Exhibit 10.02
5-YEAR REVOLVING CREDIT
AGREEMENT
dated as of December 20,
2004
among
VALERO LOGISTICS OPERATIONS,
L.P.
VALERO L.P.
The Lenders Party
Hereto
and
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK,
N.A.,
as Administrative
Agent
SUNTRUST BANK,
as Syndication
Agent
and
BARCLAYS BANK PLC,
MIZUHO CORPORATE BANK
LTD.,
and
ROYAL BANK OF
CANADA,
as Co-Documentation
Agents
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES
INC.,
as Sole Bookrunner
and
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES INC. and
SUNTRUST ROBINSON HUMPHREY, A DIVISION OF
SUNTRUST CAPITAL MARKETS,
INC.,
as Co-Lead
Arrangers
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Page
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE I
|
|
|
|
|
|
Definitions
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Section
1.01.
|
|
Defined Terms
|
|
1
|
|
Section
1.02.
|
|
Classification of Loans and
Borrowings
|
|
18
|
|
Section
1.03.
|
|
Terms Generally
|
|
19
|
|
Section
1.04.
|
|
Accounting Terms; GAAP
|
|
19
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE II
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Credits
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Section
2.01.
|
|
Commitments
|
|
19
|
|
Section
2.02.
|
|
Loans and Borrowings
|
|
19
|
|
Section
2.03.
|
|
Requests for Revolving Borrowings
|
|
20
|
|
Section
2.04.
|
|
Competitive Bid Procedure
|
|
21
|
|
Section
2.05.
|
|
Letters of Credit
|
|
23
|
|
Section
2.06.
|
|
Funding of Borrowings
|
|
27
|
|
Section
2.07.
|
|
Interest Elections
|
|
27
|
|
Section
2.08.
|
|
Termination and Reduction of
Commitments
|
|
29
|
|
Section
2.09.
|
|
Repayment of Loans; Evidence of Debt
|
|
29
|
|
Section 2.10.
|
|
Prepayment of Loans
|
|
30
|
|
Section
2.11.
|
|
Fees
|
|
30
|
|
Section
2.12.
|
|
Interest
|
|
32
|
|
Section
2.13.
|
|
Alternate Rate of Interest
|
|
32
|
|
Section
2.14.
|
|
Increased Costs
|
|
33
|
|
Section
2.15.
|
|
Break Funding Payments
|
|
34
|
|
Section
2.16.
|
|
Taxes
|
|
35
|
|
Section
2.17.
|
|
Payments Generally; Pro Rata Treatment; Sharing
of Set-offs
|
|
36
|
|
Section
2.18.
|
|
Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of
Lenders
|
|
37
|
|
Section
2.19.
|
|
Procedures Regarding Increases to the
Commitments
|
|
38
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE III
|
|
|
|
|
|
Representations and
Warranties
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Section
3.01.
|
|
Organization; Powers
|
|
40
|
|
Section
3.02.
|
|
Authorization; Enforceability
|
|
40
|
|
Section
3.03.
|
|
Governmental Approvals; No Conflicts
|
|
40
|
|
Section
3.04.
|
|
Financial Condition; No Material Adverse
Change
|
|
41
|
|
Section
3.05.
|
|
Properties
|
|
41
|
|
Section
3.06.
|
|
Litigation and Environmental Matters
|
|
41
|
|
Section
3.07.
|
|
Compliance with Laws and Agreements
|
|
42
|
|
Section
3.08.
|
|
Investment and Holding Company
Status
|
|
42
|
|
Section
3.09.
|
|
Taxes
|
|
42
|
|
Section
3.10.
|
|
ERISA
|
|
42
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Section
3.11.
|
|
Disclosure
|
|
42
|
|
Section
3.12.
|
|
Investments and Guarantees
|
|
43
|
|
Section
3.13.
|
|
Casualties; Taking of Property
|
|
43
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE IV
|
|
|
|
|
|
Conditions
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Section
4.01.
|
|
Effective Date
|
|
43
|
|
Section
4.02.
|
|
Each Credit Event
|
|
45
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE V
|
|
|
|
|
|
Affirmative Covenants
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Section
5.01.
|
|
Financial Statements and Other
Information
|
|
46
|
|
Section
5.02.
|
|
Notices of Material Events
|
|
47
|
|
Section
5.03.
|
|
Existence; Conduct of Business
|
|
48
|
|
Section
5.04.
|
|
Payment of Obligations
|
|
49
|
|
Section
5.05.
|
|
Maintenance of Properties; Insurance
|
|
49
|
|
Section
5.06.
|
|
Books and Records; Inspection Rights
|
|
49
|
|
Section
5.07.
|
|
Compliance with Laws
|
|
49
|
|
Section
5.08.
|
|
Use of Proceeds and Letters of
Credit
|
|
49
|
|
Section
5.09.
|
|
Environmental Laws
|
|
49
|
|
Section
5.10.
|
|
Subsidiaries
|
|
50
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE VI
|
|
|
|
|
|
Negative Covenants
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Section
6.01.
|
|
Indebtedness
|
|
50
|
|
Section
6.02.
|
|
Liens
|
|
51
|
|
Section
6.03.
|
|
Fundamental Changes
|
|
52
|
|
Section
6.04.
|
|
Investments, Loans, Advances, Guarantees and
Acquisitions
|
|
52
|
|
Section
6.05.
|
|
Swap Agreements
|
|
53
|
|
Section
6.06.
|
|
Restricted Payments
|
|
53
|
|
Section
6.07.
|
|
Transactions with Affiliates
|
|
53
|
|
Section
6.08.
|
|
Restrictive Agreements
|
|
54
|
|
Section
6.09.
|
|
Limitation on Modifications of Other
Agreements
|
|
54
|
|
Section
6.10.
|
|
Creation of Subsidiaries
|
|
54
|
|
Section 6.11.
|
|
Financial Condition Covenants
|
|
54
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE VII
|
|
|
|
|
|
Events of Default
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE VIII
|
|
|
|
|
|
MLP Guarantee
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Section
8.01.
|
|
MLP Guarantee
|
|
57
|
|
Section
8.02.
|
|
Subrogation
|
|
58
|
|
Section
8.03.
|
|
Amendments, etc. with respect to the Borrower
Obligations
|
|
58
|
|
Section
8.04.
|
|
Guarantee Absolute and Unconditional
|
|
59
|
|
Section
8.05.
|
|
Reinstatement
|
|
60
|
|
Section
8.06.
|
|
Payments
|
|
60
|
ii
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE IX
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Administrative Agent
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE X
|
|
|
|
|
|
Miscellaneous
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Section
10.01.
|
|
Notices
|
|
62
|
|
Section
10.02.
|
|
Waivers; Amendments
|
|
63
|
|
Section
10.03.
|
|
Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver
|
|
64
|
|
Section
10.04.
|
|
Successors and Assigns
|
|
65
|
|
Section
10.05.
|
|
Survival
|
|
68
|
|
Section
10.06.
|
|
Counterparts; Integration;
Effectiveness
|
|
68
|
|
Section
10.07.
|
|
Severability
|
|
69
|
|
Section
10.08.
|
|
Right of Setoff
|
|
69
|
|
Section
10.09.
|
|
Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Consent to Service
of Process
|
|
69
|
|
Section
10.10.
|
|
WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL
|
|
70
|
|
Section
10.11.
|
|
Headings
|
|
70
|
|
Section
10.12.
|
|
Confidentiality
|
|
70
|
|
Section
10.13.
|
|
Interest Rate Limitation
|
|
71
|
|
Section 10.14.
|
|
Limitation of Liability
|
|
71
|
|
Section
10.15.
|
|
USA PATRIOT Act
|
|
71
|
SCHEDULES :
|
|
|
|
|
Schedule 2.01 –
|
|
Commitments
|
|
Schedule 3.06 –
|
|
Disclosed
Matters
|
|
Schedule 6.01 –
|
|
Existing
Indebtedness
|
|
Schedule 6.04 –
|
|
Existing
Investments
|
|
Schedule 6.07 –
|
|
Affiliate
Agreements
|
|
Schedule 6.08 –
|
|
Existing
Restrictions
|
EXHIBITS :
|
|
|
|
|
Exhibit A —
|
|
Form of
Assignment and Assumption
|
|
Exhibit B —
|
|
Form of Opinion
of the Borrower’s and the MLP’s Counsel
|
|
Exhibit C –
|
|
Form of
Subsidiary Guaranty Agreement
|
|
Exhibit D-1 –
|
|
Form of Initial
Notice of Commitment Increase
|
|
Exhibit D-2 –
|
|
Form of Notice
of Confirmation of Commitment Increase
|
iii
5-YEAR REVOLVING CREDIT AGREEMENT
dated as of December 20, 2004 among VALERO LOGISTICS OPERATIONS,
L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, VALERO L.P., a Delaware
limited partnership, the LENDERS party hereto, JP MORGAN CHASE
BANK, N.A., as Administrative Agent, SUNTRUST BANK, as Syndication
Agent, and BARCLAYS BANK PLC, MIZUHO CORPORATE BANK LTD., and ROYAL
BANK OF CANADA, as Co-Documentation Agents.
The parties hereto agree as
follows:
ARTICLE I
Definitions
Section 1.01. Defined Terms .
As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings
specified below:
“ ABR ”, when
used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such
Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are bearing interest
at a rate determined by reference to the Alternate Base
Rate.
“ Acquired Companies
” means, collectively, KSL and KPP, and their respective
subsidiaries.
“ Acquisition ”
means the mergers of KPP and KSL into Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries of
the MLP pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Acquisition
Documents.
“ Acquisition Documents
” means (a) Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of October
31, 2004 by and among Valero L.P., Riverwalk Logistics, L.P.,
Valero GP, LLC, VLI Sub A LLC and KSL and (b) Agreement and Plan of
Merger dated as of October 31, 2004 by and among Valero L.P.,
Riverwalk Logistics, L.P., Valero GP, LLC, VLI Sub B LLC, KPP, and
Kaneb Pipe Line Company LLC, in each case, as amended, modified or
supplemented.
“ Adjusted LIBO Rate
” means, with respect to any Eurodollar Borrowing for any
Interest Period, an interest rate per annum (rounded upwards, if
necessary, to the next 1/16 of 1%) equal to (a) the LIBO Rate for
such Interest Period multiplied by (b) the Statutory Reserve
Rate.
“ Administrative Agent
” means JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., in its capacity as
administrative agent for the Lenders hereunder.
“ Administrative
Questionnaire ” means an Administrative Questionnaire in
a form supplied by the Administrative Agent.
“ Affiliate ”
means, with respect to a specified Person, another Person that
directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries,
Controls or is Controlled by or is under common Control with the
Person specified.
“ Agreement ”
means this 5-Year Revolving Credit Agreement, as the same may be
amended, modified. supplemented or restated from time to time in
accordance herewith.
1
“ Alternate Base Rate
” means, for any day, a rate per annum equal to the higher of
(a) the Prime Rate in effect on such day and (b) the Federal Funds
Effective Rate in effect on such day plus 1/2 of 1%. Any change in
the Alternate Base Rate due to a change in the Prime Rate or the
Federal Funds Effective Rate shall be effective from and including
the effective date of such change in the Prime Rate or the Federal
Funds Effective Rate, respectively.
“ Applicable Percentage
” means, with respect to any Lender, the percentage of the
total Commitments represented by such Lender’s Commitment. If
the Commitments have terminated or expired, the Applicable
Percentages shall be determined based upon the Commitments most
recently in effect, giving effect to any assignments.
“ Applicable Rate
” means, for any day, with respect to any ABR Loan or
Eurodollar Revolving Loan, or with respect to the facility fees
payable hereunder, as the case may be, the applicable rate per
annum set forth below under the caption “ABR Spread”,
“Eurodollar Spread” or “Facility Fee Rate”,
as the case may be, based upon the ratings by Moody’s and/or
S&P, respectively, applicable on such date to the Index
Debt:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Index Debt Ratings:
|
|
ABR
Spread
|
|
Eurodollar
Spread
|
|
Facility Fee
Rate
|
|
Tier 1
Greater than BBB or Baa2
|
|
0.00%
|
|
0.525%
|
|
0.100%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tier 2
BBB or Baa2
|
|
0.00%
|
|
0.625%
|
|
0.125%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tier 3
BBB - or Baa3
|
|
0.000%
|
|
0.725%
|
|
0.150%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tier 4
BB+ or Ba1
|
|
0.250%
|
|
1.050%
|
|
0.200%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tier 5
Less than BB+ or Ba1
|
|
0.500%
|
|
1.200%
|
|
0.300%
|
For purposes of the foregoing, (i) if either
Moody’s or S&P shall not have in effect a rating for the
Index Debt (after having established such a rating and other than
by reason of the circumstances referred to in the last sentence of
this definition), then such rating agency shall be deemed to have
established a rating in Tier 5; (ii) if both Moody’s and
S&P have established a rating for the Index Debt and such
ratings established or deemed to have been established by
Moody’s and S&P shall fall within different Tiers, then
(a) so long as either or both such ratings are Investment Grade or
better, the Applicable Rate shall be based on the higher of the two
ratings, unless one of the two ratings is two or more Tiers lower
than the other, in which case the Applicable Rate shall be
determined by reference to the Tier next below that of the higher
of the
2
two ratings; and (b) so long as both such
ratings are below Investment Grade, the Applicable Rate shall be
based on the lower of the two ratings, unless one of the two
ratings is two or more Tiers lower than the other, in which case
the Applicable Rate shall be determined by reference to the Tier
next above that of the lower of the two ratings and (iii) if the
ratings established or deemed to have been established by
Moody’s and S&P for the Index Debt shall be changed
(other than as a result of a change in the rating system of
Moody’s or S&P), such change shall be effective as of the
date on which it is first announced by the applicable rating
agency, irrespective of when notice of such change shall have been
furnished by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent and the
Lenders pursuant to Section 5.01 or otherwise. Each change in the
Applicable Rate shall apply during the period commencing on the
effective date of such change and ending on the date immediately
preceding the effective date of the next such change. If the rating
system of Moody’s or S&P shall change, or if either such
rating agency shall cease to be in the business of rating corporate
debt obligations, the Borrower and the Lenders shall negotiate in
good faith to amend this definition to reflect such changed rating
system or the unavailability of ratings from such rating agency
and, pending the effectiveness of any such amendment, the
Applicable Rate shall be determined by reference to the rating most
recently in effect prior to such change or cessation.
“ Approved Fund ”
has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 10.04.
“ Assessment Rate
” means, for any day, the annual assessment rate in effect on
such day that is payable by a member of the Bank Insurance Fund
classified as “well-capitalized” and within supervisory
subgroup “B” (or a comparable successor risk
classification) within the meaning of 12 C.F.R. Part 327 (or any
successor provision) to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
for insurance by such Corporation of time deposits made in dollars
at the offices of such member in the United States; provided
that if, as a result of any change in any law, rule or regulation,
it is no longer possible to determine the Assessment Rate as
aforesaid, then the Assessment Rate shall be such annual rate as
shall be determined by the Administrative Agent to be
representative of the cost of such insurance to the
Lenders.
“ Assignment and
Assumption ” means an assignment and assumption entered
into by a Lender and an assignee (with the consent of any party
whose consent is required by Section 10.04), and accepted by the
Administrative Agent, in the form of Exhibit A or any other form
approved by the Administrative Agent.
“ Availability Period
” means the period from and including the Effective Date to
but excluding the earlier of the Maturity Date and the date of
termination of the Commitments.
“ Benefit Arrangement
” means at any time an employee benefit plan within the
meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA which is not a Plan or a
Multiemployer Plan and which is maintained or otherwise contributed
to by any ERISA Affiliate.
“ Board ” means
the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United
States of America.
“ Borrower ”
means Valero Logistics Operations, L.P., a Delaware limited
partnership.
3
“ Borrower Obligations
” means the collective reference to all amounts owing by the
Borrower and its Subsidiaries pursuant to this Agreement and the
other Guaranteed Documents, including, without limitation, the
unpaid principal of and interest on the Loans and LC Disbursements
and all other obligations and liabilities of the Borrower
(including, without limitation, interest accruing at the then
applicable rate provided in this Agreement after the maturity of
the Loans and LC Disbursements and interest accruing at the then
applicable rate provided in this Agreement after the filing of any
petition in bankruptcy, or the commencement of any insolvency,
reorganization or like proceeding, relating to the Borrower,
whether or not a claim for post-filing or post-petition interest is
allowed in such proceeding) to the Guaranteed Creditors, whether
direct or indirect, absolute or contingent, due or to become due,
or now existing or hereafter incurred, which may arise under, out
of, or in connection with the Guaranteed Documents, whether on
account of principal, interest, reimbursement obligations, fees,
indemnities, costs, expenses or otherwise (including, without
limitation, all fees and disbursements of counsel to the Guaranteed
Creditors that are required to be paid by the Borrower pursuant to
the terms of any of the foregoing agreements).
“ Borrowing ”
means (a) Revolving Loans of the same Type, made, converted or
continued on the same date and, in the case of Eurodollar Loans, as
to which a single Interest Period is in effect or (b) a Competitive
Loan or group of Competitive Loans of the same Type made on the
same date and as to which a single Interest Period is in
effect.
“ Borrowing Request
” means a request by the Borrower for a Revolving Borrowing
in accordance with Section 2.03.
“ Business Day ”
means any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which
commercial banks in New York City are authorized or required by law
to remain closed; provided that, when used in connection
with a Eurodollar Loan, the term “ Business Day
” shall also exclude any day on which banks are not open for
dealings in dollar deposits in the London interbank
market.
“ Capital Lease
Obligations ” of any Person means the obligations of such
Person to pay rent or other amounts under any lease of (or other
arrangement conveying the right to use) real or personal property,
or a combination thereof, which obligations are required to be
classified and accounted for as capital leases on a balance sheet
of such Person under GAAP, and the amount of such obligations shall
be the capitalized amount thereof determined in accordance with
GAAP.
“ Change in Control
” means any of the following events:
(a) (i) Valero Energy shall cease,
indirectly or directly, to own at least a majority of the issued
and outstanding Equity Interests of, or shall cease to Control, the
general partner(s) of the MLP, or (ii) 100% (and not less than
100%) of the issued and outstanding Equity Interest of the general
partner(s) of the Borrower shall cease to be owned, directly or
indirectly, or the Borrower shall cease to be Controlled, by Valero
Energy and/or the MLP; or
4
(b) 100% (and not less than 100%) of
the limited partnership interests of the Borrower shall cease to be
owned in the aggregate, directly or indirectly, by the MLP and/or
Valero Energy.
“ Change in Law ”
means (a) the adoption of any law, rule or regulation after the
date of this Agreement, (b) any change in any law, rule or
regulation or in the interpretation or application thereof by any
Governmental Authority after the date of this Agreement or (c)
compliance by any Lender or any Issuing Bank (or, for purposes of
Section 2.14(b), by any lending office of such Lender or by such
Lender’s or such Issuing Bank’s holding company, if
any) with any request, guideline or directive (whether or not
having the force of law) of any Governmental Authority made or
issued after the date of this Agreement.
“ Class ”, when
used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such
Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are Revolving Loans
or Competitive Loans.
“ Code ” means
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to
time.
“ Commitment ”
means, with respect to each Lender, the commitment of such Lender
to make Revolving Loans and to acquire participations in Letters of
Credit hereunder, expressed as an amount representing the maximum
aggregate amount of such Lender’s Revolving Credit Exposure
hereunder, as such commitment may be (a) reduced from time to time
pursuant to Section 2.08 and (b) reduced or increased from time to
time pursuant to assignments by or to such Lender pursuant to
Section 2.19 or Section 10.04. The initial amount of each
Lender’s Commitment is set forth on Schedule 2.01, or in the
Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender shall have
assumed its Commitment, as applicable. The initial aggregate amount
of the Lenders’ Commitments is $400,000,000.
“ Commitment Increase
Effective Date ” has the meaning assigned such term in
Section 2.19.
“ Common Units ”
means the common units of limited partner interests in the
MLP.
“ Competitive Bid
” means an offer by a Lender to make a Competitive Loan in
accordance with Section 2.04.
“ Competitive Bid Rate
” means, with respect to any Competitive Bid, the Margin or
the Fixed Rate, as applicable, offered by the Lender making such
Competitive Bid.
“ Competitive Bid
Request ” means a request by the Borrower for Competitive
Bids in accordance with Section 2.04.
“ Competitive Loan
” means a Loan made pursuant to Section 2.04.
“ Consolidated Debt
Coverage Ratio ” means, for any day, the ratio of (a) all
Indebtedness of the MLP and its Subsidiaries, on a consolidated
basis, as of the last day of the then most recent Rolling Period
over (b) Consolidated EBITDA for such Rolling Period.
5
“ Consolidated EBITDA
” means, without duplication, as to the MLP and its
Subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis for each Rolling Period, the
amount equal to Consolidated Operating Income for such period plus
(a) depreciation and amortization for such period, and (b) cash
distributions received by the Borrower from Skelly-Belvieu Pipeline
Company, and similar joint ventures, during such period;
provided that (i) Consolidated EBITDA shall be adjusted from
time to time as necessary to give pro forma effect to permitted
acquisitions or Investments (other than Joint Venture Interests) or
sales of property by the MLP and its Subsidiaries and (ii)
Consolidated EBITDA shall be adjusted to take into account pro
forma synergies as a result of the Acquisition in an amount
equal to (A) $25,000,000 for the Rolling Period ending on June 30,
2005, (B) $20,000,000 for the Rolling Period ending on September
30, 2005, (C) $15,000,000 for the Rolling Period ending on December
31, 2005 and (D) $5,000,000 for the Rolling Period ending on March
31, 2006.
“ Consolidated Interest
Coverage Ratio ” means, for any day, the ratio of (i)
Consolidated EBITDA for the then most recent Rolling Period to (ii)
Consolidated Interest Expense for such Rolling Period.
“ Consolidated Interest
Expense ” means, for any Rolling Period, total interest
expense (including that attributable to Capital Lease Obligations)
of the MLP and its Subsidiaries for such period with respect to all
outstanding Indebtedness of the MLP and its Subsidiaries
(including, without limitation, all commissions, discounts and
other fees and charges owed with respect to letters of credit and
bankers’ acceptance financing and net costs under any Swap
Agreements to the extent such net costs are allocable to such
period in accordance with GAAP).
“ Consolidated Operating
Income ” means, as to the MLP and its Subsidiaries on a
consolidated basis for each Rolling Period, the amount equal to
gross income minus operating expenses, general and
administrative expenses, depreciation and amortization, and taxes
other than income taxes, in each case for such period.
“ Consolidated Net
Worth ” means, at any time, an amount equal to the
consolidated partners’ equity of the MLP and its
Subsidiaries.
“ Control ” means
the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or
cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person,
whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract
or otherwise. “ Controlling ” and “
Controlled ” have meanings correlative
thereto.
“ Default ” means
any event or condition which constitutes an Event of Default or
which upon notice, lapse of time or both would, unless cured or
waived, become an Event of Default.
“ Disclosed Matters
” means the actions, suits and proceedings and the
environmental matters disclosed in Schedule 3.06.
“ dollars ” or
“ $ ” refers to lawful money of the United
States of America.
“ Domestic Subsidiary
” means any Subsidiary that is organized under the laws of
the United States of America or any state thereof or the District
of Columbia.
6
“ Effective Date
” means the date on which the conditions specified in Section
4.01 are satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section
10.02).
“ Environmental
Approvals ” means any Governmental Approvals required
under applicable Environmental Laws.
“ Environmental Laws
” means all laws, rules, regulations, codes, ordinances,
orders, decrees, judgments, injunctions, notices or binding
agreements issued, promulgated or entered into by any Governmental
Authority, relating in any way to the environment, preservation or
reclamation of natural resources, the management, release or
threatened release of any Hazardous Material or to health and
safety matters.
“ Environmental
Liability ” means any liability, contingent or otherwise
(including any liability for damages, costs of environmental
remediation, fines, penalties or indemnities), of the MLP or any
Subsidiary directly or indirectly resulting from or based upon (a)
violation of any Environmental Law, (b) the generation, use,
handling, transportation, storage, treatment or disposal of any
Hazardous Materials, (c) exposure to any Hazardous Materials, (d)
the release or threatened release of any Hazardous Materials into
the environment or (e) any contract, agreement or other consensual
arrangement pursuant to which liability is assumed or imposed with
respect to any of the foregoing.
“ Equity Interest
” means any and all shares, interests, participations or
other equivalents (however designated) of capital stock of a
corporation, any member interests in a limited liability company,
and general or limited partnership interests in a partnership, any
and all equivalent ownership interests in a Person and any and all
warrants, options or other rights to purchase any of the foregoing.
In addition, “Equity Interest” shall include, without
limitation, with respect to the Borrower, the limited partner
interests of the Borrower and the General Partner Interests and,
with respect to the MLP, the Units and the general partner interest
of the MLP.
“ ERISA ” means
the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended
from time to time.
“ ERISA Affiliate
” means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated)
that, together with the MLP, is treated as a single employer under
Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code or, solely for purposes of
Section 302 of ERISA and Section 412 of the Code, is treated as a
single employer under Section 414 of the Code.
“ ERISA Event ”
means (a) any “reportable event”, as defined in Section
4043 of ERISA or the regulations issued thereunder with respect to
a Plan (other than an event for which the 30-day notice period is
waived); (b) the existence with respect to any Plan of an
“accumulated funding deficiency” (as defined in Section
412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA), whether or not waived;
(c) the filing pursuant to Section 412(d) of the Code or Section
303(d) of ERISA of an application for a waiver of the minimum
funding standard with respect to any Plan; (d) the incurrence by
the MLP or any of its ERISA Affiliates of any liability under Title
IV of ERISA with respect to the termination of any Plan; (e) the
receipt by the MLP or any ERISA Affiliate from the PBGC or a plan
administrator of any notice relating to an intention to terminate
any Plan or Plans or to appoint a trustee to administer any Plan;
(f) the incurrence by the MLP or any
7
of its ERISA Affiliates of any liability with
respect to the withdrawal or partial withdrawal from any Plan or
Multiemployer Plan; or (g) the receipt by the MLP or any ERISA
Affiliate of any notice, or the receipt by any Multiemployer Plan
from the MLP or any ERISA Affiliate of any notice, concerning the
imposition of Withdrawal Liability or a determination that a
Multiemployer Plan is, or is expected to be, insolvent or in
reorganization, within the meaning of Title IV of ERISA.
“ Eurodollar ”,
when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether
such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are bearing
interest at a rate determined by reference to the Adjusted LIBO
Rate (or, in the case of a Competitive Loan, the LIBO
Rate).
“ Event of Default
” has the meaning assigned to such term in Article
VII.
“ Excluded Taxes
” means, with respect to the Administrative Agent, any
Lender, any Issuing Bank or any other recipient of any payment to
be made by or on account of any obligation of the Borrower
hereunder, (a) income or franchise taxes imposed on (or measured
by) its net income by the United States of America, or by the
jurisdiction under the laws of which such recipient is organized or
in which its principal office is located or, in the case of any
Lender, in which its applicable lending office is located, (b) any
branch profits taxes imposed by the United States of America or any
similar tax imposed by any other jurisdiction in which the Borrower
is located and (c) in the case of a Foreign Lender (other than an
assignee pursuant to a request by the Borrower under Section
2.18(b)), any withholding tax that is imposed on amounts payable to
such Foreign Lender at the time such Foreign Lender becomes a party
to this Agreement (or designates a new lending office) or is
attributable to such Foreign Lender’s failure to comply with
Section 2.16(e), except to the extent that such Foreign Lender (or
its assignor, if any) was entitled, at the time of designation of a
new lending office (or assignment), to receive additional amounts
from the Borrower with respect to such withholding tax pursuant to
Section 2.16(a).
“ Existing Credit
Agreement ” means the Amended and Restated Credit
Agreement, dated as of December 15, 2000, as amended and restated
through March 6, 2003, by and among the Borrower, the Lenders (as
defined therein) party thereto, JPMorgan Chase Bank, as
Administrative Agent, Royal Bank of Canada, as syndication agent,
and SunTrust Bank and Mizuho Corporate Bank Ltd., as
co-documentation agents, as amended.
“ Federal Funds Effective
Rate ” means, for any day, the weighted average (rounded
upwards, if necessary, to the next 1/100 of 1%) of the rates on
overnight Federal funds transactions with members of the Federal
Reserve System arranged by Federal funds brokers, as published on
the next succeeding Business Day by the Federal Reserve Bank of New
York, or, if such rate is not so published for any day that is a
Business Day, the average (rounded upwards, if necessary, to the
next 1/100 of 1%) of the quotations for such day for such
transactions received by the Administrative Agent from three
Federal funds brokers of recognized standing selected by
it.
“ Financial Officer
” means with respect to any Person, the chief accounting
officer, chief financial officer, treasurer or controller of such
Person.
8
“ Fixed Rate ”
means, with respect to any Competitive Loan (other than a
Eurodollar Competitive Loan), the fixed rate of interest per annum
specified by the Lender making such Competitive Loan in its related
Competitive Bid.
“ Fixed Rate
Loan” means a Competitive Loan bearing interest at a
Fixed Rate.
“ Foreign Lender
” means any Lender that is organized under the laws of a
jurisdiction other than that in which the Borrower is located. For
purposes of this definition, the United States of America, each
State thereof and the District of Columbia shall be deemed to
constitute a single jurisdiction.
“ GAAP ” means
generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of
America.
“ General Partner
” means Valero GP, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
“ General Partner
Interest ” means all general partner interests in the
Borrower.
“ Governmental
Authority ” means the government of the United States of
America, any other nation or any political subdivision thereof,
whether state or local, and any agency, authority, instrumentality,
regulatory body, court, central bank or other entity exercising
executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or
administrative powers or functions of or pertaining to
government.
“ Guarantee ” of
or by any Person (the “ guarantor ”) means any
obligation, contingent or otherwise, of the guarantor guaranteeing
or having the economic effect of guaranteeing any Indebtedness or
other obligation of any other Person (the “ primary
obligor ”) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly,
and including any obligation of the guarantor, direct or indirect,
(a) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase
or payment of) such Indebtedness or other obligation or to purchase
(or to advance or supply funds for the purchase of) any security
for the payment thereof, (b) to purchase or lease property,
securities or services for the purpose of assuring the owner of
such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment thereof, (c)
to maintain working capital, equity capital or any other financial
statement condition or liquidity of the primary obligor so as to
enable the primary obligor to pay such Indebtedness or other
obligation or (d) as an account party in respect of any letter of
credit or letter of guaranty issued to support such Indebtedness or
obligation; provided , that the term Guarantee shall not
include endorsements for collection or deposit in the ordinary
course of business.
“ Guaranteed Creditors
” means the collective reference to the Administrative Agent
and the Lenders.
“ Guaranteed Documents
” means the collective reference to this Agreement and the
other Loan Documents.
“ Guarantor ”
means each of the MLP and each Subsidiary and other Person that
from time to time executes and delivers a Subsidiary Guaranty (or
becomes a party thereto by executing and delivering a supplement
thereto or otherwise).
9
“ Hazardous Materials
” means all explosive or radioactive substances or wastes and
all hazardous or toxic substances, wastes or other pollutants,
including petroleum or petroleum distillates, asbestos or asbestos
containing materials, polychlorinated biphenyls, radon gas,
infectious or medical wastes and all other substances or wastes of
any nature regulated pursuant to any Environmental Law.
“ Increasing Lender
” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section
2.19.
“ Indebtedness ”
of any Person means, without duplication, (a) all obligations of
such Person for borrowed money or with respect to deposits or
advances of any kind, (b) all obligations of such Person evidenced
by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments or by any other
securities providing for the mandatory payment of money (including,
without limitation, preferred stock subject to mandatory redemption
or sinking fund provisions), (c) all obligations of such Person
upon which interest charges are customarily paid, (d) all
obligations of such Person under conditional sale or other title
retention agreements relating to property acquired by such Person,
(e) all obligations of such Person in respect of the deferred
purchase price of property or services (excluding current accounts
payable incurred in the ordinary course of business), (f) all
Indebtedness of others secured by (or for which the holder of such
Indebtedness has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to be
secured by) any Lien on property owned or acquired by such Person,
whether or not the Indebtedness secured thereby has been assumed,
(g) all Guarantees by such Person of Indebtedness of others, (h)
all Capital Lease Obligations of such Person, (i) all
non-contingent obligations of such Person as an account party in
respect of letters of credit and letters of guaranty, (j) all
obligations, contingent or otherwise, of such Person in respect of
bankers’ acceptances, (k) all obligations of such Person with
respect to any arrangement, directly or indirectly, whereby such
Person or its Subsidiaries shall sell or transfer any material
asset, and whereby such Person or any of its Subsidiaries shall
then or immediately thereafter rent or lease as lessee such asset
or any part thereof, and (l) all recourse and support obligations
of such Person or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to the sale
or discount of any of its accounts receivable. The Indebtedness of
any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any other entity
(including any partnership in which such Person is a general
partner) to the extent such Person is liable therefor as a result
of such Person’s ownership interest in or other relationship
with such entity, except to the extent the terms of such
Indebtedness provide that such Person is not liable
therefor.
“ Indemnified Taxes
” means Taxes other than Excluded Taxes.
“ Indenture ”
means the Indenture, dated as of July 15, 2002, between the
Borrower, as Issuer, the MLP, as Guarantor, and The Bank of New
York, as Trustee, relating to the issuance of senior debt
securities, as amended, modified and supplemented from time to time
in accordance herewith.
“ Index Debt ”
means senior, unsecured, long-term indebtedness for borrowed money
of the Borrower that is not guaranteed by any other Person other
than the Guarantors or subject to any other credit
enhancement.
“ Information
Memorandum ” means the Confidential Information
Memorandum dated November 8, 2004 relating to the Borrower and the
Transactions.
10
“ Initial Notice of
Commitment Increase ” has the meaning assigned to such
term in Section 2.19.
“ Interest Election
Request ” means a request by the Borrower to convert or
continue a Revolving Borrowing in accordance with Section
2.07.
“ Interest Payment Date
” means (a) with respect to any ABR Loan, the last day of
each March, June, September and December, (b) with respect to any
Eurodollar Loan, the last day of the Interest Period applicable to
the Borrowing of which such Loan is a part and, in the case of a
Eurodollar Borrowing with an Interest Period of more than three
months’ duration, each day prior to the last day of such
Interest Period that occurs at intervals of three months’
duration after the first day of such Interest Period and (c) with
respect to any Fixed Rate Loan, the last day of the Interest Period
applicable to the Borrowing of which such Loan is a part and, in
the case of a Fixed Rate Borrowing with an Interest Period of more
than 90 days’ duration (unless otherwise specified in the
applicable Competitive Bid Request), each day prior to the last day
of such Interest Period that occurs at intervals of 90 days’
duration after the first day of such Interest Period, and any other
dates that are specified in the applicable Competitive Bid Request
as Interest Payment Dates with respect to such
Borrowing.
“ Interest Period
” means (a) with respect to any Eurodollar Borrowing, the
period commencing on the date of such Borrowing and ending on the
numerically corresponding day in the calendar month that is one,
two, three or six-months thereafter, as the Borrower may elect, and
(b) with respect to any Fixed Rate Borrowing, the period (which
shall not be less than 1 day or more than 270 days) commencing on
the date of such Borrowing and ending on the date specified in the
applicable Competitive Bid Request; provided , that (i) if
any Interest Period would end on a day other than a Business Day,
such Interest Period shall be extended to the next succeeding
Business Day unless, in the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing only,
such next succeeding Business Day would fall in the next calendar
month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the next
preceding Business Day and (ii) any Interest Period pertaining to a
Eurodollar Borrowing that commences on the last Business Day of a
calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically
corresponding day in the last calendar month of such Interest
Period) shall end on the last Business Day of the last calendar
month of such Interest Period. For purposes hereof, the date of a
Borrowing initially shall be the date on which such Borrowing is
made and, in the case of a Revolving Borrowing, thereafter shall be
the effective date of the most recent conversion or continuation of
such Borrowing.
“ Investment ”
means, as applied to any Person, any direct or indirect purchase or
other acquisition by such Person of any Equity Interests in any
other Person, or any direct or indirect loan, advance or capital
contribution by such Person to any other Person, including all
Indebtedness and receivables from such other Person which are not
current assets or did not arise from sales to such other Person in
the ordinary course of business, and any direct or indirect
purchase or other acquisition by such Person of any assets (other
than any acquisition of assets in the ordinary course of
business).
“ Investment Grade
” means a rating for Index Debt of BBB- or higher by S&P
and Baa3 or higher by Moody’s.
11
“ Issuing Bank ”
means each of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and SunTrust Bank, in each
case, in its capacity as an issuer of Letters of Credit hereunder,
and its successors in such capacity as provided in Section 2.05(i).
Any Issuing Bank may, in its discretion, arrange for one or more
Letters of Credit to be issued by Affiliates of such Issuing Bank,
in which case the term “Issuing Bank” shall include any
such Affiliate with respect to Letters of Credit issued by such
Affiliate.
“ Joint Venture
Interest ” means an acquisition of or Investment in
Equity Interests in another Person, held directly or indirectly by
the MLP, that will not be a Subsidiary after giving effect to such
acquisition or Investment.
“ KPP ” means
Kaneb Pipe Line Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited
partnership.
“ KSL ” means
Kaneb Services LLC, a Delaware limited liability
company.
“ LC Disbursement
” means a payment made by any Issuing Bank pursuant to a
Letter of Credit issued by such Issuing Bank.
“ LC Exposure ”
means, at any time, the sum of (a) the aggregate undrawn amount of
all outstanding Letters of Credit at such time plus (b) the
aggregate amount of all LC Disbursements that have not yet been
reimbursed by or on behalf of the Borrower at such time. The LC
Exposure of any Lender at any time shall be its Applicable
Percentage of the total LC Exposure at such time. The LC Exposure
of any Issuing Bank at any time shall be the sum of (a) the
aggregate undrawn amount of all outstanding Letters of Credit
issued by such Issuing Bank at such time plus (b) the aggregate
amount of all LC Disbursements made by such Issuing Bank that have
not yet been reimbursed by or on behalf of the Borrower at such
time.
“ Lenders ” means
the Persons listed on Schedule 2.01 and any other Person that shall
have become a party hereto pursuant to an Assignment and
Assumption, other than any such Person that ceases to be a party
hereto pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption.
“ Letter of Credit
” means any letter of credit issued pursuant to this
Agreement.
“ LIBO Rate ”
means, with respect to any Eurodollar Borrowing for any Interest
Period, the rate appearing on Page 3750 of the Dow Jones Market
Service (or on any successor or substitute page of such Service, or
any successor to or substitute for such Service, providing rate
quotations comparable to those currently provided on such page of
such Service, as determined by the Administrative Agent from time
to time for purposes of providing quotations of interest rates
applicable to dollar deposits in the London interbank market) at
approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two Business Days prior to
the commencement of such Interest Period, as the rate for dollar
deposits with a maturity comparable to such Interest Period. In the
event that such rate is not available at such time for any reason,
then the “LIBO Rate” with respect to such Eurodollar
Borrowing for such Interest Period shall be the rate at which
dollar deposits of $5,000,000 and for a maturity comparable to such
Interest Period are offered by the principal London office of the
Administrative Agent in immediately available funds in the London
interbank market at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two
Business Days prior to the commencement of such Interest
Period.
12
“ Lien ” means,
with respect to any asset, (a) any mortgage, deed of trust, lien,
pledge, hypothecation, encumbrance, charge or security interest in,
on or of such asset, (b) the interest of a vendor or a lessor under
any conditional sale agreement, capital lease or title retention
agreement (or any financing lease having substantially the same
economic effect as any of the foregoing) relating to such asset and
(c) in the case of securities, any purchase option, call or similar
right of a third party with respect to such securities.
“ Loan Documents
” means this Agreement, the Subsidiary Guaranty, any notes
issued pursuant to Section 2.09(e), and any Letter of Credit, as
each such agreement may be amended, supplemented or otherwise
modified from time to time as permitted hereby, and any and all
instruments, certificates, or other agreements delivered in
connection with the foregoing.
“ Loans ” means
the loans made by the Lenders to the Borrower pursuant to this
Agreement.
“ Margin ” means,
with respect to any Competitive Loan bearing interest at a rate
based on the LIBO Rate, the marginal rate of interest, if any, to
be added to or subtracted from the LIBO Rate to determine the rate
of interest applicable to such Loan, as specified by the Lender
making such Loan in its related Competitive Bid.
“ Material Adverse
Effect ” means a material adverse effect on (a) the
business, assets, operations or condition (financial or otherwise)
of the MLP and its Subsidiaries (including the Borrower) taken as a
whole, (b) the ability of the MLP, the Borrower or any Guarantor to
perform any of their obligations under this Agreement or any other
Loan Document or (c) the rights of or benefits available to the
Lenders under this Agreement or any other Loan Document.
“ Material Agreements
” means the Partnership Agreement (Borrower) and the
Indenture as each such agreement may be amended, supplemented or
otherwise modified from time to time as permitted
hereby.
“ Material Domestic
Subsidiary ” means any Material Subsidiary that is a
Domestic Subsidiary.
“ Material Subsidiary
” means, with respect to the MLP, any Subsidiary (other than
the Borrower) that meets any of the following conditions: (i) the
MLP’s and its other Subsidiaries’ equity in the income
from continuing operations before interest expense and all income
taxes of such Subsidiary exceeds 10% of such income of the MLP and
its Subsidiaries consolidated for the most recently completed
fiscal year or (ii) the MLP’s and its other
Subsidiaries’ proportionate share of the total assets (after
intercompany eliminations) of such Subsidiary exceeds 10% of the
total assets of the MLP and its Subsidiaries consolidated as of the
end of the most recently completed fiscal year.
“ Material Indebtedness
” means Indebtedness (other than the Loans and Letters of
Credit), or obligations in respect of one or more Swap Agreements,
of any one or more of the MLP and its Subsidiaries in an aggregate
principal amount exceeding $35,000,000. For purposes of determining
Material Indebtedness, the “principal amount” of the
obligations of the MLP or any Subsidiary in respect of any Swap
Agreement at any time shall be the maximum aggregate
13
amount (giving effect to any netting agreements)
that such Person would be required to pay if such Swap Agreement
were terminated at such time.
“ Maturity Date ”
means the fifth anniversary of the Effective Date.
“ MLP ” means
Valero L.P., a Delaware limited partnership.
“ MLP Obligations
” means the collective reference to (i) the Borrower
Obligations and (ii) all obligations and liabilities of the MLP
which may arise under or in connection with any Guaranteed Document
to which the MLP is a party, in each case whether on account of
guarantee obligations, reimbursement obligations, loan obligations,
fees, indemnities, costs, expenses or otherwise (including, without
limitation, all fees and disbursements of counsel to any Guaranteed
Creditor under any Guaranteed Document).
“ Moody’s ”
means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (or any successor
rating organization).
“ Multiemployer Plan
” means a multiemployer plan as defined in Section 4001(a)(3)
of ERISA, to which the MLP or any ERISA Affiliate makes or is
obligated to make contributions.
“ New Funds Amount
” means the amount by which a New Lender’s or an
Increasing Lender’s outstanding Loans increase as of a
Commitment Increase Effective Date (without regard to any such
increase as a result of Borrowings made on such Commitment Increase
Effective Date).
“ New Lender ”
has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.19.
“ Notice of Confirmation of
Commitment Increase ” has the meaning assigned to such
term in Section 2.19.
“ Other Taxes ”
means any and all present or future stamp or documentary taxes or
any other excise or property taxes, charges or similar levies
arising from any payment made hereunder or from the execution,
delivery or enforcement of, or otherwise with respect to, this
Agreement.
“ Partially Increasing
Lender ” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section
2.19.
“ Partnership Agreement
(Borrower) ” means the Agreement of Limited Partnership
of the Borrower among the General Partner and the MLP in the form
previously provided to the Lenders, as amended, modified and
supplemented from time to time in accordance herewith.
“ Partnership Agreement
(MLP) ” means the Third Amended and Restated Agreement of
Limited Partnership of the MLP dated as of March 18, 2003, as
amended, modified and supplemented from time to time in accordance
herewith.
“ PBGC ” means
the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation referred to and defined in
ERISA and any successor entity performing similar
functions.
14
“ Permitted
Encumbrances ” means:
(a) Liens imposed by law for Taxes
that are not yet due or are being contested in compliance with
Section 5.04;
(b) carriers’,
warehousemen’s, mechanics’, materialmen’s,
repairmen’s and other like Liens imposed by law, arising in
the ordinary course of business and securing obligations that are
not overdue by more than 30 days or are being contested in
compliance with Section 5.04;
(c) pledges and deposits made in the
ordinary course of business in compliance with workers’
compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security laws
or regulations;
(d) deposits to secure the
performance of bids, trade contracts, leases, statutory
obligations, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other
obligations of a like nature, in each case in the ordinary course
of business;
(e) judgment liens in respect of
judgments that do not constitute an Event of Default under clause
(j) of Article VII;
(f) easements, zoning restrictions,
rights-of-way, minor irregularities in title, boundaries, or other
survey defects, servitudes, permits, reservations, exceptions,
zoning regulations, conditions, covenants, mineral or royalty
rights or reservations or oil, gas and mineral leases and rights of
others in any property of the MLP or any Subsidiary for streets,
roads, bridges, pipes, pipe lines, railroads, electric transmission
and distribution lines, telegraph and telephone lines, the removal
of oil, gas or other minerals or other similar purposes, flood
control, water rights, rights of others with respect to navigable
waters, sewage and drainage rights and similar encumbrances on real
property imposed by law or arising in the ordinary course of
business that do not secure any monetary obligations and do not
materially detract from the value of the affected property or
interfere with the ordinary conduct of business of the MLP or any
Subsidiary; provided that the term “Permitted
Encumbrances” shall not include any Lien securing
Indebtedness; and
(g) Liens securing an obligation of
a third party neither created, assumed nor Guaranteed by the MLP or
any Subsidiary upon lands over which easements or similar rights
are acquired by the MLP or any Subsidiary in the ordinary course of
business of the MLP or any Subsidiary.
“ Permitted Investments
” means:
(a) direct obligations of, or
obligations the principal of and interest on which are
unconditionally guaranteed by, the United States of America (or by
any agency thereof to the extent such obligations are backed by the
full faith and credit of the United States of America), in each
case maturing within one year from the date of acquisition
thereof;
(b) investments in commercial paper
maturing within 270 days from the date of acquisition thereof and
having, at such date of acquisition, a short term deposit rating of
no lower than A2 or P2, as such rating is set forth by S&P or
Moody’s, respectively;
15
(c) investments in certificates of
deposit, banker’s acceptances and time deposits maturing
within 180 days from the date of acquisition thereof issued or
guaranteed by or placed with, and money market deposit accounts
issued or offered by, any domestic office of any commercial bank
organized under the laws of the United States of America or any
State thereof which has a combined capital and surplus and
undivided profits of not less than $500,000,000; and
(d) fully collateralized repurchase
agreements with a term of not more than 30 days for securities
described in clause (a) above and entered into with a financial
institution satisfying the criteria described in clause (c)
above.
“ Person ” means
any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust,
joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental
Authority or other entity.
“ Plan ” means
any employee pension benefit plan (other than a Multiemployer Plan)
subject to the provisions of Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of
the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, and in respect of which the MLP
or any ERISA Affiliate contributes or has an obligation to
contribute and is (or, if such plan were terminated, would under
Section 4069 of ERISA be deemed to be) an “employer” as
defined in Section 3(5) of ERISA.
“ Prime Rate ”
means the rate of interest per annum publicly announced from time
to time by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as its prime rate in effect at
its principal office in New York City; each change in the Prime
Rate shall be effective from and including the date such change is
publicly announced as being effective.
“ Reducing Lender
” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section
2.19.
“ Reduction Amount
” means the amount by which a Reducing Lender’s or a
Partially Increasing Lender’s outstanding Loans decrease as
of a Commitment Increase Effective Date (without regard to any such
increase as a result of Borrowings made on such Commitment Increase
Effective Date).
“ Register ” has
the meaning set forth in Section 10.04.
“ Related Parties
” means, with respect to any specified Person, such
Person’s Affiliates and the respective directors, officers,
employees, agents and advisors of such Person and such
Person’s Affiliates.
“ Required Lenders
” means, at any time, Lenders having Revolving Credit
Exposures and unused Commitments representing greater than 50% of
the sum of the total Revolving Credit Exposures and unused
Commitments at such time; provided that, for purposes of
declaring the Loans to be due and payable pursuant to Article VII,
and for all purposes after the Loans become due and payable
pursuant to Article VII or the Commitments expire or terminate, the
outstanding Competitive Loans of the Lenders shall be included in
their respective Revolving Credit Exposures in determining the
Required Lenders.
“ Restricted Payment
” means any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash,
securities or other property, with the exception of a Unit split,
combination, or dividend, in each
16
case so long as the only consideration paid in
connection therewith is an in-kind payment of additional Units)
with respect to any Equity Interest of the MLP or any Subsidiary,
or any payment (whether in cash, securities or other property, with
the exception of a Unit split, combination, or dividend, in each
case so long as the only consideration paid in connection therewith
is an in-kind payment of additional Units), including any sinking
fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption,
retirement, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any such
Equity Interest of the MLP or any option, warrant or other right to
acquire any such Equity Interest of the MLP.
“ Revolving Credit
Exposure ” means, with respect to any Lender at any time,
the sum of the outstanding principal amount of such Lender’s
Revolving Loans and its LC Exposure at such time.
“ Revolving Loan
” means a Loan made pursuant to Section 2.03.
“ Rolling Period
” means any period of four consecutive fiscal
quarters.
“ SEC ” means the
Securities and Exchange Commission or any successor Governmental
Authority.
“ S&P ” means
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group, a division of
McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (or any successor rating
organization).
“ Statutory Reserve
Rate ” means a fraction (expressed as a decimal), the
numerator of which is the number one and the denominator of which
is the number one minus the aggregate of the maximum reserve
percentages (including any marginal, special, emergency or
supplemental reserves) expressed as a decimal established by the
Board to which the Administrative Agent is subject with respect to
the Adjusted LIBO Rate, for eurocurrency funding (currently
referred to as “Eurocurrency Liabilities” in Regulation
D of the Board). Such reserve percentages shall include those
imposed pursuant to such Regulation D. Eurodollar Loans shall be
deemed to constitute eurocurrency funding and to be subject to such
reserve requirements without benefit of or credit for proration,
exemptions or offsets that may be available from time to time to
any Lender under such Regulation D or any comparable regulation.
The Statutory Reserve Rate shall be adjusted automatically on and
as of the effective date of any change in any reserve
percentage.
“ Subordinated Units
” means the subordinated units of limited partner interests
in the MLP.
“ subsidiary ”
means, with respect to any Person (the “ parent
”) at any date, any corporation, limited liability company,
partnership, association or other entity the accounts of which
would be consolidated with those of the parent in the
parent’s consolidated financial statements if such financial
statements were prepared in accordance with GAAP as of such date,
as well as any other corporation, limited liability company,
partnership, association or other entity (a) of which securities or
other ownership interests representing more than 50% of the equity
or more than 50% of the ordinary voting power or, in the case of a
partnership, more than 50% of the general partnership interests
are, as of such date, owned, controlled or held, or
17
(b) that is, as of such date, otherwise
Controlled, by the parent or one or more subsidiaries of the parent
or by the parent and one or more subsidiaries of the
parent.
“ Subsidiary ”
means any subsidiary of the MLP (including the
Borrower).
“ Subsidiary Guaranty
” means any guaranty executed and delivered pursuant to
Section 5.10, as from time to time amended, modified, or
supplemented.
“ Swap Agreement
” means any agreement with respect to any swap, forward,
future or derivative transaction or option or similar agreement
involving, or settled by reference to, one or more rates,
currencies, commodities, equity or debt instruments or securities,
or economic, financial or pricing indices or measures of economic,
financial or pricing risk or value or any similar transaction or
any combination of these transactions; provided that no
phantom stock or similar plan providing for payments only on
account of services provided by current or former directors,
officers, employees or consultants of the MLP or the Subsidiaries
shall be a Swap Agreement.
“ Taxes ” means
any and all present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties,
deductions, charges or withholdings imposed by any Governmental
Authority.
“ Transactions ”
means the execution, delivery and performance by the Borrower and
the MLP of this Agreement, the borrowing of Loans, the use of the
proceeds thereof and the issuance of Letters of Credit hereunder,
and the execution, delivery and performance of the Subsidiary
Guaranty.
“ Type ”, when
used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether the
rate of interest on such Loan, or on the Loans comprising such
Borrowing, is determined by reference to the Adjusted LIBO Rate or
the Alternate Base Rate or, in the case of a Competitive Loan or
Borrowing, the LIBO Rate or a Fixed Rate.
“ Units ” means
the collective reference to the Common Units and the Subordinated
Units.
“ Valero Energy ”
means Valero Energy Corporation, a Delaware corporation.
“ Wholly-Owned
Subsidiary ” means, in respect of any Person, any
subsidiary of such Person, all of the Equity Interests of which
(other than director’s qualifying shares, as may be required
by law) is owned by such Person, either directly or indirectly
through one or more Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries of such Person.
Unless otherwise indicated herein, each reference to the term
“ Wholly-Owned Subsidiary ” shall mean a
Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of the MLP.
“ Withdrawal Liability
” means liability to a Multiemployer Plan as a result of a
complete or partial withdrawal from such Multiemployer Plan, as
such terms are defined in Part I of Subtitle E of Title IV of
ERISA.
Section 1.02. Classification of
Loans and Borrowings . For purposes of this Agreement, Loans
may be classified and referred to by Class (e.g., a “
Revolving Loan ”) or by Type (e.g., a “
Eurodollar Loan ”) or by Class and Type (e.g., a
“ Eurodollar Revolving Loan ”).
Borrowings
18
also may be classified and referred to by Class
(e.g., a “ Revolving Borrowing ”) or by Type
(e.g., a “ Eurodollar Borrowing ”) or by Class
and Type (e.g., a “ Eurodollar Revolving Borrowing
”).
Section 1.03. Terms Generally
. The definitions of terms herein shall apply equally to the
singular and plural forms of the terms defined. Whenever the
context may require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding
masculine, feminine and neuter forms. The words
“include”, “includes” and
“including” shall be deemed to be followed by the
phrase “without limitation”. The word
“will” shall be construed to have the same meaning and
effect as the word “shall”. Unless the context requires
otherwise (a) any definition of or reference to any agreement,
instrument or other document herein shall be construed as referring
to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to
time amended, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any
restrictions on such amendments, supplements or modifications set
forth herein), (b) any reference herein to any Person shall be
construed to include such Person’s successors and assigns,
(c) the words “herein”, “hereof” and
“hereunder”, and words of similar import, shall be
construed to refer to this Agreement in its entirety and not to any
particular provision hereof, (d) all references herein to Articles,
Sections, Exhibits and Schedules shall be construed to refer to
Articles and Sections of, and Exhibits and Schedules to, this
Agreement and (e) the words “asset” and
“property” shall be construed to have the same meaning
and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible
assets and properties, including cash, securities, accounts and
contract rights.
Section 1.04. Accounting Terms;
GAAP . Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all terms
of an accounting or financial nature shall be construed in
accordance with GAAP, as in effect from time to time;
provided that, if the Borrower notifies the Administrative
Agent that the Borrower requests an amendment to any provision
hereof to eliminate the effect of any change occurring after the
date hereof in GAAP or in the application thereof on the operation
of such provision (or if the Administrative Agent notifies the
Borrower that the Required Lenders request an amendment to any
provision hereof for such purpose), regardless of whether any such
notice is given before or after such change in GAAP or in the
application thereof, then such provision shall be interpreted on
the basis of GAAP as in effect and applied immediately before such
change shall have become effective until such notice shall have
been withdrawn or such provision amended in accordance
herewith.
ARTICLE II
The Credits
Section 2.01. Commitments .
Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Lender
agrees to make Revolving Loans to the Borrower from time to time
during the Availability Period in an aggregate principal amount
that will not result in (a) such Lender’s Revolving Credit
Exposure exceeding such Lender’s Commitment or (b) the sum of
the total Revolving Credit Exposures plus the aggregate principal
amount of outstanding Competitive Loans exceeding the total
Commitments. Within the foregoing limits and subject to the terms
and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may borrow, prepay
and reborrow Revolving Loans.
Section 2.02. Loans and
Borrowings . (a) Each Revolving Loan shall be made as part of a
Borrowing consisting of Revolving Loans made by the Lenders ratably
in accordance with
19
their respective Commitments. Each Competitive
Loan shall be made in accordance with the procedures set forth in
Section 2.04. The failure of any Lender to make any Loan required
to be made by it shall not relieve any other Lender of its
obligations hereunder; provided that the Commitments and
Competitive Bids of the Lenders are several and no Lender shall be
responsible for any other Lender’s failure to make Loans as
required.
(b) Subject to Section 2.13, (i)
each Revolving Borrowing shall be comprised entirely of ABR Loans
or Eurodollar Loans as the Borrower may request in accordance
herewith and (ii) each Competitive Borrowing shall be comprised
entirely of Eurodollar Loans or Fixed Rate Loans as the Borrower
may request in accordance herewith. Each Lender at its option may
make any Eurodollar Loan by causing any domestic or foreign branch
or Affiliate of such Lender to make such Loan; provided that
any exercise of such option shall not affect the obligation of the
Borrower to repay such Loan in accordance with the terms of this
Agreement.
(c) At the commencement of each
Interest Period for any Eurodollar Revolving Borrowing, such
Borrowing shall be in an aggregate amount that is an integral
multiple of $1,000,000 and not less than $5,000,000. At the time
that each ABR Revolving Borrowing is made, such Borrowing shall be
in an aggregate amount that is an integral multiple of $500,000 and
not less than $1,000,000; provided that an ABR Revolving
Borrowing may be in an aggregate amount that is equal to the entire
unused balance of the total Commitments or that is required to
finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as contemplated by
Section 2.05(e). Each Competitive Borrowing shall be in an
aggregate amount that is an integral multiple of $1,000,000 and not
less than $5,000,000. Borrowings of more than one Type and Class
may be outstanding at the same time; provided that there shall not
at any time be more than a total of five Eurodollar Revolving
Borrowings outstanding.
(d) Notwithstanding any other
provision of this Agreement, the Borrower shall not be entitled to
request, or to elect to convert or continue, any Borrowing if the
Interest Period requested with respect thereto would end after the
Maturity Date.
Section 2.03. Requests for
Revolving Borrowings . To request a Revolving Borrowing, the
Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such request by
telephone (a) in the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing, not later than
12:00 noon, New York City time, three Business Days before the date
of the proposed Borrowing or (b) in the case of an ABR Borrowing,
not later than 12:00 noon, New York City time, on date of the
proposed Borrowing; provided that any such notice of an ABR
Revolving Borrowing to finance the reimbursement of an LC
Disbursement as contemplated by Section 2.05(e) may be given not
later than 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date of the
proposed Borrowing. Each such telephonic Borrowing Request shall be
irrevocable and shall be confirmed promptly by hand delivery or
telecopy to the Administrative Agent of a written Borrowing Request
in a form approved by the Administrative Agent and signed by the
Borrower. Each such telephonic and written Borrowing Request shall
specify the following information in compliance with Section
2.02:
(i) the aggregate amount of the
requested Borrowing;
(ii) the date of such Borrowing,
which shall be a Business Day;
20
(iii) whether such Borrowing is to
be an ABR Borrowing or a Eurodollar Borrowing;
(iv) in the case of a Eurodollar
Borrowing, the initial Interest Period to be applicable thereto,
which shall be a period contemplated by the definition of the term
“Interest Period”; and
(v) the location and number of the
Borrower’s account to which funds are to be disbursed, which
shall comply with the requirements of Section 2.06.
If no election as to the Type of Revolving
Borrowing is specified, then the requested Revolving Borrowing
shall be an ABR Borrowing. If no Interest Period is specified with
respect to any requested Eurodollar Revolving Borrowing, then the
Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one
month’s duration. Promptly following receipt of a Borrowing
Request in accordance with this Section, the Administrative Agent
shall advise each Lender of the details thereof and of the amount
of such Lender’s Loan to be made as part of the requested
Borrowing.
Section 2.04. Competitive Bid
Procedure .
(a) Subject to the terms and
conditions set forth herein, from time to time during the
Availability Period the Borrower may request Competitive Bids and
may (but shall not have any obligation to) accept Competitive Bids
and borrow Competitive Loans; provided that the sum of the total
Revolving Credit Exposures plus the aggregate principal amount of
outstanding Competitive Loans at any time shall not exceed the
total Commitments. To request Competitive Bids, the Borrower shall
notify the Administrative Agent of such request by telephone, in
the case of a Eurodollar Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New
York City time, four Business Days before the date of the proposed
Borrowing and, in the case of a Fixed Rate Borrowing, not later
than 10:00 a.m., New York City time, one Business Day before the
date of the proposed Borrowing; provided that the Borrower may
submit no more than one Competitive Bid Request on the same day,
but a Competitive Bid Request shall not be made within five
Business Days after the date of any previous Competitive Bid
Request, unless such previous Competitive Bid Request shall have
been withdrawn or all Competitive Bids received in response thereto
rejected. Each such telephonic Competitive Bid Request shall be
confirmed promptly by hand delivery or telecopy to the
Administrative Agent of a written Competitive Bid Request in a form
approved by the Administrative Agent and signed by the Borrower.
Each such telephonic and written Competitive Bid Request shall
specify the following information in compliance with Section
2.02:
(i) the aggregate amount of the
requested Borrowing;
(ii) the date of such Borrowing,
which shall be a Business Day;
(iii) whether such Borrowing is to
be a Eurodollar Borrowing or a Fixed Rate Borrowing;
(iv) the Interest Period to be
applicable to such Borrowing, which shall be a period contemplated
by the definition of the term “Interest Period”;
and
21
(v) the location and number of the
Borrower’s account to which funds are to be disbursed, which
shall comply with the requirements of Section 2.07.
Promptly following receipt of a
Competitive Bid Request in accordance with this Section, the
Administrative Agent shall notify the Lenders of the details
thereof by telecopy, inviting the Lenders to submit Competitive
Bids.
(b) Each Lender may (but shall not
have any obligation to) make one or more Competitive Bids to the
Borrower in response to a Competitive Bid Request. Each Competitive
Bid by a Lender must be in a form approved by the Administrative
Agent and must be received by the Administrative Agent by telecopy,
in the case of a Eurodollar Competitive Borrowing, not later than
9:30 a.m., New York City time, three Business Days before the
proposed date of such Competitive Borrowing, and in the case of a
Fixed Rate Borrowing, not later than 9:30 a.m., New York City time,
on the proposed date of such Competitive Borrowing. Competitive
Bids that do not conform substantially to the form approved by the
Administrative Agent may be rejected by the Administrative Agent,
and the Administrative Agent shall notify the applicable Lender as
promptly as practicable. Each Competitive Bid shall specify (i) the
principal amount (which shall be a minimum of $5,000,000 and an
integral multiple of $1,000,000 and which may equal the entire
principal amount of the Competitive Borrowing requested by the
Borrower) of the Competitive Loan or Loans that the Lender is
willing to make, (ii) the Competitive Bid Rate or Rates at which
the Lender is prepared to make such Loan or Loans (expressed as a
percentage rate per annum in the form of a decimal to no more than
four decimal places) and (iii) the Interest Period applicable to
each such Loan and the last day thereof.
(c) The Administrative Agent shall
promptly notify the Borrower by telecopy of the Competitive Bid
Rate and the principal amount specified in each Competitive Bid and
the identity of the Lender that shall have made such Competitive
Bid.
(d) Subject only to the provisions
of this paragraph, the Borrower may accept or reject any
Competitive Bid. The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent
by telephone, confirmed by telecopy in a form approved by the
Administrative Agent, whether and to what extent it has decided to
accept or reject each Competitive Bid, in the case of a Eurodollar
Competitive Borrowing, not later than 10:30 a.m., New York City
time, three Business Days before the date of the proposed
Competitive Borrowing, and in the case of a Fixed Rate Borrowing,
not later than 10:30 a.m., New York City time, on the proposed date
of the Competitive Borrowing; provided that (i) the failure of the
Borrower to give such notice shall be deemed to be a rejection of
each Competitive Bid, (ii) the Borrower shall not accept a
Competitive Bid made at a particular Competitive Bid Rate if the
Borrower rejects a Competitive Bid made at a lower Competitive Bid
Rate, (iii) the aggregate amount of the Competitive Bids accepted
by the Borrower shall not exceed the aggregate amount of the
requested Competitive Borrowing specified in the related
Competitive Bid Request, (iv) to the extent necessary to comply
with clause (iii) above, the Borrower may accept Competitive Bids
at the same Competitive Bid Rate in part, which acceptance, in the
case of multiple Competitive Bids at such Competitive Bid Rate,
shall be made pro rata in accordance with the amount of each such
Competitive Bid, and (v) except pursuant to clause (iv) above, no
Competitive Bid shall be accepted for a Competitive Loan unless
such Competitive Loan is in a minimum principal amount of
$5,000,000 and an integral multiple of $1,000,000; provided further
that if a
22
Competitive Loan must be in an
amount less than $5,000,000 because of the provisions of clause
(iv) above, such Competitive Loan may be for a minimum of
$1,000,000 or any integral multiple thereof, and in calculating the
pro rata allocation of acceptances of portions of multiple
Competitive Bids at a particular Competitive Bid Rate pursuant to
clause (iv) the amounts shall be rounded to integral multiples of
$1,000,000 in a manner determined by the Borrower. A notice given
by the Borrower pursuant to this paragraph shall be
irrevocable.
(e) The Administrative Agent shall
promptly notify each bidding Lender by telecopy whether or not its
Competitive Bid has been accepted (and, if so, the amount and
Competitive Bid Rate so accepted), and each successful bidder will
thereupon become bound, subject to the terms and conditions hereof,
to make the Competitive Loan in respect of which its Competitive
Bid has been accepted.
(f) If the Administrative Agent
shall elect to submit a Competitive Bid in its capacity as a
Lender, it shall submit such Competitive Bid directly to the
Borrower at least one quarter of an hour earlier than the time by
which the other Lenders are required to submit their Competitive
Bids to the Administrative Agent pursuant to paragraph (b) of this
Section.
Section 2.05. Letters of
Credit .
(a) General . Subject to the
terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may request the
issuance of Letters of Credit for its own account from any Issuing
Bank, in a form reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent
and such Issuing Bank, at any time and from time to time during the
Availability Period. In the event of any inconsistency between the
terms and conditions of this Agreement and the terms and conditions
of any form of letter of credit application or other agreement
submitted by the Borrower to, or entered into by the Borrower with,
an Issuing Bank relating to any Letter of Credit, the terms and
conditions of this Agreement shall control.
(b) Notice of Issuance,
Amendment, Renewal, Extension; Certain Conditions . To request
the issuance of a Letter of Credit (or the amendment, renewal or
extension of an outstanding Letter of Credit), the Borrower shall
hand deliver or telecopy (or transmit by electronic communication,
if arrangements for doing so have been approved by the Issuing
Bank) to any Issuing Bank and the Administrative Agent (reasonably
in advance of the requested date of issuance, amendment, renewal or
extension) a notice requesting the issuance of a Letter of Credit,
or identifying the Letter of Credit to be amended, renewed or
extended, and specifying the date of issuance, amendment, renewal
or extension (which shall be a Business Day), the date on which
such Letter of Credit is to expire (which shall comply with
paragraph (c) of this Section), the amount of such Letter of
Credit, the name and address of the beneficiary thereof and such
other information as shall be necessary to prepare, amend, renew or
extend such Letter of Credit. If requested by an Issuing Bank, the
Borrower also shall submit a letter of credit application on such
Issuing Bank’s standard form in connection with any request
for a Letter of Credit. Following receipt of a notice requesting
the issuance of a Letter of Credit (or the amendment, renewal or
extension of an outstanding Letter of Credit) in accordance with
this Section, the Administrative Agent shall advise each Lender of
the details thereof. A Letter of Credit shall be issued, amended,
renewed or extended only if (and upon issuance, amendment, renewal
or extension of each Letter of Credit the Borrower shall be deemed
to represent and
23
warrant that), after giving effect
to such issuance, amendment, renewal or extension (i) the total LC
Exposure shall not exceed $200,000,000, (ii) the LC Exposure of
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. shall not exceed $100,000,000, (iii) the
LC Exposure of SunTrust Bank shall not exceed $100,000,000 and (iv)
the sum of the total Revolving Credit Exposures plus the aggregate
principal amount of outstanding Competitive Loans shall not exceed
the total Commitments.
(c) Expiration Date . Each
Letter of Credit shall expire at or prior to the close of business
on the earlier of (i) the date one year after the date of the
issuance of such Letter of Credit (or, in the case of any renewal
or extension thereof, one year after such renewal or extension) and
(ii) the date that is five Business Days prior to the Maturity
Date.
(d) Participations . By the
issuance of a Letter of Credit (or an amendment to a Letter of
Credit increasing the amount thereof) and without any further
action on the part of the Issuing Bank that issues such Letter of
Credit or the Lenders, each Issuing Bank that issues a Letter of
Credit hereunder hereby grants to each Lender, and each Lender
hereby acquires from such Issuing Bank, a participation in such
Letter of Credit equal to such Lender’s Applicable Percentage
of the aggregate amount available to be drawn under such Letter of
Credit. In consideration and in furtherance of the foregoing, each
Lender hereby absolutely and unconditionally agrees to pay to the
Administrative Agent, for the account of each Issuing Bank that
issues a Letter of Credit hereunder, such Lender’s Applicable
Percentage of each LC Disbursement made by such Issuing Bank and
not reimbursed by the Borrower on the date due as provided in
paragraph (e) of this Section, or of any reimbursement payment
required to be refunded to the Borrower for any reason. Each Lender
acknowledges and agrees that its obligation to acquire
participations pursuant to this paragraph in respect of Letters of
Credit is absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by
any circumstance whatsoever, including any amendment, renewal or
extension of any Letter of Credit or the occurrence and continuance
of a Default or reduction or termination of the Commitments, and
that each such payment shall be made without any offset, abatement,
withholding or reduction whatsoever.
(e) Reimbursement . If any
Issuing Bank shall make any LC Disbursement in respect of a Letter
of Credit issued by such Issuing Bank, the Borrower shall reimburse
such LC Disbursement by paying to the Administrative Agent an
amount equal to such LC Disbursement not later than 12:00 noon, New
York City time, on the date that such LC Disbursement is made, if
the Borrower shall have received notice of such LC Disbursement
prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on such date, or, if such
notice has not been received by the Borrower prior to such time on
such date, then not later than 12:00 noon, New York City time, on
(i) the Business Day that the Borrower receives such notice, if
such notice is received prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on
the day of receipt, or (ii) the Business Day immediately following
the day that the Borrower receives such notice, if such notice is
not received prior to such time on the day of receipt;
provided that the Borrower may, subject to the conditions to
borrowing set forth herein, request in accordance with Section 2.03
that such payment be financed with an ABR Revolving Borrowing in an
equivalent amount and, to the extent so financed, the
Borrower’s obligation to make such payment shall be
discharged and replaced by the resulting ABR Revolving Borrowing.
If the Borrower fails to make such payment when due, the
Administrative Agent shall notify each Lender of the applicable LC
Disbursement, the payment then due from the Borrower in respect
thereof and such Lender’s Applicable Percentage thereof.
Promptly following receipt of such notice, each Lender shall pay to
the Administrative Agent its
24
Applicable Percentage of the payment
then due from the Borrower, in the same manner as provided in
Section 2.06 with respect to Loans made by such Lender (and Section
2.06 shall apply, mutatis mutandis , to the payment
obligations of the Lenders), and the Administrative Agent shall
promptly pay to the Issuing Bank that issued such Letter of Credit
the amounts so received by it from the Lenders. Promptly following
receipt by the Administrative Agent of any payment from the
Borrower pursuant to this paragraph, the Administrative Agent shall
distribute such payment to the Issuing Bank that issued such Letter
of Credit or, to the extent that Lenders have made payments
pursuant to this paragraph to reimburse such Issuing Bank, then to
such Lenders and such Issuing Bank as their interests may appear.
Any payment made by a Lender pursuant to this paragraph to
reimburse an Issuing Bank for any LC Disbursement (other than the
funding of ABR Revolving Loans as contemplated above) shall not
constitute a Loan and shall not relieve the Borrower of its
obligation to reimburse such LC Disbursement.
(f) Obligations Absolute .
The Borrower’s obligation to reimburse LC Disbursements as
provided in paragraph (e) of this Section shall be absolute,
unconditional and irrevocable, and shall be performed strictly in
accordance with the terms of this Agreement under any and all
circumstances whatsoever and irrespective of (i) any lack of
validity or enforceability of any Letter of Credit or this
Agreement, or any term or provision therein, (ii) any draft or
other document presented under a Letter of Credit proving to be
forged, fraudulent or invalid in any respect or any statement
therein being untrue or inaccurate in any respect, (iii) payment by
any Issuing Bank under a Letter of Credit against presentation of a
draft or other document that does not comply with the terms of such
Letter of Credit, or (iv) any other event or circumstance
whatsoever, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing, that
might, but for the provisions of this Section, constitute a legal
or equitable discharge of, or provide a right of setoff against,
the Borrower’s obligations hereunder. Neither the
Administrative Agent, the Lenders nor any Issuing Bank, nor any of
their Related Parties, shall have any liability or responsibility
by reason of or in connection with the issuance or transfer of any
Letter of Credit or any payment or failure to make any payment
thereunder (irrespective of any of the circumstances referred to in
the preceding sentence), or any error, omission, interruption, loss
or delay in transmission or delivery of any draft, notice or other
communication under or relating to any Letter of Credit (including
any document required to make a drawing thereunder), any error in
interpretation of technical terms or any consequence arising from
causes beyond the control of any Issuing Bank; provided that
the foregoing shall not be construed to excuse any Issuing Bank
from liability to the Borrower to the extent of any direct damages
(as opposed to consequential damages, claims in respect of which
are hereby waived by the Borrower to the extent permitted by
applicable law) suffered by the Borrower that are caused by such
Issuing Bank’s failure to exercise care when determining
whether drafts and other documents presented under a Letter of
Credit comply with the terms thereof. The parties hereto expressly
agree that, in the absence of gross negligence or wilful misconduct
on the part of an Issuing Bank (as finally determined by a court of
competent jurisdiction), each Issuing Bank shall be deemed to have
exercised care in each such determination. In furtherance of the
foregoing and without limiting the generality thereof, the parties
agree that, with respect to documents presented which appear on
their face to be in substantial compliance with the terms of a
Letter of Credit, the Issuing Bank that issued such Letter of
Credit may, in its sole discretion, either accept and make payment
upon such documents without responsibility for further
investigation, regardless of any notice or information to the
contrary, or refuse to accept and make payment upon such documents
if such documents are not in strict compliance with the terms of
such Letter of Credit.
25
(g) Disbursement Procedures .
Each Issuing Bank shall, promptly following its receipt thereof,
examine all documents purporting to represent a demand for payment
under a Letter of Credit. Such Issuing Bank shall promptly notify
the Administrative Agent and the Borrower by telephone (confirmed
by telecopy) of such demand for payment and whether such Issuing
Bank has made or will make an LC Disbursement thereunder;
provided that any failure to give or delay in giving such
notice shall not relieve the Borrower of its obligation to
reimburse such Issuing Bank and the Lenders with respect to any
such LC Disbursement.
(h) Interim Interest . If any
Issuing Bank shall make any LC Disbursement, then, unless the
Borrower shall reimburse such LC Disbursement in full on the date
such LC Disbursement is made, the unpaid amount thereof shall bear
interest, for each day from and including the date such LC
Disbursement is made to but excluding the date that the Borrower
reimburses such LC Disbursement, at the rate per annum then
applicable to ABR Revolving Loans; provided that, if the
Borrower fails to reimburse such LC Disbursement when due pursuant
to paragraph (e) of this Section, then Section 2.12(d) shall apply.
Interest accrued pursuant to this paragraph shall be for the
account of such Issuing Bank, except that interest accrued on and
after the date of payment by any Lender pursuant to paragraph (e)
of this Section to reimburse such Issuing Bank shall be for the
account of such Lender to the extent of such payment.
(i) Replacement of an Issuing
Bank . Any Issuing Bank may be replaced at any time by written
agreement among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the
replaced Issuing Bank and the successor Issuing Bank. The
Administrative Agent shall notify the Lenders of any such
replacement of an Issuing Bank. At the time any such replacement
shall become effective, the Borrower shall pay all unpaid fees
accrued for the account of the replaced Issuing Bank pursuant to
Section 2.11(b). From and after the effective date of any such
replacement, (i) the successor Issuing Bank shall have all the
rights and obligations of the replaced Issuing Bank under this
Agreement with respect to Letters of Credit to be issued thereafter
and (ii) references herein to the term “Issuing Bank”
shall be deemed to refer to such successor or to any previous
Issuing Bank, or to such successor and all previous Issuing Banks,
as the context shall require. After the replacement of an Issuing
Bank hereunder, the replaced Issuing Bank shall remain a party
hereto and shall continue to have all the rights and obligations of
an Issuing Bank under this Agreement with respect to Letters of
Credit issued by it prior to such replacement, but shall not be
required to issue additional Letters of Credit.
(j) Cash Collateralization .
If any Event of Default shall occur and be continuing, on the
Business Day that the Borrower receives notice from the
Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders (or, if the maturity
of the Loans has been accelerated, Lenders with LC Exposure
representing greater than 50% of the total LC Exposure) demanding
the deposit of cash collateral pursuant to this paragraph, the
Borrower shall deposit in an account with the Administrative Agent,
in the name of the Administrative Agent and for the benefit of the
Lenders, an amount in cash equal to the LC Exposure as of such date
plus any accrued and unpaid interest thereon; provided that
the obligation to deposit such cash collateral shall become
effective immediately, and such deposit shall become immediately
due and payable, without demand or other notice of any kind, upon
the occurrence of any Event of Default with respect to the Borrower
described in clause (g) or (h) of Article VII. Such deposit shall
be held by the Administrative Agent as collateral for the payment
and performance of the obligations of the
26
Borrower under this Agreement. The
Administrative Agent shall have exclusive dominion and control,
including the exclusive right of withdrawal, over such account.
Other than any interest earned on the investment of such deposits,
which investments shall be made at the option and sole discretion
of the Administrative Agent and at the Borrower’s risk and
expense, such deposits shall not bear interest. Interest or
profits, if any, on such investments shall accumulate in such
account. Moneys in such account shall be applied by the
Administrative Agent to reimburse each Issuing Bank for LC
Disbursements for which it has not been reimbursed and, to the
extent not so applied, shall be held for the satisfaction of the
reimbursement obligations of the Borrower for the LC Exposure at
such time or, if the maturity of the Loans has been accelerated
(but subject to the consent of Lenders with LC Exposure
representing greater than 50% of the total LC Exposure), be applied
to satisfy other obligations of the Borrower under this Agreement.
If the Borrower is required to provide an amount of cash collateral
hereunder as a result of the occurrence of an Event of Default,
such amount (to the extent not applied as aforesaid) shall be
returned to the Borrower within three Business Days after all
Events of Default have been cured or waived.
Section 2.06. Funding of
Borrowings . (a) Each Lender shall make each Loan to be made by
it hereunder on the proposed date thereof by wire transfer of
immediately available funds by 1:00 p.m., New York City time, to
the account of the Administrative Agent most recently designated by
it for such purpose by notice to the Lenders. The Administrative
Agent will make such Loans available to the Borrower by promptly
crediting the amounts so received, in like funds, to an account of
the Borrower maintained with the Administrative Agent in New York
City and designated by the Borrower in the applicable Borrowing
Request or Competitive Bid Request; provided that ABR
Revolving Loans made to finance the reimbursement of an LC
Disbursement as provided in Section 2.05(e) shall be remitted by
the Administrative Agent to the Issuing Bank that made such LC
Disbursement.
(b) Unless the Administrative Agent
shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the proposed time
of any Borrowing that such Lender will not make available to the
Administrative Agent such Lender’s share of such Borrowing,
the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such
share available on such date in accordance with paragraph (a) of
this Section and may, in reliance upon such assumption, make
available to the Borrower a corresponding amount. In such event, if
a Lender has not in fact made its share of the applicable Borrowing
available to the Administrative Agent, then the applicable Lender
and the Borrower severally agree to pay to the Administrative Agent
forthwith on demand such corresponding amount with interest
thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is
made available to the Borrower to but excluding the date of payment
to the Administrative Agent, at (i) in the case of such Lender, the
greater of the Federal Funds Effective Rate and a rate determined
by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry
rules on interbank compensation or (ii) in the case of the
Borrower, the interest rate applicable to ABR Loans. If such Lender
pays such amount to the Administrative Agent, then such amount
shall constitute such Lender’s Loan included in such
Borrowing.
Section 2.07. Interest
Elections . (a) Each Revolving Borrowing initially shall be of
the Type specified in the applicable Borrowing Request and, in the
case of a Eurodollar Revolving Borrowing, shall have an initial
Interest Period as specified in such Borrowing Request. Thereafter,
the Borrower may elect to convert such Borrowing to a different
Type or to continue
27
such Borrowing and, in the case of a Eurodollar
Revolving Borrowing, may elect Interest Periods therefor, all as
provided in this Section. The Borrower may elect different options
with respect to different portions of the affected Borrowing, in
which case each such portion shall be allocated ratably among the
Lenders holding the Loans comprising such Borrowing, and the Loans
comprising each such portion shall be considered a separate
Borrowing. This Section shall not apply to Competitive Borrowings,
which may not be converted or continued.
(b) To make an election pursuant to
this Section, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of
such election by telephone by the time that a Borrowing Request
would be required under Section 2.03 if the Borrower were
requesting a Revolving Borrowing of the Type resulting from such
election to be made on the effective date of such election. Each
such telephonic Interest Election Request shall be irrevocable and
shall be confirmed promptly by hand delivery or telecopy to the
Administrative Agent of a written Interest Election Request in a
form approved by the Administrative Agent and signed by the
Borrower.
(c) Each telephonic and written
Interest Election Request shall specify the following information
in compliance with Section 2.02:
(i) the Borrowing to which such
Interest Election Request applies and, if different options are
being elected with respect to different portions thereof, the
portions thereof to be allocated to each resulting Borrowing (in
which case the information to be specified pursuant to clauses
(iii) and (iv) below shall be specified for each resulting
Borrowing);
(ii) the effective date of the
election made pursuant to such Interest Election Request, which
shall be a Business Day;
(iii) whether the resulting
Borrowing is to be an ABR Borrowing or a Eurodollar Borrowing;
and
(iv) if the resulting Borrowing is a
Eurodollar Borrowing, the Interest Period to be applicable thereto
after giving effect to such election, which shall be a period
contemplated by the definition of the term “Interest
Period”.
If any such Interest Election Request requests a
Eurodollar Borrowing but does not specify an Interest Period, then
the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of
one month’s duration.
(d) Promptly following receipt of an
Interest Election Request, the Administrative Agent shall advise
each Lender of the details thereof and of such Lender’s
portion of each resulting Borrowing.
(e) If the Borrower fails to deliver
a timely Interest Election Request with respect to a Eurodollar
Revolving Borrowing prior to the end of the Interest Period
applicable thereto, then, unless such Borrowing is repaid as
provided herein, at the end of such Interest Period such Borrowing
shall be converted to an ABR Borrowing. Notwithstanding any
contrary provision hereof, if an Event of Default has occurred and
is continuing and the Administrative Agent, at the request of the
Required Lenders, so notifies the Borrower, then, so long as an
Event of Default is continuing (i) no outstanding Revolving
Borrowing may be converted to or
28
continued as a Eurodollar Borrowing
and (ii) unless repaid, each Eurodollar Revolving Borrowing shall
be converted to an ABR Borrowing at the end of the Interest Period
applicable thereto.
Section 2.08. Termination and
Reduction of Commitments . (a) Unless previously terminated,
the Commitments shall terminate on the Maturity Date.
(b) The Borrower may at any time
terminate, or from time to time reduce, the Commitments;
provided that (i) each reduction of the Commitments shall be
in an amount that is an integral multiple of $1,000,000 and not
less than $5,000,000 and (ii) the Borrower shall not terminate or
reduce the Commitments if, after giving effect to any concurrent
prepayment of the Loans in accordance with Section 2.10, the sum of
the Revolving Credit Exposures plus the aggregate principal amount
of outstanding Competitive Loans would exceed the total
Commitments.
(c) The Borrower shall notify the
Administrative Agent of any election to terminate or reduce the
Commitments under paragraph (b) of this Section at least three
Business Days prior to the effective date of such termination or
reduction, specifying such election and the effective date thereof.
Promptly following receipt of any notice, the Administrative Agent
shall advise the Lenders of the contents thereof. Each notice
delivered by the Borrower pursuant to this Section shall be
irrevocable; provided that a notice of termination of the
Commitments delivered by the Borrower may state that such notice is
conditioned upon the effectiveness of other credit facilities, in
which case such notice may be revoked by the Borrower (by notice to
the Administrative Agent on or prior to the specified effective
date) if such condition is not satisfied. Any termination or
reduction of the Commitments shall be permanent. Each reduction of
the Commitments shall be made ratably among the Lenders in
accordance with their respective Commitments.
Section 2.09. Repayment of Loans;
Evidence of Debt . (a) The Borrower hereby unconditionally
promises to pay (i) to the Administrative Agent for the account of
each Lender the then unpaid principal amount of each Revolving Loan
on the Maturity Date and (ii) to the Administrative Agent for the
account of each Lender the then unpaid principal amount of each
Competitive Loan on the last day of the Interest Period applicable
to such Loan.
(b) Each Lender shall maintain in
accordance with its usual practice an account or accounts
evidencing the indebtedness of the Borrower to such Lender
resulting from each Loan made by such Lender, including the amounts
of principal and interest payable and paid to such Lender from time
to time hereunder.
(c) The Administrative Agent shall
maintain accounts in which it shall record (i) the amount of each
Loan made hereunder, the Class and Type thereof and the Interest
Period applicable thereto, (ii) the amount of any principal or
interest due and payable or to become due and payable from the
Borrower to each Lender hereunder and (iii) the amount of any sum
received by the Administrative Agent hereunder for the account of
the Lenders and each Lender’s share thereof.
29
(d) The entries made in the accounts
maintained pursuant to paragraph (b) or (c) of this Section shall
be prima facie evidence of the existence and amounts
of the obligations recorded therein; provided that the
failure of any Lender or the Administrative Agent to maintain such
accounts or any error therein shall not in any manner affect the
obligation of the Borrower to repay the Loans in accordance with
the terms of this Agreement.
(e) Any Lender may request that
Loans made by it be evidenced by a promissory note. In such event,
the Borrower shall prepare, execute and deliver to such Lender a
promissory note payable to the order of such Lender (or, if
requested by such Lender, to such Lender and its registered
assigns) and in a form approved by the Administrative Agent.
Thereafter, the Loans evidenced by such promissory note and
interest thereon shall at all times (including after an increase in
such Lender’s Commitment pursuant to Section 2.19 or an
increase or reduction in such Lender’s Commitment pursuant to
an assignment pursuant to Section 10.04) be represented by one or
more promissory notes in such form payable to the order of the
payee named therein (or, if such promissory note is a registered
note, to such payee and its registered assigns).
Section 2.10. Prepayment of
Loans . (a) The Borrower shall have the right at any time and
from time to time to prepay any Borrowing in whole or in part,
subject to prior notice in accordance with paragraph (b) of this
Section; provided that the Borrower shall not have the right
to prepay any Competitive Loan without the prior consent of the
Lender thereof.
(b) The Borrower shall notify the
Administrative Agent by telephone (confirmed by telecopy) of any
prepayment hereunder (i) in the case of prepayment of a Eurodollar
Revolving Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time,
three Business Days before the date of prepayment, (ii) in the case
of prepayment of an ABR Revolving Borrowing, not later than 11:00
a.m., New York City time, one Business Day before the date of
prepayment or (iii) in the case of prepayment of a Competitive
Loan, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, one Business
Day before the date of prepayment. Each such notice shall be
irrevocable and shall specify the prepayment date and the principal
amount of each Borrowing or portion thereof to be prepaid;
provided that, if a notice of prepayment is given in
connection with a conditional notice of termination of the
Commitments as contemplated by Section 2.08, then such notice of
prepayment may be revoked if such notice of termination is revoked
in accordance with Section 2.08. Promptly following receipt of any
such notice relating to a Revolving Borrowing, the Administrative
Agent shall advise the Lenders of the contents thereof. Each
partial prepayment of any Revolving Borrowing shall be in an amount
that would be permitted in the case of an advance of a Revolving
Borrowing of the same Type as provided in Section 2.02. Each
prepayment of a Revolving Borrowing shall be applied ratably to the
Loans included in the prepaid Borrowing. Prepayments shall be
accompanied by accrued interest to the extent required by Section
2.12 and any break funding payments required by Section
2.15.
Section 2.11. Fees . (a) The
Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent for the account
of each Lender a facility fee, which shall accrue at the Applicable
Rate on the daily amount of the Commitment of such Lender (whether
used or unused) during the period from and including the Effective
Date to but excluding the date on which such Commitment terminates;
provided that, if such Lender continues to have any
Revolving Credit Exposure after its Commitment terminates, then
such facility fee shall continue to accrue on the daily amount
of
30
such Lender’s Revolving Credit Exposure
from and including the date on which its Commitment terminates to
but excluding the date on which such Lender ceases to have any
Revolving Credit Exposure. Accrued facility fees shall be payable
in arrears on the last day of March, June, September and December
of each year and on the date on which the Commitments terminate,
commencing on the first such date to occur after the Effective
Date; provided that any facility fees accruing after the
date on which the Commitments terminate shall be payable on demand.
All facility fees shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360
days and shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed
(including the first day but excluding the last).
(b) The Borrower agrees to pay (i)
to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Lender a
participation fee with respect to its participations in Letters of
Credit, which shall accrue at the same Applicable Rate used to
determine the interest rate applicable to Eurodollar Revolving
Loans on the average daily amount of such Lender’s LC
Exposure (excluding any portion thereof attributable to
unreimbursed LC Disbursements) during the period from and including
the Effective Date to but excluding the later of the date on which
such Lender’s Commitment terminates and the date on which
such Lender ceases to have any LC Exposure, and (ii) to each
Issuing Bank a fronting fee, which shall accrue at the rate of
0.125% per annum on the average daily amount of that portion of the
LC Exposure attributable to such Issuing Bank (excluding any
portion thereof attributable to unreimbursed LC Disbursements)
during the period from and including the Effective Date to but
excluding the later of the date of termination of the Commitments
and the date on which there ceases to be any LC Exposure
attributable to such Issuing Bank, as well as such Issuing
Bank’s standard fees with respect to the issuance, amendment,
renewal or extension of any Letter of Credit or processing of
drawings thereunder. Participation fees and fronting fees accrued
through and including the last day of March, June, September and
December of each year shall be payable on such last day, commencing
on the first such date to occur after the Effective Date;
provided that all such fees shall be payable on the date on
which the Commitments terminate and any such fees accruing after
the date on which the Commitments terminate shall be payable on
demand. Any other fees payable to an Issuing Bank pursuant to this
paragraph shall be payable within 10 days after demand. All
participation fees and fronting fees shall be computed on the basis
of a year of 360 days and shall be payable for the actual number of
days elapsed (including the first day but excluding the
last).
(c) If the Effective Date has not
occurred on or prior to March 31, 2005, then the Borrower agrees to
pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Lender a
ticking fee, which shall accrue commencing on April 1, 2005, at a
rate equal to 0.075% per annum on such Lender’s Commitment.
Accrued ticking fees shall be payable in arrears on the Effective
Date or, if the Effective Date does not occur on or prior to June
30, 2005, then on June 30, 2005. All ticking fees shall be computed
on the basis of a year of 360 days and shall be payable for the
actual number of days elapsed (including the first day but
excluding the last).
(d) The Borrower agrees to pay to
the Administrative Agent, for its own account, fees payable in the
amounts and at the times separately agreed upon between the
Borrower and the Administrative Agent.
(e) All fees payable hereunder shall
be paid on the dates due, in immediately available funds, to the
Administrative Agent (or to an Issuing Bank, in the case of fees
payable to
31
it) for distribution, in the case of
facility fees and participation fees, to the Lenders. Fees paid
shall not be refundable under any circumstances.
Section 2.12. Interest . (a)
The Loans comprising each ABR Borrowing shall bear interest at the
Alternate Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate.
(b) The Loans comprising each
Eurodollar Borrowing shall bear interest in the case of a
Eurodollar Revolving Loan, at the Adjusted LIBO Rate for the
Interest Period in effect for such Borrowing plus the Applicable
Rate, or (ii) in the case of a Eurodollar Competitive Loan, at the
LIBO Rate for the Interest Period in effect for such Borrowing plus
(or minus, as applicable) the Margin applicable to such
Loan.
(c) Each Fixed Rate Loan shall bear
interest at the Fixed Rate applicable to such Loan.
(d) Notwithstanding the foregoing,
if any principal of or interest on any Loan or any fee or other
amount payable by the Borrower hereunder is not paid when due,
whether at stated maturity, upon acceleration or otherwise, such
overdue amount shall bear interest, after as well as before
judgment, at a rate per annum equal to (i) in the case of overdue
principal of any Loan, 2% plus the rate otherwise applicable to
such Loan as provided in the preceding paragraphs of this Section
or (ii) in the case of any other amount, 2% plus the rate
applicable to ABR Loans as provided in paragraph (a) of this
Section.
(e) Accrued interest on each Loan
shall be payable in arrears on each Interest Payment Date for such
Loan and, in the case of Revolving Loans, upon termination of the
Commitments; provided that (i) interest accrued pursuant to
paragraph (d) of this Section shall be payable on demand, (ii) in
the event of any repayment or prepayment of any Loan (other than a
prepayment of an ABR Revolving Loan prior to the end of the
Availability Period), accrued interest on the principal amount
repaid or prepaid shall be payable on the date of such repayment or
prepayment and (iii) in the event of any conversion of any
Eurodollar Revolving Loan prior to the end of the current Interest
Period therefor, accrued interest on such Loan shall be payable on
the effective date of such conversion.
(f) All interest hereunder shall be
computed on the basis of a year of 360 days, except that interest
computed by reference to the Alternate Base Rate at times when the
Alternate Base Rate is based on the Prime Rate shall be computed on
the basis of a year of 365 days (or 366 days in a leap year), and
in each case shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed
(including the first day but excluding the last day). The
applicable Alternate Base Rate, Adjusted LIBO Rate or LIBO Rate
shall be determined by the Administrative Agent, and such
determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
Section 2.13. Alternate Rate of
Interest . If prior to the commencement of any Interest Period
for a Eurodollar Borrowing:
(a) the Administrative Agent
determines (which determination shall be conclusive absent manifest
error) that adequate and reasonable means do not exist for
ascertaining the Adjusted LIBO Rate or the LIBO Rate, as
applicable, for such Interest Period; or
32
(b) the Administrative Agent is
advised by the Required Lenders (or, in the case of a Eurodollar
Competitive Loan, the Lender that is required to make such Loan)
that the Adjusted LIBO Rate or the LIBO Rate, as applicable, for
such Interest Period will not adequately and fairly reflect the
cost to such Lenders (or Lender) of making or maintaining their
Loans (or its Loan) included in such Borrowing for such Interest
Period;
then the Administrative Agent shall give notice
thereof to the Borrower and the Lenders by telephone or telecopy as
promptly as practicable thereafter and, until the Administrative
Agent notifies the Borrower and the Lenders that the circumstances
giving rise to such notice no longer exist, (i) any Interest
Election Request that requests the conversion of any Revolving
Borrowing to, or continuation of any Revolving Borrowing as, a
Eurodollar Borrowing shall be ineffective and (ii) if any Borrowing
Request requests a Eurodollar Revolving Borrowing, such Borrowing
shall be made as an ABR Borrowing and (iii) any request by the
Borrower for a Eurodollar Competitive Borrowing shall be
ineffective; provided that (A) if the circumstances giving
rise to such notice do not affect all the Lenders, then requests by
the Borrower for Eurodollar Competitive Borrowings may be made to
Lenders that are not affected thereby and (B) if the circumstances
giving rise to such notice affect only one Type of Borrowings, then
the other Type of Borrowings shall be permitted.
Section 2.14. Increased Costs
. (a) If any Change in Law shall:
(i) impose, modify or deem
applicable any reserve, special deposit or similar requirement
against assets of, deposits with or for the account of, or credit
extended by, any Lender (except any such reserve requirement
reflected in the Adjusted LIBO Rate) or any Issuing Bank;
or
(ii) impose on any Lender or any
Issuing Bank or the London interbank market any other condition
affecting this Agreement or Eurodollar Loans or Fixed Rate Loans
made by such Lender or any Letter of Credit or participation
therein;
and the result of any of the foregoing shall be
to increase the cost to such Lender of making or maintaining any
Eurodollar Loan or Fixed Rate Loan (or of maintaining its
obligation to make any such Loan) or to increase the cost to such
Lender or such Issuing Bank of participating in, issuing or
maintaining any Letter of Credit or to reduce the amount of any sum
received or receivable by such Lender or such Issuing Bank
hereunder (whether of principal, interest or otherwise), then the
Borrower will pay to such Lender or such Issuing Bank, as the case
may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such
Lender or such Issuing Bank, as the case may be, for such
additional costs incurred or reduction suffered.
(b) If any Lender or any Issuing
Bank determines that any Change in Law regarding capital
requirements has or would have the effect of reducing the rate of
return on such Lender’s or such Issuing Bank’s capital
or on the capital of such Lender’s or such Issuing
Bank’s holding company, if any, as a consequence of this
Agreement or the Loans made by, or participations in Letters of
Credit held by, such Lender, or the Letters of Credit issued by
such Issuing Bank, to a level below that which such Lender or such
Issuing Bank or such Lender’s or such Issuing Bank’s
holding company could have achieved but for such Change in Law
(taking into consideration such Lender’s or such Issuing
Bank’s policies and the policies of such
33
Lender’s or such Issuing
Bank’s holding company with respect to capital adequacy),
then from time to time the Borrower will pay to such Lender or such
Issuing Bank, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts
as will compensate such Lender or such Issuing Bank or such
Lender’s or such Issuing Bank’s holding company for any
such reduction suffered.
(c) A certificate of a Lender or an
Issuing Bank setting forth the amount or amounts necessary to
compensate such Lender or such Issuing Bank or its holding company,
as the case may be, as specified in paragraph (a) or (b) of this
Section shall be delivered to the Borrower and shall be conclusive
absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender or such
Issuing Bank, as the case may be, the amount shown as due on any
such certificate within 10 days after receipt thereof.
(d) Failure or delay on the part of
any Lender or any Issuing Bank to demand compensation pursuant to
this Section shall not constitute a waiver of such Lender’s
or such Issuing Bank’s right to demand such compensation;
provided that the Borrower shall not be required to
compensate a Lender or an Issuing Bank pursuant to this Section for
any increased costs or reductions incurred more than 270 days prior
to the date that such Lender or such Issuing Bank, as the case may
be, notifies the Borrower of the Change in Law giving rise to such
increased costs or reductions and of such Lender’s or such
Issuing Bank’s intention to claim compensation therefor;
provided further that, if the Change in Law giving
rise to such increased costs or reductions is retroactive, then the
270-day period referred to above shall be extended to include the
period of retroactive effect thereof.
(e) Notwithstanding the foregoing
provisions of this Section, a Lender shall not be entitled to
compensation pursuant to this Section in respect of any Competitive
Loan if the Change in Law that would otherwise entitle it to such
compensation shall have been publicly announced prior to submission
of the Competitive Bid pursuant to which such Loan was
made.
Section 2.15. Break Funding
Payments . In the event of (a) the payment of any principal of
any Eurodollar Loan or Fixed Rate Loan other than on the last day
of an Interest Period applicable thereto (including as a result of
an Event of Default), (b) the conversion of any Eurodollar Loan
other than on the last day of the Interest Period applicable
thereto, (c) the failure to borrow, convert, continue or prepay any
Eurodollar Loan or Fixed Rate Loan on the date specified in any
notice delivered pursuant hereto (regardless of whether such notice
may be revoked under Section 2.10(b) and is revoked in accordance
therewith), (d) the failure to borrow any Competitive Loan after
accepting the Competitive Bid to make such Loan, or (e) the
assignment of any Eurodollar Loan or Fixed Rate Loan other than on
the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto as a result
of a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.18, then, in any
such event, the Borrower shall compensate each Lender for the loss,
cost and expense attributable to such event. In the case of a
Eurodollar Loan, such loss, cost or expense to any Lender shall be
deemed to include an amount determined by such Lender to be the
excess, if any, of (i) the amount of interest which would have
accrued on the principal amount of such Loan had such event not
occurred, at the Adjusted LIBO Rate that would have been applicable
to such Loan, for the period from the date of such event to the
last day of the then current Interest Period therefor (or, in the
case of a failure to borrow, convert or continue, for the period
that would have been the Interest Period for such Loan), over (ii)
the amount of interest which would accrue on such principal amount
for such period at the interest rate which such Lender would bid
were it to
34
bid, at the commencement of such period, for
dollar deposits of a comparable amount and period from other banks
in the Eurodollar market. A certificate of any Lender setting forth
any amount or amounts that such Lender is entitled to receive
pursuant to this Section shall be delivered to the Borrower and
shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay
such Lender the amount shown as due on any such certificate within
10 days after receipt thereof.
Section 2.16. Taxes . (a) Any
and all payments by or on account of any obligation of the Borrower
hereunder shall be made free and clear of and without deduction for
any Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes; provided that if the
Borrower shall be required to deduct any Indemnified Taxes or Other
Taxes from such payments, then (i) the sum payable shall be
increased as necessary so that after making all required deductions
(including deductions applicable to additional sums payable under
this Section) the Administrative Agent, Lender or Issuing Bank (as
the case may be) receives an amount equal to the sum it would have
received had no such deductions been made, (ii) the Borrower shall
make such deductions and (iii) the Borrower shall pay the full
amount deducted to the relevant Governmental Authority in
accordance with applicable law.
(b) In addition, the Borrower shall
pay any Other Taxes to the relevant Governmental Authority in
accordance with applicable law.
(c) The Borrower shall indemnify the
Administrative Agent, each Lender and each Issuing Bank, within 10
days after written demand therefor, for the full amount of any
Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes paid by the Administrative Agent,
such Lender or such Issuing Bank, as the case may be, on or with
respect to any payment by or on account of any obligation of the
Borrower hereunder (including Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes
imposed or asserted on or attributable to amounts payable under
this Section) and any penalties, interest and reasonable expenses
arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such
Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes were correctly or legally imposed
or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate
as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to the
Borrower by a Lender or an Issuing Bank, or by the Administrative
Agent on its own behalf or on behalf of a Lender or an Issuing
Bank, shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
(d) As soon as practicable after any
payment of Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes by the Borrower to a
Governmental Authority, the Borrower shall deliver to the
Administrative Agent the original or a certified copy of a receipt
issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a
copy of the return reporting such payment or other evidence of such
payment reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative
Agent.
(e) Any Foreign Lender that is
entitled to an exemption from or reduction of withholding tax under
the law of the jurisdiction in which the Borrower is located, or
any treaty to which such jurisdiction is a party, with respect to
payments under this Agreement shall deliver to the Borrower (with a
copy to the Administrative Agent), at the time or times prescribed
by applicable law, such properly completed and executed
documentation prescribed by applicable law or reasonably requested
by the Borrower as will permit such payments to be made without
withholding or at a reduced rate.
35
Section 2.17. Payments Generally;
Pro Rata Treatment; Sharing of Set-offs . (a) The Borrower
shall make each payment required to be made by it hereunder
(whether of principal, interest, fees or reimbursement of LC
Disbursements, or of amounts payable under Section 2.14, 2.15 or
2.16, or otherwise) prior to 12:00 noon, New York City time, on the
date when due, in immediately available funds, without set-off or
counterclaim. Any amounts received after such time on any date may,
in the discretion of the Administrative Agent, be deemed to have
been received on the next succeeding Business Day for purposes of
calculating interest thereon. All such payments shall be made to
the Administrative Agent at its offices at 270 Park Avenue, New
York, New York, except payments to be made directly to an Issuing
Bank as expressly provided herein and except that payments pursuant
to Sections 2.14, 2.15, 2.16 and 10.03 shall be made directly to
the Persons entitled thereto. The Administrative Agent shall
distribute any such payments received by it for the account of any
other Person to the appropriate recipient promptly following
receipt thereof. If any payment hereunder shall be due on a day
that is not a Business Day, the date for payment shall be extended
to the next succeeding Business Day, and, in the case of any
payment accruing interest, interest thereon shall be payable for
the period of such extension. All payments hereunder shall be made
in dollars.
(b) If at any time insufficient
funds are received by and available to the Administrative Agent to
pay fully all amounts of principal, unreimbursed LC Disbursements,
interest and fees then due hereunder, such funds shall be applied
(i) first, towards payment of interest and fees then due hereunder,
ratably among the parties entitled thereto in accordance with the
amounts of interest and fees then due to such parties, and (ii)
second, towards payment of principal and unreimbursed LC
Disbursements then due hereunder, ratably among the parties
entitled thereto in accordance with the amounts of principal and
unreimbursed LC Disbursements then due to such parties.
(c) If any Lender shall, by
exercising any right of set-off or counterclaim or otherwise,
obtain payment in respect of any principal of or interest on any of
its Revolving Loans or participations in LC Disbursements resulting
in such Lender receiving payment of a greater proportion of the
aggregate amount of its Revolving Loans and participations in LC
Disbursements and accrued interest thereon than the proportion
received by any other Lender, then the Lender receiving such
greater proportion shall purchase (for cash at face value)
participations in the Revolving Loans and participations in LC
Disbursements of other Lenders to the extent necessary so that the
benefit of all such payments shall be shared by the Lenders ratably
in accordance with the aggregate amount of principal of and accrued
interest on their respective Revolving Loans and participations in
LC Disbursements; provided that (i) if any such
participations are purchased and all or any portion of the payment
giving rise thereto is recovered, such participations shall be
rescinded and the purchase price restored to the extent of such
recovery, without interest, and (ii) the provisions of this
paragraph shall not be construed to apply to any payment made by
the Borrower pursuant to and in accordance with the express terms
of this Agreement or any payment obtained by a Lender as
consideration for the assignment of or sale of a participation in
any of its Loans or participations in LC Disbursements to any
assignee or participant, other than to the Borrower or any
Subsidiary or Affiliate thereof (as to which the provisions of this
paragraph shall apply). The Borrower consents to the foregoing and
agrees, to the extent it may effectively do so under applicable
law, that any Lender acquiring a participation pursuant to the
foregoing arrangements may exercise against the
36
Borrower rights of set-off and
counterclaim with respect to such participation as fully as if such
Lender were a direct creditor of the Borrower in the amount of such
participation.
(d) Unless the Administrative Agent
shall have received notice from the Borrower prior to the date on
which any payment is due to the Administrative Agent for the
account of the Lenders or any Issuing Bank hereunder that the
Borrower will not make such payment, the Administrative Agent may
assume that the Borrower has made such payment on such date in
accordance herewith and may, in reliance upon such assumption,
distribute to the Lenders or such Issuing Bank, as the case may be,
the amount due. In such event, if the Borrower has not in fact made
such payment, then each of the Lenders or such Issuing Bank, as the
case may be, severally agrees to repay to the Administrative Agent
forthwith on demand the amount so distributed to such Lender or
such Issuing Bank with interest thereon, for each day from and
including the date such amount is distributed to it to but
excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at the
greater of the Federal Funds Effective Rate and a rate determined
by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry
rules on interbank compensation.
(e) If any Lender shall fail to make
any payment required to be made by it pursuant to Sections 2.05(d)
or (e), 2.06(b) or 2.17(d), then the Administrative Agent may, in
its discretion (notwithstanding any contrary provision hereof),
apply any amounts thereafter received by the Administrative Agent
for the account of such Lender to satisfy such
Lender