REGISTRATION RIGHTS
AGREEMENT
THE PURCHASERS PARTY
HERETO
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Page
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ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
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Definitions
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1
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Registrable
Securities
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3
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ARTICLE II
REGISTRATION RIGHTS
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Shelf
Registration
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3
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Piggyback
Registration
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5
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Underwritten
Offering
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6
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Sale
Procedures
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7
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Cooperation by
Holders
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9
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Restrictions on
Public Sale by Holders of Registrable Securities
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9
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Expenses
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10
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Indemnification
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10
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Rule 144
Reporting
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12
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Transfer or
Assignment of Registration Rights
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13
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Limitation on
Subsequent Registration Rights
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13
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ARTICLE III
MISCELLANEOUS
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Communications
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13
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Successor and
Assigns
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15
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Assignment of
Rights
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15
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Recapitalization, Exchanges, etc. Affecting the
Common Units
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15
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Specific
Performance
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15
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Counterparts
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15
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Headings
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15
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Governing
Law
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15
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Severability of
Provisions
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15
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Entire
Agreement
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16
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Amendment
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16
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No
Presumption
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16
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REGISTRATION RIGHTS
AGREEMENT
THIS REGISTRATION
RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”) is made
and entered into as of November 1, 2005 by and between
CROSSTEX ENERGY, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“
Crosstex ”), and each of the parties set forth on
Schedule A hereto (the “ Purchasers
”).
WHEREAS, this
Agreement is made in connection with the Closing of the issuance
and sale of the Purchased Units pursuant to the Senior Subordinated
Series B Unit Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 18,
2005, by and between Crosstex and the Purchasers (the “
Purchase Agreement ”);
WHEREAS, Crosstex
has agreed to provide the registration and other rights set forth
in this Agreement for the benefit of the Purchasers pursuant to the
Purchase Agreement; and
WHEREAS, it is a
condition to the obligations of the Purchasers and Crosstex under
the Purchase Agreement that this Agreement be executed and
delivered.
NOW THEREFORE, in
consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements set forth
herein and for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and
sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged by each party hereto,
the parties hereby agree as follows:
Section 1.1
Definitions . The terms set forth below are used herein as
so defined:
“
Affiliate ” means, with respect to a specified Person,
any other Person, directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by
or under direct or indirect common control with such specified
Person. For purposes of this definition, “control”
(including, with correlative meanings, “controlling,”
“controlled by,” and “under common control
with”) means the power to direct or cause the direction of
the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly,
whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or
otherwise.
“
Anniversary Date ” shall have the meaning set forth in
the Purchase Agreement.
“
Business Day ” means any day other than a Saturday,
Sunday, or a legal holiday for commercial banks in Houston,
Texas.
“
Closing ” shall have the meaning set forth in the
Purchase Agreement.
“
Closing Date ” shall have the meaning set forth in the
Purchase Agreement.
“
Commission ” means the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission.
“
Common Units ” shall have the meaning set forth in the
Purchase Agreement.
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“
Crosstex ” has the meaning specified therefor in the
introductory paragraph of this Agreement.
“
Effectiveness Period ” has the meaning specified
therefor in Section 2.1(a) of this
Agreement.
“
Exchange Act ” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the
Commission promulgated thereunder.
“
Holder ” means the record holder of any Registrable
Securities.
“
Included Registrable Securities ” has the meaning
specified therefor in Section 2.2(a) of this
Agreement.
“
Losses ” has the meaning specified therefor in
Section 2.8(a) of this Agreement.
“
Managing Underwriter ” means, with respect to any
Underwritten Offering, the book running lead manager of such
Underwritten Offering.
“
Non-Disclosure Agreements ” means (a) the
non-disclosure agreements (i) between Crosstex and Kayne
Anderson MLP Investment Company dated April 30, 2005,
(ii) between Crosstex and Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors,
L.P. dated September 6, 2005, (iii) between Crosstex and
Tortoise Energy Capital Corp and (iv) between Crosstex and
Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corporation and (b) the master
confidentiality agreement between Banc of America Securities LLC
and Fiduciary/Claymore Opportunity Fund dated September 2,
2005.
“
Other Holder ” has the meaning specified in
Section 2.2(b) .
“
Person ” means any individual, corporation, company,
voluntary association, partnership, joint venture, trust, limited
liability company, unincorporated organization, government or any
agency, instrumentality or political subdivision thereof, or any
other form of entity.
“
Piggyback Registration ” has the meaning specified
therefor in Section 2.2(a) of this
Agreement.
“
Purchase Agreement ” has the meaning specified
therefor in the Recitals of this Agreement.
“
Purchased Units ” shall have the meaning set forth in
the Purchase Agreement.
“
Purchasers ” has the meaning specified therefor in the
introductory paragraph of this Agreement.
“
Registrable Securities ” means the Common Units to be
issued upon conversion of the Purchased Units, all of which are
subject to the rights provided herein until such rights terminate
pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.
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“
Registration Expenses ” has the meaning specified
therefor in Section 2.7(a) of this
Agreement.
“
Securities Act ” means the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission
promulgated thereunder.
“
Selling Expenses ” has the meaning specified therefor
in Section 2.7(a) of this Agreement.
“
Selling Holder ” means a Holder who is selling
Registrable Securities pursuant to a registration
statement.
“
Senior Subordinated Units ” means Senior Subordinated
Units purchased pursuant to the Senior Subordinated Unit Purchase
Agreement, dated June 24, 2005, by and among Crosstex and the
purchasers party thereto and any Common Units into which such
Senior Subordinated Units convert.
“
Shelf Registration Statement ” means a registration
statement under the Securities Act to permit the resale of the
Registrable Securities from time to time as permitted by
Rule 415 of the Securities Act (or any similar provision then
in force under the Securities Act).
“
Underwritten Offering ” means an offering (including
an offering pursuant to a Shelf Registration Statement) in which
Common Units are sold to an underwriter on a firm commitment basis
for reoffering to the public or an offering that is a “bought
deal” with one or more investment banks.
Section 1.2
Registrable Securities . Any Registrable Security will cease
to be a Registrable Security when (a) a registration statement
covering such Registrable Security has been declared effective by
the Commission and such Registrable Security has been sold or
disposed of pursuant to such effective registration statement;
(b) such Registrable Security has been disposed of pursuant to
any Section of Rule 144 (or any similar provision then in
force under the Securities Act); (c) such Registrable Security
is held by Crosstex or one of its subsidiaries; (d) such
Registrable Security has been sold in a private transaction in
which the transferor’s rights under this Agreement are not
assigned to the transferee of such securities or (e) two years
from the date hereof.
ARTICLE II
REGISTRATION RIGHTS
Section 2.1
Shelf Registration .
(a)
Shelf Registration . As soon as practicable following the
Closing of the acquisition of the Purchased Units pursuant to the
terms of the Purchase Agreement, but in any event within
30 days of the Closing, Crosstex shall prepare and file a
Shelf Registration Statement covering the Registrable Securities.
Crosstex shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the
Shelf Registration Statement to become effective no later than
90 days after the date of the Closing. A Shelf Registration
Statement filed pursuant to this Section 2.1(a) shall be on
such appropriate registration form of the Commission as shall be
selected by Crosstex;
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provided,
however, that if a prospectus supplement will be used in connection
with the marketing of an Underwritten Offering from the Shelf
Registration Statement and the Managing Underwriter at any time
shall notify Crosstex in writing that, in the sole judgment of such
Managing Underwriter, inclusion of detailed information to be used
in such prospectus supplement is of material importance to the
success of the Underwritten Offering of such Registrable
Securities, Crosstex shall use its commercially reasonable efforts
to include such information in the prospectus. Crosstex will use
its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Shelf Registration
Statement filed pursuant to this Section 2.1(a) to be
continuously effective under the Securities Act until the earlier
of (i) all Registrable Securities covered by the Shelf
Registration Statement have been distributed in the manner set
forth and as contemplated in the Shelf Registration Statement,
(ii) there are no longer any Registrable Securities
outstanding or (iii) two years from the Closing (the “
Effectiveness Period ”). The Shelf Registration
Statement when declared effective (including the documents
incorporated therein by reference) will comply as to form in all
material respects with all applicable requirements of the
Securities Act and the Exchange Act and will not contain an untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading. If the Shelf Registration Statement is not
declared effective within 120 days after Closing, then the
Purchasers shall be entitled to a payment (with respect to each of
such Purchaser’s Purchased Units), as liquidated damages and
not as a penalty, of 0.25% of the Purchase Price per 30-day period
for the first sixty (60) days following the 120th day after
Closing, with such payment amount increasing by an additional 0.25%
of the Purchase Price per 30-day period for each subsequent
60 days, up to a maximum of 1.00% of the Purchase Price per
30-day period (the “ Liquidated Damages ”),
until such time as the Shelf Registration Statement is declared
effective or there are no longer any Registrable Securities
outstanding. The Liquidated Damages shall be paid to each Purchaser
in cash within ten (10) Business Days of the end of such
30-day period. The Purchasers’ rights (and any
transferee’s rights pursuant to Section 2.10) under this
Section 2.1 shall terminate when such Registrable Securities
become eligible for resale under Rule 144(k) (or any similar
provision then in force under the Securities Act).
(b)
Delay Rights . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary
contained herein, Crosstex may, upon written notice to any Selling
Holder whose Registrable Securities are included in the Shelf
Registration Statement, suspend such Selling Holder’s use of
any prospectus which is a part of the Shelf Registration Statement
(in which event the Selling Holder shall discontinue sales of the
Registrable Securities pursuant to the Shelf Registration
Statement) if (i) Crosstex is pursuing an acquisition, merger,
reorganization, disposition or other similar transaction and
Crosstex determines in good faith that Crosstex’s ability to
pursue or consummate such a transaction would be materially and
adversely affected by any required disclosure of such transaction
in the Shelf Registration Statement or (ii) Crosstex has
experienced some other material non-public event the disclosure of
which at such time, in the good faith judgment of Crosstex, would
materially and adversely affect Crosstex; however, in no event
shall any delay pursuant hereto exceed sixty (60) days in any
one hundred-eighty (180) day period or ninety (90) days in any
twelve-month period. Upon disclosure of such information or the
termination of the condition described above, Crosstex shall
provide prompt notice to the Selling Holders whose Registrable
Securities are included in the Shelf Registration Statement, and
shall promptly terminate any suspension of sales it has put into
effect and shall take such other actions to permit registered sales
of Registrable Securities as contemplated in this
Agreement.
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Section 2.2
Piggyback Registration .
(a)
Participation . Commencing on the Anniversary Date, if
Crosstex at any time proposes to file a prospectus supplement to an
effective Shelf Registration Statement with respect to an
Underwritten Offering of Common Units for its own account or to
register any Common Units for its own account for sale to the
public in an Underwritten Offering other than (x) a
registration relating solely to employee benefit plans or
(y) a registration relating solely to a Rule 145
transaction, then, as soon as practicable following the engagement
of counsel to Crosstex to prepare the documents to be used in
connection with an Underwritten Offering, Crosstex shall give
notice of such proposed Underwritten Offering to the Holders, and
such notice shall offer the Holders the opportunity to include in
such Underwritten Offering such number of Registrable Securities
(the “ Included Registrable Securities ”) as
each such Holder may request in writing (a “ Piggyback
Registration ”); provided , however , that
Crosstex shall not be required to offer such opportunity to Holders
if (i) the Holders do not offer a minimum of $5,000,000 of
Registrable Securities and Senior Subordinated Units, in the
aggregate, (determined by multiplying the number of Registrable
Securities and Senior Subordinated Units owned by the average of
the closing price for Common Units for the ten (10) trading
days preceding the date of such notice) or (ii) Crosstex has
been advised by the Managing Underwriter that the inclusion of
Registrable Securities for sale for the benefit of the Holders will
have an adverse effect on the price, timing or distribution of the
Common Units by Crosstex. The notice required to be provided in
this Section 2.2(a) to Holders shall be provided on a
Business Day pursuant to Section 3.1 hereof and receipt
of such notice shall be confirmed by Holder. Holder shall then have
two (2) Business Days to request inclusion of Registrable
Securities in the Underwritten Offering. If no request for
inclusion from a Holder is received within the specified time, such
Holder shall have no further right to participate in such Piggyback
Registration. If, at any time after giving written notice of its
intention to undertake an Underwritten Offering and prior to the
closing of such Underwritten Offering, Crosstex shall determine for
any reason not to undertake or to delay such Underwritten Offering,
Crosstex may, at its election, give written notice of such
determination to the Selling Holders and, (x) in the case of a
determination not to undertake such Underwritten Offering, shall be
relieved of its obligation to sell any Included Registrable
Securities in connection with such terminated Underwritten
Offering, and (y) in the case of a determination to delay such
Underwritten Offering, shall be permitted to delay offering any
Included Registrable Securities for the same period as the delay in
the Underwritten Offering. Any Selling Holder shall have the right
to withdraw such Selling Holder’s request for inclusion of
such Selling Holder’s Registrable Securities in such offering
by giving written notice to Crosstex of such withdrawal up to and
including the time of pricing of such offering. No Holders shall be
entitled to participate in any such Underwritten Offering under
this Section 2.2(a) unless such Holder (together with any
Affiliate that is a Selling Holder) participating therein holds at
least fifteen million ($15,000,000) of Registrable Securities and
Senior Subordinated Units, in the aggregate, (determined by
multiplying the number of Registrable Securities and Senior
Subordinated Units owned by the average of the closing price for
Common Units for the ten (10) trading days preceding the date
of such notice).
(b)
Priority of Piggyback Registration . If the Managing
Underwriter or Underwriters of any proposed Underwritten Offering
of Common Units included in a Piggyback Registration advises
Crosstex that the total amount of Common Units which the Selling
Holders
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and any other
Persons intend to include in such offering exceeds the number which
can be sold in such offering without being likely to have an
adverse effect on the price, timing or distribution of the Common
Units offered or the market for the Common Units, then the Common
Units to be included in such Underwritten Offering shall include
the number of Registrable Securities that such Managing Underwriter
or Underwriters advises Crosstex can be sold without having such
adverse effect, with such number to be allocated pro
rata among the Selling Holders and any other Persons who
have been or are granted registration rights on or after the date
of this Agreement (“ Other Holders ”) who have
requested participation in the Piggyback Registration (based, for
each such Selling Holder or Other Holder, on the percentage derived
by dividing (A) the number of Registrable Securities proposed
to be sold by such Selling Holder or such Other Holder in such
offering; by (B) the aggregate number of Common Units proposed
to be sold by all Selling Holders and all Other Holders in the
Piggyback Registration.
Section 2.3
Underwritten Offering .
(a)
S-3 Registration . In the event that a Selling Holder
(together with any Affiliate that is a Selling Holder) elects to
dispose of Registrable Securities under the Shelf Registration
Statement pursuant to an Underwritten Offering of at least fifteen
million ($15,000,000) of Registrable Securities and Senior
Subordinated Units, Crosstex shall, at the request of such Selling
Holder, enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with
the Managing Underwriter or Underwriters, which shall include,
among other provisions, indemnities to the effect and to the extent
provided in Section 2.8 , and shall take all such other
reasonable actions as are requested by the Managing Underwriter in
order to expedite or facilitate the disposition of the Registrable
Securities; provided, however, that Crosstex management will not be
required to participate in a roadshow or similar marketing
effort.
(b)
General Procedures . In connection with any Underwritten
Offering (i) under Section 2. 2 of this Agreement,
Crosstex shall be entitled to select the Managing Underwriter or
Underwriters, and (ii) under Section 2.3 of this
Agreement, the Selling Holders shall be entitled to select the
Managing Underwriter or Underwriters. In connection with an
Underwritten Offering under Section 2.2 or
Section 2.3 hereof, each Selling Holder and Crosstex
shall be obligated to enter into an underwriting agreement which
contains such representations, covenants, indemnities and other
rights and obligations as are customary in underwriting agreements
for firm commitment offerings of securities. No Selling Holder may
participate in such Underwritten Offering unless such Selling
Holder agrees to sell its Registrable Securities on the basis
provided in such underwriting agreement and completes and executes
all questionnaires, powers of attorney, indemnities and other
documents reasonably required under the terms of such underwriting
agreement. Each Selling Holder may, at its option, require that any
or all of the representations and warranties by, and the other
agreements on the part of, Crosstex to and for the benefit of such
underwriters also be made to and for such Selling Holder’s
benefit and that any or all of the conditions precedent to the
obligations of such underwriters under such underwriting agreement
also be conditions precedent to its obligations. No Selling Holder
shall be required to make any representations or warranties to or
agreements with Crosstex or the underwriters other than
representations, warranties or agreements regarding such Selling
Holder and its ownership of the securities being registered on its
behalf and its intended method of distribution and any other
representation required by law. If any Selling Holder disapproves
of the terms of an underwriting, such Selling Holder may elect to
withdraw
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therefrom by
notice to Crosstex and the Managing Underwriter; provided ,
however , that such withdrawal must be made prior to the
time in the penultimate sentence of Section 2.2(a) hereof to
be effective. No such withdrawal or abandonment shall affect
Crosst
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