|
Presumption of
Payment by the Borrower
|
|
|
37
|
|
|
|
|
Certain
Deductions by the Administrative Agent
|
|
|
38
|
|
|
|
|
Disposition of
Proceeds
|
|
|
38
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE V
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
INCREASED COSTS; BREAK FUNDING
PAYMENTS; TAXES
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Increased
Costs
|
|
|
38
|
|
|
|
|
Break Funding
Payments
|
|
|
39
|
|
|
|
|
Taxes
|
|
|
39
|
|
|
|
|
Mitigation
Obligations; Replacement of Defaulting Lenders
|
|
|
40
|
|
i
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
(Continued ...)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Page
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE VI
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Effective
Date
|
|
|
41
|
|
|
|
|
Each Credit
Event
|
|
|
43
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE VII
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
REPRESENTATIONS AND
WARRANTIES
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Organization;
Powers
|
|
|
44
|
|
|
|
|
Authority;
Enforceability
|
|
|
44
|
|
|
|
|
Approvals; No
Conflicts
|
|
|
45
|
|
|
|
|
Financial
Condition; No Material Adverse Change
|
|
|
45
|
|
|
|
|
Litigation
|
|
|
46
|
|
|
|
|
Environmental
Matters
|
|
|
46
|
|
|
|
|
Compliance with
the Laws and Agreements; No Defaults
|
|
|
47
|
|
|
|
|
Investment
Company Act
|
|
|
47
|
|
|
|
|
Taxes
|
|
|
48
|
|
|
|
|
ERISA
|
|
|
48
|
|
|
|
|
Disclosure; No
Material Misstatements
|
|
|
48
|
|
|
|
|
Insurance
|
|
|
49
|
|
|
|
|
Restriction on
Liens
|
|
|
49
|
|
|
|
|
Subsidiaries
|
|
|
49
|
|
|
|
|
Location of
Business and Offices
|
|
|
49
|
|
|
|
|
Properties;
Titles, Etc.
|
|
|
50
|
|
|
|
|
Maintenance of
Properties
|
|
|
51
|
|
|
|
|
Gas Imbalances,
Prepayments
|
|
|
51
|
|
|
|
|
Marketing of
Production
|
|
|
52
|
|
|
|
|
Swap
Agreements
|
|
|
52
|
|
|
|
|
Use of Loans
and Letters of Credit
|
|
|
52
|
|
|
|
|
Solvency
|
|
|
52
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE VIII
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Financial
Statements; Other Information
|
|
|
53
|
|
|
|
|
Notices of
Material Events
|
|
|
56
|
|
|
|
|
Existence;
Conduct of Business
|
|
|
56
|
|
|
|
|
Payment of
Obligations
|
|
|
57
|
|
|
|
|
Performance of
Obligations under Loan Documents
|
|
|
57
|
|
|
|
|
Operation and
Maintenance of Properties
|
|
|
57
|
|
|
|
|
Insurance
|
|
|
58
|
|
|
|
|
Books and
Records; Inspection Rights
|
|
|
58
|
|
|
|
|
Compliance with
Laws
|
|
|
58
|
|
|
|
|
Environmental
Matters
|
|
|
58
|
|
|
|
|
Further
Assurances
|
|
|
59
|
|
|
|
|
Reserve
Reports
|
|
|
60
|
|
|
|
|
Title
Information
|
|
|
61
|
|
ii
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
(Continued ...)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Page
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Additional
Collateral; Additional Guarantors
|
|
|
61
|
|
|
|
|
ERISA
Compliance
|
|
|
62
|
|
|
|
|
Swap
Agreements
|
|
|
62
|
|
|
|
|
Marketing
Activities
|
|
|
63
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE IX
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEGATIVE COVENANTS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Financial
Covenants
|
|
|
63
|
|
|
|
|
Debt
|
|
|
63
|
|
|
|
|
Liens
|
|
|
64
|
|
|
|
|
Dividends,
Distributions and Redemptions; Repayment of Senior Notes
|
|
|
65
|
|
|
|
|
Investments,
Loans and Advances
|
|
|
66
|
|
|
|
|
Nature of
Business; International Operations
|
|
|
67
|
|
|
|
|
Limitation on
Leases
|
|
|
67
|
|
|
|
|
Proceeds of
Notes
|
|
|
67
|
|
|
|
|
ERISA
Compliance
|
|
|
67
|
|
|
|
|
Sale or
Discount of Receivables
|
|
|
68
|
|
|
|
|
Mergers,
Etc.
|
|
|
68
|
|
|
|
|
Sale of
Properties
|
|
|
68
|
|
|
|
|
Environmental
Matters
|
|
|
69
|
|
|
|
|
Transactions
with Affiliates
|
|
|
69
|
|
|
|
|
Subsidiaries
|
|
|
69
|
|
|
|
|
Negative Pledge
Agreements; Dividend Restrictions
|
|
|
69
|
|
|
|
|
Gas Imbalances,
Take-or-Pay or Other Prepayments
|
|
|
70
|
|
|
|
|
Swap
Agreements
|
|
|
70
|
|
|
|
|
Holding
Company
|
|
|
70
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE X
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EVENTS OF DEFAULT;
REMEDIES
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Events of
Default
|
|
|
71
|
|
|
|
|
Remedies
|
|
|
73
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE XI
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
THE AGENTS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Appointment;
Powers
|
|
|
74
|
|
|
|
|
Duties and
Obligations of Administrative Agent
|
|
|
74
|
|
|
|
|
Action by
Administrative Agent
|
|
|
75
|
|
|
|
|
Reliance by
Administrative Agent
|
|
|
76
|
|
|
|
|
Subagents
|
|
|
76
|
|
|
|
|
Resignation or
Removal of Administrative Agent
|
|
|
76
|
|
|
|
|
Agents as
Lenders
|
|
|
77
|
|
|
|
|
No
Reliance
|
|
|
77
|
|
|
|
|
Administrative
Agent May File Proofs of Claim
|
|
|
77
|
|
|
|
|
Authority of
Administrative Agent to Release Collateral and Liens
|
|
|
78
|
|
|
|
|
The Arrangers,
the Syndication Agent and the Documentation Agent
|
|
|
78
|
|
iii
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
(Continued ...)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Page
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE XII
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MISCELLANEOUS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notices
|
|
|
78
|
|
|
|
|
Waivers;
Amendments
|
|
|
79
|
|
|
|
|
Expenses,
Indemnity; Damage Waiver
|
|
|
80
|
|
|
|
|
Successors and
Assigns
|
|
|
83
|
|
|
|
|
Survival;
Revival; Reinstatement
|
|
|
86
|
|
|
|
|
Counterparts;
Integration; Effectiveness
|
|
|
86
|
|
|
|
|
Severability
|
|
|
87
|
|
|
|
|
Right of
Setoff
|
|
|
87
|
|
|
|
|
GOVERNING LAW;
JURISDICTION; CONSENT TO SERVICE OF PROCESS
|
|
|
87
|
|
|
|
|
Headings
|
|
|
88
|
|
|
|
|
Confidentiality
|
|
|
88
|
|
|
|
|
Interest Rate
Limitation
|
|
|
89
|
|
|
|
|
EXCULPATION
PROVISIONS
|
|
|
90
|
|
|
|
|
Collateral
Matters; Swap Agreements
|
|
|
91
|
|
|
|
|
No Third Party
Beneficiaries
|
|
|
91
|
|
|
|
|
Acknowledgements
|
|
|
91
|
|
|
|
|
USA Patriot Act
Notice
|
|
|
92
|
|
ANNEXES,
EXHIBITS AND SCHEDULES
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— List of
Maximum Credit Amounts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— Form of
Note
|
|
|
|
— Form of
Borrowing Request
|
|
|
|
— Form of
Interest Election Request
|
|
|
|
— Form of
Compliance Certificate
|
|
|
|
— Form of
Legal Opinion of Porter & Hedges LLP, special counsel to the
Borrower
|
|
|
|
— Form of
Legal Opinion of Local Counsel
|
|
|
|
—
Security Instruments
|
|
|
|
— Form of
Guaranty and Pledge Agreement
|
|
|
|
— Form of
Assignment and Assumption
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
Litigation
|
|
|
|
—
Subsidiaries
|
|
|
|
— Gas
Imbalances
|
|
|
|
—
Marketing Contracts
|
|
|
|
— Swap
Agreements
|
|
|
|
—
Investments
|
iv
THIS CREDIT
AGREEMENT dated as of October 2, 2008, is among:
PETROQUEST ENERGY, L.L.C., a limited liability company duly formed
and existing under the laws of the State of Louisiana (the “
Borrower ”); PETROQUEST ENERGY, INC., a corporation
duly formed and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware
(the “ Parent ”); each of the Lenders from time
to time party hereto; JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A. (in its individual
capacity, “ JPMorgan ”), as administrative agent
for the Lenders (in such capacity, together with its successors in
such capacity, the “ Administrative Agent ”);
CALYON NEW YORK BRANCH, as syndication agent for the Lenders (in
such capacity, together with its successors in such capacity, the
“ Syndication Agent ”); and BANK OF AMERICA,
N.A., as documentation agent for the Lenders (in such capacity,
together with its successors in such capacity, the “
Documentation Agent ”).
A. The
Borrower has requested that the Lenders provide certain loans to
and extensions of credit on behalf of the Borrower.
B. The
Lenders have agreed to make such loans and extensions of credit
subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
C. In
consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements herein
contained and of the loans, extensions of credit and commitments
hereinafter referred to, the parties hereto agree as
follows:
ARTICLE I
Definitions and Accounting Matters
Section 1.01
Terms Defined Above . As used in this Agreement, each term
defined above has the meaning indicated above.
Section 1.02
Certain 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 1/100 of 1%)
equal to (a) the LIBO Rate for such Interest Period multiplied
by (b) the Statutory Reserve Rate.
“
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.
“
Agents ” means, collectively, the Administrative
Agent, the Syndication Agent and the Documentation Agent; and
“Agent” shall mean any of the Administrative Agent, the
Syndication Agent or the Documentation Agent, as the context
requires.
“
Aggregate Maximum Credit Amounts ” at any time shall
equal the sum of the Maximum Credit Amounts, as the same may be
reduced or terminated pursuant to Section 2.06.
“
Agreement ” means this Credit Agreement, as the same
may from time to time be amended, modified, supplemented or
restated.
“
Alternate Base Rate ” means, for any day, a rate per
annum equal to the greater of (a) the Prime Rate in effect on such
day and (b) 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 or the Federal Funds Effective Rate shall be effective from
and including the effective date of such change in the Prime Rate
or the Federal Funds Effective Rate, respectively.
“
Applicable Margin ” means, for any day, with respect
to any ABR Loan or Eurodollar Loan, or with respect to the
Commitment Fee Rate, as the case may be, the rate per annum set
forth in the Borrowing Base Utilization Grid below based upon the
Borrowing Base Utilization Percentage then in effect:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Borrowing Base Utilization
Grid
|
Borrowing Base Utilization Percentage
|
|
|
<50
|
%
|
|
|
³
50% <75
|
%
|
|
|
³
75% <90
|
%
|
|
|
³
90
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
1.500
|
%
|
|
|
1.750
|
%
|
|
|
2.000
|
%
|
|
|
2.250
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
0.000
|
%
|
|
|
0.250
|
%
|
|
|
0.500
|
%
|
|
|
0.750
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
0.375
|
%
|
|
|
0.375
|
%
|
|
|
0.500
|
%
|
|
|
0.500
|
%
|
Notwithstanding
the forgoing, for the period from October 2, 2008 to
April 2, 2009, the Applicable Margin means, with respect to
any Eurodollar Loan, 2.000%, and with respect to any ABR Loan,
0.500%. Each change in the Applicable Margin and the Commitment Fee
Rate shall apply during the period commencing on the effective date
of a change in the Borrowing Base Utilization Percentage and ending
on the date immediately preceding the effective date of the next
such change; provided , however, that if at any time the
Borrower fails to deliver a Reserve Report pursuant to
Section 8.12(a), then the “ Applicable Margin
” and “ Commitment Fee Rate ” each shall
mean the rate per annum set forth on the grid when the Borrowing
Base Utilization Percentage is at its highest level.
“
Applicable Percentage ” means, with respect to any
Lender, the percentage of the Aggregate Maximum Credit Amounts
represented by such Lender’s Maximum Credit Amount as such
percentage is set forth on Annex I.
“
Approved Counterparty ” means (a) any Lender or
any Affiliate of a Lender and (b) any other Person whose long
term senior unsecured debt rating, at the time the Swap Agreement
is entered into, is A/A2 by S&P or Moody’s (or their
equivalent) or higher.
2
“
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.
“
Approved Petroleum Engineers ” means
(a) Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc., (b) Ryder Scott
Company Petroleum Consultants, L.P. and (c) any other
independent petroleum engineers reasonably acceptable to the
Administrative Agent.
“
Arrangers ” means, collectively, J.P. Morgan
Securities Inc. and Calyon New York Branch, each in its capacity as
a co-lead arranger hereunder.
“
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
12.04(a)), and accepted by the Administrative Agent, in the form of
Exhibit G or any other form approved by the Administrative
Agent.
“
Availability Period ” means the period from and
including the Effective Date to but excluding the Termination
Date.
“
Board ” means the Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve System of the United States of America or any successor
Governmental Authority.
“
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 an amount equal to
the amount determined in accordance with Section 2.07, as the
same may be adjusted from time to time pursuant to Section 8.13(c)
or Section 9.12(d).
“
Borrowing Base Deficiency ” occurs if at any time the
total Revolving Credit Exposures exceeds the Borrowing Base then in
effect.
“
Borrowing Base Utilization Percentage ” means, as of
any day, the fraction expressed as a percentage, the numerator of
which is the sum of the Revolving Credit Exposures of the Lenders
on such day, and the denominator of which is the Borrowing Base in
effect on such day.
“
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 or
Houston, Texas are authorized or required by law to remain closed;
and if such day relates to a Borrowing or continuation of, a
payment or prepayment of principal of or interest on, or a
conversion of or into, or the Interest Period for, a Eurodollar
Loan or a notice by the Borrower with respect to any such Borrowing
or continuation, payment, prepayment, conversion or Interest
Period, any day which is also a day on which banks are open for
dealings in dollar deposits in the London interbank
market.
3
“ Capital
Leases ” means, in respect of any Person, all leases
which shall have been, or should have been, in accordance with
GAAP, recorded as capital leases on the balance sheet of the Person
liable (whether contingent or otherwise) for the payment of rent
thereunder.
“
Casualty Event ” means any loss, casualty or other
insured damage to, or any nationalization, taking under power of
eminent domain or by condemnation or similar proceeding of, any Oil
and Gas Property of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries having
a fair market value in excess of $2,500,000.
“ 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 SEC thereunder as in effect on the date
hereof), of Equity Interests representing more than 35% of the
aggregate ordinary voting power represented by the issued and
outstanding Equity Interests of the Parent, (b) occupation of
a majority of the seats (other than vacant seats) on the board of
directors of the Parent by Persons who were neither (i) nominated
by the board of directors of the Parent nor (ii) appointed by
directors so nominated or (c) the Parent ceases to own 100% of
the issued and outstanding Equity Interests of the
Borrower.
“ Change
in Law ” means (a) the adoption of any law, rule or
regulation after the date of this Agreement, (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 5.01(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, and any successor statute.
“
Commitment ” means, with respect to each Lender, the
commitment of such Lender to make Loans and to acquire
participations in Letters of Credit hereunder, expressed as an
amount representing the maximum aggregate amount of such
Lender’s Revolving Credit Exposure hereunder, as such
commitment may be (a) modified from time to time pursuant to
Section 2.06 and (b) modified from time to time pursuant
to assignments by or to such Lender pursuant to
Section 12.04(b). The amount representing each Lender’s
Commitment shall at any time be the lesser of such Lender’s
Maximum Credit Amount and such Lender’s Applicable Percentage
of the then effective Borrowing Base.
“
Commitment Fee Rate ” has the meaning set forth in the
definition of “ Applicable Margin ”.
“
Consolidated Net Income ” means with respect to the
Parent and the Consolidated Subsidiaries, for any period, the
aggregate of the net income (or loss) of the Parent and the
Consolidated Subsidiaries after allowances for taxes for such
period determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP;
provided that there shall be excluded from such net income
(to the extent otherwise included therein) the following:
(a) the net income of any
4
Person in which
the Parent or any Consolidated Subsidiary has an interest (which
interest does not cause the net income of such other Person to be
consolidated with the net income of the Parent and the Consolidated
Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP), except to the extent of the
amount of dividends or distributions actually paid in cash during
such period by such other Person to the Parent or to a Consolidated
Subsidiary, as the case may be; (b) the net income (but not
loss) during such period of any Consolidated Subsidiary to the
extent that the declaration or payment of dividends or similar
distributions or transfers or loans by that Consolidated Subsidiary
is not at the time permitted by operation of the terms of its
charter or any agreement, instrument or Governmental Requirement
applicable to such Consolidated Subsidiary or is otherwise
restricted or prohibited, in each case determined in accordance
with GAAP; (c) the net income (or loss) of any Person acquired
in a pooling-of-interests transaction for any period prior to the
date of such transaction; (d) any extraordinary gains or
losses during such period and (e) any gains or losses
attributable to writeups or writedowns of assets, including ceiling
test writedowns; and provided further that if the
Parent or any Consolidated Subsidiary shall acquire or dispose of
any Property during such period, then Consolidated Net Income shall
be calculated after giving pro forma effect to such
acquisition or disposition, as if such acquisition or disposition
had occurred on the first day of such period.
“
Consolidated Subsidiaries ” means each Subsidiary of
the Parent (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 Parent 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. For the purposes
of this definition, and without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, any Person that owns directly or indirectly 10% or more
of the Equity Interests having ordinary voting power for the
election of the directors or other governing body of a Person
(other than as a limited partner of such other Person) will be
deemed to “control” such other Person. “
Controlling ” and “ Controlled ”
have meanings correlative thereto.
“
Convertible Preferred Stock ” means the shares of
6.875% Series B Cumulative Convertible Perpetual Stock of the
Parent.
“
Debt ” means, for any Person, the sum of the following
(without duplication): (a) all obligations of such Person for
borrowed money or evidenced by bonds, bankers’ acceptances,
debentures, notes or other similar instruments; (b) all
obligations of such Person (whether contingent or otherwise) in
respect of letters of credit, surety or other bonds and similar
instruments; (c) all accounts payable and all accrued
expenses, liabilities or other obligations of such Person to pay
the deferred purchase price of Property or services; (d) all
obligations under Capital Leases; (e) all obligations under
Synthetic Leases; (f) all Debt (as defined in the other
clauses of this definition) of others secured by (or for which the
holder of such Debt has an existing right, contingent or otherwise,
to be secured by) a Lien on any Property of such Person, whether or
not such Debt is assumed by such Person; (g) all Debt (as
defined in the other clauses of this definition) of others
guaranteed by such Person or in which such Person otherwise assures
a creditor against loss of the Debt (howsoever such assurance shall
be made) to the extent of the lesser of the amount of such Debt and
the maximum stated amount of such guarantee or assurance against
loss; (h) all obligations or undertakings of such Person to
maintain or cause to
5
be maintained
the financial position or covenants of others or to purchase the
Debt or Property of others; (i) obligations to deliver
commodities, goods or services, including, without limitation,
Hydrocarbons, in consideration of one or more advance payments,
other than gas balancing arrangements in the ordinary course of
business; (j) obligations to pay for goods or services even if
such goods or services are not actually received or utilized by
such Person; (k) any Debt of a partnership for which such Person is
liable either by agreement, by operation of law or by a
Governmental Requirement but only to the extent of such liability;
(l) Disqualified Capital Stock; and (m) the undischarged
balance of any production payment created by such Person or for the
creation of which such Person directly or indirectly received
payment. The Debt of any Person shall include all obligations of
such Person of the character described above to the extent such
Person remains legally liable in respect thereof notwithstanding
that any such obligation is not included as a liability of such
Person under GAAP.
“
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.
“
Defaulting Lender ” means a Lender (a) that fails
to fund a requested Loan and such default continues for a period of
three (3) Business Days, (b) that fails to reimburse the
Administrative Agent for an LC Disbursement or (c) who (or
whose bank holding company) is placed into receivership,
conservatorship or bankruptcy.
“
Disqualified Capital Stock ” means any Equity Interest
that, by its terms (or by the terms of any security into which it
is convertible or for which it is exchangeable) or upon the
happening of any event, requires the payment of dividends (other
than dividends payable solely in Equity Interests which do not
otherwise constitute Disqualified Capital Stock) or matures or is
mandatorily redeemable for any consideration other than other
Equity Interests (which would not constitute Disqualified Capital
Stock), pursuant to a sinking fund obligation or otherwise, or is
convertible or exchangeable for Debt or redeemable for any
consideration other than other Equity Interests (which would not
constitute Disqualified Capital Stock) at the option of the holder
thereof, in whole or in part, on or prior to the date that is one
year after the earlier of (a) the Maturity Date and
(b) the date on which there are no Loans, LC Exposure or other
obligations hereunder outstanding and all of the Commitments are
terminated.
“
dollars ” or “$” refers to lawful money of
the United States of America.
“
Domestic Subsidiary ” means any Subsidiary that is
organized under the laws of the United States of America or any
state thereof or the District of Columbia.
“
EBITDAX ” means, for any period, the sum of
Consolidated Net Income for such period plus the following expenses
or charges to the extent deducted from Consolidated Net Income in
such period: interest, income taxes, depreciation, depletion,
amortization, accretion expenses related to FAS 143, exploration
expenses, expenses recognized under FAS 123(r) and FAS 133,
non-cash impairment expenses and other similar noncash charges,
minus all noncash income added to Consolidated Net
Income.
“
Effective Date ” means the date on which the
conditions specified in Section 6.01 are satisfied (or waived
in accordance with Section 12.02).
6
“
Engineering Reports ” has the meaning assigned such
term in Section 2.07(c)(i).
“
Environmental Laws ” means any and all Governmental
Requirements pertaining in any way to health, safety, the
environment, the preservation or reclamation of natural resources,
or the management, Release or threatened Release of any Hazardous
Materials, in effect in any and all jurisdictions in which the
Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Subsidiaries is conducting,
or at any time has conducted, business, or where any Property of
the Borrower or any Subsidiaries of Borrower is located, including,
the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (“ OPA ”), as
amended, the Clean Air Act, as amended, the Comprehensive
Environmental, Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980
(“ CERCLA ”), as amended, the Federal Water
Pollution Control Act, as amended, the Occupational Safety and
Health Act of 1970, as amended, the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act of 1976 (“ RCRA ”), as amended, the
Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended, the Toxic Substances Control
Act, as amended, the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act
of 1986, as amended, the Hazardous Materials Transportation Law, as
amended, and other environmental conservation or protection
Governmental Requirements.
“
Environmental Permit ” means any permit, registration,
license, notice, approval, consent, exemption, variance, or other
authorization required under or issued pursuant to applicable
Environmental Laws.
“ 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, and any successor statute.
“ ERISA
Affiliate ” means each trade or business (whether or not
incorporated) which together with the Borrower or the
Borrower’s Subsidiary would be deemed to be a “single
employer” within the meaning of section 4001(b)(1) of ERISA
or subsections (b), (c), (m) or (o) of section 414 of the
Code.
“
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 such term in
Section 10.01.
“
Excepted Liens ” means: (a) Liens for Taxes,
assessments or other governmental charges or levies which are not
delinquent or which are being contested in good faith by
appropriate action and for which adequate reserves have been
maintained in accordance with GAAP; (b) Liens in connection
with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance or other
social security, old age pension or public liability obligations
which are not delinquent or which are being contested in good faith
by appropriate action and for which adequate reserves have been
maintained in accordance with GAAP; (c) statutory
landlord’s liens, operators’, vendors’,
carriers’, warehousemen’s, repairmen’s,
mechanics’, suppliers’, workers’,
materialmen’s, construction or other like Liens arising by
operation of law in the ordinary course of business or
7
incident to the
exploration, development, operation and maintenance of Oil and Gas
Properties each of which is in respect of obligations that are not
delinquent or which are being contested in good faith by
appropriate action and for which adequate reserves have been
maintained in accordance with GAAP; (d) contractual Liens
which arise in the ordinary course of business under operating
agreements, joint venture agreements, oil and gas partnership
agreements, oil and gas leases, farm-out agreements, division
orders, contracts for the sale, transportation or exchange of oil
and natural gas, unitization and pooling declarations and
agreements, area of mutual interest agreements, overriding royalty
agreements, marketing agreements, processing agreements, net
profits agreements, development agreements, gas balancing or
deferred production agreements, injection, repressuring and
recycling agreements, salt water or other disposal agreements,
seismic or other geophysical permits or agreements, and other
agreements which are usual and customary in the oil and gas
business and are for claims which are not delinquent or which are
being contested in good faith by appropriate action and for which
adequate reserves have been maintained in accordance with GAAP;
provided 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
any of the Borrower’s Subsidiaries or materially impair the
value of such Property subject thereto; (e) Liens arising
solely by virtue of any statutory or common law provision relating
to banker’s liens, rights of set-off or similar rights and
remedies and burdening only deposit accounts or other funds
maintained with a creditor depository institution; provided
that no such deposit account is a dedicated cash collateral account
or is subject to restrictions against access by the depositor in
excess of those set forth by regulations promulgated by the Board
and no such deposit account is intended by the Borrower or any of
the Borrower’s Subsidiaries to provide collateral to the
depository institution; (f) easements, restrictions,
servitudes, permits, conditions, covenants, exceptions or
reservations in any Property of the Borrower or any of the
Borrower’s Subsidiaries for the purpose of roads, pipelines,
transmission lines, transportation lines, 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, that do not secure any
monetary obligations and which in the aggregate do not materially
impair the use of such Property for the purposes of which such
Property is held by the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s
Subsidiaries or materially impair the value of such Property
subject thereto; (g) Liens on cash or securities pledged to
secure performance of tenders, surety and appeal bonds, government
contracts, performance and return of money bonds, bids, trade
contracts, leases, statutory obligations, regulatory obligations
and other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary
course of business and (h) judgment and attachment Liens not
giving rise to an Event of Default; provided that any
appropriate legal proceedings which may have been duly initiated
for the review of such judgment shall not have been finally
terminated or the period within which such proceeding may be
initiated shall not have expired and no action to enforce such Lien
has been commenced; provided , further that Liens
described in clauses (a) through (e) shall remain
“Excepted Liens” only for so long as no action to
enforce such Lien has been commenced, and no intention to
subordinate the first priority Lien granted in favor of the
Administrative Agent and the Lenders is to be hereby implied or
expressed by the permitted existence of such Excepted
Liens.
8
“
Excluded Subsidiary ” means, individually and
collectively, Indianola Gathering, L.L.C., an Oklahoma limited
liability company, PetroQuest Oil & Gas, L.L.C., a Louisiana
limited liability company, Pittrans, Inc., an Oklahoma corporation,
and Sea Harvester Energy Development Co., L.L.C., a Louisiana
limited liability company.
“
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 or any Guarantor hereunder or under any
other Loan Document, (a) income or franchise taxes imposed on
(or measured by) its net income by the United States of America or
such other 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 or any Guarantor is located and (c) in the
case of a Foreign Lender (other than an assignee pursuant to a
request by the Borrower under Section 5.04), 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 5.03(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 with respect to such
withholding tax pursuant to Section 5.03(a) or
Section 5.03(b).
“
Existing Credit Agreement ” means that certain Second
Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of November 18,
2005 among the Borrower, as borrower, the Parent, as guarantor,
JPMorgan, as administrative agent, and the lenders and other agents
party thereto, as the same has heretofore been amended, modified,
supplemented or restated.
“ 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, for any Person, the chief
financial officer, principal accounting officer, treasurer or
controller of such Person. Unless otherwise specified, all
references herein to a Financial Officer means a Financial Officer
of the Parent.
“
Financial Statements ” means the financial statement
or statements of the Parent and its Consolidated Subsidiaries
referred to in Section 7.04(a).
“ 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.
“ Foreign
Subsidiary ” means any Subsidiary that is not a Domestic
Subsidiary.
9
“
GAAP ” means generally accepted accounting principles
in the United States of America as in effect from time to time
subject to the terms and conditions set forth in
Section 1.05.
“
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.
“
Governmental Requirement ” means any law, statute,
code, ordinance, order, determination, rule, regulation, judgment,
decree, injunction, franchise, permit, certificate, license, rules
of common law, authorization or other directive or requirement,
whether now or hereinafter in effect, of any Governmental
Authority.
(b) TDC
Energy LLC, a Louisiana limited liability company; and
(c) each
other Subsidiary that guarantees the Indebtedness pursuant to
Section 8.14(b).
“
Guaranty Agreement ” means an agreement executed by
the Guarantors in substantially the form of Exhibit F-2
unconditionally guarantying on a joint and several basis, payment
of the Indebtedness, as the same may be amended, modified or
supplemented from time to time.
“
Hazardous Material ” means any substance regulated or
as to which liability might arise under any applicable
Environmental Law including: (a) any chemical, compound,
material, product, byproduct, substance or waste defined as or
included in the definition or meaning of “hazardous
substance,” “hazardous material,”
“hazardous waste,” “solid waste,”
“toxic waste,” “extremely hazardous
substance,” “toxic substance,”
“contaminant,” “pollutant,” or words of
similar meaning or import found in any applicable Environmental
Law; (b) Hydrocarbons, petroleum products, petroleum
substances, natural gas, oil, oil and gas waste, crude oil, and any
components, fractions, or derivatives thereof; and
(c) radioactive materials, explosives, asbestos or asbestos
containing materials, polychlorinated biphenyls, radon, infectious
or medical wastes.
“ Highest
Lawful Rate ” means, with respect to each Lender, the
maximum nonusurious interest rate, if any, that at any time or from
time to time may be contracted for, taken, reserved, charged or
received on the Notes or on other Indebtedness under laws
applicable to such Lender which are presently in effect or, to the
extent allowed by law, under such applicable laws which may
hereafter be in effect and which allow a higher maximum nonusurious
interest rate than applicable laws allow as of the date
hereof.
“
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.
10
“
Hydrocarbons ” means oil, gas, casinghead gas, drip
gasoline, natural gasoline, condensate, distillate, liquid
hydrocarbons, gaseous hydrocarbons and all products refined or
separated therefrom.
“
Indebtedness ” means any and all amounts owing or to
be owing by the Borrower, any Subsidiary or any Guarantor (whether
direct or indirect (including those acquired by assumption),
absolute or contingent, due or to become due, now existing or
hereafter arising): (a) to the Administrative Agent, the
Issuing Bank or any Lender under any Loan Document; (b) to any
Lender or any Affiliate of a Lender under any Swap Agreement
between the Parent, the Borrower or any Subsidiary and such Lender
or Affiliate of a Lender while such Person (or in the case of its
Affiliate, the Person affiliated therewith) is a Lender hereunder
and (c) all renewals, extensions and/or rearrangements of any
of the above.
“
Indemnified Taxes ” means Taxes other than Excluded
Taxes.
“
Information Memorandum ” means the Confidential
Information Memorandum dated September 4, 2008 relating to the
Borrower and the Transactions.
“ Initial
Reserve Report ” means the report of the Parent dated as
of August 22, 2008, with respect to certain Oil and Gas
Properties of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of July 1,
2008.
“
Interest Election Request ” means a request by the
Borrower to convert or continue a Borrowing in accordance with
Section 2.04.
“
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 with respect to any Eurodollar
Borrowing, the period commencing on the date of such Borrowing and
ending on the numerically corresponding day in the calendar month
that is one, two, three or six months thereafter, as the Borrower
may elect; provided , that (a) 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 and (b) any Interest Period pertaining to a
Eurodollar Borrowing 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.
11
“ Interim
Redetermination ” has the meaning assigned such term in
Section 2.07(b).
“ Interim
Redetermination Date ” means the date on which a
Borrowing Base that has been redetermined pursuant to an Interim
Redetermination becomes effective as provided in Section
2.07(d).
“
Investment ” means, for any Person: (a) the
acquisition (whether for cash, Property, services or securities or
otherwise) of Equity Interests of any other Person or any agreement
to make any such acquisition (including, without limitation, any
“short sale” or any sale of any securities at a time
when such securities are not owned by the Person entering into such
short sale); (b) the making of any deposit with, or advance,
loan or capital contribution to, the purchase or other acquisition
of any other Debt of or equity participation or interest in, or
other extension of credit to, any other Person (including the
purchase of Property from another Person subject to an
understanding or agreement, contingent or otherwise, to resell such
Property to such Person, but excluding any such advance, loan or
extension of credit having a term not exceeding ninety
(90) days representing the purchase price of inventory or
supplies sold by such Person in the ordinary course of business);
(c) the purchase or acquisition (in one or a series of
transactions) of Property of another Person that constitutes a
business unit; or (d) the entering into of any guarantee of,
or other contingent obligation (including the deposit of any Equity
Interests to be sold) with respect to, Debt or other liability of
any other Person and (without duplication) any amount committed to
be advanced, lent or extended to such Person.
“ Issuing
Bank ” means JPMorgan, in its capacity as the issuer of
Letters of Credit hereunder, and its successors in such capacity as
provided in Section 2.08(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
Commitment ” at any time means twenty-five million
dollars ($25,000,000).
“ 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 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 Annex I and any
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.
“ Letter
of Credit Agreements ” means all letter of credit
applications and other agreements (including any amendments,
modifications or supplements thereto) submitted by the Borrower, or
entered into by the Borrower, with the Issuing Bank relating to any
Letter of Credit.
12
“ LIBO
Rate ” means, with respect to any Eurodollar Borrowing
for any Interest Period, the rate appearing on Reuters Screen
LIBOR01 Page (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 (rounded upwards, if necessary,
to the next 1/100 of 1%) at which dollar deposits of an amount
comparable to such Eurodollar Borrowing 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 any interest in Property securing an
obligation owed to, or a claim by, a Person other than the owner of
the Property, whether such interest is based on the common law,
statute or contract, and whether such obligation or claim is fixed
or contingent, and including but not limited to (a) the lien
or security interest arising from a mortgage, encumbrance, pledge,
security agreement, conditional sale or trust receipt or a lease,
consignment or bailment for security purposes or
(b) production payments and the like payable out of Oil and
Gas Properties. The term “ Lien ” shall include
easements, restrictions, servitudes, permits, conditions,
covenants, exceptions or reservations. For the purposes of this
Agreement, the Parent and its Subsidiaries shall be deemed to be
the owner of any Property which it has acquired or holds subject to
a conditional sale agreement, or leases under a financing lease or
other arrangement pursuant to which title to the Property has been
retained by or vested in some other Person in a transaction
intended to create a financing.
“ Loan
Documents ” means this Agreement, the Notes, the Letter
of Credit Agreements, the Letters of Credit and the Security
Instruments.
“
Loans ” means the loans made by the Lenders to the
Borrower pursuant to this Agreement.
“
Material Adverse Effect ” means a material adverse
change in, or material adverse effect on (a) the business,
operations, Property, condition (financial or otherwise) or
prospects of the Parent and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole,
(b) the ability of the Borrower, any Subsidiary or any
Guarantor to perform any of its obligations under any Loan Document
to which it is a party, (c) the validity or enforceability of
any Loan Document or (d) the rights and remedies of or
benefits available to the Administrative Agent, any other Agent,
the Issuing Bank or any Lender under any Loan Document.
“
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 Parent and its
Subsidiaries in an aggregate principal amount exceeding $5,000,000.
For purposes of determining Material Indebtedness, the
“principal amount” of the obligations of the Parent or
any Subsidiary in respect of any Swap Agreement at any time shall
be the Swap Termination Value.
13
“
Maturity Date ” means February 10, 2012;
provided that if on or prior to February 10, 2012, the
Parent or the Borrower prepays the Senior Notes with the proceeds
of any Permitted Refinancing Debt and/or with the net cash proceeds
of any sale of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Capital
Stock) of the Parent, then the term “Maturity Date”
shall mean October 2, 2013.
“ Maximum
Credit Amount ” means, as to each Lender, the amount set
forth opposite such Lender’s name on Annex I under the
caption “Maximum Credit Amounts”, as the same may be
(a) reduced or terminated from time to time in connection with
a reduction or termination of the Aggregate Maximum Credit Amounts
pursuant to Section 2.06(b), or (b) modified from time to
time pursuant to any assignment permitted by
Section 12.04(b).
“
Moody’s ” means Moody’s Investors Service,
Inc. and any successor thereto that is a nationally recognized
rating agency.
“
Mortgaged Property ” means any Property owned by the
Borrower or any Guarantor which is subject to the Liens existing
and to exist under the terms of the Security
Instruments.
“ New
Borrowing Base Notice ” has the meaning assigned such
term in Section 2.07(d).
“
Notes ” means the promissory notes of the Borrower
described in Section 2.02(d) and being substantially in the
form of Exhibit A, together with all amendments,
modifications, replacements, extensions and rearrangements
thereof.
“ Oil and
Gas Properties ” means (a) Hydrocarbon Interests;
(b) the Properties now or hereafter pooled or unitized with
Hydrocarbon Interests; (c) all presently existing or future
unitization, pooling agreements and declarations of pooled units
and the units created thereby (including without limitation all
units created under orders, regulations and rules of any
Governmental Authority) which may affect all or any portion of the
Hydrocarbon Interests; (d) all operating agreements, contracts
and other agreements, including production sharing contracts and
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; (e) all
Hydrocarbons in and under and which may be produced and saved or
attributable to the Hydrocarbon Interests, including all oil in
tanks, and all rents, issues, profits, proceeds, products, revenues
and other incomes from or attributable to the Hydrocarbon
Interests; (f) all tenements, hereditaments, appurtenances and
Properties in any manner appertaining, belonging, affixed or
incidental to the Hydrocarbon Interests and (g) all
Properties, rights, titles, interests and estates described or
referred to above, including any and all Property, real or
personal, now owned or hereinafter 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, rental
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 wells, gas wells, injection
wells or other wells, buildings, structures, fuel separators,
liquid extraction plants, plant compressors, pumps,
14
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.
“
Oklahoma Gas Gathering Assets ” means all equipment,
facilities, easements, rights of way and related rights and
interests associated with the Borrower’s gas gathering assets
located in Oklahoma.
“ 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, this Agreement and any other Loan Document.
“
Participant ” has the meaning set forth in
Section 12.04(c)(i).
“
Permitted Refinancing Debt ” means Debt (for purposes
of this definition, “ new Debt ”) incurred in
exchange for, or proceeds of which are used to refinance, all of
any other Debt (the “ Refinanced Debt ”);
provided that (a) such new Debt is in an aggregate
principal amount not in excess of the sum of (i) the aggregate
principal amount then outstanding of the Refinanced Debt (or, if
the Refinanced Debt is exchanged or acquired for an amount less
than the principal amount thereof to be due and payable upon a
declaration of acceleration thereof, such lesser amount) and
(ii) an amount necessary to pay any fees and expenses,
including premiums, related to such exchange or refinancing;
(b) such new Debt has a stated maturity no earlier than stated
maturity of the Refinanced Debt or, in the case of the Senior
Notes, January 31, 2014, and an average life no shorter than
the average life of the Refinanced Debt; (c) such new Debt has
a stated interest rate that is a market-based rate; (d) such
new Debt does not contain any covenants which are materially more
onerous to the Parent and its Subsidiaries than those imposed by
the Refinanced Debt and (e) such new Debt (and any guarantees
thereof) is otherwise on terms and documentation satisfactory to
the Administrative Agent.
“
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, as
defined in section 3(2) of ERISA, which (a) is currently or
hereafter sponsored, maintained or contributed to by the Borrower
or the Borrower’s Subsidiary or an ERISA Affiliate or
(b) was at any time during the six calendar years preceding
the date hereof, sponsored, maintained or contributed to by the
Borrower or the Borrower’s Subsidiary or an ERISA
Affiliate.
“ Prime
Rate ” means the rate of interest per annum publicly
announced from time to time by JPMorgan 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. Such rate is set by the
Administrative Agent as a general reference rate of interest,
taking into account such factors as the Administrative Agent may
deem appropriate; it being understood that many of the
Administrative Agent’s commercial or other loans are
priced
15
in relation to
such rate, that it is not necessarily the lowest or best rate
actually charged to any customer and that the Administrative Agent
may make various commercial or other loans at rates of interest
having no relationship to such rate.
“
Property ” means any interest in any kind of property
or asset, whether real, personal or mixed, or tangible or
intangible, including, without limitation, cash, securities,
accounts and contract rights.
“
Proposed Borrowing Base ” has the meaning assigned to
such term in Section 2.07(c)(i).
“
Proposed Borrowing Base Notice ” has the meaning
assigned to such term in Section 2.07(c)(ii).
“
Redemption ” means with respect to any Debt, the
repurchase, redemption, prepayment, repayment, defeasance or any
other acquisition or retirement for value (or the segregation of
funds with respect to any of the foregoing) of such Debt. “
Redeem ” has the correlative meaning
thereto.
“
Redetermination Date ” means, with respect to any
Scheduled Redetermination or any Interim Redetermination, the date
that the redetermined Borrowing Base related thereto becomes
effective pursuant to Section 2.07(d).
“
Refinanced Debt ” has the meaning assigned such term
in the definition of “Permitted Refinancing
Debt”.
“
Register ” has the meaning assigned such term in
Section 12.04(b)(iv).
“
Regulation D ” means Regulation D of the
Board, as the same may be amended, supplemented or replaced from
time to time.
“ Related
Parties ” means, with respect to any specified Person,
such Person’s Affiliates and the respective directors,
officers, employees, agents and advisors (including attorneys,
accountants and experts) of such Person and such Person’s
Affiliates.
“
Release ” means any depositing, spilling, leaking,
pumping, pouring, placing, emitting, discarding, abandoning,
emptying, discharging, migrating, injecting, escaping, leaching,
dumping, or disposing into the environment.
“
Remedial Work ” has the meaning assigned such term in
Section 8.10(a).
“
Required Lenders ” means, at any time while no Loans
or LC Exposure is outstanding, Lenders having at least sixty-six
and two-thirds percent (66-2/3%) of the Aggregate Maximum Credit
Amounts; and at any time while any Loans or LC Exposure is
outstanding, Lenders holding at least sixty-six and two-thirds
percent (66-2/3%) of the outstanding aggregate principal amount of
the Loans and participation interests in Letters of Credit (without
regard to any sale by a Lender of a participation in any Loan under
Section 12.04(c)); provided that the Maximum Credit Amounts
and the principal amount of the Loans and participation interests
in Letters of Credit of the Defaulting Lenders shall be excluded
from the determination of Required Lenders.
16
“ Reserve
Report ” means a report, in form and substance reasonably
satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, setting forth, as of each
January 1st or July 1st (or such other date in the event of an
Interim Redetermination) the oil and gas reserves attributable to
the Oil and Gas Properties of the Borrower and the Borrower’s
Subsidiaries, together with a projection of the rate of production
and future net income, taxes, operating expenses and capital
expenditures with respect thereto as of such date, based upon the
economic assumptions consistent with the Administrative
Agent’s lending requirements at the time.
“
Responsible Officer ” means, as to any Person, the
Chief Executive Officer, the President, any Financial Officer or
any Executive Vice President of such Person. Unless otherwise
specified, all references to a Responsible Officer herein shall
mean a Responsible Officer of the Parent.
“
Restricted Payment ” means any dividend or other
distribution (whether in cash, securities or other Property) with
respect to any Equity Interests in the Parent or any of its
Subsidiaries, 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
Parent or any of its Subsidiaries or any option, warrant or other
right to acquire any such Equity Interests in the Parent or any of
its Subsidiaries.
“
Revolving 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.
“
Scheduled Redetermination ” has the meaning assigned
such term in Section 2.07(b).
“
Scheduled Redetermination Date ” means the date on
which a Borrowing Base that has been redetermined pursuant to a
Scheduled Redetermination becomes effective as provided in Section
2.07(d).
“ SEC
” means the Securities and Exchange Commission or any
successor Governmental Authority.
“
Security Instruments ” means the Guaranty Agreement,
mortgages, deeds of trust and other agreements, instruments or
certificates described or referred to in Exhibit F-1, and any
and all other agreements, instruments, consents or certificates now
or hereafter executed and delivered by the Borrower or any other
Person (other than Swap Agreements with the Lenders or any
Affiliate of a Lender or participation or similar agreements
between any Lender and any other lender or creditor with respect to
any Indebtedness pursuant to this Agreement) in connection with, or
as security for the payment or performance of the Indebtedness, the
Notes, this Agreement, or reimbursement obligations under the
Letters of Credit, as such agreements may be amended, modified,
supplemented or restated from time to time.
“ Senior
Indenture ” means (a) that certain Indenture dated
as of May 11, 2005, among the Parent and the Borrower, as
issuers, the subsidiary guarantors identified therein, and The Bank
of New York Trust Company, N.A., as trustee, pursuant to which the
Senior Notes are issued, and (b) any indenture, note purchase
agreement or other agreement pursuant to which any Permitted
Refinancing Debt is issued, in each case, as hereafter amended or
supplemented pursuant to Section 9.04(b).
17
“ Senior
Notes ” means the Borrower’s $150,000,000
10- 3
/ 8 % senior
notes due 2012.
“
S&P ” means Standard & Poor’s Ratings
Group, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., and any
successor thereto that is a nationally recognized rating
agency.
“
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, 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.
“
subsidiary ” means, with respect to any Person (the
“ parent ”) at any date, any other Person 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 Person (a) of which Equity
Interests representing more than 50% of the equity or more than 50%
of the ordinary voting power (irrespective of whether or not at the
time Equity Interests of any other class or classes of such Person
shall have or might have voting power by reason of the happening of
any contingency) or, in the case of a partnership, any 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: other than Excluded Subsidiaries
(a) with respect to the Parent, any subsidiary of the Parent
(including the Borrower) and (b) with respect to the Borrower,
any subsidiary of the Borrower. Unless otherwise specified, all
references to a “Subsidiary” or the
“Subsidiaries” herein shall mean a Subsidiary
(including the Borrower) of the Parent or the Subsidiaries
(including the Borrower) of the Parent other than Excluded
Subsidiaries.
“ Swap
Agreement ” means any agreement with respect to any swap,
forward, future or derivative transaction or option or similar
agreement, whether exchange traded, “over-the-counter”
or otherwise, 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 Parent or the
Subsidiaries shall be a Swap Agreement.
18
“ Swap
Termination Value ” means, in respect of any one or more
Swap Agreements, after taking into account the effect of any
legally enforceable netting agreement relating to such Swap
Agreements, (a) for any date on or after the date such Swap
Agreements have been closed out and termination value(s) determined
in accordance therewith, such termination value(s) and (b) for
any date prior to the date referenced in clause (a), the amount(s)
determined as the mark-to-market value(s) for such Swap Agreements,
as determined by the counterparties to such Swap
Agreements.
“
Synthetic Leases ” means, in respect of any Person,
all leases which shall have been, or should have been, in
accordance with GAAP, treated as operating leases on the financial
statements of the Person liable (whether contingently or otherwise)
for the payment of rent thereunder and which were properly treated
as indebtedness for borrowed money for purposes of U.S. federal
income taxes, if the lessee in respect thereof is obligated to
either purchase for an amount in excess of, or pay upon early
termination an amount in excess of, 80% of the residual value of
the Property subject to such operating lease upon expiration or
early termination of such lease.
“
Taxes ” means any and all present or future taxes,
levies, imposts, duties, deductions, charges or withholdings
imposed by any Governmental Authority.
“
Termination Date ” means the earlier of the Maturity
Date and the date of termination of the Commitments.
“ Total
Debt ” means, at any date, all Debt of the Parent and the
Consolidated Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, excluding
(i) non-cash obligations under FAS 133 and FAS 143 and
(ii) accounts payable and other accrued liabilities (for the
deferred purchase price of Property or services) from time to time
incurred in the ordinary course of business which are not greater
than sixty (60) days past the date of invoice or delinquent or
which are being contested in good faith by appropriate action and
for which adequate reserves have been maintained in accordance with
GAAP.
“
Transactions ” means, with respect to (a) the
Borrower, the execution, delivery and performance by the Borrower
of this Agreement and each other Loan Document to which it is a
party, the borrowing of Loans, the use of the proceeds thereof and
the issuance of Letters of Credit hereunder, and the grant of Liens
by the Borrower on Mortgaged Properties and other Properties
pursuant to the Security Instruments and (b) each Guarantor,
the execution, delivery and performance by such Guarantor of each
Loan Document to which it is a party, the guaranteeing of the
Indebtedness and the other obligations under the Guaranty Agreement
by such Guarantor and such Guarantor’s grant of the security
interests and provision of collateral under the Security
Instruments, and the grant of Liens by such Guarantor on Mortgaged
Properties and other Properties pursuant to the Security
Instruments.
“
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 Alternate Base Rate or the Adjusted LIBO Rate.
19
“
Wholly-Owned Subsidiary ” means, in respect of any
Person, any subsidiary of such Person, all of the Equity Interests
of which (other than director’s qualifying shares, as may be
required by law) is owned by such Person, either directly or
indirectly through one or more Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries of such
Person. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each reference to the
term “Wholly-Owned Subsidiary” shall mean a
Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of the Parent.
Section 1.03
Types of Loans and Borrowings . For purposes of this
Agreement, Loans and Borrowings, respectively, may be classified
and referred to by Type (e.g., a “ Eurodollar Loan
” or a “ Eurodollar Borrowing
”).
Section 1.04
Terms Generally; Rules of Construction . 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 in the Loan Documents), (b) any reference herein to any
law shall be construed as referring to such law as amended,
modified, codified or reenacted, in whole or in part, and in effect
from time to time, (c) any reference herein to any Person shall be
construed to include such Person’s successors and assigns
(subject to the restrictions contained in the Loan Documents),
(d) 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, (e) with respect to the
determination of any time period, the word “from” means
“from and including” and the word “to”
means “to and including” and (f) any reference
herein to Articles, Sections, Annexes, Exhibits and Schedules shall
be construed to refer to Articles and Sections of, and Annexes,
Exhibits and Schedules to, this Agreement. No provision of this
Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be interpreted or
construed against any Person solely because such Person or its
legal representative drafted such provision.
Section 1.05
Accounting Terms and Determinations; GAAP . Unless otherwise
specified herein, all accounting terms used herein shall be
interpreted, all determinations with respect to accounting matters
hereunder shall be made, and all financial statements and
certificates and reports as to financial matters required to be
furnished to the Administrative Agent or the Lenders hereunder
shall be prepared, in accordance with GAAP, applied on a basis
consistent with the Financial Statements except for changes in
which Parent’s independent certified public accountants
concur and which are disclosed to Administrative Agent on the next
date on which financial statements are required to be delivered to
the Lenders pursuant to Section 8.01(a); provided that,
unless the Parent and the Required Lenders shall otherwise agree in
writing, no such change shall modify or affect the manner in which
compliance with the covenants contained herein is computed such
that all such computations shall be conducted utilizing financial
information presented consistently with prior periods.
20
Section 2.01
Commitments . Subject to the terms and conditions set forth
herein, each Lender agrees to make Loans to the Borrower during the
Availability Period in an aggregate principal amount that will not
result in (a) such Lender’s Revolving Credit Exposure
exceeding such Lender’s Commitment or (b) the total
Revolving Credit Exposures exceeding the total Commitments. Within
the foregoing limits and subject to the terms and conditions set
forth herein, the Borrower may borrow, repay and reborrow the
Loans.
Section 2.02
Loans and Borrowings .
(a)
Borrowings; Several Obligations . Each Loan shall be made as
part of a Borrowing consisting of Loans made by the Lenders ratably
in accordance with their respective Commitments. 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 are several and no Lender shall be responsible for
any other Lender’s failure to make Loans as
required.
(b)
Types of Loans . Subject to Section 3.03, 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)
Minimum Amounts; Limitation on Number of Borrowings . 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 $1,000,000. 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 $1,000,000; provided that an ABR Borrowing may be
in an aggregate amount that is equal to the entire unused balance
of the total Commitments or that is required to finance the
reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as contemplated by
Section 2.08(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 eight (8) Eurodollar
Borrowings outstanding. 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.
(d)
Notes . The Loans made by each Lender shall be evidenced by
a single promissory note of the Borrower in substantially the form
of Exhibit A, dated, in the case of (i) any Lender party
hereto as of the date of this Agreement, as of the date of this
Agreement, or (ii) any Lender that becomes a party hereto
pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption, as of the effective date
of the Assignment and Assumption, payable to the order of such
Lender in a principal amount equal to its Maximum Credit Amount as
in effect on such date, and otherwise duly completed. In the event
that any Lender’s Maximum Credit Amount increases or
decreases for any reason (whether pursuant to Section 2.06,
Section 12.04(a) or otherwise), the Borrower shall deliver or
cause to be delivered on the effective date of such increase or
decrease, a new
21
Note payable to
the order of such Lender in a principal amount equal to its Maximum
Credit Amount after giving effect to such increase or decrease, and
otherwise duly completed. The date, amount, Type, interest rate
and, if applicable, Interest Period of each Loan made by each
Lender, and all payments made on account of the principal thereof,
shall be recorded by such Lender on its books for its Note, and,
prior to any transfer, may be endorsed by such Lender on a schedule
attached to such Note or any continuation thereof or on any
separate record maintained by such Lender. Failure to make any such
notation or to attach a schedule shall not affect any
Lender’s or the Borrower’s rights or obligations in
respect of such Loans or affect the validity of such transfer by
any Lender of its Note.
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 12:00 noon, 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 12:00 noon, New York City time, one
Business Day before the date of the proposed Borrowing;
provided that no such notice shall be required for any
deemed request of an ABR Borrowing to finance the reimbursement of
an LC Disbursement as provided in Section 2.08(e). 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
substantially the form of Exhibit B 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”;
(v) the
amount of the then effective Borrowing Base, the current total
Revolving Credit Exposures (without regard to the requested
Borrowing) and the pro form a total Revolving Credit
Exposures (giving effect to the requested Borrowing);
and
(vi) the
location and number of the Borrower’s account to which funds
are to be disbursed, which shall comply with the requirements of
Section 2.05.
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. Each Borrowing Request shall constitute
a representation that the amount of the requested Borrowing shall
not cause the total Revolving Credit Exposures to exceed the total
Commitments (i.e., the lesser of the Aggregate Maximum Credit
Amounts and the then effective Borrowing Base).
22
Promptly
following receipt of a Borrowing Request in accordance with this
Section 2.03, 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.
Section 2.04
Interest Elections .
(a)
Conversion and Continuance . 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 2.04. The Borrower 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)
Interest Election Requests . To make an election pursuant to
this Section 2.04, 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
substantially the form of Exhibit C and signed by the
Borrower.
(c)
Information in Interest Election Requests . 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 Section 2.04(c)(iii) and (iv) 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.
23
(d)
Notice to Lenders by the Administrative Agent . 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)
Effect of Failure to Deliver Timely Interest Election Request
and Events of Default and Borrowing Base Deficiencies on Interest
Election . 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 or a Borrowing Base Deficiency has occurred and is
continuing: (i) no outstanding Borrowing may be converted to
or continued as a Eurodollar Borrowing (and 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) unless repaid, each Eurodollar Borrowing
shall be converted to an ABR Borrowing at the end of the Interest
Period applicable thereto.
Section 2.05
Funding of Borrowings .
(a)
Funding by Lenders . 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 1:00 p.m., 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 Houston,
Texas 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 2.08(e) shall be remitted by the Administrative Agent
to the Issuing Bank. Nothing herein shall be deemed to obligate any
Lender to obtain the funds for its Loan in any particular place or
manner or to constitute a representation by any Lender that it has
obtained or will obtain the funds for its Loan in any particular
place or manner.
(b)
Presumption of Funding by the Lenders . 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 Section 2.05(a) 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 ABR
Loans. If such Lender pays such amount to the Administrative Agent,
then such amount shall constitute such Lender’s Loan included
in such Borrowing.
24
Section 2.06
Termination and Reduction of Aggregate Maximum Credit
Amounts .
(a)
Scheduled Termination of Commitments . Unless previously
terminated, the Commitments shall terminate on the Maturity Date.
If at any time the Aggregate Maximum Credit Amounts or the
Borrowing Base is terminated or reduced to zero, then the
Commitments shall terminate on the effective date of such
termination or reduction.
(b)
Optional Termination and Reduction of Aggregate Credit
Amounts .
(i) The
Borrower may at any time terminate, or from time to time reduce,
the Aggregate Maximum Credit Amounts; provided that
(A) each reduction of the Aggregate Maximum Credit Amounts
shall be in an amount that is an integral multiple of $1,000,000
and not less than $5,000,000 and (B) the Borrower shall not
terminate or reduce the Aggregate Maximum Credit Amounts if, after
giving effect to any concurrent prepayment of the Loans in
accordance with Section 3.04(c), the total Revolving Credit
Exposures would exceed the total Commitments.
(ii) The
Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of any election to
terminate or reduce the Aggregate Maximum Credit Amounts under
Section 2.06(b)(i) 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 notice, the Administrative Agent shall advise the Lenders of
the contents thereof. Each notice delivered by the Borrower
pursuant to this Section 2.06(b)(ii) shall be irrevocable. Any
termination or reduction of the Aggregate Maximum Credit Amounts
shall be permanent and may not be reinstated. Each reduction of the
Aggregate Maximum Credit Amounts pursuant to this
Section 2.06(b)(ii) shall be made ratably among the Lenders in
accordance with each Lender’s Applicable
Percentage.
Section 2.07
Borrowing Base .
(a)
Initial Borrowing Base . For the period from and including
the Effective Date to but excluding the first Redetermination Date,
the amount of the Borrowing Base shall be $150,000,000.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Borrowing Base may be subject to
further adjustments from time to time pursuant to
Section 8.13(c), Section 8.16 or
Section 9.12(d).
(b)
Scheduled and Interim Redeterminations . The Borrowing Base
shall be redetermined semi-annually in accordance with this
Section 2.07 (a “ Scheduled Redetermination
”), and, subject to Section 2.07(d), such redetermined
Borrowing Base shall become effective and applicable to the
Borrower, the Agents, the Issuing Bank and the Lenders on
March 31 st and September 30 th of
each year, commencing March 31 , 20 09. In addition, the
Borrower may, by notifying the Administrative Agent thereof, and
the Administrative Agent may, at the direction of the Required
Lenders, by notifying the Borrower thereof, two times during any
12-month period, each elect to cause the Borrowing Base to be
redetermined between Scheduled Redeterminations (an “
Interim Redetermination ”) in accordance with this
Section 2.07.
25
(c)
Scheduled and Interim Redetermination Procedure .
(i) Each
Scheduled Redetermination and each Interim Redetermination shall be
effectuated as follows: Upon receipt by the Administrative Agent of
(A) the Reserve Report and the certificate required to be
delivered by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent, in the case
of a Scheduled Redetermination, pursuant to Section 8.12(a)
and (c), and, in the case of an Interim Redetermination, pursuant
to Section 8.12(b) and (c), and (B) such other reports,
data and supplemental information, including, without limitation,
the information provided pursuant to Section 8.12(c), as may,
from time to time, be reasonably requested by the Required Lenders
(the Reserve Report, such certificate and such other reports, data
and supplemental information being the “ Engineering
Reports ”), the Administrative Agent shall evaluate the
information contained in the Engineering Reports and shall, in its
sole discretion, propose a new Borrowing Base (the “
Proposed Borrowing Base ”) based upon such information
and such other information (including, without limitation, the
status of title information with respect to the Oil and Gas
Properties as described in the Engineering Reports and the
existence of any other Debt) as the Administrative Agent deems
appropriate in its sole discretion and consistent with its normal
oil and gas lending criteria as it exists at the particular time.
In no event shall the Proposed Borrowing Base exceed the Aggregate
Maximum Credit Amounts.
(ii) The
Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders of
the Proposed Borrowing Base (the “ Proposed Borrowing Base
Notice ”):
(A) in
the case of a Scheduled Redetermination (1) if the
Administrative Agent shall have received the Engineering Reports
required to be delivered by the Borrower pursuant to Section
8.12(a) and (c) in a timely and complete manner, then on or
before the March 15th and September 15th of such year
following the date of delivery or (2) if the Administrative
Agent shall not have received the Engineering Reports required to
be delivered by the Borrower pursuant to Section 8.12(a) and
(c) in a timely and complete manner, then promptly after the
Administrative Agent has received complete Engineering Reports from
the Borrower and has had a reasonable opportunity to determine the
Proposed Borrowing Base in accordance with Section 2.07(c)(i);
and
(B) in
the case of an Interim Redetermination, promptly, and in any event,
within fifteen (15) days after the Administrative Agent has
received the required Engineering Reports.
(iii) Any
Proposed Borrowing Base that would increase the Borrowing Base then
in effect must be approved or deemed to have been approved by all
of the Lenders as provided in this Section 2.07(c)(iii); and any
Proposed Borrowing Base that would decrease or maintain the
Borrowing Base then in effect must be approved or be deemed to have
been approved by the Required Lenders as provided in this
Section 2.07(c)(iii). Upon receipt of the Proposed Borrowing
Base Notice, each Lender shall have fifteen (15) days to agree
with the Proposed Borrowing Base or disagree with the Proposed
Borrowing Base by proposing an alternate Borrowing Base. If at the
end of such fifteen (15) days, any Lender has not communicated
its approval or disapproval in writing to the Administrative Agent,
such silence shall be deemed to be an approval of the Proposed
Borrowing Base. If, at the end of such 15-day
26
period, all of
the Lenders, in the case of a Proposed Borrowing Base that would
increase the Borrowing Base then in effect, or the Required
Lenders, in the case of a Proposed Borrowing Base that would
decrease or maintain the Borrowing Base then in effect, have
approved or deemed to have approved, as aforesaid, then the
Proposed Borrowing Base shall become the new Borrowing Base,
effective on the date specified in Section 2.07(d). If,
however, at the end of such 15-day period, all of the Lenders or
the Required Lenders, as applicable, have not approved or deemed to
have approved, as aforesaid, then the Administrative Agent shall
poll the Lenders to ascertain the highest Borrowing Base then
acceptable to a number of Lenders sufficient to constitute the
Required Lenders and, so long as such amount does not increase the
Borrowing Base then in effect, such amount shall become the new
Borrowing Base, effective on the date specified in
Section 2.07(d).
(d)
Effectiveness of a Redetermined Borrowing Base . After a
redetermined Borrowing Base is approved or is deemed to have been
approved by all of the Lenders or the Required Lenders, as
applicable, pursuant to Section 2.07(c)(iii), the
Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders of
the amount of the redetermined Borrowing Base (the “ New
Borrowing Base Notice ”), and such amount shall become
the new Borrowing Base, effective and applicable to the Borrower,
the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank and the
Lenders:
(i) in
the case of a Scheduled Redetermination, (A) if the
Administrative Agent shall have received the Engineering Reports
required to be delivered by the Borrower pursuant to Section
8.12(a) and (c) in a timely and complete manner, then on the
March 31st or September 30th, as applicable, following
such notice, or (B) if the Administrative Agent shall not have
received the Engineering Reports required to be delivered by the
Parent pursuant to Section 8.12(a) and (c) in a timely
and complete manner, then on the Business Day next succeeding
delivery of such notice; and
(ii) in
the case of an Interim Redetermination, on the Business Day next
succeeding delivery of such notice.
Such amount
shall then become the Borrowing Base until the next Scheduled
Redetermination Date, the next Interim Redetermination Date or the
next adjustment to the Borrowing Base under Section 8.13(c),
Section 8.16 or Section 9.12(d), whichever occurs first.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Scheduled Redetermination or
Interim Redetermination shall become effective until the New
Borrowing Base Notice related thereto is received by the
Borrower.
Section 2.08
Letters of Credit .
(a)
General . Subject to the terms and conditions set forth
herein, the Borrower may request the issuance of dollar denominated
Letters of Credit for its own account or for the account of the
Parent or any of the Subsidiaries, 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; provided
that the Borrower may not request the issuance, amendment, renewal
or extension of Letters of Credit hereunder if a Borrowing Base
Deficiency exists at such time or would exist as a result thereof.
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
27
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 (not less than three (3) Business Days in
advance of the requested date of issuance, amendment, renewal or
extension) a notice:
(i) requesting
the issuance of a Letter of Credit or identifying the Letter of
Credit to be amended, renewed or extended;
(ii) specifying
the date of issuance, amendment, renewal or extension (which shall
be a Business Day);
(iii) specifying
the date on which such Letter of Credit is to expire (which shall
comply with Section 2.08(c));
(iv) specifying
the amount of such Letter of Credit;
(v) specifying
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; and
(vi) specifying
the amount of the then effective Borrowing Base and whether a
Borrowing Base Deficiency exists at such time, the current total
Revolving Credit Exposures (without regard to the requested Letter
of Credit or the requested amendment, renewal or extension of an
outstanding Letter of Credit) and the pro forma total
Revolving Credit Exposures (giving effect to the requested Letter
of Credit or the requested amendment, renewal or extension of an
outstanding Letter of Credit).
Each notice
shall constitute a representation that after giving effect to the
requested issuance, amendment, renewal or extension, as applicable,
(i) the LC Exposure shall not exceed the LC Commitment and
(ii) the total Revolving Credit Exposures shall not exceed the
total Commitments (i.e. the lesser of the Aggregate Maximum Credit
Amounts and the then effective Borrowing Base).
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.
(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.
28
(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 Section 2.08(e), 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
Section 2.08(d) 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,
the existence of a Borrowing Base Deficiency or reduction or
termination of the Commitments, and that each such payment shall be
made without any offset, abatement, withholding or reduction
whatsoever.
(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 shall,
subject to the conditions to Borrowing set forth herein, be deemed
to have requested, and the Borrower does hereby request under such
circumstances, 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 2.05 with
respect to Loans made by such Lender (and Section 2.05 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 Section 2.08(e),
the Administrative Agent shall distribute such payment to the
Issuing Bank or, to the extent that Lenders have made payments
pursuant to this Section 2.08(e) 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
Section 2.08(e) 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.
29
(f)
Obligations Absolute . The Borrower’s obligation to
reimburse LC Disbursements as provided in Section 2.08(e)
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, any Letter of Credit Agreement 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 any Letter of Credit Agreement, 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 2.08(f), 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 willful 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 all requisite
care in each such determination. In furtherance of the foregoing
and without limiting the generality thereof, the parties agree
that, with 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 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, until the Borrower shall have reimbursed the
Issuing Bank for such LC Disbursement (either with its own funds or
a Borrowing under Section 2.08(e)), the unpaid amount thereof
shall bear interest, for each day from and including the date such
LC Disbursement is made to
30
but excluding
the date that the Borrower reimburses such LC Disbursement, at the
rate per annum then applicable to ABR Loans. Interest accrued
pursuant to this Section 2.08(h) 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 Section 2.08(e) 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 3.05(a). 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 the Issuing Bank hereunder, the replaced Issuing Bank shall
remain a party hereto and shall continue to have all the rights and
obligations of the 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 (i) any Event of Default
shall occur and be continuing and the Borrower receives notice from
the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders demanding the
deposit of cash collateral pursuant to this Section 2.08(j),
or (ii) the Borrower is required to pay to the Administrative
Agent the excess attributable to an LC Exposure in connection with
any prepayment pursuant to Section 3.04(c), then 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, in the case of an Event of
Default, the LC Exposure, and in the case of a payment required by
Section 3.04(c), the amount of such excess as provided in
Section 3.04(c), 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 or any Subsidiary described in
Section 10.01(h) or Section 10.01(i). The Borrower hereby
grants to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Issuing
Bank and the Lenders, an exclusive first priority and continuing
perfected security interest in and Lien on such account and all
cash, checks, drafts, certificates and instruments, if any, from
time to time deposited or held in such account, all deposits or
wire transfers made thereto, any and all investments purchased with
funds deposited in such account, all interest, dividends, cash,
instruments, financial assets and other Property from time to time
received, receivable or otherwise payable in respect of, or in
exchange for, any or all of the foregoing, and all proceeds,
products, accessions, rents, profits, income and benefits
therefrom, and any substitutions and replacements therefor. The
Borrower’s obligation to deposit amounts pursuant to this
Section 2.08(j) shall be absolute and unconditional, without
regard to whether any beneficiary of any such Letter of Credit has
attempted to draw down all or a portion of such amount under the
terms of a Letter of Credit, and, to the fullest extent permitted
by applicable law, shall not be subject to any defense or be
affected by a right of set-off, counterclaim or recoupment which
the Parent or any of its
31
Subsidiaries
may now or hereafter have against any such beneficiary, the Issuing
Bank, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders or any other Person for
any reason whatsoever. Such deposit shall be held as collateral
securing the payment and performance of the Borrower’s and
the Guarantor’s obligations under this Agreement and the
other Loan Documents. 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 in the items
described in Section 9.05(c), (d), (e) and (f) and
at the Borrower’s direction, 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, be applied to satisfy other obligations of the
Borrower and the Guarantors under this Agreement or the other Loan
Documents. If the Borrower is required to provide an amount of cash
collateral hereunder as a result of the occurrence of an Event of
Default, and the Borrower is not otherwise required to pay to the
Administrative Agent the excess attributable to an LC Exposure in
connection with any prepayment pursuant to Section 3.04(c),
then 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.
ARTICLE III
Payments of Principal and Interest; Prepayments;
Fees
Section 3.01
Repayment of Loans . 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
Termination Date.
(a)
ABR Loans . The Loans comprising each ABR Borrowing shall
bear interest at the Alternate Base Rate plus the Applicable
Margin, but in no event to exceed the Highest Lawful
Rate.
(b)
Eurodollar Loans . 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
Margin, but in no event to exceed the Highest Lawful
Rate.
(c)
Post-Default Rate . Notwithstanding the foregoing, if an
Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, or if any
principal of or interest on any Loan or any fee or other amount
payable by the Borrower or any Guarantor hereunder or under any
other Loan Document is not paid when due, whether at stated
maturity, upon acceleration or otherwise, and including any
payments in respect of a Borrowing Base Deficiency under
Section 3.04(c), then all Loans outstanding, in the case of an
Event of Default, and such overdue amount, in the case of a failure
to pay amounts when due, shall bear interest, after as well as
before judgment, at a rate per annum equal to two percent (2%) plus
the rate applicable to ABR Loans as provided in
Section 3.02(a), but in no event to exceed the Highest Lawful
Rate.
32
(d)
Interest Payment Dates . Accrued interest on each Loan shall
be payable in arrears on each Interest Payment Date for such Loan
and on the Termination Date; provided that (i) interest
accrued pursuant to Section 3.02(c) shall be payable on
demand, (ii) in the event of any repayment or prepayment of
any Loan (other than an optional prepayment of an ABR Loan prior to
the Termination Date), 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)
Interest Rate Computations . All interest hereunder shall be
computed on the basis of a year of 360 days, unless such
computation would exceed the Highest Lawful Rate, in which case
interest shall be computed on the basis of a year of 365 days
(or 366 days in a leap year), 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, and be
binding upon the parties hereto.
Section 3.03
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 or the
LIBO Rate for such Interest Period; or
(b) the
Administrative Agent is advised by the Required Lenders that the
Adjusted LIBO Rate or LIBO Rate, as applicable, 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 3.04
Prepayments .
(a)
Optional Prepayments . 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
Section 3.04(b).
(b)
Notice and Terms of Optional Prepayment . 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 12:00 noon,
New York City
33
time, three
Business Days before the date of prepayment, or (ii) in the
case of prepayment of an ABR Borrowing, not later than 12:00 noon,
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. 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 3.02 and any amounts due under
Section 5.02.
(c)
Mandatory Prepayments .
(i) If,
after giving effect to any termination or reduction of the
Aggregate Maximum Credit Amounts pursuant to Section 2.06(b),
the total Revolving Credit Exposures exceeds the total Commitments,
then the Borrower shall (A) prepay the Borrowings on the date
of such termination or reduction in an aggregate principal amount
equal to such excess, and (B) if any excess remains after
prepaying all of the Borrowings as a result of an LC Exposure, 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 2.08(j).
(ii) Upon
any redetermination of or adjustment to the amount of the Borrowing
Base in accordance with Section 2.07 or Section 8.13(c),
if the total Revolving Credit Exposures exceeds the redetermined or
adjusted Borrowing Base, then the Borrower shall (A) prepay
the Borrowings in an aggregate principal amount equal to such
excess, and (B) if any excess remains after prepaying all of
the Borrowings as a result of an LC Exposure, 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
2.08(j). The Borrower shall be obligated to make such prepayment
and/or deposit of cash collateral within forty-five (45) days
following its receipt of the New Borrowing Base Notice in
accordance with Section 2.07(d) or the date the adjustment
occurs; provided that all payments required to be made
pursuant to this Section 3.04(c)(ii) must be made on or prior
to the Termination Date.
(iii) Upon
any adjustments to the Borrowing Base pursuant to
Section 9.12(d), if the total Revolving Credit Exposures
exceeds the Borrowing Base as adjusted, then the Borrower shall (A)
prepay the Borrowings in an aggregate principal amount equal to
such excess, and (B) if any excess remains after prepaying all
of the Borrowings as a result of an LC Exposure, 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 2.08(j). The Borrower shall be obligated to make such
prepayment and/or deposit of cash collateral on the date the Parent
or any Subsidiary receives cash proceeds as a result of such
disposition; provided that all payments required to be made
pursuant to this Section 3.04(c)(iii) must be made on or prior
to the Termination Date.
(iv) Each
prepayment of Borrowings pursuant to this Section 3.04(c)
shall be applied, first, ratably to any ABR Borrowings then
outstanding, and, second, to any Eurodollar Borrowings then
outstanding, and if more than one Eurodollar Borrowing is
then
34
outstanding, to
each such Eurodollar Borrowing in order of priority beginning with
the Eurodollar Borrowing with the least number of days remaining in
the Interest Period applicable thereto and ending with the
Eurodollar Borrowing with the most number of days remaining in the
Interest Period applicable thereto.
(v) Each
prepayment of Borrowings pursuant to this Section 3.04(c)
shall be applied ratably to the Loans included in the prepaid
Borrowings. Prepayments pursuant to this Section 3.04(c) shall
be accompanied by accrued interest to the extent required by
Section 3.02.
(d)
No Premium or Penalty . Prepayments permitted or required
under this Section 3.04 shall be without premium or penalty,
except as required under Section 5.02.
(a)
Commitment Fees . The Borrower agrees to pay to the
Administrative Agent for the account of each Lender a commitment
fee, which shall accrue at the applicable Commitment Fee Rate on
the average daily amount of the unused amount of the Commitment of
such Lender during the period from and including the date of this
Agreement to but excluding the Termination Date. Accrued commitment
fees shall be payable in arrears on the last day of March, June,
September and December of each year and on the Termination Date,
commencing on the first such date to occur after the date hereof.
All commitment fees shall be computed on the basis of a year of
360 days, unless such computation would exceed the Highest
Lawful Rate, in which case interest shall be computed on the basis
of a year of 365 days (or 366 days in a leap year), and
shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed (including
the first day but excluding the last day).
(b)
Letter of Credit Fees . 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 Margin 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 date of this Agreement 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, (ii) to the Issuing Bank a fronting fee,
which shall accrue at the rate of 0.250% 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 date of this Agreement 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; provided that in
no event shall such fee be less than $500 during any quarter, and
(iii) to the Issuing Bank, for its own account, its 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 date of this
Agreement; provided that all such fees shall be payable on
the Termination Date and any such fees accruing after the
Termination Date shall be payable on demand. Any other fees payable
to the Issuing Bank
35
pursuant to
this Section 3.05(a) 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, unless such
computation would exceed the Highest Lawful Rate, in which case
interest shall be computed on the basis of a year of 365 days
(or 366 days in a leap year), and shall be payable for the
actual number of days elapsed (including the first day but
excluding the last day).
(c)
Administrative Agent Fees . 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)
Borrowing Base Increase Fees . The Borrower agrees to pay to
the Administrative Agent, for the account of each Lender then party
to this Agreement, ratably in accordance with its Applicable
Percentage, a Borrowing Base increase fee, to be agreed by the
Lenders and the Borrower, on the amount of any increase of the
Borrowing Base over the highest Borrowing Base previously in
effect, payable on the effective date of any such increase to the
Borrowing Base.
(e)
Defaulting Lender Fees . The Borrower shall not be obligated
to pay the Administrative Agent any Defaulting Lender’s
ratable share of the fees described in Section 3.05(a) and
(b) for the period commencing on the day such Defaulting
Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender and continuing for so long as
such Lender continues to be a Defaulting Lender.
ARTICLE IV
Payments; Pro Rata Treatment; Sharing of Set-offs
Section 4.01
Payments Generally; Pro Rata Treatment; Sharing of Set-offs
.
(a)
Payments by the Borrower . 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 5.01, Section 5.02,
Section 5.03 or otherwise) prior to 12:00 noon, New York City
time, on the date when due, in immediately available funds, without
defense, deduction, recoupment, set-off or counterclaim. Fees, once
paid, shall be fully earned and shall not be refundable under any
circumstances. 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 specified in
Section 12.01, except payments to be made directly to the
Issuing Bank as expressly provided herein and except that payments
pursuant to Section 5.01, Section 5.02, Section 5.03
and Section 12.03 shall be made directly to the Persons
entitled thereto. The Ad
|