LINN ENERGY FINANCE CORP.
THE GUARANTORS NAMED ON THE
SIGNATURE PAGE HEREOF
11 3 / 4
% SENIOR NOTES DUE 2017
U.S. BANK NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION,
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Trust
Indenture
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Indenture
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Act
Section
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Section
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7.10
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7.10
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N/A
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N/A
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7.10
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7.10
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N/A
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7.11
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7.11
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N/A
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2.05
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11.03
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11.03
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7.06
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7.06
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7.06, 7.07
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7.06, 11.02
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7.06
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4.03, 4.04, 11.02
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N/A
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11.04
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11.04
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N/A
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N/A
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11.05
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N/A
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7.01
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7.05, 11.02
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7.01
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7.01
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6.11
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2.08
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6.05
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6.04
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N/A
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6.07
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9.04
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6.08
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6.09
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2.04
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11.01
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N/A
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11.01
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N/A
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means not
applicable.
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*
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This
Cross-Reference Table is not part of the Indenture.
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i
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ARTICLE 1 DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION BY
REFERENCE
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1
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1
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Section 1.02 Other Definitions
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32
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Section 1.03 Incorporation by Reference of
Trust Indenture Act
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33
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Section 1.04 Rules of
Construction.
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33
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33
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Section 2.01 Form and Dating
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33
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Section 2.02 Execution and
Authentication
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34
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Section 2.03 Registrar and Paying
Agent
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34
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Section 2.04 Paying Agent to Hold Money in
Trust
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35
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Section 2.05 Noteholder Lists
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35
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Section 2.06 Transfer and
Exchange
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35
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Section 2.07 Replacement Notes
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35
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Section 2.08 Outstanding Notes
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36
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Section 2.09 Temporary Notes
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36
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Section 2.10 Cancellation
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36
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Section 2.11 Defaulted Interest
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37
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Section 2.12 CUSIP Numbers
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37
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Section 2.13 Issuance of Additional
Notes
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37
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Section 2.14 Persons Deemed
Owners
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38
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ARTICLE 3 REDEMPTION AND PREPAYMENT
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38
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Section 3.01 Notices to Trustee
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38
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Section 3.02 Selection of Notes to Be
Redeemed
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38
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Section 3.03 Notice of
Redemption
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39
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Section 3.04 Effect of Notice of
Redemption
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40
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Section 3.05 Deposit of Redemption
Price
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40
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Section 3.06 Notes Redeemed in
Part
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40
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Section 3.07 Optional Redemption
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41
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Section 3.08 Mandatory
Redemption
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42
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Section 3.09 Offer to Purchase by
Application of Excess Proceeds
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42
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43
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Section 4.01 Payment of Notes
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43
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Section 4.02 Maintenance of Office or
Agency
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44
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44
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Section 4.04 Compliance
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45
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46
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Section 4.06 Stay, Extension and Usury
Laws
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46
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Section 4.07 Limitation on Restricted
Payments
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46
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Section 4.08 Limitation on Dividend and
Other Payment Restrictions Affecting Subsidiaries
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50
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ii
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Section 4.09 Limitation on Incurrence of
Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock
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53
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Section 4.10 Limitation on Asset
Sales
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56
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Section 4.11 Limitation on Transactions
with Affiliates
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58
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Section 4.12 Limitation on Liens
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60
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Section 4.13 Additional Subsidiary
Guarantees
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60
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60
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Section 4.15 Offer to Repurchase Upon
Change of Control
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61
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Section 4.16 No Partial
Inducements
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63
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Section 4.17 Limitations on Finance Corp.
Activities
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63
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Section 4.18 Designation of Restricted and
Unrestricted Subsidiaries
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64
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64
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Section 5.01 Merger, Consolidation, or Sale
of Assets
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64
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Section 5.02 Successor
Substituted
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66
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ARTICLE 6 DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES
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67
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Section 6.01 Events of Default
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67
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Section 6.02 Acceleration
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69
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Section 6.03 Other Remedies
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69
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Section 6.04 Waiver of Past
Defaults
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70
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Section 6.05 Control by Majority
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70
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Section 6.06 Limitation on Suits
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70
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Section 6.07 Rights of Holders of Notes to
Receive Payment
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71
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Section 6.08 Collection Suit by
Trustee
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71
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Section 6.09 Trustee is Authorized to File
Proofs of Claim
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71
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71
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Section 6.11 Undertaking for
Costs
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72
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72
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Section 7.01 Duties of Trustee
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72
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Section 7.02 Rights of Trustee
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73
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Section 7.03 Individual Rights of
Trustee
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75
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Section 7.04 Trustee’s
Disclaimer
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75
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Section 7.05 Notice of Defaults
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75
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Section 7.06 Reports by Trustee to Holders
of the Notes
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75
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Section 7.07 Compensation and
Indemnity
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76
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Section 7.08 Replacement of
Trustee
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77
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Section 7.09 Successor Trustee by Merger,
etc
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78
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Section 7.10 Eligibility;
Disqualification
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78
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Section 7.11 Preferential Collection of
Claims Against Issuers
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78
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ARTICLE 8 LEGAL DEFEASANCE AND COVENANT
DEFEASANCE
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78
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Section 8.01 Option to Effect Legal
Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance
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78
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Section 8.02 Legal Defeasance and
Discharge
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78
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Section 8.03 Covenant Defeasance
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79
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Section 8.04 Conditions to Legal or
Covenant Defeasance
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80
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iii
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Section 8.05 Deposited Money and Government
Securities to be Held in Trust; Other Miscellaneous
Provisions
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81
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Section 8.06 Repayment to
Issuers
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81
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Section 8.07 Reinstatement
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82
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82
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ARTICLE 9 AMENDMENT, SUPPLEMENT AND
WAIVER
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83
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Section 9.01 Without Consent of Holders of
Notes
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83
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Section 9.02 With Consent of Holders of
Notes
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84
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Section 9.03 Compliance with Trust
Indenture Act
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86
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Section 9.04 Revocation and Effect of
Consents
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86
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Section 9.05 Notation on or Exchange of
Notes
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86
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Section 9.06 Trustee to Sign Amendments,
etc
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87
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Section 9.07 Acts of Holders
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87
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ARTICLE 10 GUARANTEES OF NOTES
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88
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Section 10.01 Subsidiary
Guarantees
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88
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Section 10.02 Guarantors May Consolidate,
etc., on Certain Terms
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89
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Section 10.03 Releases of Subsidiary
Guarantees
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89
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Section 10.04 Limitation on Guarantor
Liability
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90
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Section 10.05 “Trustee” to
Include Paying Agent
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90
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91
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Section 11.01 Trust Indenture Act
Controls
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91
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91
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Section 11.03 Communication by Holders of
Notes with Other Holders of Notes
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92
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Section 11.04 Certificate and Opinion as to
Conditions Precedent
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92
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Section 11.05 Statements Required in
Certificate or Opinion
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93
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Section 11.06 Rules by Trustee and
Agents
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94
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Section 11.07 No Personal Liability of
Directors, Officers, Employees and Unitholders
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94
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Section 11.08 Governing Law
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94
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Section 11.09 No Adverse Interpretation of
Other Agreements
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94
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94
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Section 11.11 Severability
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94
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Section 11.12 Table of Contents, Headings,
etc
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94
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Section 11.13 Counterparts
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95
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Section 11.14 Benefits of
Indenture
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95
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Section 11.15 Language of Notices,
Etc
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95
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iv
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RULE
144A/REGULATION S APPENDIX
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App. -
1
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EXHIBIT 1 Form
of Initial Note
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EXHIBIT 2 Form
of Exchange Note or Private Exchange Note
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ANNEX A Form of
Supplemental Indenture
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A -
1
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ANNEX B Form of
Registration Rights Agreement
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B -
1
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v
This INDENTURE,
dated as of May 18, 2009 is among LINN ENERGY, LLC, a Delaware
limited liability company (the “Company”), LINN ENERGY
FINANCE CORP., a Delaware corporation (“Finance Corp.”
and, together with the Company, the “Issuers”), the
guarantors listed on the signature page hereof (each, a
“Guarantor” and, collectively, the
“Guarantors”) and U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, a
national banking association, as trustee (the
“Trustee”).
The Issuers, the
Guarantors and the Trustee agree as follows for the benefit of each
other and for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders of the
Issuers’ Initial Notes, Exchange Notes, Private Exchange
Notes and Additional Notes:
ARTICLE 1
DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION
BY REFERENCE
Section 1.01 Definitions
.
“
Additional Assets ” means:
(1) any assets
used or useful in the Oil and Gas Business, other than Indebtedness
or Capital Stock;
(2) the Capital
Stock of a Person that becomes a Restricted Subsidiary as a result
of the acquisition of such Capital Stock by the Company or any of
its Restricted Subsidiaries; or
(3) Capital Stock
constituting a minority interest in any Person that at such time is
a Restricted Subsidiary;
provided,
however, that any such Restricted Subsidiary described in clause
(2) or (3) is primarily engaged in the Oil and Gas
Business.
“
Additional Interest ” means all Additional Interest
then owing pursuant to Section 5 of the Registration Rights
Agreement referred to in clause (1) of the definition of
“Registration Rights Agreement” in the Appendix. Unless
the context indicates otherwise, all references to
“interest” in this Indenture or the Notes shall be
deemed to include any Additional Interest.
“
Additional Notes ” means, subject to the
Company’s compliance with Section 4.09 ,
11 3
/ 4 % Senior
Notes due 2017 issued from time to time after the Initial Issuance
Date under the terms of this Indenture (other than pursuant to
Section 2.06 , 2.07 , 2.09 , 3.06
, 4.10 , 4.15 or 9.05 of this Indenture or
Sections 2.3 or 2.4 of the Appendix and other than Exchange
Notes or Private Exchange Notes issued pursuant to an exchange
offer for Initial Notes outstanding under this
Indenture).
“
Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets ” of a
specified Person means (without duplication), as of the date of
determination:
(a) discounted
future net revenue from proved crude oil and natural gas reserves
of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries calculated in
accordance with SEC guidelines before any state or federal or other
income taxes, as estimated by the Company in a reserve report
prepared as of the end of the fiscal year of such Person for which
audited financial statements are available, as increased by, as of
the date of determination, the estimated discounted future net
revenue from:
(i) estimated
proved crude oil and natural gas reserves of such Person and its
Restricted Subsidiaries attributable to acquisitions consummated
since the date of such reserve report, which reserves were not
reflected in such reserve report, and
(ii) estimated
crude oil and natural gas reserves of such Person and its
Restricted Subsidiaries attributable to extensions, discoveries and
other additions and upward revisions of estimates of proved crude
oil and natural gas reserves (including previously estimated
development costs incurred during the period and the accretion of
discount since the prior period end) due to exploration,
development or exploitation, production or other activities which
would, in accordance with standard industry practice, cause such
revisions, in the case of clauses (i) and (ii) calculated
in accordance with SEC guidelines (utilizing the prices for the
fiscal quarter ending prior to the date of
determination),
and decreased
by, as of the date of determination, the estimated discounted
future net revenue attributable to:
(A) estimated
proved crude oil and natural gas reserves of such Person and its
Restricted Subsidiaries reflected in such reserve report produced
or disposed of since the date of such reserve report,
and
(B) reductions in
the estimated crude oil and natural gas reserves of such Person and
its Restricted Subsidiaries reflected in such reserve report since
the date of such reserve report due to changes in geological
conditions or other factors which would, in accordance with
standard industry practice, cause such revisions, in the case of
clauses (A) and (B) calculated in accordance with SEC
guidelines (utilizing the prices for the fiscal quarter ending
prior to the date of determination);
provided,
however, that, in the case of each of the determinations made
pursuant to clauses (i), (ii), (A) and (B) above, such
increases and decreases shall be estimated by the Company’s
petroleum engineers;
(b) the
capitalized costs that are attributable to crude oil and natural
gas properties of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries to
which no proved crude oil and natural gas reserves are
attributable, based on such Person’s books
2
and records as
of a date no earlier than the date of such Person’s latest
available annual or quarterly financial statements;
(c) the Net
Working Capital of such Person as of a date no earlier than the
date of such Person’s latest available annual or quarterly
financial statements; and
(i) the net book
value of other tangible assets of such Person and its Restricted
Subsidiaries as of a date no earlier than the date of such
Person’s latest available annual or quarterly financial
statements, and
(ii) the appraised
value, as estimated by independent appraisers, of other tangible
assets of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries as of a date
no earlier than the date of such Person’s latest available
annual or quarterly financial statements (provided that such Person
shall not be required to obtain such an appraisal of such assets if
no such appraisal has been performed);
(b) to the extent
not otherwise taken into account in determining Adjusted
Consolidated Net Tangible Assets, any net natural gas balancing
liabilities of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries
reflected in such Person’s latest audited financial
statements;
(c) to the extent
included in clause (1)(a) above, the discounted future net revenue,
calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines (utilizing the prices
utilized in such Person’s year end reserve report),
attributable to reserves subject to participation interests,
overriding royalty interests or other interests of third parties,
pursuant to participation, partnership, vendor financing or other
agreements then in effect, or which otherwise are required to be
delivered to third parties;
(d) to the extent
included in clause (1)(a) above, the discounted future net revenue
calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines (utilizing the prices
utilized in such Person’s year end reserve report),
attributable to reserves that are required to be delivered to third
parties to fully satisfy the obligations of such Person and its
Restricted Subsidiaries with respect to Volumetric Production
Payments on the schedules specified with respect thereto;
and
(e) the discounted
future net revenue, calculated in accordance with SEC guidelines,
attributable to reserves subject to Dollar-Denominated
3
Production
Payments that, based on the estimates of production and price
assumptions included in determining the discounted future net
revenue specified in clause (1)(a) above, would be necessary to
satisfy fully the obligations of such Person and its Restricted
Subsidiaries with respect to Dollar-Denominated Production Payments
on the schedules specified with respect thereto.
If the Company
changes its method of accounting from the full cost method to the
successful efforts method or a similar method of accounting,
“Adjusted Consolidated Net Tangible Assets” of the
Company will continue to be calculated as if the Company were still
using the full cost method of accounting.
“
Affiliate ” of any specified Person means any other
Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under
direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For
purposes of this definition, “control,” as used with
respect to any Person, means the possession, directly or
indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the
management or policies of such Person, whether through the
ownership of voting securities, by agreement or otherwise. For
purposes of this definition, the terms “controlling,”
“controlled by” and “under common control
with” have correlative meanings.
“
Agent ” means any Registrar or Paying
Agent.
“
Applicable Law ,” except as the context may otherwise
require, means all applicable laws, rules, regulations, ordinances,
judgments, decrees, injunctions, writs and orders of any court or
governmental or congressional agency or authority and rules,
regulations, orders, licenses and permits of any United States
federal, state, municipal, regional, or other governmental body,
instrumentality, agency or authority.
“
Applicable Procedures ” of a Depository means, with
respect to any matter at any time, the policies and procedures of
such Depository, if any, that are applicable to such matter at such
time.
(1) the sale,
lease, conveyance or other disposition of any properties or assets
(including by way of a Production Payment or a sale and leaseback
transaction or mergers, consolidations or otherwise); provided,
however, that the disposition of all or substantially all of the
properties or assets of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries
taken as a whole will not be an “Asset Sale,” but will
be governed by the provisions of Section 4.15 and/or
the provisions of Section 5.01 and not by the
provisions of Section 4.10 ; and
(2) the issuance
of Equity Interests in any of the Company’s Restricted
Subsidiaries or the sale of Equity Interests in any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries.
Notwithstanding
the preceding, the following items will not be deemed to be Asset
Sales:
(1) any single
transaction or series of related transactions that involves
properties or assets having a fair market value of less than
$10.0 million;
4
(2) a disposition
of assets between or among any of the Company and its Restricted
Subsidiaries,
(3) an issuance or
sale of Equity Interests by a Restricted Subsidiary to the Company
or to another Restricted Subsidiary;
(4) any
disposition of equipment, inventory, products, accounts receivable
or other properties or assets in the ordinary course of
business;
(5) the
disposition of cash or Cash Equivalents, Hedging Contracts or other
financial instruments in the ordinary course of
business;
(6) a Restricted
Payment that is permitted by Section 4.07 or a
Permitted Investment;
(7) the farm-out,
lease or sublease of developed or undeveloped crude oil or natural
gas properties owned or held by the Company or any Restricted
Subsidiary in the ordinary course of business or in exchange for
crude oil and natural gas properties owned or held by another
Person;
(8) any trade or
exchange by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of oil and gas
properties or other properties or assets for oil and gas properties
or other properties or assets owned or held by another Person,
provided that the fair market value of the properties or assets
traded or exchanged by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary
(together with any cash) is reasonably equivalent to the fair
market value of the properties or assets (together with any cash)
to be received by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, and
provided further that any cash received must be applied in
accordance with the provisions of Section 4.10
;
(9) the creation
or perfection of a Lien (but not, except to the extent contemplated
in clause (10) below, the sale or other disposition of the
properties or assets subject to such Lien);
(10) the creation
or perfection of a Permitted Lien and the exercise by any Person in
whose favor a Permitted Lien is granted of any of its rights in
respect of that Permitted Lien;
(11) a surrender
or waiver of contract rights or the settlement, release or
surrender of contract, tort or other claims of any kind;
(12) the grant in
the ordinary course of business of any non-exclusive license or
sublicense of patents, trademarks, registrations therefor and other
similar intellectual property, including without limitation
licenses of seismic data; and
(13) the
disposition of oil and natural gas properties in connection with
tax credit transactions complying with Section 29 of the
Internal Revenue Code or any successor or analogous provisions of
the Internal Revenue Code.
5
“
Attributable Debt ” in respect of a sale and leaseback
transaction means, at the time of determination, the present value
of the obligation of the lessee for net rental payments during the
remaining term of the lease included in such sale and leaseback
transaction including any period for which such lease has been
extended or may, at the option of the lessor, be extended. Such
present value shall be calculated using a discount rate equal to
the rate of interest implicit in such transaction, determined in
accordance with GAAP. As used in the preceding sentence, the
“net rental payments” under any lease for any period
shall mean the sum of rental and other payments required to be paid
with respect to such period by the lessee thereunder, excluding any
amounts required to be paid by such lessee on account of
maintenance and repairs, insurance, taxes, assessments, water rates
or similar charges. In the case of any lease that is terminable by
the lessee upon payment of penalty, such net rental payment shall
also include the amount of such penalty, but no rent shall be
considered as required to be paid under such lease subsequent to
the first date upon which it may be so terminated.
“
Available Cash ” has the meaning assigned to such term
in the LLC Agreement, as in effect on the date of this
Indenture.
“
Bankruptcy Law ” means Title 11, United States Code,
as may be amended from time to time, or any similar federal or
state law for the relief of debtors.
“
Beneficial Owner ” has the meaning assigned to such
term in Rule 13d-3 and Rule 13d-5 under the Exchange Act,
except that in calculating the beneficial ownership of any
particular “person” (as that term is used in
Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), such
“person” will be deemed to have beneficial ownership of
all securities that such “person” has the right to
acquire by conversion or exercise of other securities, whether such
right is currently exercisable or is exercisable only upon the
occurrence of a subsequent condition. The terms “Beneficially
Owns” and “Beneficially Owned” have correlative
meanings.
“ Board
of Directors ” means:
(1) with respect
to Finance Corp., the board of directors of Finance
Corp.;
(2) with respect
to the Company, the Board of Directors of the Company or any
authorized committee thereof; and
(3) with respect
to any other Person, the board or committee of such Person serving
a similar function.
“ Board
Resolution ” means a copy of a resolution certified by
the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the applicable Person to
have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors of such Person and
to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification,
and delivered to the Trustee.
“
Business Day ” means each day that is not a Saturday,
Sunday or other day on which banking institutions in Houston, Texas
or in New York, New York or another place of payment are authorized
or required by law to close.
6
“ Capital
Lease Obligation ” means, at the time any determination
is to be made, the amount of the liability in respect of a capital
lease that would at that time be required to be capitalized on a
balance sheet in accordance with GAAP, and the Stated Maturity
thereof shall be the date of the last payment of rent or any other
amount due under such lease prior to the first date upon which such
lease may be prepaid by the lessee without payment of a
penalty.
(1) in the case of
a corporation, corporate stock;
(2) in the case of
an association or business entity, any and all shares, interests,
participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated) of
corporate stock;
(3) in the case of
a partnership or limited liability company, partnership interests
(whether general or limited) or membership interests;
and
(4) any other
interest or participation that confers on a Person the right to
receive a share of the profits and losses of, or distributions of
assets of, the issuing Person,
but excluding
from all of the foregoing any debt securities convertible into
Capital Stock, regardless of whether such debt securities include
any right of participation with Capital Stock.
“ Cash
Equivalents ” means:
(1) United States
dollars;
(2) securities
issued or directly and fully guaranteed or insured by the United
States government or any agency or instrumentality of the United
States government (provided that the full faith and credit of the
United States is pledged in support of those securities) having
maturities of not more than one year from the date of
acquisition;
(3) marketable
general obligations issued by any state of the United States of
America or any political subdivision of any such state or any
public instrumentality thereof maturing within one year from the
date of acquisition thereof and, at the time of acquisition
thereof, having a credit rating of “A” or better from
either S&P or Moody’s;
(4) certificates
of deposit, demand deposits and eurodollar time deposits with
maturities of one year or less from the date of acquisition,
bankers’ acceptances with maturities not exceeding one year
and overnight bank deposits, in each case, with any domestic
commercial bank having capital and surplus in excess of
$500.0 million and a Thomson Bank Watch Rating of
“B” or better;
(5) repurchase
obligations with a term of not more than seven days for underlying
securities of the types described in clauses (2), (3) and
(4) above entered into with any financial institution meeting
the qualifications specified in clause (4) above;
7
(6) commercial
paper having the highest rating obtainable from Moody’s or
S&P and, in each case, maturing within six months after the
date of acquisition; and
(7) money market
funds at least 95% of the assets of which constitute Cash
Equivalents of the kinds described in clauses (1) through
(6) of this definition.
“
Change of Control ” means the occurrence of any of the
following:
(1) the direct or
indirect sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition
(other than by way of merger or consolidation), in one or a series
of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the
properties or assets (including Capital Stock of the Restricted
Subsidiaries) of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken
as a whole, to any “person” (as that term is used in
Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act);
(2) the adoption
by the unitholders of the Company of a plan relating to the
liquidation or dissolution of the Company;
(3) the
consummation of any transaction (including, without limitation, any
merger or consolidation) the result of which is that any
“person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of
the Exchange Act) becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or
indirectly, of more than 50% of the Voting Stock of the Company,
measured by voting power rather than number of shares, units or the
like; or
(4) the first day
on which a majority of the members of the Board of Directors of the
Company are not Continuing Directors.
Notwithstanding
the preceding, a conversion of the Company or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries from a limited liability company, corporation, limited
partnership or other form of entity to a limited liability company,
corporation, limited partnership or other form of entity or an
exchange of all of the outstanding Equity Interests in one form of
entity for Equity Interests in another form of entity shall not
constitute a Change of Control, so long as following such
conversion or exchange the “persons” (as that term is
used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) who Beneficially
Owned the Capital Stock of the Company immediately prior to such
transactions continue to Beneficially Own in the aggregate more
than 50% of the Voting Stock of such entity, or continue to
Beneficially Own sufficient Equity Interests in such entity to
elect a majority of its directors, managers, trustees or other
persons serving in a similar capacity for such entity, and, in
either case no “person” Beneficially Owns more than 50%
of the Voting Stock of such entity.
“
Clearstream ” means Clearstream Banking, S.A., or any
successor securities clearing agency.
“
Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended from time to time, and any successor statute.
“
Consolidated Cash Flow ” means, with respect to any
specified Person for any period, the Consolidated Net Income of
such Person for such period plus, without duplication:
8
(1) an amount
equal to any net loss realized by such Person or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with an Asset Sale, to the
extent such losses were deducted in computing such Consolidated Net
Income; plus
(2) provision for
taxes based on income or profits of such Person and its Restricted
Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent that such provision for
taxes was deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income;
plus
(3) the Fixed
Charges of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such
period, to the extent that such Fixed Charges were deducted in
computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus
(4) depreciation,
depletion, amortization (including amortization of intangibles but
excluding amortization of prepaid cash expenses that were paid in a
prior period), impairment and other non-cash expenses (excluding
any such non-cash expense to the extent that it represents an
accrual of or reserve for cash expenses in any future period or
amortization of a prepaid cash expense that was paid in a prior
period) of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such
period to the extent that such depreciation, depletion,
amortization, impairment and other non-cash expenses were deducted
in computing such Consolidated Net Income; plus
(5) unrealized
non-cash losses resulting from foreign currency balance sheet
adjustments required by GAAP to the extent such losses were
deducted in computing such Consolidated Net Income;
minus
(6) non-cash items
increasing such Consolidated Net Income for such period, other than
items that were accrued in the ordinary course of business; and
minus
(7) to the extent
increasing such Consolidated Net Income for such period, the sum of
(a) the amount of deferred revenues that are amortized during
such period and are attributable to reserves that are subject to
Volumetric Production Payments and (b) amounts recorded in
accordance with GAAP as repayments of principal and interest
pursuant to Dollar-Denominated Production Payments;
in each case,
on a consolidated basis and determined in accordance with
GAAP.
“
Consolidated Net Income ” means, with respect to any
specified Person for any period, the aggregate of the Net Income of
such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, on a
consolidated basis, determined in accordance with GAAP, provided
that:
(1) the Net Income
(but not loss) of any Person that is not a Restricted Subsidiary or
that is accounted for by the equity method of accounting will be
included, but only to the extent of the amount of dividends or
distributions paid in cash to the specified Person or a Restricted
Subsidiary of the Person;
(2) the Net Income
of any Restricted Subsidiary will be excluded to the extent that
the declaration or payment of dividends or similar distributions by
that Restricted Subsidiary of that Net Income is not at the date of
determination permitted without any
9
prior
governmental approval (that has not been obtained) or, directly or
indirectly, by operation of the terms of its charter or any
agreement, instrument, judgment, decree, order, statute, rule or
governmental regulation applicable to that Restricted Subsidiary or
its stockholders, partners or members;
(3) the cumulative
effect of a change in accounting principles will be
excluded;
(4) any gain
(loss) realized upon the sale or other disposition of any
property, plant or equipment of such Person or its consolidated
Restricted Subsidiaries (including pursuant to any sale or
leaseback transaction) which is not sold or otherwise disposed of
in the ordinary course of business and any gain
(loss) realized upon the sale or other disposition of any
Capital Stock of any Person will be excluded;
(5) any asset
impairment writedowns on oil and gas properties under GAAP or SEC
guidelines will be excluded;
(6) unrealized
losses and gains under Hedging Contracts included in the
determination of Consolidated Net Income, including, without
limitation those resulting from the application of Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 133 will be
excluded;
(7) to the extent
deducted in the calculation of Net Income, any non-cash or
nonrecurring charges relating to any premium or penalty paid, write
off of deferred financing costs or other financial recapitalization
charges in connection with redeeming or retiring any Indebtedness
prior to its Stated Maturity will be excluded;
(8) items
classified as extraordinary or nonrecurring gains and losses (less
all fees and expenses related thereto) and the related tax effects,
in each case according to GAAP, will be excluded; and
(9) income
resulting from transfers of assets (other than cash) between such
Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and
an Unrestricted Subsidiary of such Person, on the other hand, will
be excluded.
“
Consolidated Net Worth ” means, with respect to any
specified Person as of any date, the sum of:
(1) the
consolidated equity of the common stockholders of such Person and
its consolidated Subsidiaries as of such date; plus
(2) the respective
amounts reported on such Person’s balance sheet as of such
date with respect to any series of preferred stock (other than
Disqualified Stock) that by its terms is not entitled to the
payment of dividends unless such dividends may be declared and paid
only out of net earnings in respect of the year of such declaration
and payment, but only to the extent of any cash received by such
Person upon issuance of such preferred stock.
10
“
Continuing Directors ” means, as of any date of
determination, any member of the Board of Directors of the Company
who:
(1) was a member
of such Board of Directors on the date of this Indenture;
or
(2) was nominated
for election or elected to such Board of Directors with the
approval of a majority of the Continuing Directors who were members
of such Board at the time of such nomination or
election.
“
Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee ” means the
office of the Trustee in the City of New York at which at any time
its corporate trust business shall be administered, which office at
the date hereof is located at 100 Wall Street, Suite 1600, New
York, New York 10005, Attn: Corporate Trust Department, or such
other address in the City of New York as the Trustee may designate
from time to time by notice to the Holders and the Issuers, or the
principal corporate trust office in the City of New York of any
successor Trustee (or such other address as a successor Trustee may
designate from time to time by notice to the Holders and the
Issuers).
“ Credit
Agreement ” means that certain Fourth Amended and
Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of April 28, 2009, as
amended by the First Amendment to the Fourth Amended and Restated
Credit Agreement effective May 15, 2009, among the Company,
BNP Paribas, as Administrative Agent, and the other lenders party
thereto, including any related notes, guarantees, collateral
documents, instruments and agreements executed in connection
therewith, in each case as amended, restated, modified, renewed,
refunded, replaced or refinanced from time to time.
“ Credit
Facilities ” means one or more debt facilities
(including, without limitation, the Credit Agreement), commercial
paper facilities or Debt Issuances, in each case with banks or
other institutional lenders or institutional investors providing
for revolving credit loans, term loans, receivables financing
(including through the sale of receivables to such lenders or to
special purpose entities formed to borrow from such lenders against
such receivables), letters of credit or other borrowings or Debt
Issuances, in each case, as amended, restated, modified, renewed,
refunded, replaced or refinanced (including refinancing with any
capital markets transaction) in whole or in part from time to
time.
“
Custodian ” means any receiver, trustee, assignee,
liquidator, sequestrator or similar official under any Bankruptcy
Law.
“ date of
this Indenture ” means May 18, 2009.
“ Debt
Issuance ” means, with respect to the Company or any of
its Restricted Subsidiaries, one or more issuances after the date
of this Indenture of Indebtedness evidenced by notes, debentures,
bonds or other similar securities or instruments.
“
Default ” means any event that is, or with the passage
of time or the giving of notice or both would be, an Event of
Default.
“
Depository ” has the meaning provided in the
Appendix.
11
“
Disqualified Stock ” means any Capital Stock that, by
its terms (or by the terms of any security into which it is
convertible, or for which it is exchangeable, in each case at the
option of the holder of the Capital Stock), or upon the happening
of any event, matures or is mandatorily redeemable, pursuant to a
sinking fund obligation or otherwise, or redeemable at the option
of the holder of the Capital Stock, in whole or in part, on or
prior to the date that is 91 days after the final stated
maturity date of the Notes. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence,
any Capital Stock that would constitute Disqualified Stock solely
because the holders of the Capital Stock have the right to require
the Company to repurchase or redeem such Capital Stock upon the
occurrence of a change of control or an asset sale will not
constitute Disqualified Stock if the terms of such Capital Stock
provide that the Company may not repurchase or redeem any such
Capital Stock pursuant to such provisions unless such repurchase or
redemption complies with Section 4.07 . The amount (or
principal amount) of Disqualified Stock deemed to be outstanding at
any time for purposes of this Indenture will be the maximum amount
that the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries may become
obligated to pay upon the maturity of, or pursuant to any mandatory
redemption provisions of, such Disqualified Stock, exclusive of
accrued dividends.
“
Dollar-Denominated Production Payments ” means
production payment obligations recorded as liabilities in
accordance with GAAP, together with all undertakings and
obligations in connection therewith.
“
Domestic Subsidiary ” means any Restricted Subsidiary
of the Company that was formed under the laws of the United States
or any state of the United States or the District of
Columbia.
“ Equity
Interests ” means Capital Stock and all warrants, options
or other rights to acquire Capital Stock (but excluding any debt
security that is convertible into, or exchangeable for, Capital
Stock).
“ Equity
Offering ” means any public or private sale of Capital
Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) made for cash on a primary
basis by the Company after the date of this Indenture.
“ Equity
Repurchase ” means the repurchase or other acquisition or
retirement for value of any Equity Interests of the Company
pursuant to any stock repurchase plan of the Company approved by
the Board of Directors of the Company and effected in accordance
with Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, or otherwise in accordance with Applicable Law.
“
Euroclear ” means Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V. or any
successor securities clearing agency.
“
Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended.
“
Exchange Notes ” has the meaning specified in the
Appendix.
“
Existing Immaterial Subsidiaries ” means,
collectively, Linn Western Processing, LLC, Linn Western Operating,
Inc., Mid Atlantic Well Service, Inc., Penn West Storage, LLC,
Marathon 85-II Limited Partnership and Marathon 85-III Limited
Partnership.
12
“
Existing Indebtedness ” means the aggregate principal
amount of Indebtedness of the Company and its Restricted
Subsidiaries (other than Indebtedness under the Credit Agreement
and intercompany Indebtedness, but including the Existing Senior
Notes) in existence on the date of this Indenture, until such
amounts are repaid.
“
Existing Senior Notes ” means the $255,927,000
aggregate principal amount of 9 7 / 8 %
Senior Notes due 2018 issued by the Issuers on June 27,
2008.
“ Fixed
Charge Coverage Ratio ” means with respect to any
specified Person for any four-quarter reference period, the ratio
of the Consolidated Cash Flow of such Person for such period to the
Fixed Charges of such Person for such period. In the event that the
specified Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries incurs,
assumes, guarantees, repays, repurchases, redeems, defeases or
otherwise discharges any Indebtedness (other than ordinary working
capital borrowings) or issues, repurchases or redeems preferred
stock subsequent to the commencement of the applicable four-quarter
reference period and on or prior to the date on which the event for
which the calculation of the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio is made
(the “Calculation Date”), then the Fixed Charge
Coverage Ratio will be calculated giving pro forma effect to such
incurrence, assumption, guarantee, repayment, repurchase,
redemption, defeasance or other discharge of Indebtedness, or such
issuance, repurchase or redemption of preferred stock, and the use
of the proceeds therefrom, as if the same had occurred at the
beginning of the applicable four-quarter reference
period.
In addition, for
purposes of calculating the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio:
(1) acquisitions
that have been made by the specified Person or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries, including through mergers, consolidations
or otherwise (including acquisitions of assets used or useful in
the Oil and Gas Business), or any Person or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries acquired by the specified Person or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries, and including in each case any related
financing transactions and increases in ownership of Restricted
Subsidiaries, during the applicable four-quarter reference period
or subsequent to such reference period and on or prior to the
Calculation Date, will be given pro forma effect as if they had
occurred on the first day of the four-quarter reference period, and
the Consolidated Cash Flow for such reference period will be
calculated giving pro forma effect to any expense and cost
reductions that have occurred or are reasonably expected to occur,
in the reasonable judgment of the chief financial or accounting
officer of the Company (regardless of whether those cost savings or
operating improvements could then be reflected in pro forma
financial statements in accordance with Regulation S-X
promulgated under the Securities Act or any other regulation or
policy of the SEC related thereto);
(2) the
Consolidated Cash Flow attributable to discontinued operations, as
determined in accordance with GAAP, and operations or businesses
(and ownership interests therein) disposed of prior to the
Calculation Date, will be excluded;
(3) the Fixed
Charges attributable to discontinued operations, as determined in
accordance with GAAP, and operations or businesses (and ownership
interests therein) disposed of prior to the Calculation Date, will
be excluded, but only to the extent that the
13
obligations
giving rise to such Fixed Charges will not be obligations of the
specified Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries following
the Calculation Date;
(4) any Person
that is a Restricted Subsidiary of the specified Person on the
Calculation Date will be deemed to have been a Restricted
Subsidiary of the specified Person at all times during such
four-quarter period;
(5) any Person
that is not a Restricted Subsidiary of the specified Person on the
Calculation Date will be deemed not to have been a Restricted
Subsidiary of the specified Person at any time during such
four-quarter period; and
(6) if any
Indebtedness bears a floating rate of interest, the interest
expense on such Indebtedness will be calculated as if the rate in
effect on the Calculation Date had been the applicable rate for the
entire period (taking into account any obligations arising under
any Hedging Contract applicable to such Indebtedness if such
Hedging Contract has a remaining term as at the Calculation Date in
excess of 12 months).
“ Fixed
Charges ” means, with respect to any specified Person for
any period, the sum, without duplication, of:
(1) the
consolidated interest expense of such Person and its Restricted
Subsidiaries for such period, whether paid or accrued (excluding
any interest attributable to Dollar-Denominated Production Payments
but including, without limitation, amortization of debt issuance
costs and original issue discount, non-cash interest payments, the
interest component of any deferred payment obligations, the
interest component of all payments associated with Capital Lease
Obligations, imputed interest with respect to Attributable Debt,
commissions, discounts and other fees and charges incurred in
respect of letter of credit or bankers’ acceptance
financings), and net of the effect of all payments made or received
pursuant to interest rate Hedging Contracts; plus
(2) the
consolidated interest expense of such Person and its Restricted
Subsidiaries that was capitalized during such period;
plus
(3) any interest
expense on Indebtedness of another Person that is guaranteed by
such Person or one of its Restricted Subsidiaries or secured by a
Lien on assets of such Person or one of its Restricted
Subsidiaries, whether or not such guarantee or Lien is called upon;
plus
(4) all dividends
on any series of preferred securities of such Person or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries, whether paid or accrued and whether or not
in cash, other than dividends on Equity Interests payable solely in
Equity Interests of the Company (other than Disqualified Stock) or
to the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the
Company,
in each case,
on a consolidated basis and in accordance with GAAP.
“
GAAP ” means generally accepted accounting principles
in the United States, which are in effect on the date of this
Indenture.
14
“ Global
Note ” has the meaning provided in the
Appendix.
“
Government Securities ” means direct obligations of,
or obligations guaranteed by, the United States of America for the
payment of which guarantee or obligations the full faith and credit
of the United States is pledged.
The term “
guarantee ” means a guarantee other than by
endorsement of negotiable instruments for collection in the
ordinary course of business, direct or indirect, in any manner
including, without limitation, by way of a pledge of assets or
through letters of credit or reimbursement agreements in respect
thereof, of all or any part of any Indebtedness or entered into for
purposes of assuring in any other manner the obligee of such
Indebtedness of the payment thereof or to protect such obligee
against loss in respect thereof (in whole or in part). When used as
a verb, “guarantee” has a correlative
meaning.
“
Guarantors ” means each of (a) the Restricted
Subsidiaries of the Company, other than Finance Corp. and the
Existing Immaterial Subsidiaries, executing this Indenture as
initial Guarantors, (b) any other Restricted Subsidiary of the
Company that executes a supplement to this Indenture in accordance
with Section 4.13 or 10.02 hereof and
(c) the respective successors and assigns of such Restricted
Subsidiaries in each case until such time as any such Restricted
Subsidiary shall be released and relieved of its obligations
pursuant to Section 4.13 , 8.02 , 8.03 or
10.04 hereof.
“ Hedging
Contracts ” means, with respect to any specified
Person:
(1) interest rate
swap agreements, interest rate cap agreements and interest rate
collar agreements entered into with one of more financial
institutions and designed to protect the Person or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries entering into the agreement against
fluctuations in interest rates, or to otherwise reduce the cost of
borrowing of such Person or any of such Restricted Subsidiaries,
with respect to Indebtedness incurred;
(2) foreign
exchange contracts and currency protection agreements entered into
with one of more financial institutions and designed to protect the
Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries entering into the
agreement against fluctuations in currency exchanges rates with
respect to Indebtedness incurred;
(3) any commodity
futures contract, commodity swap, commodity option, commodity
forward sale or other similar agreement or arrangement designed to
protect against fluctuations in the price of Hydrocarbons used,
produced, processed or sold by that Person or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries at the time; and
(4) other
agreements or arrangements designed to protect such Person or any
of its Restricted Subsidiaries against fluctuations in interest
rates, commodity prices or currency exchange rates,
and in each case
are entered into only in the normal course of business and not for
speculative purposes.
“
Holder ” or “ Noteholder ” means a
Person in whose name a Note is registered.
15
“
Hydrocarbons ” means crude oil, natural gas,
casinghead gas, drip gasoline, natural gasoline, condensate,
distillate, liquid hydrocarbons, gaseous hydrocarbons and all
constituents, elements or compounds thereof and products refined or
processed therefrom.
“
Indebtedness ” means, with respect to any specified
Person, any indebtedness of such Person, whether or not
contingent:
(1) in respect of
borrowed money;
(2) evidenced by
bonds, notes, debentures or similar instruments or letters of
credit (or reimbursement agreements in respect thereof);
(3) in respect of
bankers’ acceptances;
(4) representing
Capital Lease Obligations or Attributable Debt in respect of sale
and leaseback transactions;
(5) representing
the balance deferred and unpaid of the purchase price of any
property, except any such balance that constitutes an accrued
expense or trade payable; or
(6) representing
any obligations under Hedging Contracts,
if and to the
extent any of the preceding items (other than letters of credit and
obligations under Hedging Contracts) would appear as a liability
upon a balance sheet of the specified Person prepared in accordance
with GAAP. In addition, the term “Indebtedness”
includes all Indebtedness of other Persons secured by a Lien on any
asset of the specified Person, whether or not such Indebtedness is
assumed by the specified Person (provided that the amount of such
Indebtedness will be the lesser of (a) the fair market value
of such asset at such date of determination and (b) the amount
of such Indebtedness of such other Person), and, to the extent not
otherwise included, the guarantee by the specified Person of any
Indebtedness of any other Person (including, with respect to any
Production Payment, any warranties or guarantees of production or
payment by such Person with respect to such Production Payment, but
excluding other contractual obligations of such Person with respect
to such Production Payment).
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the following shall not constitute
“Indebtedness”:
(i) any
indebtedness which has been defeased in accordance with GAAP or
defeased pursuant to the deposit of cash or Cash Equivalents (in an
amount sufficient to satisfy all such indebtedness obligations at
maturity or redemption, as applicable, and all payments of interest
and premium, if any) in a trust or account created or pledged for
the sole benefit of the holders of such indebtedness, and subject
to no other Liens, and the other applicable terms of the instrument
governing such indebtedness;
(ii) any
obligation of a Person in respect of a farm-in agreement or similar
arrangement whereby such Person agrees to pay all or a share of the
drilling, completion or other expenses of an exploratory or
development well (which agreement may be subject to a maximum
payment obligation, after which expenses are shared in accordance
with the working or participation interest therein or in accordance
with the agreement of
16
the parties) or
perform the drilling, completion or other operation on such well in
exchange for an ownership interest in an oil or gas property;
and
(iii) any
obligations arising from agreements of a Person providing for
indemnification, guarantees, adjustment of purchase price,
holdbacks, contingent payment obligations based on a final
financial statement or performance of acquired or disposed of
assets or similar obligations (other than guarantees of
Indebtedness), in each case, incurred or assumed by such Person in
connection with the acquisition or disposition of assets (including
through mergers, consolidations or otherwise).
The amount (or
principal amount) of any Indebtedness outstanding as of any date
will be:
(1) the accreted
value of the Indebtedness, in the case of any Indebtedness issued
with original issue discount;
(2) in the case of
obligations under any Hedging Contracts, the termination value of
the agreement or arrangement giving rise to such obligations that
would be payable by such Person at such date; and
(3) the principal
amount of the Indebtedness, together with any interest on the
Indebtedness that is more than 30 days past due, in the case
of any other Indebtedness.
The amount of
Indebtedness of any Person at any date will be the outstanding
balance at such date of all unconditional obligations as described
above and the maximum liability, upon the occurrence of the
contingency giving rise to the obligation, of any contingent
obligations at such date.
“
Indenture ” means this Indenture, as amended or
supplemented from time to time.
“ Initial
Issuance Date ” means May 18, 2009.
“ Initial
Notes ” has the meaning provided in the
Appendix.
“ Initial
Purchasers ” has the meaning provided in the
Appendix.
“
Investments ” means, with respect to any Person, all
direct or indirect investments by such Person in other Persons
(including Affiliates) in the forms of loans, advances or
extensions of credit (including guarantees or similar arrangements,
but excluding (1) commission, travel and similar advances to
officers and employees made in the ordinary course of business and
(2) advances to customers in the ordinary course of business
that are recorded as accounts receivable on the balance sheet of
the lender), or capital contributions or purchases or other
acquisitions for consideration of Indebtedness, Equity Interests or
other securities (excluding any interest in a crude oil or natural
gas leasehold to the extent constituting a security under
applicable law), together with all items that are or would be
classified as investments on a balance sheet of such Person
prepared in accordance with GAAP. If the Company or any Restricted
Subsidiary of the Company sells or otherwise disposes of any Equity
Interests of any direct or indirect Restricted Subsidiary of the
Company such that, after giving effect to any such sale or
disposition, such Person is no longer a Restricted Subsidiary of
the Company, the Company will be deemed to
17
have made an
Investment on the date of any such sale or disposition in an amount
equal to the fair market value of the Equity Interests of such
Restricted Subsidiary not sold or disposed of in an amount
determined as provided in the final paragraph of
Section 4.07 . The acquisition by the Company or any
Subsidiary of the Company of a Person that holds an Investment in a
third Person will be deemed to be an Investment made by the Company
or such Subsidiary in such third Person in an amount equal to the
fair market value of the Investment held by the acquired Person in
such third Person on the date of any such acquisition in an amount
determined as provided in the final paragraph of
Section 4.07 . Except as otherwise provided in this
Indenture, the amount of an Investment will be determined at the
time the Investment is made and without giving effect to subsequent
changes in value or write-ups, write-downs or write-offs with
respect to such Investment.
“ Joint
Venture ” means any Person that is not a direct or
indirect Subsidiary of the Company in which the Company or any of
its Restricted Subsidiaries makes any Investment.
“
Lien ” means, with respect to any asset, any mortgage,
lien, pledge, charge, security interest or encumbrance of any kind
in respect of such asset, whether or not filed, recorded or
otherwise perfected under Applicable Law, including any conditional
sale or other title retention agreement, any lease in the nature
thereof, any option or other agreement to sell or give a security
interest in and any filing of or agreement to give any financing
statement under the Uniform Commercial Code (or equivalent
statutes) of any jurisdiction other than a precautionary financing
statement respecting a lease not intended as a security
agreement.
“ LLC
Agreement ” means the Second Amended and Restated Limited
Liability Company Agreement of Linn Energy, LLC, dated as of
January 19, 2006, as in effect on the date of this Indenture
and as such may be further amended, modified or supplemented from
time to time.
“ Make
Whole Premium ” means, with respect to a Note at any
time, the excess, if any, of (a) the present value at such
time of (i) the redemption price of such Note at May 15,
2013 pursuant to Section 3.07(a) plus (ii) any
required interest payments due on such Note through May 15,
2013 (except for currently accrued and unpaid interest), computed
using a discount rate equal to the Treasury Rate at such time plus
50 basis points, discounted to the redemption date on a semi-annual
basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months),
over (b) the principal amount of such Note.
“
Measurement Date ” means June 27, 2008, the date
of issuance of the Existing Senior Notes pursuant to the Indenture,
dated as of June 27, 2008, among the Issuers, the Guarantors
and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee.
“
Minority Interest ” means the percentage interest
represented by any shares of stock of any class of Capital Stock of
a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company that are not owned by the
Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company.
“
Moody’s ” means Moody’s Investors Service,
Inc. or any successor to the rating agency business
thereof.
18
“ Net
Income ” means, with respect to any specified Person, the
net income (loss) of such Person, determined in accordance
with GAAP and before any reduction in respect of preferred stock
dividends, excluding, however:
(1) any gain (but
not loss), together with any related provision for taxes on such
gain (but not loss), realized in connection with: (a) any
Asset Sale; or (b) the disposition of any securities by such
Person or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or the extinguishment
of any Indebtedness of such Person or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries; and
(2) any
extraordinary gain (but not loss), together with any related
provision for taxes on such extraordinary gain (but not
loss).
“ Net
Proceeds ” means the aggregate cash proceeds received by
the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in respect of any
Asset Sale (including, without limitation, any cash received upon
the sale or other disposition of any non-cash consideration
received in any Asset Sale), net of:
(1) the direct
costs relating to such Asset Sale, including, without limitation,
legal, accounting and investment banking fees, title and recording
tax expenses and sales commissions, and any relocation expenses
incurred as a result of the Asset Sale,
(2) taxes paid or
payable or required to be accrued as a liability under GAAP as a
result of the Asset Sale, in each case, after taking into account
any available tax credits or deductions and any tax sharing
arrangements,
(3) amounts
required to be applied to the repayment of Indebtedness secured by
a Lien on the properties or assets that were the subject of such
Asset Sale,
(4) all
distributions and other payments required to be made to minority
interest holders in Restricted Subsidiaries or joint ventures as a
result of such Asset Sale, and
(5) any amounts to
be set aside in any reserve established in accordance with GAAP or
any amount placed in escrow, in either case for adjustment in
respect of the sale price of such properties or assets or for
liabilities associated with such Asset Sale and retained by the
Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries until such time as
such reserve is reversed or such escrow arrangement is terminated,
in which case Net Proceeds shall include only the amount of the
reserve so reversed or the amount returned to the Company or its
Restricted Subsidiaries from such escrow arrangement, as the case
may be.
“ Net
Working Capital ” means (a) all current assets of
the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries except current assets
from commodity price risk management activities arising in the
ordinary course of business, less (b) all current liabilities
of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries, except current
liabilities included in Indebtedness and any current liabilities
from commodity price risk management activities arising in the
ordinary course of business, in each
19
case as set
forth in the consolidated financial statements of the Company
prepared in accordance with GAAP (excluding any adjustments made
pursuant to FAS 133).
“
Non-Recourse Debt ” means Indebtedness:
(1) as to which
neither the Company nor any of its Restricted Subsidiaries
(a) provides credit support of any kind (including any
undertaking, agreement or instrument that would constitute
Indebtedness), (b) is directly or indirectly liable as a
guarantor or otherwise, or (c) is the lender;
(2) no default
with respect to which (including any rights that the holders of the
Indebtedness may have to take enforcement action against an
Unrestricted Subsidiary) would permit upon notice, lapse of time or
both any holder of any other Indebtedness (other than the Notes) of
the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to declare a
default on such other Indebtedness or cause the payment of the
Indebtedness to be accelerated or payable prior to its Stated
Maturity; and
(3) the explicit
terms of which provide there is no recourse against any of the
assets of the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries.
For purposes of
determining compliance with Section 4.09 , in the event
that any Non-Recourse Debt of any of the Company’s
Unrestricted Subsidiaries ceases to be Non-Recourse Debt of such
Unrestricted Subsidiary, such event will be deemed to constitute an
incurrence of Indebtedness by a Restricted Subsidiary of the
Company.
“
Notes ” has the meaning specified in the
Appendix.
“ Notes
Custodian ” has the meaning specified in the
Appendix.
“
Obligations ” means any principal, interest (including
interest accruing on or after the filing of any petition in
bankruptcy or for reorganization, whether or not a claim for
post-filing interest is allowed in such proceeding), premium, if
any, penalties, fees, charges, expenses, indemnifications,
reimbursement obligations, damages, guarantees, and other
liabilities or amounts payable under the documentation governing
any Indebtedness or in respect thereto.
“
Offering Memorandum ” means the offering memorandum of
the Issuers dated May 12, 2009 relating to the offering of the
Initial Notes.
“
Officer ” means, with respect to any Person, the
Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President,
the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the
Treasurer, any Assistant Treasurer, the Controller, the Secretary,
any Assistant Secretary or any Vice President of such
Person.
“
Officers’ Certificate ” means a certificate
signed on behalf of each of the Company and Finance Corp. by two of
its Officers, one of whom must be the principal executive officer,
the principal financial officer, the treasurer or the principal
accounting officer of the Company or Finance Corp., as the case may
be, that meets the requirements of Section 11.05
hereof.
20
“ Oil and
Gas Business ” means:
(1) the
acquisition, exploration, development, production, operation and
disposition of interests in oil, gas and other Hydrocarbon
properties;
(2) the gathering,
marketing, treating, processing (but not refining), storage,
distribution, selling and transporting of any production from such
interests or properties;
(3) any business
relating to exploration for or development, production, treatment,
processing (but not refining), storage, transportation or marketing
of oil, gas and other minerals and products produced in association
therewith;
(4) any other
business that generates gross income that constitutes
“qualifying income” under Section 7704(d) of the Code;
and
(5) any activity
that is ancillary, complementary or incidental to or necessary or
appropriate for the activities described in clauses
(1) through (4) of this definition.
“ Opinion
of Counsel ” means an opinion from legal counsel who is
reasonably acceptable to the Trustee, that meets the requirements
of Section 11.05 hereof. The counsel may be an employee
of or counsel to the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company or the
Trustee.
“ Pari
Passu Indebtedness ” means, with respect to any Excess
Proceeds from Asset Sales, Indebtedness of an Issuer or any
Guarantor that ranks equally in right of payment with the Notes or
the Subsidiary Guarantees, as the case may be, and the terms of
which require the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to
apply such Excess Proceeds to offer to repurchase such
Indebtedness.
“
Permitted Acquisition Indebtedness ” means
Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock of the Company or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries to the extent such Indebtedness or
Disqualified Stock was Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock of any
other Person existing at the time (a) such Person became a
Restricted Subsidiary of the Company or (b) such Person was
merged or consolidated with or into the Company or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries, provided that on the date such Person
became a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company or the date such
Person was merged or consolidated with or into the Company or any
of its Restricted Subsidiaries, as applicable, either
(1) immediately
after giving effect to such transaction on a pro forma basis as if
the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable
four-quarter period, the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, as
applicable, would be permitted to incur at least $1.00 of
additional Indebtedness pursuant to the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio
test set forth in the first paragraph of Section 4.09
,
(2) immediately
after giving effect to such transaction on a pro forma basis as if
the same had occurred at the beginning of the applicable
four-quarter period, the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of the Company
would be equal to or greater than the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio
of the Company immediately prior to such transaction, or
21
(3) immediately
after giving effect to such transaction on a pro forma basis, the
Consolidated Net Worth of the Company would be greater than the
Consolidated Net Worth of the Company immediately prior to such
transaction.
“
Permitted Business Investments ” means Investments
made in the ordinary course of, and of a nature that is or shall
have become customary in, the Oil and Gas Business, including
investments or expenditures for actively exploiting, exploring for,
acquiring, developing, producing, processing, gathering, marketing
or transporting Hydrocarbons through agreements, transactions,
interests or arrangements that permit one to share risk or costs,
comply with regulatory requirements regarding local ownership or
satisfy other objectives customarily achieved through the conduct
of the Oil and Gas Business jointly with third parties, including
without limitation:
(1) direct or
indirect ownership of crude oil, natural gas, other restricted
Hydrocarbon properties or any interest therein, gathering,
transportation, processing, storage or related systems, or
ancillary real property interests and interests therein;
and
(2) the entry into
operating agreements, joint ventures, processing agreements,
working interests, royalty interests, mineral leases, farm-in
agreements, farm-out agreements, development agreements, production
sharing agreements, area of mutual interest agreements, contracts
for the sale, transportation or exchange of crude oil and natural
gas and related Hydrocarbons and minerals, unitization agreements,
pooling arrangements, joint bidding agreements, service contracts,
partnership agreements (whether general or limited), or other
similar or customary agreements, transactions, properties,
interests or arrangements, and Investments and expenditures in
connection therewith or pursuant thereto, in each case made or
entered into in the ordinary course of the Oil and Gas Business,
excluding, however, Investments in corporations and publicly-traded
limited partnerships.
“
Permitted Investments ” means:
(1) any Investment
in the Company or in a Restricted Subsidiary of the
Company;
(2) any Investment
in cash and Cash Equivalents;
(3) any Investment
by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company in a
Person, if as a result of such Investment:
(a) such Person
becomes a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company; or
(b) such Person is
merged, consolidated or amalgamated with or into, or transfers or
conveys substantially all of its properties or assets to, or is
liquidated into, the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the
Company;
(4) any Investment
made as a result of the receipt of non-cash consideration
from:
22
(a) an Asset Sale
that was made pursuant to and in compliance with Section
4.10 ;
(b) pursuant to
clause (8) of the items deemed not to be Asset Sales under the
definition of “Asset Sale;”
(5) any Investment
in any Person solely in exchange for the issuance of Equity
Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of the
Company;
(6) any
Investments received in compromise or resolution of, or upon
satisfaction of judgments with respect to, (a) obligations of
trade creditors or customers that were incurred in the ordinary
course of business, including pursuant to any plan of
reorganization or similar arrangement upon the bankruptcy or
insolvency of any trade creditor or customer, or
(b) litigation, arbitration or other disputes (including
pursuant to any bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings) with Persons
who are not Affiliates;
(8) Guarantees of
Indebtedness permitted under Section 4.09 ;
(9) guarantees by
the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of operating
leases (other than Capital Lease Obligations) or of other
obligations that do not constitute Indebtedness, in each case
entered into by any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company in the
ordinary course of business;
(10) Permitted
Business Investments;
(11) Investments
that are in existence on the date of this Indenture;
(12) Investments
in any Person to the extent such Investments consist of prepaid
expenses, negotiable instruments held for collection and lease,
utility and workers’ compensation, performance and other
similar deposits made in the ordinary course of business by the
Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;
(13) guarantees of
performance or other obligations (other than Indebtedness) arising
in the ordinary course in the Oil and Gas Business, including
obligations under oil and natural gas exploration, development,
joint operating and related agreements and licenses or concessions
related to the Oil and Gas Business;
(14) loans or
advances to officers, directors or employees made in the ordinary
course of business consistent with past practices of the Company or
the applicable Restricted Subsidiary and otherwise in compliance
with Section 4.11 of this Indenture;
(15) Investments
of a Restricted Subsidiary acquired after the date of this
Indenture or of any entity merged into or consolidated with the
Company or a Restricted Subsidiary in accordance with
Section 5.01 of this Indenture, the extent that such
Investments were not made in contemplation of or in connection with
such acquisition,
23
merger or
consolidation and were in existence on the date of such
acquisition, merger or consolidation;
(16) Investments
received as a result of a foreclosure by, or other transfer of
title to, the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries with
respect to any secured Investment in default; and
(17) other
Investments in any Person having an aggregate fair market value
(measured on the date each such Investment was made and without
giving effect to subsequent changes in value), when taken together
with all other Investments made pursuant to this clause (17) that
are at the time outstanding, not to exceed the greater of
$50.0 million and 1.0% of the Company’s Adjusted
Consolidated Net Tangible Assets determined at the time of such
Investment.
“
Permitted Liens ” means:
(1) Liens securing
any Indebtedness under any of the Credit Facilities;
(2) Liens in favor
of the Company or the Guarantors;
(3) Liens on
property of a Person existing at the time such Person is merged
with or into or consolidated with the Company or any Restricted
Subsidiary of the Company, provided that such Liens were in
existence prior to the contemplation of such merger or
consolidation and do not extend to any assets other than those of
the Person merged into or consolidated with the Company or the
Restricted Subsidiary;
(4) Liens on
property existing at the time of acquisition of the property by the
Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, provided that
such Liens were in existence prior to the contemplation of such
acquisition;
(5) any interest
or title of a lessor to the property subject to a Capital Lease
Obligation;
(6) Liens on any
property or asset acquired, constructed or improved by the Company
or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, which (a) are in favor
of the seller of such property or assets, in favor of the Person
developing, constructing, repairing or improving such asset or
property, or in favor of the Person that provided the funding for
the acquisition, development, construction, repair or improvement
cost, as the case may be, of such asset or property, (b) are
created within 360 days after the acquisition, development,
construction, repair or improvement, (c) secure the purchase
price or development, construction, repair or improvement cost, as
the case may be, of such asset or property in an amount up to 100%
of the fair market value (as determined by the Board of Directors
of the Company if such fair market value is $30.0 million or
more) of such acquisition, construction or improvement of such
asset or property, and (d) are limited to the asset or
property so acquired, constructed or improved (including the
proceeds thereof, accessions thereto, upgrades thereof and
improvements thereto);
24
(7) Liens existing
on the date of this Indenture other than Liens securing the Credit
Facilities;
(8) Liens to
secure the performance of tenders, bids, statutory obligations,
surety or appeal bonds, government contracts, performance bonds or
other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course
of business;
(9) Liens on and
pledges of the Equity Interests of any Unrestricted Subsidiary or
any Joint Venture owned by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary
of the Company to the extent securing Non-Recourse Debt or other
Indebtedness of such Unrestricted Subsidiary or Joint
Venture;
(10) Liens in
respect of Production Payments and Reserve Sales;
(11) Liens on
pipelines or pipeline facilities that arise by operation of
law;
(12) Liens arising
under operating agreements, joint venture agreements, partnership
agreements, oil and gas leases, farm-out agreements, farm-in
agreements, division orders, contracts for the sale, transportation
or exchange of crude oil and natural gas and related Hydrocarbons
and minerals, unitization and pooling declarations and agreements,
area of mutual interest agreements and other agreements arising in
the ordinary course of business of the Company and its Restricted
Subsidiaries that are customary in the Oil and Gas
Business;
(13) Liens
reserved in oil and gas mineral leases for bonus or rental payments
and for compliance with the terms of such leases;
(14) Liens upon
specific items of inventory, receivables or other goods or proceeds
of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries securing such
Person’s obligations in respect of bankers’ acceptances
or receivables securitizations issued or created for the account of
such Person to facilitate the purchase, shipment or storage of such
inventory, receivables or other goods or proceeds and permitted by
Section 4.09 ;
(15) Liens
securing Obligations of the Issuers or the Guarantors under the
Notes or the Subsidiary Guarantees, as the case may be, and Liens
securing other obligations of the Issuers or the Guarantors under
this Indenture;
(16) Liens to
secure payment and performance of Hedging Contracts of the Company
or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;
(17) Liens for
taxes, assessments or governmental charges or claims that are not
yet delinquent or that are being contested in good faith by
appropriate proceedings promptly instituted and diligently
concluded; provided that any reserve or other appropriate provision
as is required in conformity with GAAP has been made
therefor;
(18)
landlords’, carriers’, warehousemen’s,
mechanics’, materialmen’s, repairmen’s or like
Liens arising by contract or statute in the ordinary course of
business
25
and with
respect to amounts which are not yet delinquent or are being
contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings;
(19) pledges or
deposits made in the ordinary course of business (A) in
connection with leases, tenders, bids, statutory obligations,
surety or appeal bonds, government contracts, performance bonds and
similar obligations, or (B) in connection with workers’
compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security or
similar legislation;
(20) any
attachment or judgment Lien that does not constitute an Event of
Default;
(21) survey
exceptions, easements or reservations of, or rights of others for,
licenses, rights-of-way, sewers, electric lines, telegraph and
telephone lines and other similar purposes, or zoning or other
restrictions as to the use of real property that were not incurred
in connection with Indebtedness and that do not in the aggregate
materially adversely affect the value of said properties or
materially impair their use in the operation of the business of the
Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;
(22) Liens arising
solely by virtue of any statutory or common law provisions relating
to banker’s Liens, rights of set-off or similar rights and
remedies as to deposit accounts or other funds maintained or
deposited with a depositary institution; provided that
(A) such deposit account is not a dedicated cash collateral
account and is not subject to restrictions against access by the
Company in excess of those set forth by regulations promulgated by
the Federal Reserve Board and (B) such deposit account is not
intended by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to
provide collateral to the depositary institution;
(23) Liens arising
from Uniform Commercial Code financing statement filings regarding
operating leases entered into by the Company and its Restricted
Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business;
(24) leases or
subleases granted to others that do not materially interfere with
the ordinary course of business of the Company and its Restricted
Subsidiaries, taken as a whole;
(25) Liens arising
under this Indenture in favor of the trustee for its own benefit
and similar Liens in favor of other trustees, agents and
representatives arising under instruments governing Indebtedness
permitted to be incurred under this Indenture, provided, however,
that such Liens are solely for the benefit of the trustees, agents
or representatives in their capacities as such and not for the
benefit of the holders of such Indebtedness;
(26) Liens arising
from the deposit of funds or securities in trust for the purpose of
decreasing or defeasing Indebtedness so long as such deposit of
funds or securities and such decreasing or defeasing of
Indebtedness are permitted under Section 4.07 of this
Indenture;
26
(27) Liens (other
than Liens securing Indebtedness) on, or related to, assets to
secure all or part of the costs incurred in the ordinary course of
the Oil and Gas Business for the exploration, drilling,
development, production, processing, transportation, marketing,
storage or operation thereof;
(28) Liens arising
from royalties, overriding royalties, revenue interests, net
revenue interests, net profit interests, reversionary interests,
production payments, preferential rights of purchase, working
interests and other similar interests, all as ordinarily exist with
respect to properties and assets of the Company and its Restricted
Subsidiaries or otherwise as are customary in the Oil and Gas
Business;
(29) Liens
incurred in the ordinary course of business of the Company or any
Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, provided that, after giving
effect to any such incurrence, the aggregate principal amount of
all Indebtedness then outstanding and secured by any Liens incurred
pursuant to this clause (29) does not exceed the amount set
forth in clause (15) of the second paragraph of
Section 4.09 of this Indenture; and
(30) Liens to
secure any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness permitted to be
incurred under this Indenture and incurred to refinance
Indebtedness that was previously so secured, provided that any such
Lien is limited to all or part of the same property or assets (plus
improvements, accessions, proceeds or dividends or distributions in
respect thereof) that secured (or, under the written arrangements
under which the original Lien arose, could secure) the Indebtedness
being refinanced or is in respect of property or assets that is the
security for a Permitted Lien hereunder.
“
Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness ” means any
Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries
or any Disqualified Stock of the Company incurred or issued in
exchange for, or the net proceeds of which are used to extend,
refinance, renew, replace, defease, discharge, refund or otherwise
retire for value, in whole or in part, any other Indebtedness of
the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (other than
intercompany Indebtedness) or any Disqualified Stock of the
Company; provided that:
(1) the principal
amount, or in the case of Disqualified Stock, the amount thereof as
determined in accordance with the definition of Disqualified Stock,
of such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness does not exceed the
principal amount of the Indebtedness or amount of the Disqualified
Stock being exchanged, extended, refinanced, renewed, replaced,
defeased, discharged, refunded or retired (plus all accrued and
unpaid interest on the Indebtedness or accrued and unpaid dividends
on the Disqualified Stock, as the case may be, and the amount of
all fees, expenses and premiums incurred in connection
therewith);
(2) such Permitted
Refinancing Indebtedness has a final maturity date or redemption
date, as applicable, later than the final maturity date or
redemption date, as applicable, of, and has a Weighted Average Life
to Maturity equal to or greater than the Weighted Average Life to
Maturity of, the Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock being
exchanged, extended, refinanced, renewed, replaced, defeased,
discharged, refunded or retired;
27
(3) if the
Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock being exchanged, extended,
refinanced, renewed, replaced, defeased, discharged, refunded or
retired is contractually subordinated or otherwise junior in right
of payment to the Notes or the Subsidiary Guarantees, such
Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness is contractually subordinated or
otherwise junior in right of payment to the Notes or the Subsidiary
Guarantees on terms at least as favorable to the Holders of Notes
as those contained in the documentation governing the Indebtedness
or Disqualified Stock being exchanged, extended, refinanced,
renewed, replaced, defeased, discharged, refunded or retired;
and
(4) such
Indebtedness is not incurred (other than by way of a guarantee) by
a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company (other than Finance Corp.)
if the Company is the issuer or other primary obligor on the
Indebtedness being exchanged, extended, refinanced, renewed,
replaced, defeased, discharged, refunded or retired.
“
Person ” means any individual, corporation,
partnership, joint venture, association, joint-stock company,
trust, unincorporated organization, limited liability company or
government or other entity.
“ Private
Exchange ” has the meaning provided in the
Appendix.
“ Private
Exchange Notes ” has the meaning provided in the
Appendix.
“
Production Payments ” means, collectively,
Dollar-Denominated Production Payments and Volumetric Production
Payments.
“
Production Payments and Reserve Sales ” means the
grant or transfer by the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the
Company to any Person of a royalty, overriding royalty, net profits
interest, production payment (whether volumetric or dollar
denominated), partnership or other interest in oil and gas
properties, reserves or the right to receive all or a portion of
the production or the proceeds from the sale of production
attributable to such properties, including any such grants or
transfers pursuant to incentive compensation programs on terms that
are reasonably customary in the oil and gas business for
geologists, geophysicists and other providers of technical services
to the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company.
“
Purchase Agreement ” has the meaning provided in the
Appendix.
“ QIB
” means a “ qualified institutional buyer
” as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities
Act.
“
Registered Exchange Offer ” has the meaning provided
in the Appendix.
“
Registration Rights Agreement ” has the meaning
provided in the Appendix.
“
Regulation S ” has the meaning provided in the
Appendix.
“
Reporting Default ” means a Default described in
Section 6.01(d) .
28
“
Responsible Officer ,” when used with respect to the
Trustee, means any officer within the corporate trust department of
the Trustee having direct responsibility for the administration of
this Indenture.
“
Restricted Global Note ” has the meaning provided in
the Appendix.
“
Restricted Investment ” means an Investment other than
a Permitted Investment.
“
Restricted Notes Legend ” means the legend set forth
in Section 2.3(b)(i) of the Appendix.
“
Restricted Subsidiary ” of a Person means any
Subsidiary of the referent Person that is not an Unrestricted
Subsidiary. Notwithstanding anything in this Indenture to the
contrary, Finance Corp. shall be a Restricted Subsidiary of the
Company.
“
Rule 144A ” has the meaning provided in the
Appendix.
“
S&P ” means Standard & Poor’s Ratings
Services, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., or any
successor to the rating agency business thereof.
“ SEC
” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“
Securities Act ” means the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended.
(1) all
Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries
outstanding under Credit Facilities and all obligations under
Hedging Contracts with respect thereto;
(2) any other
Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries
permitted to be incurred under the terms of this Indenture, unless
the instrument under which such Indebtedness is incurred expressly
provides that it is subordinated in right of payment to the Notes
or any Subsidiary Guarantee; and
(3) all
Obligations with respect to the items listed in the preceding
clauses (1) and (2).
Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in the preceding sentence, Senior Debt
will not include:
(a) any
intercompany Indebtedness of the Company or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries to the Company or any of its Affiliates; or
(b) any
Indebtedness that is incurred in violation of this
Indenture.
For the avoidance
of doubt, “Senior Debt” will not include any trade
payables or taxes owed or owing by the Company or any Restricted
Subsidiary.
29
“ Shelf
Registration Statement ” has the meaning provided in the
Appendix.
“
Significant Subsidiary ” means any Subsidiary that
would be a “significant subsidiary” as defined in
Article 1 , Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X,
promulgated pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Regulation is
in effect on the date of this Indenture.
“ Stated
Maturity ” means, with respect to any installment of
interest or principal on any series of Indebtedness, the date on
which the payment of interest or principal was scheduled to be paid
in the original documentation governing such Indebtedness, and will
not include any contingent obligations to repay, redeem or
repurchase any such interest or principal prior to the date
originally scheduled for the payment thereof.
“
Subsidiary ” means, with respect to any specified
Person:
(1) any
corporation, association or other business entity (other than a
partnership or limited liability company) of which more than 50% of
the total voting power of Voting Stock is at the time owned or
controlled, directly or indirectly, by that Person or one or more
of the other Subsidiaries of that Person (or a combination
thereof); and
(2) any
partnership (whether general or limited) or limited liability
company (a) the sole general partner or member of which is
such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person, or (b) if there is
more than a single general partner or member, either (x) the
only managing general partners or managing members of which are
such Person or one or more Subsidiaries of such Person (or any
combination thereof) or (y) such Person owns or controls,
directly or indirectly, a majority of the outstanding general
partner interests, member interests or other Voting Stock of such
partnership or limited liability company, respectively.
“
Subsidiary Guarantee ” means the joint and several
guarantee pursuant to Article 10 hereof by a Guarantor
of the Obligations of the Issuers under this Indenture and the
Notes.
“ TIA
” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (15 U.S.C.
§§ 77aaa-77bbbb) and the rules and regulations
thereunder, as in effect on the date on which this Indenture is
qualified under the TIA (except as provided in Sections
9.01(i) and 9.03 hereof).
“
Transfer Restricted Securities ” has the meaning
provided in the Appendix.
“
Treasury Rate ” means, as of any redemption date, the
yield to maturity as of such redemption date of United States
Treasury securities with a constant maturity (as compiled and
published in the most recent Federal Reserve Statistical Release
H.15(519) which has become publicly available at least two Business
Days prior to the redemption date (or, if such Statistical Release
is no longer published, any publicly available source of similar
market data)) most nearly equal to the period from the redemption
date to May 15, 2013; provided, however, that if such period
is not equal to the constant maturity of a United States Treasury
security for which a weekly average yield is given, the Company
shall obtain the Treasury Rate by linear interpolation (calculated
to the nearest one-twelfth of a year) from the weekly average
yields of United States Treasury securities for which such yields
are given, except that if the period from
30
the redemption
date to May 15, 2013 is less than one year, the weekly average
yield on actually traded United States Treasury securities adjusted
to a constant maturity of one year shall be used. The Company will
(a) calculate the Treasury Rate on the second Business Day
preceding the applicable redemption date and (b) prior to such
redemption date file with the Trustee an Officers’
Certificate setting forth the Make Whole Premium and the Treasury
Rate and showing the calculation of each in reasonable
detail.
“
Trustee ” means the party named as such in the
introductory paragraph hereto until a successor replaces it in
accordance with the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and
thereafter means the successor serving hereunder.
“ Uniform
Commercial Code ” means the New York Uniform Commercial
Code as in effect from time to time.
“
Unrestricted Subsidiary ” means any Subsidiary of the
Company (other than Finance Corp.) that is designated by the Board
of Directors of the Company as an Unrestricted Subsidiary pursuant
to a Board Resolution, but only to the extent that such
Subsidiary:
(1) has no
Indebtedness other than Non-Recourse Debt owing to any Person other
than the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries;
(2) is not party
to any agreement, contract, arrangement or understanding with the
Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company unless the
terms of any such agreement, contract, arrangement or understanding
are no less favorable to the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary
than those that might be obtained at the time from Persons who are
not Affiliates of the Company;
(3) is a Person
with respect to which neither the Company nor any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries has any direct or indirect obligation (a) to
subscribe for additional Equity Interests or (b) to maintain
or preserve such Person’s financial condition or to cause
such Person to achieve any specified levels of operating results;
and
(4) has not
guaranteed or otherwise directly or indirectly provided credit
support for any Indebtedness of the Company or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries.
Any designation of
a Subsidiary of the Company as an Unrestricted Subsidiary will be
evidenced to the Trustee by filing with the Trustee a Board
Resolution giving effect to such designation and an Officers’
Certificate certifying that such designation complied with the
preceding conditions and was permitted by Section 4.07
. If, at any time, any Unrestricted Subsidiary would fail to meet
the preceding requirements as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, it will
thereafter cease to be an Unrestricted Subsidiary for purposes of
this Indenture and any Indebtedness of such Subsidiary will be
deemed to be incurred by a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company as
of such date and, if such Indebtedness is not permitted to be
incurred as of such date under Section 4.09 , the
Company will be in default of such covenant.
“
Volumetric Production Payments ” means production
payment obligations recorded as deferred revenue in accordance with
GAAP, together with all related undertakings and
obligations.
31
“ Voting
Stock ” of any Person as of any date means the Capital
Stock of such Person that is at the time entitled (without regard
to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of
the Board of Directors of such Person.
“
Weighted Average Life to Maturity ” means, when
applied to any Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock at any date, the
number of years obtained by dividing:
(1) the sum of the
products obtained by multiplying (a) the amount of each then
remaining installment, sinking fund, serial maturity or other
required payments of principal, including payment at final maturity
or redemption, in respect of the Indebtedness or Disqualified
Stock, by (b) the number of years (calculated to the nearest
one-twelfth) that will elapse between such date and the making of
such payment; by
(2) the then
outstanding aggregate principal amount of such Indebtedness or
Disqualified Stock.
Section 1.02 Other Definitions
.
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Term
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Defined in Section
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4.11
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2.01
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3.09
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“Change of Control Offer”
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4.15
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“Change of Control
Payment”
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4.15
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“Change of Control Purchase
Date”
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4.15
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“Change of Control Settlement
Date”
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4.15
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8.03
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8.08
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6.01
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4.10
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4.07
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4.09
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8.02
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3.09
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3.09
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2.03
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6.01
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4.09
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2.03
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2.03
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4.07
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3.09
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3.09
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32
Section 1.03 Incorporation by Reference
of Trust Indenture Act .
Whenever this
Indenture refers to a provision of the TIA, the provision is
incorporated by reference in and made a part of this Indenture. Any
terms incorporated in this Indenture that are defined by the TIA,
defined by TIA reference to another statute or defined by SEC rule
under the TIA have the meanings so assigned to them.
Section 1.04 Rules of
Construction.
Unless the context
otherwise requires:
(1) a term has the
meaning assigned to it;
(2) an accounting
term not otherwise defined has the meaning assigned to it in
accordance with GAAP;
(3)
“or” is not exclusive;
(4) words in the
singular include the plural, and in the plural include the
singular;
(5) provisions
apply to successive events and transactions;
(6) references to
sections of or rules under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act
shall be deemed to include substitute, replacement or successor
sections or rules adopted by the SEC from time to time;
(7)
“herein,” “hereof” and other words of
similar import refer to this Indenture as a whole (as amended or
supplemented from time to time) and not to any particular Article,
Section or other subdivision of this Indenture; and
(8)
“including” means “including, without
limitation.”
Section 2.01 Form and Dating
.
Provisions
relating to the Initial Notes, the Private Exchange Notes and the
Exchange Notes are set forth in the
Rule 144A/Regulation S Appendix attached hereto (the
“Appendix”) which is hereby incorporated in and
expressly made part of this Indenture. The Initial Notes and the
Trustee’s certificate of authentication therefor shall be
substantially in the form of Exhibit 1 to the Appendix which
is hereby incorporated in and expressly made a part of this
Indenture. The Exchange Notes, the Private Exchange Notes and the
Trustee’s certificate of authentication therefor shall be
substantially in the form of Exhibit 2 to the Appendix, which
is hereby incorporated in and expressly made a part of this
Indenture. The Notes may have notations, legends or endorsements
required by law, stock exchange rule, agreements to which an Issuer
is subject, if any, or usage (provided that any such notation,
legend or endorsement is in a form
33
acceptable to
the Company). Each Note shall be dated the date of its
authentication. The terms of the Notes set forth in the Appendix
are part of the terms of this Indenture.
Section 2.02 Execution and
Authentication .
An Officer shall
sign the Notes on behalf of each Issuer by manual or facsimile
signature.
If an Officer
whose signature is on a Note no longer holds that office at the
time the Trustee authenticates the Note, the Note shall be valid
nevertheless.
A Note shall not
be valid until an authorized signatory of the Trustee manually
signs the certificate of authentication on the Note. The signature
shall be conclusive evidence that the Note has been authenticated
under this Indenture.
On the Initial
Issuance Date, the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver
$250,000,000 of 11 3 / 4
% Senior Notes due 2017 and, at any
time and from time to time thereafter, the Trustee shall
authenticate and deliver Notes for original issue in an aggregate
principal amount specified in a written order of the Issuers. Such
order shall specify the amount of the Notes to be authenticated,
the date on which the original issue of Notes is to be
authenticated and to whom the Notes shall be registered and
delivered and, in the case of an issuance of Additional Notes
pursuant to Section 2.13 after the Initial Issuance
Date, shall certify that such issuance is in compliance with
Section 4.09 .
The Trustee may
appoint an authenticating agent reasonably acceptable to the
Issuers to authenticate the Notes. Unless limited by the terms of
such appointment, an authenticating agent may authenticate Notes
whenever the Trustee may do so. Each reference in this Indenture to
authentication by the Trustee includes authentication by such
agent. An authenticating agent has the same rights as any
Registrar, Paying Agent or agent for service of notices and
demands.
Section 2.03 Registrar and Paying
Agent .
The Issuers shall
at all times maintain an office or agency where Notes may be
presented for registration of transfer or for exchange (the
“Registrar”) and an office or agency in New York, New
York where Notes may be presented for payment (the “Paying
Agent”). The Registrar shall keep a register of the Notes and
of their transfer and exchange (the “Register”). The
Issuers may have one or more co-registrars and one or more
additional paying agents. The term “Registrar” includes
any co-registrar, and the term “Paying Agent” includes
any additional paying agent.
The Issuers shall
enter into an appropriate agency agreement with any Registrar or
Paying Agent not a party to this Indenture, which shall incorporate
the terms of the TIA. The agreement shall implement the provisions
of this Indenture that relate to such agent. The Issuers shall
notify the Trustee of the name and address of any such agent. If
the Issuers fail to maintain a Registrar or Paying Agent, the
Trustee shall act as such and shall be entitled to appropriate
compensation therefor pursuant to Section 7.07 . The
Company or any Subsidiary may act as Paying Agent or
Registrar.
34
The Issuers
initially appoint the Trustee as Registrar and Paying Agent in
connection with the Notes at the Corporate Trust Office of the
Trustee.
Section 2.04 Paying Agent to Hold Money
in Trust .
Prior to
11:00 a.m. New York City time, on each due date of the
principal and interest on any Note, an Issuer shall deposit with
the Paying Agent a sum sufficient to pay such principal and
interest when so becoming due. The Issuers shall require each
Paying Agent (other than the Trustee) to agree in writing that the
Paying Agent shall hold in trust for the benefit of Noteholders or
the Trustee all money held by the Paying Agent for the payment of
principal of or interest on the Notes and shall notify the Trustee
of any default by the Issuers in making any such payment. If the
Company or a Subsidiary acts as Paying Agent, it shall segregate
the money held by it as Paying Agent and hold it as a separate
trust fund. The Issuers at any time may require a Paying Agent to
pay all money held by it to the Trustee and to account for any
funds disbursed by the Paying Agent. Upon complying with this
Section, the Paying Agent shall have no further liability for the
money delivered to the Trustee.
Section 2.05 Noteholder Lists
.
The Trustee shall
preserve in as current a form as is reasonably practicable the most
recent list available to it of the names and addresses of
Noteholders. If the Trustee is not the Registrar, the Issuers shall
furnish to the Trustee, in writing at least five Business Days
before each interest payment date and at such other times as the
Trustee may request in writing, a list in such form and as of such
date as the Trustee may reasonably require of the names and
addresses of Noteholders.
Section 2.06 Transfer and Exchange
.
The Notes shall be
issued in registered form and shall be transferable only upon the
surrender of a Note for registration of transfer. When a Note is
presented to the Registrar or a co-registrar with a request to
register a transfer, the Registrar shall register the transfer as
requested if the requirements of this Indenture and
Section 8-401(a) of the Uniform Commercial Code are met. When
Notes are presented to the Registrar with a request to exchange
them for an equal principal amount of Notes of other denominations,
the Registrar shall make the exchange as requested if the same
requirements are met. The Issuers may require payment of a sum
sufficient to cover any taxes, assessments or other governmental
charges in connection with any transfer or exchange pursuant to
this Section (other than any such transfer taxes, assessments or
similar governmental charge payable upon exchange or transfer
pursuant to Section 3.06 , 4.10 , 4.15 or
9.05 ).
Section 2.07 Replacement Notes
.
If a mutilated
Note is surrendered to the Registrar or if the Holder of a Note
claims that the Note has been lost, destroyed or wrongfully taken,
the Issuers shall issue and the Trustee shall authenticate a
replacement Note if the requirements of Section 8-405 of the
Uniform Commercial Code are met and the Holder satisfies any other
reasonable requirements of the Trustee. If required by the Trustee
or the Issuers, such Holder shall furnish an indemnity bond
sufficient in the judgment of the Issuers and the Trustee to
protect the Issuers, the Trustee, the
35
Paying Agent
and the Registrar from any loss which any of them may suffer if a
Note is replaced. The Issuers and the Trustee may charge the Holder
for their expenses in replacing a Note. In the event any such Note
shall have matured, instead of issuing a new Note, the Trustee may
pay the same without surrender thereof upon the Holder furnishing
the Issuers and the Trustee with indemnity satisfactory to them and
complying with such other reasonable regulations as the Trustee may
prescribe and paying such reasonable expenses as the Issuer and the
Trustee may incur in connection therewith.
Every replacement
Note is an additional obligation of the Issuers.
Section 2.08 Outstanding Notes
.
Notes outstanding
at any time are all Notes authenticated by the Trustee except for
those canceled by it, those delivered to it for cancellation and
those described in this Section as not outstanding. Except as
otherwise provided in TIA § 316(a), a Note does not cease to
be outstanding because the Company or an Affiliate of the Company
holds the Note.
If a Note is
replaced pursuant to Section 2.07 , it ceases to be
outstanding unless the Trustee, any provider of an indemnity bond
and the Issuers receive proof satisfactory to them that the
replaced Note is held by a bona fide purchaser.
If the Paying
Agent segregates and holds in trust, in accordance with this
Indenture, by 11:00 a.m. New York time, on a redemption date or
other maturity date money sufficient to pay all principal,
interest, premium, and Additional Interest, if any, payable on that
date with respect to the Notes (or portions thereof) to be redeemed
or maturing, as the case may be, then on and after that date such
Notes (or portions thereof) shall cease to be outstanding and
interest and Additional Interest, if any, on them shall cease to
accrue.
Section 2.09 Temporary Notes
.
Until definitive
Notes are ready for delivery, the Issuers may prepare and the
Trustee shall authenticate temporary Notes. Temporary Notes shall
be substantially in the form of definitive Notes but may have
variations that the Issuers consider appropriate for temporary
Notes. Without unreasonable delay, the Issuers shall prepare and
the Trustee shall authenticate definitive Notes and deliver them in
exchange for temporary Notes.
Section 2.10 Cancellation
.
An Issuer at any
time may deliver Notes to the Trustee for cancellation. The
Registrar and the Paying Agent shall forward to the Trustee any
Notes surrendered to them for registration of transfer, exchange,
replacement or payment. The Trustee and no one else shall cancel
and destroy (subject to the record retention requirements of the
Exchange Act) all Notes surrendered for registration of transfer,
exchange, replacement, payment or cancellation. Upon written
request, the Trustee will deliver a certificate of such
cancellation to the Issuers unless the Issuers direct the Trustee
to deliver canceled Notes to the Issuers instead. The Issuers may
not issue new Notes to replace Notes they have redeemed, paid or
delivered to the Trustee for cancellation.
36
Section 2.11 Defaulted Interest
.
If the Issuers
default in a payment of interest on the Notes, the Issuers shall
pay defaulted interest (plus interest on such defaulted interest to
the extent lawful) in any lawful manner. The Issuers may pay the
defaulted interest to the Persons who are Noteholders on a
subsequent special record date. The Issuers shall fix or cause to
be fixed any such special record date and payment date to the
reasonable satisfaction of the Trustee and shall promptly mail to
each Noteholder a notice that states the special record date, the
payment date and the amount of defaulted interest to be
paid.
Section 2.12 CUSIP Numbers
.
The Issuers in
issuing the Notes may use “CUSIP” numbers and
corresponding “ISINs” (if then generally in use) and,
if so, the Trustee shall use “CUSIP” numbers and
corresponding “ISINs” in notices of redemption as a
convenience to Holders; provided, however, that any such notice may
state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such
numbers either as printed on the Notes or as contained in any
notice of a redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the
other identification numbers printed on the Notes, and any such
redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of
such numbers.
Section 2.13 Issuance of Additional
Notes .
The Issuers shall
be entitled, subject to their compliance with
Section 4.09 , to issue Additional Notes under this
Indenture which shall have identical terms as the Initial Notes
issued on the Initial Issuance Date, other than with respect to the
date of issuance and issue price. The Initial Notes issued on the
Initial Issuance Date, and any Additional Notes and all Exchange
Notes or Private Exchange Notes issued in exchange therefor shall
be treated as a single class for all purposes under this Indenture,
including, without limitation, waivers, consents, directions,
declarations, amendments, redemptions and offers to
purchase.
With respect to
any Additional Notes, the Issuers shall set forth in an
Officers’ Certificate, which shall be delivered to the
Trustee, the following information:
(1) the aggregate
principal amount of such Additional Notes to be authenticated and
delivered pursuant to this Indenture;
(2) the issue
price, the issue date (and the corresponding date from which
interest shall accrue thereon and the first interest payment date
therefor) and the CUSIP number and any corresponding ISIN of such
Additional Notes; provided, however, that any issuance of
Additional Notes (i) is treated as part of the same issue as
the Initial Notes within the meaning of Treasury Regulation §
1.1275-1(f), (ii) is a qualified reopening of the Initial
Notes within the meaning of Treasury Regulation § 1.1275-2(k),
or (iii) is otherwise fungible with the Initial Notes for U.S.
federal income tax purposes, in the case of each of clauses (i),
(ii) and (iii), so that such Additional Notes will trade as
part of a single class with the Initial Notes; and
37
(3) whether such
Additional Notes shall be Transfer Restricted Securities and issued
in the form of Initial Notes as set forth in Exhibit 1 to the
Appendix or shall be issued in the form of Exchange Notes as set
forth in Exhibit 2 to the Appendix.
Section 2.14 Persons Deemed Owners
.
Prior to due
presentment of a Note for registration of transfer, the Company,
the Trustee, any Agent or any other agent of the Company or the
Trustee may treat the Person in whose name such Note is registered
as the absolute owner of such Note for the purpose of receiving
payment of principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on, such
Note and for all other purposes whatsoever, whether or not such
Note be overdue, and neither the Company, the Trustee, any Agent
nor any other agent of the Company or the Trustee shall be affected
by notice to the contrary.
ARTICLE 3
REDEMPTION AND PREPAYMENT
Section 3.01 Notices to Trustee
.
If the Issuers
elect to redeem Notes pursuant to the optional redemption
provisions of Section 3.07 hereof, they shall furnish
to the Trustee, at least five Business Days (unless a shorter
period shall be agreeable to the Trustee) before the date of giving
notice of the redemption pursuant to Section 3.03 , an
Officers’ Certificate setting forth (i
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