Exhibit 4.1
EXECUTION VERSION
FERRELLGAS, L.P.
FERRELLGAS FINANCE
CORP.
9.125% SENIOR NOTES DUE 2017
INDENTURE
Dated as of September 14, 2009
U.S. Bank National Association
CROSS-REFERENCE TABLE*
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Trust Indenture
Act Section
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Indenture Section
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310(a)(1)
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7.10
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(a)(2)
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7.10
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(a)(3)
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N.A.
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(a)(4)
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N.A.
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|
(a)(5)
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7.10
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(b)
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7.10
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|
(c)
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N.A.
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311(a)
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7.11
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|
(b)
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7.11
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|
(c)
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N.A.
|
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312(a)
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2.05
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|
(b)
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11.03
|
|
(c)
|
11.03
|
|
313(a)
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7.06
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|
(b)(1)
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N.A.
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(b)(2)
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7.06; 7.07
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|
(c)
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7.06; 11.02
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|
(d)
|
7.06
|
|
314(a)
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4.03;11.02; 11.05
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|
(b)
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N.A.
|
|
(c)(1)
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11.04
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|
(c)(2)
|
11.04
|
|
(c)(3)
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N.A.
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|
(d)
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N.A.
|
|
(e)
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11.05
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|
(f)
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N.A.
|
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315(a)
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7.01
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(b)
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7.05, 11.02
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(c)
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7.01
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(d)
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7.01
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(e)
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6.11
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316(a) (last sentence)
|
2.09
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|
(a)(1)(A)
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6.05
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|
(a)(1)(B)
|
6.04
|
|
(a)(2)
|
N.A.
|
|
(b)
|
6.07
|
|
(c)
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2.12
|
|
317(a)(1)
|
6.08
|
|
(a)(2)
|
6.09
|
|
(b)
|
2.04
|
|
318(a)
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11.01
|
|
(b)
|
N.A.
|
|
(c)
|
11.01
|
N.A. means not applicable.
* This Cross Reference Table is not part
of the Indenture.
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Page
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ARTICLE 1.
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DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION
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BY REFERENCE
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Section 1.01
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Definitions
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1
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Section 1.02
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Other Definitions
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26
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Section 1.03
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Incorporation by Reference of Trust Indenture
Act
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26
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Section 1.04
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Rules of Construction
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27
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ARTICLE 2.
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THE NOTES
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Section 2.01
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Form and Dating
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27
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Section 2.02
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Execution and Authentication
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28
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Section 2.03
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Registrar and Paying Agent
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28
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Section 2.04
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Paying Agent to Hold Money in Trust
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29
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Section 2.05
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Holder Lists
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29
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Section 2.06
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Transfer and Exchange
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29
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Section 2.07
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Replacement Notes
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43
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Section 2.08
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Outstanding Notes
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43
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Section 2.09
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Treasury Notes
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44
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Section 2.10
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Temporary Notes
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44
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Section 2.11
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Cancellation
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44
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Section 2.12
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Defaulted Interest
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44
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Section 2.13
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CUSIP Numbers
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45
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ARTICLE 3.
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REDEMPTION AND PREPAYMENT
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Section 3.01
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Notices to Trustee
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45
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Section 3.02
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Selection of Notes to Be Redeemed or
Purchased
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45
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Section 3.03
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Notice of Redemption
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46
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Section 3.04
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Effect of Notice of Redemption
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47
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Section 3.05
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Deposit of Redemption or Purchase
Price
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47
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Section 3.06
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Notes Redeemed or Purchased in Part
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47
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Section 3.07
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Optional Redemption
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47
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Section 3.08
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Mandatory Redemption
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48
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Section 3.09
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Offer to Purchase by Application of Excess
Proceeds
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48
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ARTICLE 4.
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COVENANTS
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Section 4.01
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Payment of Notes
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50
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Section 4.02
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Maintenance of Office or Agency
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50
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Section 4.03
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Reports
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51
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Section 4.04
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Compliance Certificate
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51
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i
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Section 4.05
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Taxes
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52
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Section 4.06
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Stay, Extension and Usury Laws
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52
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Section 4.07
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Restricted Payments
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52
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Section 4.08
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Dividend and Other Payment Restrictions
Affecting Subsidiaries
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54
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Section 4.09
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Incurrence of Indebtedness
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55
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Section 4.10
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Asset Sales
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57
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Section 4.11
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Transactions with Affiliates
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59
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Section 4.12
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Liens
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60
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Section 4.13
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Corporate Existence
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60
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Section 4.14
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Offer to Repurchase Upon Change of
Control
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60
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Section 4.15
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Limitation on Finance Corp.
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62
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ARTICLE 5.
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SUCCESSORS
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Section 5.01
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Merger, Consolidation, or Sale of
Assets
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62
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Section 5.02
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Successor Corporation Substituted
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63
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ARTICLE 6.
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DEFAULTS AND REMEDIES
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Section 6.01
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Events of Default
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63
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Section 6.02
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Acceleration
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65
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Section 6.03
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Other Remedies
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65
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Section 6.04
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Waiver of Past Defaults
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66
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Section 6.05
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Control by Majority
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66
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Section 6.06
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Limitation on Suits
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66
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Section 6.07
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Rights of Holders of Notes to Receive
Payment
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67
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Section 6.08
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Collection Suit by Trustee
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67
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Section 6.09
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Trustee May File Proofs of Claim
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67
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Section 6.10
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Priorities
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67
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Section 6.11
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Undertaking for Costs
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68
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ARTICLE 7.
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TRUSTEE
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Section 7.01
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Duties of Trustee
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68
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Section 7.02
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Rights of Trustee
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69
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Section 7.03
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Individual Rights of Trustee
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71
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Section 7.04
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Trustee’s Disclaimer
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71
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Section 7.05
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Notice of Defaults
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71
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Section 7.06
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Reports by Trustee to Holders of the
Notes
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71
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Section 7.07
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Compensation and Indemnity
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71
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Section 7.08
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Replacement of Trustee
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72
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Section 7.09
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Successor Trustee by Merger, etc.
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73
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Section 7.10
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Eligibility; Disqualification
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73
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Section 7.11
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Preferential Collection of Claims Against the
Issuers
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74
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ii
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ARTICLE 8.
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LEGAL DEFEASANCE AND COVENANT
DEFEASANCE
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Section 8.01
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Option to Effect Legal Defeasance or Covenant
Defeasance
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74
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Section 8.02
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Legal Defeasance and Discharge
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74
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Section 8.03
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Covenant Defeasance
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75
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Section 8.04
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Conditions to Legal or Covenant
Defeasance
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75
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Section 8.05
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Deposited Money and Government Securities to be
Held in Trust; Other Miscellaneous Provisions
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76
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Section 8.06
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Repayment to the Issuers
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77
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Section 8.07
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Reinstatement
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77
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ARTICLE 9.
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AMENDMENT, SUPPLEMENT AND WAIVER
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Section 9.01
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Without Consent of Holders of Notes
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77
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Section 9.02
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With Consent of Holders of Notes
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78
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Section 9.03
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Compliance with Trust Indenture Act
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79
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Section 9.04
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Revocation and Effect of Consents
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79
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Section 9.05
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Notation on or Exchange of Notes
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80
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Section 9.06
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Trustee to Sign Amendments, etc.
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80
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ARTICLE 10.
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SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE
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Section 10.01
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Satisfaction and Discharge
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80
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Section 10.02
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Application of Trust Money
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81
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ARTICLE 11.
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MISCELLANEOUS
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Section 11.01
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Trust Indenture Act Controls
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82
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Section 11.02
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Notices
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82
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Section 11.03
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Communication by Holders of Notes with Other
Holders of Notes
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83
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Section 11.04
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Certificate and Opinion as to Conditions
Precedent
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83
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Section 11.05
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Statements Required in Certificate or
Opinion
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83
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Section 11.06
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Rules by Trustee and Agents
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84
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Section 11.07
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Non-Recourse
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84
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Section 11.08
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No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers,
Employees and Stockholders
|
84
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Section 11.09
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Governing Law
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84
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Section 11.10
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Successors
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84
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Section 11.11
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Severability
|
85
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Section 11.12
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Counterpart Originals
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85
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Section 11.13
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Table of Contents, Headings, etc.
|
85
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Section 11.14
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Force Majeure
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85
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Section 11.15
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U.S.A. Patriot Act
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85
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EXHIBITS
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Exhibit A1
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FORM OF NOTE
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Exhibit A2
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FORM OF REGULATION S TEMPORARY GLOBAL
NOTE
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Exhibit B
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FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF TRANSFER
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Exhibit C
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FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF EXCHANGE
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Exhibit D
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FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF ACQUIRING
INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITED INVESTOR
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iii
This INDENTURE dated as of
September 14, 2009 among Ferrellgas, L.P., a Delaware limited
liability partnership (the “ Company ”),
Ferrellgas Finance Corp., a Delaware corporation (“
Finance Corp. ,” and together with the Company, the
“ Issuers ”), and U.S. Bank National
Association, as trustee (the “ Trustee
”).
The Issuers and the Trustee agree as
follows for the benefit of each other and for the equal and ratable
benefit of the Holders (as defined below) of the 9.125% Senior
Notes due 2017 (the “ Notes ”):
ARTICLE 1.
DEFINITIONS AND INCORPORATION
BY REFERENCE
Section 1.01
Definitions.
“144A Global
Note” means a
Global Note substantially in the form of Exhibit A1 hereto
bearing the Global Note Legend and the Private Placement Legend and
deposited with or on behalf of, and registered in the name of, the
Depositary or its nominee that will be issued in a denomination
equal to the outstanding principal amount of the Notes sold in
reliance on Rule 144A.
“Accounts Receivable
Securitization” means a financing arrangement involving the
transfer or sale of accounts receivable of the Partnership and its
Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business through
one or more SPEs, the terms of which arrangement do not impose
(a) any recourse or repurchase obligations upon the
Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries or any Affiliate of the
Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries (other than any such
SPE) except to the extent of the breach of a representation or
warranty by the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries in
connection therewith or (b) any negative pledge or Lien on any
accounts receivable not actually transferred to any such SPE in
connection with such arrangement.
“Additional
Notes” means
additional notes (other than the Initial Notes and the Exchange
Notes) issued from time to time under this Indenture in accordance
with Sections 2.02 and 4.09 hereof, as part of the same series as
the Initial Notes.
“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, will mean 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; provided that
beneficial ownership of 10% or more of the voting securities of a
Person shall be deemed to be control. For purposes of this
definition, the terms “ controlling, ” “
controlled by ” and “ under common control
with ” will have correlative meanings.
“Agent”
means any Registrar, co-registrar,
Paying Agent or additional paying agent.
1
“Applicable
Procedures” means,
with respect to any transfer or exchange of, or for beneficial
interests in, any Global Note, the rules and procedures of the
Depositary, Euroclear and Clearstream that apply to such transfer
or exchange.
“Asset
Acquisition” means
the following (in all cases, including assets acquired through a
Flow-Through Acquisition):
(1)
an Investment by
the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership in
any other Person pursuant to which the Person shall become a
Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership, or shall be merged with
or into the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the
Partnership;
(2)
the acquisition
by the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership
of the assets of any Person, other than a Restricted Subsidiary of
the Partnership, which constitute all or substantially all of the
assets of such Person; or
(3)
the acquisition
by the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership
of any division or line of business of any Person, other than a
Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership.
“Asset
Sale” means either
of the following, whether in a single transaction or a series of
related transactions:
(1)
the sale, lease,
conveyance or other disposition of any assets other than
(a) sales, leases or transfers of assets in the ordinary
course of business (including but not limited to the sales of
inventory in the ordinary course of business), and (b) sales
of accounts receivable under any Accounts Receivable
Securitization; or
(2)
the issuance or
sale of Capital Stock of any direct Subsidiary.
Notwithstanding the preceding, none
of the following items will be deemed to be an Asset
Sale:
(1)
any sale, lease
or transfer of assets or Capital Stock by the Partnership or any of
its Restricted Subsidiaries to the Issuers or a Restricted
Subsidiary;
(2)
any sale or
transfer of assets or Capital Stock by the Partnership or any of
its Restricted Subsidiaries to any entity in exchange for other
assets used in a related business and/or cash ( provided ,
that such cash portion is at least 75% of the difference between
the value of the assets being transferred and the value of the
assets being received) and having a fair market value, as
determined in good faith by an authorized financial officer of the
General Partner, reasonably equivalent to the fair market value of
the assets so transferred;
(3)
any sale, lease
or transfer of assets in accordance with Permitted
Investments;
(4)
the sale, lease,
conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of the
assets of the Partnership; provided , that the sale, lease,
conveyance or other
2
disposition of
all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership will be
governed by Section 4.14 hereof and/or Section 5.01
hereof and not Section 4.10 hereof;
(5)
the transfer or
disposition of assets that are permitted Restricted
Payments;
(6)
any sale, lease
or transfer of assets pursuant to a sale and leaseback transaction,
provided that the fair market value of all assets so sold,
leased or transferred shall not exceed $25 million from and after
the date of this Indenture;
(7)
sales or
transfers of assets not otherwise covered which do not generate
proceeds in excess of $2.5 million; and
(8)
sales or
transfers of accounts receivable under an Accounts Receivable
Securitization.
“Available
Cash” as to any
quarter means:
(1)
the sum
of:
(a) all cash receipts of the
Partnership during such quarter from all sources (including,
without limitation, distributions of cash received from
Subsidiaries of the Partnership, cash proceeds from Interim Capital
Transactions, but excluding cash proceeds from Termination Capital
Transactions, and borrowings made under the Credit Facilities);
and
(b) any reduction with
respect to such quarter in a cash reserve previously established
pursuant to clause (2)(b) below (either by reversal or
utilization) from the level of such reserve at the end of the prior
quarter;
(2)
less the sum
of:
(a) all cash disbursements
of the Partnership during such quarter, including, without
limitation, disbursements for operating expenses, taxes, if any,
debt service (including, without limitation, the payment of
principal, premium and interest), redemption of Capital Stock of
the Partnership, capital expenditures, contributions, if any, to a
Subsidiary and cash distributions to partners of the Partnership
(but only to the extent that such cash distributions to partners
exceed Available Cash for the immediately preceding quarter);
and
(b) any cash reserves
established with respect to such quarter, and any increase with
respect to such quarter in a cash reserve previously established
pursuant to this clause (2)(b) from the level of such reserve
at the end of the prior quarter, in such amounts as the General
Partner determines in its reasonable discretion to be necessary or
appropriate (i) to provide for the proper conduct of the
business of the Partnership (including, without limitation,
reserves for future capital expenditures), (ii) to provide
funds for distributions with respect to Capital Stock of the
Partnership in respect of any one or more of the next four quarters
or (iii) because the distribution of such amounts would be
prohibited by applicable law or by any loan agreement, security
agreement,
3
mortgage, debt instrument or other
agreement or obligation to which the Partnership is a party or by
which it is bound or its assets are subject;
(3)
plus the lesser
of (a) an amount as calculated in accordance with clauses
(1) and (2) above for the Partnership or its Restricted
Subsidiaries for the first 45 days of the quarter during which such
Restricted Payment is made (rather than the quarter for which
clauses (1) and (2) were calculated) and (b) an
amount of working capital Indebtedness that the Partnership or its
Restricted Subsidiaries could have incurred on or before the 45th
day after the last day of the quarter used to calculate clauses
(1) and (2) above;
provided, however , that Available Cash attributable to any
Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership will be excluded to the
extent dividends or distributions of Available Cash by the
Restricted Subsidiary are not at the date of determination
permitted by the terms of its charter or any agreement, instrument,
judgment, decree, order, statute, rule or other
regulation.
Notwithstanding the foregoing,
(x) disbursements (including, without limitation,
contributions to a Subsidiary or disbursements on behalf of a
Subsidiary) made or reserves established, increased or reduced
after the end of any quarter but on or before the date on which any
Restricted Payment requiring a determination of Available Cash for
such quarter is made shall be deemed to have been made,
established, increased or reduced, for purposes of determining
Available Cash, with respect to such quarter if the General Partner
so determines, and (y) “Available Cash” shall not
include any cash receipts or reductions in reserves or take into
account any disbursements made or reserves established in each case
after the date of liquidation of the Partnership. Taxes paid by the
Partnership on behalf of, or amounts withheld with respect to, all
or less than all of the partners shall not be considered cash
disbursements of the Partnership that reduce Available Cash, but
the payment or withholding thereof shall be deemed to be a
distribution of Available Cash to the partners. Alternatively, in
the discretion of the General Partner, such taxes (if pertaining to
all partners) may be considered to be cash disbursements of the
Partnership which reduce Available Cash, but the payment or
withholding thereof shall not be deemed to be a distribution of
Available Cash to such partners.
“Bankruptcy
Law” means Title
11, U.S. Code 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 a corresponding meaning.
“ Board of Directors
” means:
(1)
with respect to a
corporation, the board of directors of the corporation;
4
(2)
with respect to a
partnership, the Board of Directors of the general partner of the
partnership; and
(3)
with respect to
any other Person, the board or committee of such Person serving a
similar function.
“ Borrowing Base
” means, as of any date, an amount equal to:
(1)
80% of the face
amount of all accounts receivable owned by the Partnership and its
Subsidiaries as of the end of the most recent month preceding such
date that were not more than 90 days past due; plus
(2)
70% of the value
of all inventory owned by the Partnership and its Subsidiaries as
of the end of the most recent month preceding such
date,
in each case, calculated on a consolidated basis
and in accordance with GAAP.
“ Business Day”
means any day other than a Legal Holiday.
“Capital
Stock” means of any
Person any capital stock, partnership interest, membership
interest, or equity interest of any kind.
“ Change of
Control” means
(1)
the sale, lease,
conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of the
assets of the Partnership to any entity other than to a Related
Party;
(2)
the liquidation
or dissolution of the Partnership or the General Partner, or a
successor to the General Partner; or
(3)
any transaction
or series of transactions that results in a Person other than a
Related Party beneficially owning in the aggregate, directly or
indirectly, more than 35% of the voting stock of the General
Partner or a successor to the General Partner and such percentage
is more than the percentage of voting stock that is owned by the
Related Party or a successor to the Related Party.
“ Consolidated Cash Flow
Available for Fixed Charges” means, with respect to the
Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries, for any period, the
sum of, without duplication, the amounts for the period, taken as
single accounting, of:
(1)
Consolidated Net
Income;
(2)
Consolidated
Non-cash Charges;
(3)
Consolidated
Interest Expense; and
(4)
Consolidated
Income Tax Expense.
5
“Consolidated Fixed Charge
Coverage Ratio” means, with respect to the Partnership and its
Restricted Subsidiaries, the ratio of (y) the aggregate amount
of Consolidated Cash Flow Available for Fixed Charges of the Person
for the four full fiscal quarters immediately preceding the date of
the transaction (the “Transaction Date”) giving rise to
the need to calculate the Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio
(the “Four Quarter Period”), to (z) the aggregate
amount of Consolidated Fixed Charges of the Person for the Four
Quarter Period. In addition to and without limitation of the
foregoing, for purposes of this definition, “Consolidated
Cash Flow Available for Fixed Charges” and
“Consolidated Fixed Charges” shall be calculated after
giving effect on a pro forma basis for the period of the
calculation to, without duplication:
(1)
the incurrence or
repayment of any Indebtedness, excluding the incurrence of
revolving credit borrowings and repayments of revolving credit
borrowings (other than the incurrence and repayment of any
revolving credit borrowings the proceeds of which are used for
Asset Acquisitions or Growth Related Capital Expenditures of the
Partnership or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries and, in the case
of any incurrence or revolving credit borrowings, the application
of the net proceeds thereof) during the period commencing on the
first day of the Four Quarter Period to and including the
Transaction Date (the “Reference Period”), including,
without limitation, the incurrence of the Indebtedness giving rise
to the need to make the calculation (and the application of the net
proceeds thereof), as if the incurrence (and application) occurred
on the first day of the Reference Period; and
(2)
any Asset Sales
or Asset Acquisitions (including, without limitation, any Asset
Acquisition giving rise to the need to make the calculation as a
result of the Partnership or one of its Restricted Subsidiaries,
including any Person who becomes a Restricted Subsidiary as a
result of the Asset Acquisition, incurring, assuming or otherwise
being liable for Acquired Indebtedness) occurring during the
Reference Period, as if the Asset Sale or Asset Acquisition
occurred on the first day of the Reference Period; provided,
however , that:
(a) Consolidated Fixed
Charges will be reduced by amounts attributable to businesses or
assets that are so disposed of only to the extent that the
obligations giving rise to such Consolidated Fixed Charges would no
longer be obligations contributing to the Consolidated Fixed
Charges subsequent to the date of determination of the Consolidated
Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio;
(b) Consolidated Cash Flow
Available for Fixed Charges generated by an acquired business or
asset shall be determined by the actual gross profit, which is
equal to revenues minus cost of goods sold, of the acquired
business or asset during the immediately available preceding four
full fiscal quarters occurring in the Reference Period, minus the
pro forma expenses that would have been incurred by the Partnership
and its Restricted Subsidiaries in the operation of the acquired
business or asset during the period computed on the basis of
personnel expenses for employees retained or to be retained by the
Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries in the operation of the
acquired business or asset and non-personnel costs and expenses
incurred by or to be incurred by the Partnership and its Restricted
Subsidiaries based upon the operation of the Partnership’s
business, all as determined in good faith by an authorized
financial officer of the General Partner; and
6
(c) Consolidated Cash Flow
Available for Fixed Charges shall not include the impact of any
nonrecurring cash charges incurred in connection with a
restructuring, reorganization or other similar transaction, as
determined in good faith by an authorized financial officer of the
General Partner.
Furthermore, subject to the
following paragraph, in calculating “Consolidated Fixed
Charges” for purposes of determining the “Consolidated
Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio”:
(1)
interest on
outstanding Indebtedness, other than Indebtedness referred to in
the point below, determined on a fluctuating basis as of the last
day of the Four Quarter Period and which will continue to be so
determined thereafter shall be deemed to have accrued at a fixed
rate per annum equal to the rate of interest on such Indebtedness
in effect on that date;
(2)
only actual
interest payments associated with Indebtedness incurred in
accordance with clause (4) of the definition of Permitted
Indebtedness and all Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness in respect
thereof, during the Four Quarter Period shall be included in the
calculation; and
(3)
if interest on
any Indebtedness actually incurred on the date may optionally be
determined at an interest rate based upon a factor of a prime or
similar rate, a eurocurrency interbank offered rate, or other
rates, then the interest rate in effect on the last day of the Four
Quarter Period will be deemed to have been in effect during the
period.
“ Consolidated Fixed
Charges ” means, with respect to the Partnership and its
Restricted Subsidiaries for any period, the sum of, without
duplication:
(1)
the amounts for
such period of Consolidated Interest Expense; and
(2)
the product
of:
(a) the aggregate amount of
dividends and other distributions paid or accrued during the period
in respect of Preferred Stock and Redeemable Capital Stock of the
Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries on a consolidated
basis; and
(b) a fraction, the
numerator of which is one and the denominator of which is one less
the then applicable current combined federal, state and local
statutory tax rate, expressed as a percentage.
“ Consolidated Income Tax
Expense ” means, with respect to the Partnership and its
Restricted Subsidiaries for any period, the provision for federal,
state, local and foreign income taxes of the Partnership and its
Restricted Subsidiaries for the period as determined on a
consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP.
“ Consolidated Interest
Expense ” means, with respect to the Partnership and its
Restricted Subsidiaries, for any period, without duplication, the
sum of:
7
(1)
the interest
expense of the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries for the
period as determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with
GAAP, including, without limitation:
(2)
any amortization
of debt discount;
(3)
the net cost
under Interest Rate Agreements;
(4)
the interest
portion of any deferred payment obligation;
(5)
all commissions,
discounts and other fees and charges owed with respect to letters
of credit and bankers’ acceptance financing;
(6)
all accrued
interest for all instruments evidencing Indebtedness;
and
(7)
the interest
component of Capital Leases paid or accrued or scheduled to be paid
or accrued by the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries
during the period as determined on a consolidated basis in
accordance with GAAP.
“ Consolidated Net
Income ” means the net income of the Partnership and its
Restricted Subsidiaries, as determined on a consolidated basis in
accordance with GAAP and as adjusted to exclude:
(1)
net after-tax
extraordinary gains or losses;
(2)
net after-tax
gains or losses attributable to Asset Sales or sales of receivables
under any Accounts Receivable Securitization;
(3)
the net income or
loss of any Person which is not a Restricted Subsidiary and which
is accounted for by the equity method of accounting;
provided , that Consolidated Net Income shall include the
amount of dividends or distributions actually paid to the
Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary;
(4)
the net income or
loss prior to the date of acquisition of any Person combined with
the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary in a pooling of
interest;
(5)
the net income of
any Restricted Subsidiary to the extent that dividends or
distributions of that net income are not at the date of
determination permitted by the terms of its charter or any
judgment, decree, order, statute, rule or other regulation;
and
(6)
the cumulative
effect of any changes in accounting principles.
“ Consolidated Net Tangible
Assets ” means as of any date of determination, the Total
Assets of the Partnership and the Restricted Subsidiaries as would
be shown on a consolidated balance sheet of the Partnership and the
Restricted Subsidiaries prepared in accordance with GAAP as of that
date less applicable reserves reflected in such balance sheet,
after deducting the following amounts: (a) all current
liabilities reflected in such balance sheet, and (b) all
goodwill, trademarks, patents, unamortized debt discounts and
expenses and other like intangibles reflected in such balance
sheet.
8
“ Consolidated Non-Cash
Charges ” means, with respect to the Partnership and its
Restricted Subsidiaries for any period, the aggregate
(1) depreciation, (2) amortization,
(3) non-cash employee compensation expenses of the Partnership
or its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, and (4) any
non-cash charges resulting from writedowns of non-current assets,
in each case which reduces the Consolidated Net Income of the
Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries for the period, as
determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with
GAAP.
“ Corporate Trust Office of
the Trustee” will be at the address of the Trustee
specified in Section 11.02 hereof or such other address as to
which the Trustee may give notice to the Issuers.
“Credit
Agreement” means
that Fifth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of
April 22, 2005, among the Partnership, the General Partner,
Bank of America, N.A., as agent, and the other financial
institutions party thereto as heretofore amended (as amended, the
“ Existing Credit Agreement ”), as the Existing
Credit Agreement may be amended, restated, modified, renewed,
refunded, replaced or refinanced from time to time.
“Credit
Facilities” means,
one or more debt facilities (including, without limitation, the
facilities evidenced by the Credit Agreement) or commercial paper
facilities, or indentures, in each case with banks or other
institutional lenders 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) or letters of
credit, in each case, as amended, restated, modified, renewed,
refunded, replaced or refinanced in whole or in part from time to
time.
“Custodian” means the Trustee, as custodian with respect to
the Notes in global form, or any successor entity
thereto.
“Default”
means any event that is, or after
notice or with the passage of time or both would be, an Event of
Default.
“Definitive
Note” means a
certificated Note registered in the name of the Holder thereof and
issued in accordance with Section 2.06 hereof, substantially
in the form of Exhibit A hereto except that such Note shall
not bear the Global Note Legend and shall not have the
“Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note”
attached thereto.
“Depositary” means, with respect to the Notes issuable or
issued in whole or in part in global form, the Person specified in
Section 2.03 hereof as the Depositary with respect to the
Notes, and any and all successors thereto appointed as depositary
hereunder and having become such pursuant to the applicable
provision of this Indenture.
“ Designation Amount
” means, with respect to the designation of a Restricted
Subsidiary or a newly acquired or formed Subsidiary as an
Unrestricted Subsidiary, an amount equal to the sum of:
(1)
the net book
value of all assets of the Subsidiary at the time of the
designation in the case of a Restricted Subsidiary; and
9
(2)
the cost of
acquisition or formation in the case of a newly acquired or formed
Subsidiary.
“Equity
Offering” means a
public offering or private placement of partnership interests
(other than interests that are mandatorily redeemable)
of:
(3)
any entity that
directly or indirectly owns equity interests in the Partnership, to
the extent the net proceeds are contributed to the
Partnership;
(4)
any Subsidiary of
the Partnership to the extent the net proceeds are distributed,
paid, lent or otherwise transferred to the Partnership that results
in the net proceeds to the Partnership of at least $20 million;
or
(5)
the
Partnership.
A private placement of partnership
interests will not be deemed an Equity Offering unless net proceeds
of at least $20 million are received.
“Euroclear” means Euroclear Bank, S.A./N.V., as operator of
the Euroclear system.
“Exchange
Act” means the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“Exchange
Notes” means the
Notes issued in the Exchange Offer, if any, pursuant to
Section 2.06(f) hereof.
“Exchange
Offer” has the
meaning set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement.
“Exchange Offer
Registration Statement” has the meaning set forth in the Registration
Rights Agreement.
“Ferrellgas
Partners” means
Ferrellgas Partners, L.P.
“Flow-Through
Acquisition” means
an acquisition by the General Partner or its parent from a Person
that is not an Affiliate of the General Partner, its parent or the
Partnership, of property (real or personal), assets or equipment
(whether through the direct purchase of assets or the Capital Stock
of the Person owning such assets) in a permitted line of business,
which is promptly sold, transferred or contributed by the General
Partner or its parent to the Partnership or one of its
Subsidiaries.
“GAAP”
means generally accepted accounting
principles set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the
Accounting Principles Board of the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the
Financial Accounting Standards Board or in such other statements by
such other entity as have been approved by a significant segment of
the accounting profession, in each case, which are in effect on the
date of this Indenture.
“General
Partner” means
Ferrellgas, Inc.
“Global
Notes” means,
individually and collectively, each of the Restricted Global Notes
and the Unrestricted Global Notes deposited with or on behalf of
and registered in the name of
10
the Depositary or its nominee, substantially in
the form of Exhibit A1 hereto and that bears the Global Note
Legend and that has the “Schedule of Exchanges of Interests
in the Global Note” attached thereto, issued in accordance
with Section 2.01, 2.06(b)(3), 2.06(b)(4), 2.06(d)(2) or
2.06(g)(2) hereof.
“Global Note
Legend” means the
legend set forth in Section 2.06(g)(2), which is required to
be placed on all Global Notes issued under this
Indenture.
“Government
Securities” means
direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed by, the United
States of America, and the payment for which the United States
pledges its full faith and credit.
“Growth Related Capital
Expenditures” means, with respect to any Person, all capital
expenditures by such Person made to improve or enhance the existing
capital assets or to increase the customer base of such Person or
to acquire or construct new capital assets (but excluding capital
expenditures made to maintain, up to the level thereof that existed
at the time of such expenditure, the operating capacity of the
capital assets of such Person as such assets existed at the time of
such expenditure).
“Holder”
means a Person in whose name a Note
is registered.
“IAI Global
Note” means a
Global Note substantially in the form of Exhibit A1 hereto
bearing the Global Note Legend and the Private Placement Legend and
deposited with or on behalf of and registered in the name of the
Depositary or its nominee that will be issued in a denomination
equal to the outstanding principal amount of the Notes sold to
Institutional Accredited Investors .
“Indebtedness”
means, as applied to any Person,
without duplication:
(1)
(a) any
indebtedness for borrowed money and (b) all obligations
evidenced by any (i) bond, note, debenture or other similar
instrument or (ii) letter of credit, or reimbursement
agreements in respect thereof, but only for any drawings that are
not reimbursed within five Business Days after the date of such
drawings, which in each case the Person has, directly or
indirectly, created, incurred or assumed;
(2)
any indebtedness
for borrowed money and all obligations evidenced by any bond, note,
debenture or other similar instrument secured by any Lien in
respect of property owned by the Person, whether or not the Person
has assumed or become liable for the payment of the indebtedness;
provided , that the amount of the indebtedness, if the
Person has not assumed the same or become liable therefor, shall in
no event be deemed to be greater than the fair market value from
time to time, as determined in good faith by the Person of the
property subject to the Lien;
(3)
any indebtedness,
whether or not for borrowed money (excluding trade payables and
accrued expenses arising in the ordinary course of business) with
respect to which the Person has become directly or indirectly
liable and which represents the deferred purchase price, or a
portion thereof, or has been incurred to finance the
purchase
11
price, or a
portion thereof, of any property or business acquired by, or
service performed on behalf of, the Person, whether by purchase,
consolidation, merger or otherwise;
(4)
the principal
component of any obligations under Capital Leases to the extent the
obligations would, in accordance with GAAP, appear on the balance
sheet of the Person;
(5)
any indebtedness
of any other Person of the character referred to in the foregoing
clauses (1)-(4) of this definition with respect to which the
Person whose indebtedness is being determined has become liable by
way of a guarantee; and
(6)
all Redeemable
Capital Stock of the Person valued at the greater of its voluntary
or involuntary maximum fixed repurchase price plus accrued
dividends.
For purposes hereof, the
“maximum fixed repurchase price” of any Redeemable
Capital Stock which does not have a fixed repurchase price shall be
calculated in accordance with the terms of the Redeemable Capital
Stock as if it were purchased on any date on which Indebtedness
shall be required to be determined pursuant to this Indenture and
if the price is based upon, or measured by, the fair market value
of the Redeemable Capital Stock, the fair market value shall be
determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the issuer of
the Redeemable Capital Stock. For purposes hereof, the term
“Indebtedness” shall not include (x) accrual of
interest, the accretion of accreted value and the payment of
interest or any other similar incurrence by the Partnership or its
Restricted Subsidiaries related to Indebtedness otherwise permitted
in this Indenture, (y) Indebtedness under any hedging
arrangement which provides for the right or obligation to purchase,
sell or deliver any currency, commodity or security at a future
date for a specified price entered into to protect such Person from
fluctuations in prices or rates, including currencies, interest
rates, commodity prices, and securities prices, including without
limitation indebtedness under any interest rate or commodity price
swap agreement, interest rate cap agreement, interest rate collar
agreement or any forward sales arrangements, calls, options, swaps,
or other similar transactions or any combination thereof,
including, or (z) any Accounts Receivable
Securitization.
“Indenture” means this Indenture, as amended or supplemented
from time to time.
“Indirect
Participant” means
a Person who holds a beneficial interest in a Global Note through a
Participant.
“Initial
Notes” means the
first $300,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Notes issued under
this Indenture on the date hereof.
“Initial
Purchasers” means
J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., Banc of America Securities LLC, Wells
Fargo Securities, LLC, BNP Paribas Securities Corp., Fifth Third
Securities, Inc., PNC Capital Markets LLC and SG Americas
Securities, LLC.
“Interim Capital
Transactions” means
(1) borrowings, refinancings or refundings of Indebtedness and
sales of debt securities (other than for working capital purposes
and other than for items purchased on open account in the ordinary
course of business) by the Partnership, (2) sales of Capital
Stock of the Partnership by the Partnership and (3) sales or
other voluntary or
12
involuntary dispositions of any assets of the
Partnership (other than (x) sales or other dispositions of
inventory in the ordinary course of business, (y) sales or
other dispositions of other current assets including, without
limitation, receivables and accounts and (z) sales or other
dispositions of assets as a part of normal retirements or
replacements), in each case prior to the commencement of the
dissolution and liquidation of the Partnership.
“Investment” means as applied to any Person:
(1)
any direct or
indirect purchase or other acquisition by the Person of stock or
other securities of any other Person; or
(2)
any direct or
indirect loan, advance or capital contribution by the Person to any
other Person and any other item which would be classified as an
“investment” on a balance sheet of the Person prepared
in accordance with GAAP, including without limitation any direct or
indirect contribution by the Person of property or assets to a
joint venture, partnership or other business entity in which the
Person retains an interest, it being understood that a direct or
indirect purchase or other acquisition by the Person of assets of
any other Person, other than stock or other securities, shall not
constitute an “Investment” for purposes of this
Indenture.
The amount classified as Investments
made during any period will be the aggregate cost to the
Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries of all the Investments
made during the period, determined in accordance with GAAP, but
without regard to unrealized increases or decreases in value, or
write-ups, write-downs or write-offs, of the Investments and
without regard to the existence of any undistributed earnings or
accrued interest with respect thereto accrued after the respective
dates on which the Investments were made, less any net return of
capital realized during the period upon the sale, repayment or
other liquidation of the Investments, determined in accordance with
GAAP, but without regard to any amounts received during the period
as earnings (in the form of dividends not constituting a return of
capital, interest or otherwise) on the Investments or as loans from
any Person in whom the Investments have been made.
“ Legal Holiday”
means a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which banking institutions
in the City of New York or at a place of payment are authorized by
law, regulation or executive order to remain closed. If a
payment date is a Legal Holiday at a place of payment, payment may
be made at that place on the next succeeding day that is not a
Legal Holiday, and no interest shall accrue on such payment for the
intervening period.
“Lien”
means, with respect to any asset,
any mortgage, lien (statutory or otherwise), pledge, charge,
security interest, hypothecation, assignment for security or other
encumbrance of any kind in respect of such asset. A Person
shall be deemed to own subject to a Lien any asset which such
Person has acquired or holds subject to the interest of a vendor or
lessor under any conditional sale agreement, capital lease or other
title retention agreement.
“Net Amount of Unrestricted
Investment” means,
without duplication, the sum of:
(1)
the aggregate
amount of all Investments made after the date of this Indenture
pursuant to clause (3) of the definition of Permitted
Investment hereto, computed as provided in the last sentence of the
definition of Investment herein; and
13
(2)
the aggregate of
all Designation Amounts in connection with the designation of
Unrestricted Subsidiaries, less all Designation Amounts in respect
of Unrestricted Subsidiaries which have been designated as
Restricted Subsidiaries and otherwise reduced in a manner
consistent with the provisions of the last sentence of the
definition of Investment herein.
“ Net Proceeds ”
means, with respect to any asset sale or sale of Capital Stock, the
proceeds therefrom in the form of cash or cash equivalents
including payments in respect of deferred payment obligations when
received in the form of cash or cash equivalents, except to the
extent that the deferred payment obligations are financed or sold
with recourse to the Partnership or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries, net of:
(1)
brokerage
commissions and other fees and expenses related to the Asset Sale,
including, without limitation, fees and expenses of legal counsel
and accountants and fees, expenses, discounts or commissions of
underwriters, placement agents and investment bankers;
(2)
provisions for
all taxes payable as a result of the Asset Sale;
(3)
amounts required
to be paid to any Person, other than the Partnership or any
Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership, owning a beneficial
interest in the assets subject to the Asset Sale;
(4)
appropriate
amounts to be provided by the Partnership or any Restricted
Subsidiary of the Partnership, as the case may be, as a reserve
required in accordance with GAAP against any liabilities associated
with the Asset Sale and retained by the Partnership or any
Restricted Subsidiary of the Partnership, as the case may be, after
the Asset Sale, including, without limitation, pension and other
post-employment benefit liabilities, liabilities related to
environmental matters and liabilities under any indemnification
obligations associated with the Asset Sale; and
(5)
amounts applied
to the repayment of Indebtedness in connection with the asset or
assets acquired in the Asset Sale, including any transaction costs
and expenses associated therewith and any make-whole or other
premium owed in connection with such repayment.
“Notes”
has the meaning assigned to it in
the preamble to this Indenture. The Initial Notes, the
Additional Notes and the Exchange Notes shall be treated as a
single class for all purposes under this Indenture, and unless the
context otherwise requires, all references to the Notes shall
include the Initial Notes, any Additional Notes and the Exchange
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 or any Vice-President of such Person.
“Officers’
Certificate” means
a certificate signed on behalf of the Issuers by two Officers of
the Issuers, one of whom must be the principal executive officer,
the principal financial officer
14
or the principal accounting officer of the
Issuers, that meets the requirements of Section 11.05
hereof.
“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
Issuers, any Subsidiary of the Issuers or the Trustee.
“Participant”
means, with respect to the
Depositary, a Person who has an account with the
Depositary.
“Partnership”
means Ferrellgas, L.P., without its
consolidated subsidiaries.
“Permitted
Investments” means
any of the following:
(1)
Investments made
or owned by the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary
in:
(a) marketable obligations
issued or unconditionally guaranteed by the United States, or
issued by any agency thereof and backed by the full faith and
credit of the United States, in each case maturing one year or less
from the date of acquisition thereof;
(b) marketable direct
obligations issued by any state of the United States or any
political subdivision of any such state or any public
instrumentality thereof maturing within one year from the date of
acquisition thereof and having as at such date the highest rating
obtainable from either Standard & Poor’s Ratings
Group (“S&P”) and its successors or Moody’s
Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) and its
successors;
(c) commercial paper
maturing no more than 270 days from the date of creation thereof
and having as at the date of acquisition thereof one of the two
highest ratings obtainable from either S&P or
Moody’s;
(d) certificates of deposit
maturing one year or less from the date of acquisition thereof
issued by commercial banks incorporated under the laws of the
United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia or
Canada;
(e) the commercial paper or
other short term unsecured debt obligations of which are as at such
date rated either “A-2” or better (or comparably if the
rating system is changed) by S&P or “Prime-2” or
better (or comparably if the rating system is changed) by
Moody’s;
(f) the long-term debt
obligations of which are, as at such date, rated either
“A” or better (or comparably if the rating system is
changed) by either S&P or Moody’s (“Permitted
Banks”);
(g) eurodollar time deposits
having a maturity of less than 270 days from the date of
acquisition thereof purchased directly from any Permitted
Bank;
15
(h) bankers’
acceptances eligible for rediscount under requirements of the Board
of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and accepted by
Permitted Banks; and
(i) obligations of the type
described in clauses (a) through (e) above purchased from
a securities dealer designated as a “primary dealer” by
the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or from a Permitted Bank as
counterparty to a written repurchase agreement obligating such
counterparty to repurchase such obligations not later than 14 days
after the purchase thereof and which provides that the obligations
which are the subject thereof are held for the benefit of the
Partnership or a Restricted Subsidiary by a custodian which is a
Permitted Bank and which is not a counterparty to the repurchase
agreement in question;
(2)
the acquisition
by the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of Capital Stock or
other ownership interests, whether in a single transaction or in a
series of related transactions, of a Person located in the United
States, Mexico or Canada and engaged in substantially the same
business as the Partnership such that, upon the completion of such
transaction or series of transactions, the Person becomes a
Restricted Subsidiary;
(3)
any Investment by
the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary in a Person, if as a
result of such Investment:
(a)
such Person
becomes a Restricted Subsidiary; 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 Partnership or a Restricted
Subsidiary;
(4)
the making or
ownership by the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of
Investments (in addition to any other Permitted Investments) in any
Person incorporated or otherwise formed pursuant to the laws of the
United States, Mexico or Canada or any state thereof which is
engaged in the United States, Mexico or Canada; provided ,
that the aggregate amount of all such Investments made by the
Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries following the date of
this Indenture and outstanding pursuant to this third clause shall
not at any date of determination exceed 7.5% of Total
Assets;
(5)
the making or
ownership by the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary of
Investments:
(a) arising out of loans and
advances to employees incurred in the ordinary course of
business;
(b) arising out of
extensions of trade credit or advances to third parties in the
ordinary course of business; or
(c) acquired by reason of
the exercise of customary creditors’ rights upon default or
pursuant to the bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of a
debtor;
16
(6)
the creation or
incurrence of liability by the Partnership or any Restricted
Subsidiary, with respect to any guarantee constituting an
obligation, warranty or indemnity, not guaranteeing Indebtedness of
any Person, which is undertaken or made in the ordinary course of
business;
(7)
the creation or
incurrence of liability by the Partnership or any Restricted
Subsidiary with respect to any hedging agreements or
arrangements;
(8)
the making by any
Restricted Subsidiary of Investments in the Partnership or another
Restricted Subsidiary and the making by the Partnership of
Investments in any Restricted Subsidiary;
(9)
the present
value, determined on the basis of the implicit interest rate, of
all basic rental obligations under all synthetic leases of the
Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary; and
(10)
the creation or
incurrence of liability by the Partnership or any Restricted
Subsidiary or the making or ownership by the Partnership or any
Restricted Subsidiary of Investments in any Person with respect to
any Accounts Receivable Securitization.
“Permitted
Liens” means any of
the following:
(1)
Liens for taxes,
assessments or other governmental charges, the payment of which is
not yet due or the payment of which is being contested in good
faith by appropriate proceedings promptly initiated and diligently
conducted and as to which reserves or other appropriate provision,
if any, as shall be required by GAAP, shall have been made therefor
and be adequate in the good faith judgment of the
obligor;
(2)
Liens of
carriers, vendors, warehousemen, mechanics, materialmen, repairmen
and other like Liens incurred in the ordinary course of business
for sums not overdue for a period of more than 30 days or the
payment of which is being contested in good faith by appropriate
proceedings promptly initiated and diligently conducted and as to
which reserves or other appropriate provisions, if any, as shall be
required by GAAP, shall have been made therefor and be adequate in
the good faith judgment of the obligor, in each case:
(a) not incurred or made in
connection with the borrowing of money, the obtaining of advances
or credit or the payment of the deferred purchase price of
property; or
(b) incurred in the ordinary
course of business securing the unpaid purchase price of property
or services constituting current accounts payable;
(3)
Liens, other than
any Lien imposed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
1974, as may be amended from time to time, incurred or deposits
made in the ordinary course of business:
(a) in connection with
workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and other types
of social security; or
17
(b) to secure or to obtain
letters of credit that secure the performance of tenders, statutory
obligations, surety and appeal bonds, bids, leases, performance
bonds, purchase, construction or sales contracts and other similar
obligations, in each case not incurred or made in connection with
the borrowing of money;
(4)
other deposits
made to secure liability to insurance carriers under insurance or
self-insurance arrangements;
(5)
Liens securing
reimbursement obligations under letters of credit, provided in each
case that such Liens cover only the title documents and related
goods and any proceeds thereof covered by the related letter of
credit;
(6)
any attachment or
judgment Lien, unless the judgment it secures shall not, within 60
days after the entry thereof, have been discharged or execution
thereof stayed pending appeal or review, or shall not have been
discharged within 60 days after expiration of any such
stay;
(7)
leases or
subleases granted to others, easements, rights-of-way, restrictions
and other similar charges or encumbrances, which, in each case
either are granted, entered into or created in the ordinary course
of the business of the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary or
do not materially impair the value or intended use of the property
covered thereby;
(8)
Liens on property
or assets of any Restricted Subsidiary securing Indebtedness of the
Restricted Subsidiary owing to the Partnership or a Restricted
Subsidiary;
(9)
Liens on assets
of the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary existing on the
date of this Indenture;
(10)
Liens on personal
property leased under leases entered into by the Partnership or its
Restricted Subsidiaries which are accounted for as operating leases
in accordance with GAAP;
(11)
Liens securing
Indebtedness arising under an Accounts Receivable Securitization
(including the filing of any related financing statements naming
the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary as the debtor
thereunder in connection with the sale of accounts receivable by
the Partnership, Ferrellgas, L.P. or any Restricted Subsidiary to
an SPE in connection with any such permitted Accounts Receivable
Securitization);
(12)
Liens securing
Indebtedness incurred in accordance with:
(a) clauses (3) and
(6) of the definition of Permitted Indebtedness;
and
(b) Indebtedness otherwise
permitted to be incurred under Section 4.09 hereof to the
extent incurred:
18
(i)
to finance the making of
expenditures for the improvement or repair (to the extent the
improvements and repairs may be capitalized on the books of the
Partnership and the Restricted Subsidiaries in accordance with
GAAP) of, or additions including additions by way of acquisitions
of businesses and related assets to, the assets and property of the
Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries; or
(ii)
by assumption in connection with
additions including additions by way of acquisition or capital
contributions of businesses and related assets to the property and
assets of the Partnership and its Restricted
Subsidiaries;
provided , that, in the case of Indebtedness incurred in
accordance with clauses (i) and (ii) above, the principal
amount of the Indebtedness does not exceed the lesser of the cost
to the Partnership and its Restricted Subsidiaries of the
additional property or assets and the fair market value of the
additional property or assets at the time of the acquisition
thereof, as determined in good faith by an authorized financial
officer of the General Partner;
(13)
Liens existing on
any property of any Person at the time it becomes a Subsidiary of
the Partnership, or existing at the time of acquisition upon any
property acquired by the Partnership or any Subsidiary through
purchase, merger or consolidation or otherwise, whether or not
assumed by the Partnership or the Subsidiary, or created to secure
Indebtedness incurred to pay all or any part of the purchase price
(a “Purchase Money Lien”) of property including,
without limitation, Capital Stock and other securities acquired by
the Partnership or a Restricted Subsidiary; provided ,
that:
(a) the Lien shall be
confined solely to the item or items of property and, if required
by the terms of the instrument originally creating the Lien, other
property which is an improvement to or is acquired for use
specifically in connection with the acquired property;
(b) in the case of a
Purchase Money Lien, the principal amount of the Indebtedness
secured by the Purchase Money Lien shall at no time exceed an
amount equal to the lesser of:
(A) the
cost to the Partnership and the Restricted Subsidiaries of the
property; and
(B) the
fair market value of the property at the time of the acquisition
thereof as determined in good faith by an authorized financial
officer of the General Partner;
(c) the Purchase Money Lien
shall be created not later than 360 days after the acquisition of
the property; and
(d) the Lien, other than a
Purchase Money Lien, shall not have been created or assumed in
contemplation of the Person’s becoming a Subsidiary of the
Partnership or the acquisition of property by the Partnership or
any Subsidiary;
19
(14)
easements,
exceptions or reservations in any property of the Partnership or
any Restricted Subsidiary granted or reserved for the purpose of
pipelines, roads, the removal of oil, gas, coal or other minerals,
and other like purposes, or for the joint or common use of real
property, facilities and equipment, which are incidental to, and do
not materially interfere with, the ordinary conduct of the business
of the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary;
(15)
Liens arising
from or constituting permitted encumbrances under the agreements
and instruments securing the obligations under the Credit
Agreement;
(16)
Liens of
landlords or mortgages of landlords on fixtures and movable
property located on premises leased by the Partnership or any of
its Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business;
(17)
Liens such as
banker’s liens, rights of set-off or similar rights and
remedies and burdening only deposit accounts or other funds
maintained with a depository institution in the ordinary course of
business; and
(18)
any Lien renewing
or extending any Lien permitted by clauses (9) through (13)
and (15) above; provided , that, the principal amount of the
Indebtedness secured by any such Lien shall not exceed the
principal amount of the Indebtedness outstanding immediately prior
to the renewal or extension of the Lien, and no assets encumbered
by the Lien other than the assets encumbered immediately prior to
the renewal or extension shall be encumbered thereby.
“ Permitted Refinancing
Indebtedness” means Indebtedness incurred by the
Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary to substantially and
concurrently (excluding any notice period on redemptions) repay,
refund, renew, replace, extend or refinance, in whole or in part,
any Permitted Indebtedness of the Partnership or any Restricted
Subsidiary or any other Indebtedness incurred by the Partnership or
any Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to Section 4.09, to the
extent:
(1)
the principal
amount of the Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness does not exceed
the principal or accreted amount plus the amount of accrued and
unpaid interest of the Indebtedness so repaid, refunded, renewed,
replaced, extended or refinanced (plus the amount of all expenses
and premiums incurred in connection therewith);
(2)
with respect to
the repayment, refunding, renewal, replacement, extension or
refinancing of the Issuers’ Indebtedness, the Permitted
Refinancing Indebtedness ranks no more favorably in right of
payment with respect to the Notes than the Indebtedness so repaid,
refunded, renewed, replaced, extended or refinanced;
and
(3)
with respect to
the repayment, refunding, renewal, replacement, extension or
refinancing of the Issuers’ Indebtedness, the Permitted
Refinancing Indebtedness has a Weighted Average Life to Stated
Maturity and stated maturity equal to, or greater than, and has no
fixed mandatory redemption or sinking fund requirement in an amount
greater than or at a time prior to the amounts set forth in, the
Indebtedness so repaid, refunded, renewed, replaced, extended or
refinanced;
20
provided, however , that Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness shall
not include Indebtedness incurred by a Restricted Subsidiary to
repay, refund, renew, replace, extend or refinance Indebtedness of
the Partnership.
“ Person” means
any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture,
association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated
organization, limited liability company or government or other
entity.
“ Preferred Stock
,” as applied to the Capital Stock of any Person, means
Capital Stock of any class or classes (however designated), which
is preferred as to the payment of distributions, dividends, or upon
any voluntary or involuntary liquidation or dissolution of such
Person, over shares or units of Capital Stock of any other class of
such Person; provided , that any limited partnership
interest of the Partnership will not be considered Preferred
Stock.
“Principal” means James E. Ferrell.
“Private Placement
Legend” means the
legend set forth in Section 2.06(g)(1) hereof to be
placed on all Notes issued under this Indenture except where
otherwise permitted by the provisions of this Indenture.
“QIB”
means a “qualified
institutional buyer” as defined in Rule 144A.
“Redeemable Capital
Stock” means any
shares of any class or series of Capital Stock, that, either by the
terms thereof, by the terms of any security into which it is
convertible or exchangeable or by contract or otherwise, is or upon
the happening of an event or passage of time would be, required to
be redeemed prior to the stated maturity of the principal of the
Notes or is redeemable at the option of the holder thereof at any
time prior to the stated maturity of the principal of the Notes, or
is convertible into or exchangeable for debt securities at any time
prior to the stated maturity of the principal of the
Notes.
“Registration Rights
Agreement” means
the Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of September 14,
2009, among the Ferrellgas, L.P., Finance Corp. and the Initial
Purchasers, as such agreement may be amended, modified or
supplemented from time to time.
“Regulation
S” means Regulation
S promulgated under the Securities Act.
“Regulation S Global
Note” means a
Regulation S Temporary Global Note or Regulation S Permanent Global
Note, as appropriate.
“Regulation S Permanent
Global Note” means
a permanent Global Note in the form of Exhibit A1 hereto
bearing the Global Note Legend and the Private Placement Legend and
deposited with or on behalf of and registered in the name of the
Depositary or its nominee, issued in a denomination equal to the
outstanding principal amount of the Regulation S Temporary Global
Note upon expiration of the Restricted Period.
“Regulation S Temporary
Global Note” means
a temporary Global Note in the form of Exhibit A2 hereto
deposited with or on behalf of and registered in the name of the
Depositary or its nominee, issued in a denomination equal to the
outstanding principal amount of the Notes initially sold in
reliance on Rule 903 of Regulation S.
21
“Related
Party” means any of
the following:
(1)
any immediate
family member or lineal descendant of the Principal;
(2)
any trust,
corporation, partnership or other entity, the beneficiaries,
stockholders, partners, owners or Persons beneficially holding an
80% or more controlling interest of which consist of any one or
more Principals and/or such other Persons referred to in the
immediately preceding clause (1);
(3)
the Ferrell
Companies, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Trust (“FCI
ESOT”);
(4)
any participant
in the FCI ESOT whose account has been allocated shares of Ferrell
Companies, Inc.;
(5)
Ferrell
Companies, Inc.; or
(6)
any Subsidiary of
Ferrell Companies, Inc.
“ Responsible
Officer,” when used with respect to the Trustee, means
any officer within the corporate trust department of the Trustee
(or any successor group of the Trustee) or any other officer of the
Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed
by any of the above designated officers and also means, with
respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer
to whom such matter is referred because of his knowledge of and
familiarity with the particular subject.
“Restricted
Period” means the
40-day distribution compliance period as defined in Regulation
S.
“Restricted
Subsidiary” means a
Subsidiary of the Partnership, which, as of the date of
determination, is not an Unrestricted Subsidiary of the
Partnership.
“Rule 144”
means Rule 144 promulgated
under the Securities Act.
“Rule 144A”
means Rule 144A promulgated
under the Securities Act.
“Rule 903”
means Rule 903 promulgated
under the Securities Act.
“Rule 904”
means Rule 904 promulgated
under the Securities Act.
“SEC”
means the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
“Securities
Act” means the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
“Shelf Registration
Statement” means
the Shelf Registration Statement as defined in the Registration
Rights Agreement.
22
“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.
“SPE”
means any special purpose
Unrestricted Subsidiary established in connection with any Accounts
Receivable Securitization.
“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any specified
Person:
(1)
any corporation,
association or other business entity of which more than 50% of the
total voting power of shares of Capital Stock entitled (without
regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the
election of directors, managers or trustees of the corporation,
association or other business entity 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
(a) the sole general partner or the managing general partner
of which is such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person or
(b) the only general partners of which are that Person or one
or more Subsidiaries of that Person (or any combination
thereof).
“Termination Capital
Transactions” means
any sale, transfer or other disposition of property of the
Partnership occurring upon or incident to the liquidation and
winding up of the Partnership.
“TIA”
means the Trust Indenture Act of
1939 (15 U.S.C. §§ 77aaa-77bbbb) as in effect on the
date on which this Indenture is qualified under the TIA, except as
provided in Section 9.03 hereof.
“Total
Assets” means, as
of any date of determination, the consolidated total assets of the
Partnership and the Restricted Subsidiaries as would be shown on a
consolidated balance sheet of the Partnership and the Restricted
Subsidiaries prepared in accordance with GAAP as of that
date.
“ Trustee” means
the party named as such in the preamble to this Indenture until a
successor replaces it in accordance with the applicable provisions
of this Indenture and thereafter means the successor serving
hereunder.
“Unrestricted Global
Note” means a
permanent global Note substantially in the form of Exhibit A
attached hereto that bears the Global Note Legend and that has the
“Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note”
attached thereto, and that is deposited with or on behalf of and
registered in the name of the Depositary.
“Unrestricted Definitive
Note” means one or
more Definitive Notes.
“ Unrestricted
Subsidiary ” means (a) Ferrellgas Receivables, LLC,
(b) Uni-Asia, Ltd., (c) Ferrellgas Real
Estate, Inc., (d) Blue Rhino Canada, Inc., and
(e) any other Person (other than Finance Corp.) that is
designated as such by the General Partner; provided , that
no portion of the Indebtedness of such Person:
23
(1)
is guaranteed by
the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary;
(2)
is recourse to or
obligates the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary in any way;
or
(3)
subjects any
property or assets of the Partnership or any Restricted Subsidiary,
directly or indirectly, contingently or otherwise, to the
satisfaction thereof.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
Partnership or a Restricted Subsidiary may guarantee or agree to
provide funds for the payment or maintenance of, or otherwise
become liable with respect to Indebtedness of an Unrestricted
Subsidiary, but only to the extent that the Partnership or a
Restricted Subsidiary would be permitted to:
(1)
make an
Investment in the Unrestricted Subsidiary pursuant to the third
clause of the definition of Permitted Investments; and
(2)
incur the
Indebtedness represented by the guarantee or agreement pursuant to
Section 4.09(a) hereto. The Board of Directors may
designate an Unrestricted Subsidiary to be a Restricted Subsidiary;
provided, that immediately after giving effect to the designation
there exists no Event of Default or event which after notice or
lapse or time or both would become an Event of Default, and if the
Unrestricted Subsidiary has, as of the date of the designation,
outstanding Indebtedness other than Permitted Indebtedness, the
Partnership could incur at least $1.00 of Indebtedness other than
Permitted Indebtedness.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no
Subsidiary may be designated an Unrestricted Subsidiary if the
Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, holds Capital Stock of a
Restricted Subsidiary.
“U.S.
Person” means a
U.S. Person as defined in Rule 902(k) under the
Securities Act.
“Voting
Stock” of any
Person as of any date means the Capital Stock of such Person that
is at the time entitled to vote in the election of the Board of
Directors of such Person.
“Weighted Average Life to
Stated Maturity” means, when applied to any Indebtedness at any
date, the number of years obtained by dividing:
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, in respect thereof, 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
(3)
the then
outstanding principal amount of such Indebtedness;
provided, however , that with respect to any revolving
Indebtedness, the foregoing calculation of Weighted Average Life to
Stated Maturity shall be determined based upon the total
available
24
commitments and the required reductions of
commitments in lieu of the outstanding principal amount and the
required payments of principal, respectively.
25
Section 1.02
Other
Definitions.
|
|
|
Defined in
|
|
Term
|
|
Section
|
|
“Affiliate
Transaction”
|
|
4.11
|
|
“Asset Sale Offer”
|
|
3.09
|
|
“Authentication
Order”
|
|
2.02
|
|
“Change of Control
Offer”
|
|
4.14
|
|
“Change of Control
Payment”
|
|
4.14
|
|
“Change of Control Payment
Date”
|
|
4.14
|
|
“Covenant Defeasance”
|
|
8.03
|
|
“DTC”
|
|
2.03
|
|
“Event of Default”
|
|
6.01
|
|
“Excess Proceeds”
|
|
4.10
|
|
“Existing Credit
Agreement”
|
|
1.01
|
|
“incur”
|
|
4.09
|
|
“Issuers”
|
|
Preamble
|
|
“Legal Defeasance”
|
|
8.02
|
|
“Offer Amount”
|
|
3.09
|
|
“Offer Period”
|
|
3.09
|
|
“Paying Agent”
|
|
2.03
|
|
“Permitted
Indebtedness”
|
|
4.09
|
|
“Purchase Date”
|
|
3.09
|
|
“Registrar”
|
|
2.03
|
|
“Restricted Payments”
|
|
4.07
|
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.
The following TIA terms used in this
Indenture have the following meanings:
“indenture
securities” means
the Notes;
“indenture security
Holder” means a
Holder of a Note;
“indenture to be
qualified” means
this Indenture;
“indenture
trustee” or
“institutional trustee” means the Trustee;
and
“obligor”
on the Notes means the Issuers and
any successor obligor upon the Notes.
All other terms used 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.
26
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)
“will” shall be
interpreted to express a command;
(6)
provisions apply
to successive events and transactions; and
(7)
references to
sections of or rules under the Securities Act will be deemed
to include substitute, replacement of successor sections or
rules adopted by the SEC from time to time.
ARTICLE 2.
THE NOTES
Section 2.01
Form and
Dating.
(a)
General
. The Notes
and the Trustee’s certificate of authentication will be
substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto. The Notes
may have notations, legends or endorsements required by law, stock
exchange rule or usage. Each Note will be dated the date
of its authentication. The Notes shall be in denominations of
$2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess
thereof.
The terms and provisions contained
in the Notes will constitute, and are hereby expressly made, a part
of this Indenture and the Issuers and the Trustee, by their
execution and delivery of this Indenture, expressly agree to such
terms and provisions and to be bound thereby. However, to the
extent any provision of any Note conflicts with the express
provisions of this Indenture, the provisions of this Indenture
shall govern and be controlling.
(b)
Global
Notes . Notes issued in
global form will be substantially in the form of Exhibit A
attached hereto (including the Global Note Legend thereon and the
“Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note”
attached thereto). Notes issued in definitive form will be
substantially in the form of Exhibit A attached hereto (but
without the Global Note Legend thereon and without the
“Schedule of Exchanges of Interests in the Global Note”
attached thereto). Each Global Note will represent such of
the outstanding Notes as will be specified therein and each shall
provide that it represents the aggregate principal amount of
outstanding Notes from time to time endorsed thereon and that the
aggregate principal amount of outstanding Notes represented thereby
may from time to time be reduced or increased, as appropriate, to
reflect exchanges and redemptions. Any endorsement of a
Global Note to reflect
27
the amount of any increase
or decrease in the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Notes
represented thereby will be made by the Trustee or the Custodian,
at the direction of the Trustee, in accordance with instructions
given by the Holder thereof as required by Section 2.06
hereof.
Section 2.02
Execution and
Authentication.
An Officer must sign the Notes for
the Issuers by manual or facsimile signature.
If an Officer whose signature is on
a Note no longer holds that office at the time a Note is
authenticated, the Note will nevertheless be valid.
A Note will not be valid until
authenticated by the manual or facsimile signature of the
Trustee. The signature will be conclusive evidence that the
Note has been authenticated under this Indenture.
On the date of this Indenture, the
Trustee shall, upon a written order of the Issuers signed by an
Officer (an “ Authentication Order ”),
authenticate the Initial Notes for original issue up to
$300,000,000 in aggregate principal amount and, upon delivery of
any Authentication Order at any time and from time to time
thereafter, the Trustee shall authenticate Additional Notes for
original issue in an aggregate principal amount specified in such
Authentication Order.
The Trustee may appoint an
authenticating agent acceptable to the Issuers to authenticate
Notes. 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
an Agent to deal with Holders or an Affiliate of the
Issuers.
Section 2.03
Registrar and
Paying Agent.
The Issuers will maintain an office
or agency where Notes may be presented for registration of transfer
or for exchange (“ Registrar ”) and an office or
agency where Notes may be presented for payment (“ Paying
Agent ”). The Registrar will keep a register of the
Notes and of their transfer and exchange. The Issuers may
appoint 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 may change any Paying
Agent or Registrar without notice to any Holder. The Issuers
will notify the Trustee in writing of the name and address of any
Agent not a party to this Indenture. If the Issuers fail to
appoint or maintain another entity as Registrar or Paying Agent,
the Trustee shall act as such. The Partnership or any of its
Subsidiaries may act as Paying Agent or Registrar.
The Issuers initially appoint The
Depository Trust Company ( “DTC” ) to act as
Depositary with respect to the Global Notes.
The Issuers initially appoint the
Trustee to act as the Registrar and Paying Agent and to act as
Custodian with respect to the Global Notes.
28
Section 2.04
Paying Agent
to Hold Money in Trust.
The Issuers will require each Paying
Agent other than the Trustee to agree in writing that the Paying
Agent will hold in trust for the benefit of Holders or the Trustee
all money held by the Paying Agent for the payment of principal,
premium or interest on the Notes, and will notify the Trustee of
any default by the Issuers in making any such payment. While
any such default continues, the Trustee may require a Paying Agent
to pay all money held by it to the Trustee. The Issuers at
any time may require a Paying Agent to pay all money held by it to
the Trustee. Upon payment over to the Trustee, the Paying
Agent (if other than the Issuers or a Subsidiary) will have no
further liability for the money. If the Partnership or a
Subsidiary acts as Paying Agent, it will segregate and hold in a
separate trust fund for the benefit of the Holders all money held
by it as Paying Agent. Upon any bankruptcy or reorganization
proceedings relating to the Issuers, the Trustee will serve as
Paying Agent for the Notes.
Section 2.05
Holder
Lists.
The Trustee will preserve in as
current a form as is reasonably practicable the most recent list
available to it of the names and addresses of all Holders and shall
otherwise comply with TIA § 312(a). If the Trustee
is not the Registrar, the Issuers will furnish to the Trustee at
least seven 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 the Holders of Notes and the Issuers
shall otherwise comply with TIA § 312(a).
Section 2.06
Transfer and
Exchange.
(a)
Transfer and
Exchange of Global Notes . A Global Note may
not be transferred except as a whole by the Depositary to a nominee
of the Depositary, by a nominee of the Depositary to the Depositary
or to another nominee of the Depositary, or by the Depositary or
any such nominee to a successor Depositary or a nominee of such
successor Depositary. All Global Notes will be exchanged by
the Issuers for Definitive Notes if:
(1)
the Issuers
deliver to the Trustee notice from the Depositary that it is
unwilling or unable to continue to act as Depositary or that it is
no longer a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act and,
in either case, a successor Depositary is not appointed by the
Issuers within 120 days after the date of such notice from the
Depositary;
(2)
the Issuers in
their sole discretion determine that the Global Notes (in whole but
not in part) should be exchanged for Definitive Notes and delivers
a written notice to such effect to the Trustee; provided
that in no event shall the Regulation S Temporary Global Note be
exchanged by the Issuers for Definitive Notes prior to (A) the
expiration of the Restricted Period and (B) the receipt by the
Registrar of any certificates required pursuant to
Rule 903(b)(3)(ii)(B) under the Securities Act;
or
(3)
there has
occurred and is continuing a Default or Event of Default with
respect to the Notes.
29
Upon the occurrence of either of the
preceding events in (1) or (2) above, Definitive Notes
shall be issued in such names as the Depositary shall instruct the
Trustee. Global Notes also may be exchanged or replaced, in
whole or in part, as provided in Sections 2.07 and 2.10
hereof. Every Note authenticated and delivered in exchange
for, or in lieu of, a Global Note or any portion thereof, pursuant
to this Section 2.06 or Section 2.07 or 2.10 hereof,
shall be authenticated and delivered in the form of, and shall be,
a Global Note. A Global Note may not be exchanged for another
Note other than as provided in this Section 2.06(a), however,
beneficial interests in a Global Note may be transferred and
exchanged as provided in Section 2.06(b), (c) or
(f) hereof.
(b)
Transfer and
Exchange of Beneficial Interests in the Global Notes
. The
transfer and exchange of beneficial interests in the Global Notes
will be effected through the Depositary, in accordance with the
provisions of this Indenture and the Applicable Procedures.
Beneficial interests in the Restricted Global Notes will be subject
to restrictions on transfer comparable to those set forth herein to
the extent required by the Securities Act. Transfers of
beneficial interests in the Global Notes also will require
compliance with either subparagraph (1) or (2) below, as
applicable, as well as one or more of the other following
subparagraphs, as applicable:
(1)
Transfer of
Beneficial Interests in the Same Global Note
.
Beneficial interests in any Restricted Global Note may be
transferred to Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of a
beneficial interest in the same Restricted Global Note in
accordance with the transfer restrictions set forth in the Private
Placement Legend; provided, however , that prior to the
expiration of the Restricted Period, transfers of beneficial
interests in the Regulation S Temporary Global Note may not be made
to a U.S. Person or for the account or benefit of a U.S. Person
(other than an Initial Purchaser). Beneficial interests in
any Unrestricted Global Note may be transferred to Persons who take
delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in an
Unrestricted Global Note. No written orders or instructions
shall be required to be delivered to the Registrar to effect the
transfers described in this Section 2.06(b)(1).
(2)
All Other
Transfers and Exchanges of Beneficial Interests in Global
Notes. In connection with all
transfers and exchanges of beneficial interests that are not
subject to Section 2.06(b)(1) above, the transferor of
such beneficial interest must deliver to the Registrar
either:
(A) both:
(i)
a written order from a Participant
or an Indirect Participant given to the Depositary in accordance
with the Applicable Procedures directing the Depositary to credit
or cause to be credited a beneficial interest in another Global
Note in an amount equal to the beneficial interest to be
transferred or exchanged; and
(ii)
instructions given in accordance
with the Applicable Procedures containing information regarding the
Participant account to be credited with such increase;
or
(B) both:
30
(i)
a written order from a Participant
or an Indirect Participant given to the Depositary in accordance
with the Applicable Procedures directing the Depositary to cause to
be issued a Definitive Note in an amount equal to the beneficial
interest to be transferred or exchanged; and
(ii)
instructions given by the Depositary
to the Registrar containing information regarding the Person in
whose name such Definitive Note shall be registered to effect the
transfer or exchange referred to in (1) above;
provided that in no event shall Definitive Notes be
issued upon the transfer or exchange of beneficial interests in the
Regulation S Temporary Global Note prior to (A) the expiration
of the Restricted Period and (B) the receipt by the Registrar
of any certificates required pursuant to Rule 903 under the
Securities Act.
Upon consummation of an Exchange Offer, if any,
by the Issuers in accordance with Section 2.06(f) hereof,
the requirements of this Section 2.06(b)(2) shall be
deemed to have been satisfied upon receipt by the Registrar of the
instructions contained in the Letter of Transmittal delivered by
the Holder of such beneficial interests in the Restricted Global
Notes. Upon satisfaction of all of the requirements for
transfer or exchange of beneficial interests in Global Notes
contained in this Indenture and the Notes or otherwise applicable
under the Securities Act, the Trustee shall adjust the principal
amount of the relevant Global Note(s) pursuant to
Section 2.06(h) hereof.
(3)
Transfer of
Beneficial Interests to Another Restricted Global Note.
A
beneficial interest in any Restricted Global Note may be
transferred to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of a
beneficial interest in another Restricted Global Note if the
transfer complies with the requirements of
Section 2.06(b)(2) above and the Registrar receives the
following:
(A) if the
transferee will take delivery in the form of a beneficial interest
in the 144A Global Note, then the transferor must deliver a
certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the
certifications in item (1) thereof;
(B) if the
transferee will take delivery in the form of a beneficial interest
in the Regulation S Temporary Global Note or the Regulation S
Permanent Global Note, then the transferor must deliver a
certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the
certifications in item (2) thereof; and
(C) if the
transferee will take delivery in the form of a beneficial interest
in the IAI Global Note, then the transferor must deliver a
certificate in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the
certifications, certificates and Opinion of Counsel required by
item (3) thereof, if applicable.
(4)
Transfer and
Exchange of Beneficial Interests in a Restricted Global Note for
Beneficial Interests in an Unrestricted Global Note.
A
beneficial interest in any Restricted Global Note may be exchanged
by any holder thereof for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted
Global Note or transferred to a Person who takes delivery thereof
in
31
the form of a
beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note if the exchange
or transfer complies with the requirements of
Section 2.06(b)(2) above and:
(A) such
exchange or transfer is effected pursuant to any Exchange Offer in
accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement and the holder of
the beneficial interest to be transferred, in the case of an
exchange, or the transferee, in the case of a transfer, certifies
in the applicable Letter of Transmittal that it is not (i) a
Broker-Dealer, (ii) a Person participating in the distribution
of the Exchange Notes or (iii) a Person who is an affiliate
(as defined in Rule 144) of the Issuers;
(B) such
transfer is effected pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement
in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement;
(C) such
transfer is effected by a Broker-Dealer pursuant to any Exchange
Offer Registration Statement in accordance with the Registration
Rights Agreement; or
(D) the
Registrar receives the following:
(i)
if the holder of such beneficial
interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to exchange such
beneficial interest for a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted
Global Note, a certificate from such holder in the form of
Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item
(1)(a) thereof; or
(ii)
if the holder of such beneficial
interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to transfer such
beneficial interest to a Person who shall take delivery thereof in
the form of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note, a
certificate from such holder in the form of Exhibit B hereto,
including the certifications in item (4) thereof;
and, in each such case set forth in
this subparagraph (D), if the Registrar so requests or if the
Applicable Procedures so require, an Opinion of Counsel in form
reasonably acceptable to the Registrar to the effect that such
exchange or transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act and
that the restrictions on transfer contained herein and in the
Private Placement Legend are no longer required in order to
maintain compliance with the Securities Act.
If any such transfer is effected
pursuant to subparagraph (B) or (D) above at a time when
an Unrestricted Global Note has not yet been issued, the Issuers
shall issue and, upon receipt of an Authentication Order in
accordance with Section 2.02 hereof, the Trustee shall
authenticate one or more Unrestricted Global Notes in an aggregate
principal amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of
beneficial interests transferred pursuant to subparagraph
(B) or (D) above.
Beneficial interests in an
Unrestricted Global Note cannot be exchanged for, or transferred to
Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of, a beneficial
interest in a Restricted Global Note.
32
(c)
Transfer or
Exchange of Beneficial Interests for Definitive
Notes.
(1)
Beneficial
Interests in Restricted Global Notes to Restricted Definitive
Notes. If any holder of a
beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to
exchange such beneficial interest for a Restricted Definitive Note
or to transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who takes
delivery thereof in the form of a Restricted Definitive Note, then,
upon receipt by the Registrar of the following
documentation:
(A) if the
holder of such beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note
proposes to exchange such beneficial interest for a Restricted
Definitive Note, a certificate from such holder in the form of
Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item
(2)(a) thereof;
(B) if such
beneficial interest is being transferred to a QIB in accordance
with Rule 144A, a certificate to the effect set forth in
Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item
(1) thereof;
(C) if such
beneficial interest is being transferred to a Non-U.S. Person in an
offshore transaction in accordance with Rule 903 or
Rule 904, a certificate to the effect set forth in
Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item
(2) thereof;
(D) if such
beneficial interest is being transferred pursuant to an exemption
from the registration requirements of the Securities Act in
accordance with Rule 144, a certificate to the effect set
forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in
item (3)(a) thereof;
(E) if such
beneficial interest is being transferred to an Institutional
Accredited Investor in reliance on an exemption from the
registration requirements of the Securities Act other than those
listed in subparagraphs (B) through (D) above, a
certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto,
including the certifications, certificates and Opinion of Counsel
required by item (3) thereof, if applicable;
(F) if such
beneficial interest is being transferred to the Issuers or any of
their Subsidiaries, a certificate to the effect set forth in
Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item
(3)(b) thereof; or
(G) if such
beneficial interest is being transferred pursuant to an effective
registration statement under the Securities Act, a certificate to
the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the
certifications in item (3)(c) thereof,
the Trustee shall cause the aggregate principal
amount of the applicable Global Note to be reduced accordingly
pursuant to Section 2.06(h) hereof, and the Issuers shall
execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the
Person designated in the instructions a Definitive Note in the
appropriate principal amount. Any Definitive Note issued in
exchange for a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note
pursuant to this Section 2.06(c) shall be registered in
such name or names and in such authorized denomination or
denominations as the holder of
33
such beneficial interest shall instruct the
Registrar through instructions from the Depositary and the
Participant or Indirect Participant. The Trustee shall
deliver such Definitive Notes to the Persons in whose names such
Notes are so registered. Any Definitive Note issued in
exchange for a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note
pursuant to this Section 2.06(c)(1) shall bear the
Private Placement Legend and shall be subject to all restrictions
on transfer contained therein.
(2)
Beneficial
Interests in Regulation S Temporary Global Note to Definitive
Notes. Notwithstanding
Sections 2.06(c)(1)(A) and (C) hereof, a beneficial
interest in the Regulation S Temporary Global Note may not be
exchanged for a Definitive Note or transferred to a Person who
takes delivery thereof in the form of a Definitive Note prior to
(A) the expiration of the Restricted Period and (B) the
receipt by the Registrar of any certificates required pursuant to
Rule 903(b)(3)(ii)(B) under the Securities Act, except in
the case of a transfer pursuant to an exemption from the
registration requirements of the Securities Act other than
Rule 903 or Rule 904.
(3)
Beneficial
Interests in Restricted Global Notes to Unrestricted Definitive
Notes. A holder of a
beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note may exchange such
beneficial interest for an Unrestricted Definitive Note or may
transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who takes delivery
thereof in the form of an Unrestricted Definitive Note only
if:
(A) such
exchange or transfer is effected pursuant to the Exchange Offer, if
any, in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement and the
holder of such beneficial interest, in the case of an exchange, or
the transferee, in the case of a transfer, certifies in the
applicable Letter of Transmittal that it is not (i) a
Broker-Dealer, (ii) a Person participating in the distribution
of the Exchange Notes or (iii) a Person who is an affiliate
(as defined in Rule 144) of the Issuers;
(B) such
transfer is effected pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement
in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement;
(C) such
transfer is effected by a Broker-Dealer pursuant to any Exchange
Offer Registration Statement in accordance with the Registration
Rights Agreement; or
(D) the
Registrar receives the following:
(i)
if the holder of such beneficial
interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to exchange such
beneficial interest for an Unrestricted Definitive Note, a
certificate from such holder in the form of Exhibit C hereto,
including the certifications in item (1)(b) thereof;
or
(ii)
if the holder of such beneficial
interest in a Restricted Global Note proposes to transfer such
beneficial interest to a Person who shall take delivery thereof in
the form of an Unrestricted Definitive Note, a certificate from
such holder in the form of Exhibit B hereto, including the
certifications in item (4) thereof;
34
and, in each such case set forth in
this subparagraph (D), if the Registrar so requests or if the
Applicable Procedures so require, an Opinion of Counsel in form
reasonably acceptable to the Registrar to the effect that such
exchange or transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act and
that the restrictions on transfer contained herein and in the
Private Placement Legend are no longer required in order to
maintain compliance with the Securities Act.
(4)
Beneficial
Interests in Unrestricted Global Notes to Unrestricted Definitive
Notes. If any holder of a
beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note proposes to
exchange such beneficial interest for a Definitive Note or to
transfer such beneficial interest to a Person who takes delivery
thereof in the form of a Definitive Note, then, upon satisfaction
of the conditions set forth in Section 2.06(b)(2) hereof,
the Trustee will cause the aggregate principal amount of the
applicable Global Note to be reduced accordingly pursuant to
Section 2.06(h) hereof, and the Issuers will execute and
the Trustee will authenticate and deliver to the Person designated
in the instructions a Definitive Note in the appropriate principal
amount. Any Definitive Note issued in exchange for a
beneficial interest pursuant to this
Section 2.06(c)(4) will be registered in such name or
names and in such authorized denomination or denominations as the
holder of such beneficial interest requests through instructions to
the Registrar from or through the Depositary and the Participant or
Indirect Participant. The Trustee will deliver such
Definitive Notes to the Persons in whose names such Notes are so
registered. Any Definitive Note issued in exchange for a
beneficial interest pursuant to this
Section 2.06(c)(4) will not bear the Private Placement
Legend.
(d)
Transfer and
Exchange of Definitive Notes for Beneficial
Interests.
(1)
Restricted
Definitive Notes to Beneficial Interests in Restricted Global
Notes. If any Holder of a
Restricted Definitive Note proposes to exchange such Note for a
beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note or to transfer such
Restricted Definitive Notes to a Person who takes delivery thereof
in the form of a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note,
then, upon receipt by the Registrar of the following
documentation:
(A) if the
Holder of such Restricted Definitive Note proposes to exchange such
Note for a beneficial interest in a Restricted Global Note, a
certificate from such Holder in the form of Exhibit C hereto,
including the certifications in item
(2)(b) thereof;
(B) if such
Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred to a QIB in
accordance with Rule 144A, a certificate to the effect set
forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in
item (1) thereof;
(C) if such
Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred to a Non-U.S.
Person in an offshore transaction in accordance with Rule 903
or Rule 904, a certificate to the effect set forth in
Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item
(2) thereof;
35
(D) if such
Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred pursuant to an
exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act
in accordance with Rule 144, a certificate to the effect set
forth in Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in
item (3)(a) thereof;
(E) if such
Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred to an Institutional
Accredited Investor in reliance on an exemption from the
registration requirements of the Securities Act other than those
listed in subparagraphs (B) through (D) above, a
certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto,
including the certifications, certificates and Opinion of Counsel
required by item (3) thereof, if applicable;
(F) if such
Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred to the Issuers or
any of their Subsidiaries, a certificate to the effect set forth in
Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item
(3)(b) thereof; or
(G) if such
Restricted Definitive Note is being transferred pursuant to an
effective registration statement under the Securities Act, a
certificate to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto,
including the certifications in item
(3)(c) thereof,
the Trustee will cancel the
Restricted Definitive Note, increase or cause to be increased the
aggregate principal amount of, in the case of clause
(A) above, the appropriate Restricted Global Note, in the case
of clause (B) above, the 144A Global Note, in the case of
clause (C) above, the Regulation S Global Note, and in all
other cases, the IAI Global Note.
(2)
Restricted
Definitive Notes to Beneficial Interests in Unrestricted Global
Notes. A Holder of a
Restricted Definitive Note may exchange such Note for a beneficial
interest in an Unrestricted Global Note or transfer such Restricted
Definitive Note to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form
of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note only
if:
(A) such
exchange or transfer is effected pursuant to the Exchange Offer, if
any, in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement and the
Holder, in the case of an exchange, or the transferee, in the case
of a transfer, certifies in the applicable Letter of Transmittal
that it is not (i) a Broker-Dealer, (ii) a Person
participating in the distribution of the Exchange Notes or
(iii) a Person who is an affiliate (as defined in
Rule 144) of the Issuers;
(B) such
transfer is effected pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement
in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement;
(C) such
transfer is effected by a Broker-Dealer pursuant to any Exchange
Offer Registration Statement in accordance with the Registration
Rights Agreement; or
(D) the
Registrar receives the following:
36
(i)
if the Holder of such Definitive
Notes proposes to exchange such Notes for a beneficial interest in
the Unrestricted Global Note, a certificate from such Holder in the
form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item
(1)(c) thereof; or
(ii)
if the Holder of such Definitive
Notes proposes to transfer such Notes to a Person who shall take
delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in the
Unrestricted Global Note, a certificate from such Holder in the
form of Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item
(4) thereof;
and, in each such case set forth in
this subparagraph (D), if the Registrar so requests or if the
Applicable Procedures so require, an Opinion of Counsel in form
reasonably acceptable to the Registrar to the effect that such
exchange or transfer is in compliance with the Securities Act and
that the restrictions on transfer contained herein and in the
Private Placement Legend are no longer required in order to
maintain compliance with the Securities Act.
Upon satisfaction of the conditions
of any of the subparagraphs in this Section 2.06(d)(2), the
Trustee will cancel the Definitive Notes and increase or cause to
be increased the aggregate principal amount of the Unrestricted
Global Note.
(3)
Unrestricted
Definitive Notes to Beneficial Interests in Unrestricted Global
Notes. A Holder of an
Unrestricted Definitive Note may exchange such Note for a
beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note or transfer such
Definitive Notes to a Person who takes delivery thereof in the form
of a beneficial interest in an Unrestricted Global Note at any
time. Upon receipt of a request for such an exchange or
transfer, the Trustee will cancel the applicable Unrestricted
Definitive Note and increase or cause to be increased the aggregate
principal amount of one of the Unrestricted Global
Notes.
If any such exchange or transfer
from a Definitive Note to a beneficial interest is effected
pursuant to subparagraphs (2)(B), (2)(D) or (3) above at
a time when an Unrestricted Global Note has not yet been issued,
the Issuers will issue and, upon receipt of an Authentication Order
in accordance with Section 2.02 hereof, the Trustee will
authenticate one or more Unrestricted Global Notes in an aggregate
principal amount equal to the principal amount of Definitive Notes
so transferred.
(e)
Transfer and
Exchange of Definitive Notes for Definitive Notes.
Upon
request by a Holder of Definitive Notes and such Holder’s
compliance with the provisions of this Section 2.06(e), the
Registrar will register the transfer or exchange of Definitive
Notes. Prior to such registration of transfer or exchange,
the requesting Holder must present or surrender to the Registrar
the Definitive Notes duly endorsed or accompanied by a written
instruction of transfer in form satisfactory to the Registrar duly
executed by such Holder or by its attorney, duly authorized in
writing. In addition, the requesting Holder must provide any
additional certifications, documents and information, as
applicable, required pursuant to the following provisions of this
Section 2.06(e).
37
(1)
Restricted
Definitive Notes to Restricted Definitive Notes.
Any
Restricted Definitive Note may be transferred to and registered in
the name of Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of a
Restricted Definitive Note if the Registrar receives the
following:
(A) if the
transfer will be made pursuant to Rule 144A, then the
transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of Exhibit B
hereto, including the certifications in item
(1) thereof;
(B) if the
transfer will be made pursuant to Rule 903 or Rule 904,
then the transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of
Exhibit B hereto, including the certifications in item
(2) thereof; and
(C) if the
transfer will be made pursuant to any other exemption from the
registration requirements of the Securities Act, then the
transferor must deliver a certificate in the form of Exhibit B
hereto, including the certifications, certificates and Opinion of
Counsel required by item (3) thereof, if
applicable.
(2)
Restricted
Definitive Notes to Unrestricted Definitive Notes.
Any
Restricted Definitive Note may be exchanged by the Holder thereof
for an Unrestricted Definitive Note or transferred to a Person or
Persons who take delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted
Definitive Note if:
(A) such
exchange or transfer is effected pursuant to the Exchange Offer, if
any, in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement and the
Holder, in the case of an exchange, or the transferee, in the case
of a transfer, certifies in the applicable Letter of Transmittal
that it is not (i) a Broker-Dealer, (ii) a Person
participating in the distribution of the Exchange Notes or
(iii) a Person who is an affiliate (as defined in
Rule 144) of the Issuers;
(B) any
such transfer is effected pursuant to the Shelf Registration
Statement in accordance with the Registration Rights
Agreement;
(C) any
such transfer is effected by a Broker-Dealer pursuant to any
Exchange Offer Registration Statement in accordance with the
Registration Rights Agreement; or
(D) the
Registrar receives the following:
(i)
if the Holder of such Restricted
Definitive Notes proposes to exchange such Notes for an
Unrestricted Definitive Note, a certificate from such Holder in the
form of Exhibit C hereto, including the certifications in item
(1)(d) thereof; or
(ii)
if the Holder of such Restricted
Definitive Notes proposes to transfer such Notes to a Person who
shall take delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted
Definitive Note, a certificate from such Holder in
38
the form of Exhibit B hereto,
including the certifications in item (4) thereof;
and, in each such case set forth in
this subparagraph (D), if the Registrar so requests, an Opinion of
Counsel in form reasonably acceptable to the Registrar to the
effect that such exchange or transfer is in compliance with the
Securities Act and that the restrictions on transfer contained
herein and in the Private Placement Legend are no longer required
in order to maintain compliance with the Securities Act.
(3)
Unrestricted
Definitive Notes to Unrestricted Definitive Notes.
A Holder
of Unrestricted Definitive Notes may transfer such Notes to a
Person who takes delivery thereof in the form of an Unrestricted
Definitive Note. Upon receipt of a request to register such a
transfer, the Registrar shall register the Unrestricted Definitive
Notes pursuant to the instructions from the Holder
thereof.
(f)
Exchange
Offer. Upon the occurrence of
the Exchange Offer, if any, in accordance with the Registration
Rights Agreement, the Issuers will issue and, upon receipt of an
Authentication Order in accordance with Section 2.02 hereof,
the Trustee will authenticate:
(1)
one or more
Unrestricted Global Notes in an aggregate principal amount equal to
the principal amount of the beneficial interests in the Restricted
Global Notes accepted for exchange in the Exchange Offer by Persons
that certify in the applicable Letters of Transmittal that
(A) they are not Broker-Dealers, (B) they are not
participating in a distribution of the Exchange Notes and
(C) they are not affiliates (as defined in Rule 144) of
the Issuers; and
(2)
Unrestricted
Definitive Notes in an aggregate principal amount equal to the
principal amount of the Restricted Definitive Notes accepted for
exchange in the Exchange Offer by Persons that certify in the
applicable Letters of Transmittal that (A) they are not
Broker-Dealers, (B) they are not participating in a
distribution of the Exchange Notes and (C) they are not
affiliates (as defined in Rule 144) of the
Issuers.
Concurrently with the issuance of
such Notes, the Trustee will cause the aggregate principal amount
of the applicable Restricted Global Notes to be reduced
accordingly, and the Issuers will execute and the Trustee will
authenticate and deliver to the Persons designated by the Holders
of Definitive Notes so accepted Unrestricted Definitive Notes in
the appropriate principal amount.
(g)
Legends.
The
following legends will appear on the face of all Global Notes and
Definitive Notes issued under this Indenture unless specifically
stated otherwise in the applicable provisions of this
Indenture.
(1)
Private
Placement Legend .
(A) Except
as permitted by subparagraph (B) below, each Global Note and
each Definitive Note (and all Notes issued in exchange therefor or
substitution thereof) shall bear the legend in substantially the
following form:
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“THIS NOTE HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES
ACT”), OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS. NEITHER THIS NOTE, NOR
ANY INTEREST OR PARTICIPATION HEREIN MAY BE OFFERED, SOLD,
ASSIGNED, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED, ENCUMBERED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF
IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR UNLESS SUCH TRANSACTION IS
EXEMPT FROM, OR NOT SUBJECT TO THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE
SECURITIES ACT. THE HOLDER OF THIS NOTE, BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF,
AGREES NOT TO OFFER, SELL OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER SUCH SECURITY,
PRIOR TO THE DATE WHICH IS ONE YEAR AFTER THE LATER OF THE ORIGINAL
ISSUE DATE HEREOF AND THE LAST DATE ON WHICH THE COMPANY OR ANY
AFFILIATE OF THE COMPANY WAS THE OWNER OF THIS NOTE (OR ANY
PREDECESSOR OF THIS NOTE) (THE “RESALE RESTRICTION
TERMINATION DATE”), EXCEPT THAT THE NOTES MAY BE
TRANSFERRED (A) TO THE COMPANY OR ANY SUBSIDIARY THEREOF,
(B) PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE
SECURITIES ACT, (C) FOR SO LONG AS THE NOTES ENDORSED THEREON
ARE ELIGIBLE FOR RESALE PURSUANT TO RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES
ACT (“RULE 144A”), TO A PERSON IT REASONABLY BELIEVES
IS A “QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER” AS DEFINED IN RULE
144A THAT PURCHASES FOR ITS OWN ACCOUNT OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OF A
QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER TO WHOM NOTICE IS GIVEN THAT THE
TRANSFER IS BEING MADE IN RELIANCE ON RULE 144A, (D) PURSUANT
TO OFFERS AND SALES TO NON-U.S. PERSONS THAT OCCUR OUTSIDE THE
UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OF AND IN COMPLIANCE WITH
REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (E) TO AN INSTITUTIONAL
“ACCREDITED INVESTOR” (AS DEFINED IN RULE 501(A)(1),
(2), (3) OR (7) OF REGULATION D UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT)
THAT, PRIOR TO SUCH TRANSFER, FURNISHES THE TRUSTEE A SIGNED LETTER
CONTAINING CERTAIN REPRESENTATIONS AND AGREEMENTS RELATING TO THE
TRANSFER OF THE NOTES AND, IF SUCH TRANSFER IS IN RESPECT OF AN
AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF NOTES LESS THAN $250,000, AN OPINION
OF COUNSEL ACCEPTABLE TO THE ISSUERS THAT SUCH TRANSFER IS IN
COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECURITIES ACT, OR (F) PURSUANT TO ANOTHER
AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE
SECURITIES ACT, SUBJECT TO THE COMPANY’S AND THE
TRUSTEE’S RIGHT PRIOR TO ANY SUCH OFFER, SALE OR TRANSFER
(1) PURSUANT TO CLAUSE (D) PRIOR TO THE END OF THE 40-DAY
DISTRIBUTION COMPLIANCE PERIOD WITHIN THE MEANING OF REGULATION S
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR PURSUANT TO CLAUSE (F) PRIOR TO
THE RESALE RESTRICTION TERMINATION DATE TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF
AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, CERTIFICATION AND/OR OTHER INFORMATION
SATISFACTORY TO EACH OF THEM, AND (2) IN EACH OF THE FOREGOING
CASES, TO REQUIRE THAT A CERTIFICATE OF TRANSFER IN THE
FORM APPEARING ON THIS NOTE IS COMPLETED AND DELIVERED BY THE
TRANSFEROR TO THE TRUSTEE. THIS LEGEND WILL BE REMOVED UPON THE
REQUEST OF A HOLDER AFTER THE RESALE RESTRICTION TERMINATION
DATE.”
(B) Notwithstanding the
foregoing, any Global Note or Definitive Note issued pursuant to
subparagraphs (b)(4), (c)(3), (c)(4), (d)(2), (d)(3), (e)(2),
(e)(3)
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or (f) of
this Section 2.06 (and all Notes issued in exchange therefor
or substitution thereof) will not bear the Private Placement
Legend.
(2)
Global Note
Legend . Each Global Note will
bear a legend in substantially the following form:
“THIS GLOBAL NOTE IS HELD BY THE
DEPOSITARY (AS DEFINED IN THE INDENTURE GOVERNING THIS NOTE) OR ITS
NOMINEE IN CUSTODY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE BENEFICIAL OWNERS HEREOF,
AND IS NOT TRANSFERABLE TO ANY PERSON UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES
EXCEPT THAT (I) THE TRUSTEE MAY MAKE SUCH NOTATIONS
HEREON AS MAY BE REQUIRED PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.06 OF THE
INDENTURE, (II) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE EXCHANGED IN
WHOLE BUT NOT IN PART PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.06(a) OF
THE INDENTURE, (III) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE DELIVERED TO
THE TRUSTEE FOR CANCELLATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.11 OF THE
INDENTURE AND (IV) THIS GLOBAL NOTE MAY BE TRANSFERRED TO
A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY WITH THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE
ISSUERS.
UNLESS AND UNTIL IT IS EXCHANGED IN WHOLE OR IN
PART FOR NOTES IN DEFINITIVE FORM, THIS NOTE MAY NOT BE
TRANSFERRED EXCEPT AS A WHOLE BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE
DEPOSITARY OR BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE DEPOSITARY OR
ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR BY THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY SUCH
NOMINEE TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH SUCCESSOR
DEPOSITARY. UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN
AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY (55 WATER
STREET, NEW YORK, NEW YORK) (“DTC”), TO THE ISSUERS OR
THEIR AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND
ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE &
CO. OR SUCH OTHER NAME AS MAY BE REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED
REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC (AND ANY PAYMENT IS MADE TO CEDE &
CO. OR SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS MAY BE REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED
REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF
FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS
THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST
HEREIN.”
(3)
Regulation S
Temporary Global Note Legend. The Regulation S
Temporary Global Note will bear a Legend in substantially the
following form:
“THE RIGHTS ATTACHING TO THIS REGULATION S
TEMPORARY GLOBAL NOTE, AND THE CONDITIONS AND PROCEDURES GOVERNING
ITS EXCHANGE FOR CERTIFICATED NOTES, ARE AS SPECIFIED IN THE
INDENTURE (AS DEFINED HEREIN). NEITHER THE HOLDER NOR THE
BENEFICIAL OWNERS OF THIS REGULATION S TEMPORARY GLOBAL NOTE SHALL
BE ENTITLED TO RECEIVE PAYMENT OF INTEREST
HEREON.”
(4)
Tax
Legend . With respect to any
Additional Notes issued with original issue discount for U.S.
federal income tax purposes, each Global Note and each Definitive
Note shall bear a legend in substantially the following
form:
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“THIS NOTE WAS ISSUED WITH ORIGINAL ISSUE
DISCOUNT UNDER SECTION 1272, 1273 AND 1275 OF THE INTERNAL
REVENUE CODE OF 1986, AS AMENDED. YOU MAY CONTACT THE
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER OF FERRELLGAS, L.P., 7500 COLLEGE
BOULEVARD, SUITE 1000, OVERLAND PARK, KS 66210, WHO WILL PROVIDE
YOU WITH THE ISSUE PRICE, THE AMOUNT OF ORIGINAL ISSUE DISCOUNT,
THE ISSUE DATE, AND THE YIELD TO MATURITY OF THE
NOTE.”
(h)
Cancellation
and/or Adjustment of Global Notes. At such time as all
beneficial interests in a particular Global Note have been
exchanged for Definitive Notes or a particular Global Note has been
redeemed, repurchased or canceled in whole and not in part, each
such Global Note will be returned to or retained and canceled by
the Trustee in accordance with Section 2.11 hereof. At
any time prior to such cancellation, if any beneficial interest in
a Global Note is exchanged for or transferred to a Person who will
take delivery thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in
another Global Note or for Definitive Notes, the principal amount
of Notes represented by such Global Note will be reduced
accordingly and an endorsement will be made on such Global Note by
the Trustee or by the Depositary at the direction of the Trustee to
reflect such reduction; and if the beneficial interest is being
exchanged for or transferred to a Person who will take delivery
thereof in the form of a beneficial interest in another Global
Note, such other Global Note will be increased accordingly and an
endorsement will be made on such Global Note by the Trustee or by
the Depositary at the direction of the Trustee to reflect such
increase.
(i)
General
Provisions Relating to Transfers and Exchanges.
(1)
To permit
registrations of transfers and exchanges, the Issuers will execute
and the Trustee will authenticate Global Notes and Definitive Notes
upon receipt of an Authentication Order in accordance with
Section 2.02 hereof or at the Registrar’s
request.
(2)
No service charge
will be made to a Holder of a beneficial interest in a Global Note
or to a Holder of a Definitive Note for any registration of
transfer or exchange, but the Issuers may require payment of a sum
sufficient to cover any transfer tax or similar governmental charge
payable in connection therewith (other than any such transfer taxes
or similar governmental charge payable upon exchange or transfer
pursuant to Sections 2.10, 3.06, 3.09, 4.10, 4.14 and 9.05
hereof).
(3)
The Registrar
will not be required to register the transfer of or exchange of any
Note selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the
unredeemed portion of any Note being redeemed in part.
(4)
All Global Notes
and Definitive Notes issued upon any registration of transfer or
exchange of Global Notes or Definitive Notes will be the valid
obligations of the Issuers, evidencing the same debt, and entitled
to the same benefits under this Indenture, as the Global Notes or
Definitive Notes surrendered upon such registration of transfer or
exchange.
(5)
Neither the
Registrar nor the Issuers will be required:
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(A) to
issue, to register the transfer of or to exchange any Notes during
a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the
day of any selection of Notes for redemption under
Section 3.02 hereof and ending at the close of business on the
day of selection;
(B) to
register the transfer of or to exchange any Note selected for
redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of
any Note being redeemed in part; or
(C) to
register the transfer of or to exchange a Note between a record
date and the next succeeding interest payment date.
(6)
Prior to due
presentment for the registration of a transfer of any Note, the
Trustee, any Agent and the Issuers may deem and treat the Person in
whose name any Note is registered as the absolute owner of such
Note for the purpose of receiving payment of principal of and
interest on such Notes and for all other purposes, and none of the
Trustee, any Agent or the Issuers shall be affected by notice to
the contrary.
(7)
The Trustee will
authenticate Global Notes and Definitive Notes in accordance with
the provisions of Section 2.02 hereof.
All certifications, certificates and Opinions of
Counsel required to be submitted to the Registrar pursuant to this
Section 2.06 to effect a registration of transfer or exchange
may be submitted by facsimile.
Section 2.07
Replacement
Notes.
If any mutilated Note is surrendered
to the Trustee or the Issuers and the Trustee receives evidence to
its satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Note, the
Issuers will issue and the Trustee, upon receipt of an
Authentication Order, will authenticate a replacement Note if the
Trustee’s requirements are met. An indemnity bond must
be supplied by the Holder that is sufficient in the judgment of the
Trustee and the Issuers to protect the Issuers, the Trustee, any
Agent and any authenticating agent from any loss that any of them
may suffer if a Note is replaced. The Issuers may charge for
their expenses in replacing a Note.
Every replacement Note is an
additional obligation of the Issuers and will be entitled to all of
the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with all
other Notes duly issued hereunder.
Section 2.08
Outstanding
Notes.
The Notes outstanding at any time
are all the Notes authenticated by the Trustee except for those
canceled by it, those delivered to it for cancellation, those
reductions in the interest in a Global Note effected by the Trustee
in accordance with the provisions hereof, and those described in
this Section as not outstanding. Except as set forth in
Section 2.09 hereof, a Note does not cease to be outstanding
because the Issuers or an Affiliate of the Issuers holds the Note;
however, Notes held by the Issuers or a Subsidiary of the Issuers
shall not be deemed to be outstanding for purposes of
Section 2.08 hereof.
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If a Note is replaced pursuant to
Section 2.07 hereof, it ceases to be outstanding unless the
Trustee receives proof satisfactory to it that the replaced Note is
held by a protected purchaser.
If the principal amount of any Note
is considered paid under Section 4.01 hereof, it ceases to be
outstanding and interest on it ceases to accrue.
If the Paying Agent (other than the
Issuers, a Subsidiary or an Affiliate of any thereof) holds, on a
redemption date or maturity date, money sufficient to pay Notes
payable on that date, then on and after that date such Notes will
be deemed to be no longer outstanding and will cease to accrue
interest.
Section 2.09
Treasury
Notes.
In determining whether the Holders
of the required principal amount of Notes have concurred in any
direction, waiver or consent, Notes owned by the Issuers, or by any
Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under
direct or indirect common control with the Issuers, will be
considered as though not outstanding, except that for the purposes
of determining whether the Trustee will be protected in relying on
any such direction, waiver or consent, only Notes that a
Responsible Officer of the Trustee actually knows are so owned will
be so disregarded.
Section 2.10
Temporary
Notes.
Until certificates representing
Notes are ready for delivery, the Issuers may prepare and the
Trustee, upon receipt of an Authentication Order, will authenticate
temporary Notes. Temporary Notes will be substantially in the
form of certificated Notes but may have variations that the
Issuers