Enterprise Products Operating
L.P.
8.375% Fixed/Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Notes due 2066
(“Notes”)
guaranteed by
Enterprise Products Partners L.P.
Lehman Brothers
Inc.
745 Seventh Ave
New York, New York 10019
Attn: Debt Capital Markets
Enterprise
Products Operating L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the
“ Operating Partnership ”), proposes to issue
and sell to Lehman Brothers Inc. (the “Underwriter”)
$50,000,000 principal amount of the Operating Partnership’s
8.375% Fixed/Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Notes due 2066 (the
“ Notes ”), as set forth in Schedule I
hereto, to be fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a junior
subordinated, unsecured basis by Enterprise Products Partners L.P.,
a Delaware limited partnership (the “ Partnership
”) (the “ Guarantee ,” and together with
the Notes, the “ Securities ”).
The Securities are
to be issued under the indenture dated as of October 4, 2004
(the “ Base Indenture ”) among the Operating
Partnership, as issuer, the Partnership, as parent guarantor, and
Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as trustee (the “
Trustee ”), as supplemented by the Amended and
Restated Eighth Supplemental Indenture dated as of August 25,
2006 (the “ Supplemental Indenture ”) (the Base
Indenture and the Supplemental Indenture, as so amended and
restated, collectively, the “ Indenture ”).
Enterprise Products GP, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company
(the “ General Partner ”), is the general
partner of the Partnership. Enterprise Products OLPGP, Inc., a
Delaware corporation (“ OLPGP ”), is the general
partner of the Operating Partnership. The General Partner, the
Partnership, OLPGP and the Operating Partnership are collectively
referred to herein as the “ Enterprise Parties
.” The Securities constitute a further issuance of, and will
form a single series with, the $300,000,000 aggregate principal
amount of 8.375% Fixed/Floating Rate Junior Subordinated Notes due
2066 guaranteed by Enterprise Products Partners L.P. and issued by
the Operating Partnership on July 18, 2006 and the
$200,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 8.375% Fixed/Floating
Rate Junior Subordinated Notes due 2066 guaranteed by Enterprise
Products Partners L.P. and issued by the Operating Partnership on
August 25, 2006.
This is to confirm
the agreement among the Enterprise Parties and the Underwriter
concerning the purchase of the Notes from the Operating Partnership
by the Underwriter.
1.
Representations, Warranties and Agreements of the Enterprise
Parties . Each of the Enterprise Parties represents and
warrants to, and agrees with, the Underwriter that:
(a) The
Partnership and the Operating Partnership have filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ Commission
”) a registration statement on Form S-3 (file numbers
333-123150 and 333-123150-01), including a prospectus, relating to
the Securities and the Partnership and the Operating Partnership
have filed with, or transmitted for filing to, or shall promptly
hereafter file with or transmit for filing to, the Commission a
prospectus supplement (the “ Prospectus Supplement
”) specifically relating to the Securities pursuant to
Rule 424 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
“ Securities Act ”). The registration statement
as amended at the date of this underwriting agreement (the “
Agreement ”), including information, if any, deemed to
be part of the registration statement at the time of effectiveness
pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act, is hereinafter
referred to as the “Registration Statement.” The term
“ Base Prospectus ” means the prospectus
included in the Registration Statement. The term “
Prospectus ” means the Base Prospectus together with
the Prospectus Supplement dated September 18, 2006.
(b) As used
in this Agreement:
(i) “
Applicable Time ” means 1:30 p.m. (New York City time)
on the day of this Agreement;
(ii) “
Effective Date ” means any date as of which any part
of such registration statement relating to the Notes became, or is
deemed to have become, effective under the Securities Act in
accordance with the Rules and Regulations;
(iii) “
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus ” means each
“free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405
of the Rules and Regulations) prepared by or on behalf of the
Partnership and the Operating Partnership or used or referred to by
the Partnership and the Operating Partnership in connection with
the offering of the Securities;
(iv) “
Pricing Disclosure Package ” means, as of the
Applicable Time, the Base Prospectus together with each Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus filed with the Commission by the Partnership and
the Operating Partnership at or before the Applicable Time and
identified on Schedule II hereto, as supplemented by
the “pricing term sheet” to be prepared and filed with
the Commission by the Partnership and the Operating Partnership at
or around the Applicable Time and attached as Exhibit A
to this Agreement;
(v) “
Registration Statement ” means, collectively, the
various parts of such registration statement, each as amended as of
the Effective Date for such part, including the
Prospectus.
Any reference
to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to
refer to and include any documents incorporated by reference
therein pursuant to Form S-3 under the Securities Act as of the
date of such document, as the case may be. Any reference to any
amendment or supplement to the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer
to and include any document filed under the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended (the “ Exchange Act ”),
after the date of the Prospectus, and incorporated by reference in
the Prospectus; and any
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reference to
any amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to
include the most recent annual report of the Partnership on Form
10-K filed with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d)
of the Exchange Act after the Effective Date that is incorporated
by reference in the Registration Statement. The Commission has not
issued any order preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus
or suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, and
no proceeding or examination for such purpose has been instituted
or, to the Partnership’s knowledge, threatened by the
Commission. The Commission has not notified the Partnership of any
objection to the use of the form of the Registration
Statement.
(c) Well
Known Seasoned Issuer . The Partnership has been since
December 1, 2005 and continues to be a “well known
seasoned issuer” (as defined in Rule 405 under the
Securities Act), including not having been an “ineligible
issuer” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities
Act) at any such time or date.
(d) Form
of Documents . The Registration Statement conformed and will
conform in all material respects on the Effective Date and on the
Delivery Date, and any amendment to the Registration Statement
filed after the date hereof will conform in all material respects
when filed, to the requirements of the Securities Act and the rules
and regulations of the Commission thereunder (the “ Rules
and Regulations ”). The Prospectus will conform, in all
material respects when filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule
424(b) to the requirements of the Securities Act and the Rules and
Regulations. The documents incorporated by reference in the
Prospectus conformed, and any further documents so incorporated
will conform, when filed with the Commission, in all material
respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act or the Securities
Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder.
(e)
Registration Statement . The Registration Statement did not,
as of the Effective Date, contain an untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein
or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading;
provided that no representation or warranty is made as to
information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement
in reliance upon and in conformity with written information
furnished to any of the Enterprise Parties by or on behalf of the
Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which information
is specified in Section 8(b).
(f)
Prospectus . The Prospectus will not, as of its date and on
the Delivery Date, contain an untrue statement of a material fact
or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements
therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading; provided that no representation or warranty
is made as to information contained in or omitted from the
Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with written
information furnished to any of the Enterprise Parties by or on
behalf of the Underwriter specifically for inclusion therein, which
information is specified in Section 8(b).
(g)
Documents Incorporated by Reference . The documents
incorporated by reference in the Prospectus did not, and any
further documents filed and incorporated by reference therein will
not, when filed with the Commission, contain an untrue statement of
a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make
the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading.
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(h)
Pricing Disclosure Package . The Pricing Disclosure Package
did not, as of the Applicable Time, contain an untrue statement of
a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make
the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading; provided that no
representation or warranty is made as to information contained in
or omitted from the Pricing Disclosure Package in reliance upon and
in conformity with written information furnished to any of the
Enterprise Parties by or on behalf of the Underwriter specifically
for inclusion therein, which information is specified in
Section 8(b).
(i)
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and Pricing Disclosure
Package . Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, when considered
together with the Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable
Time, did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or
omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements
therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading.
(j) Each
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus . Each Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus conformed or will conform in all material respects to
the requirements of the Securities Act and the Rules and
Regulations on the date of first use, and the Partnership and the
Operating Partnership have complied with any filing requirements
applicable to such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus pursuant to the
Rules and Regulations. No Enterprise Party has made any offer
relating to the Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus without the prior written consent of the
Underwriter, except as set forth on Schedule IV hereto.
The Partnership and the Operating Partnership have retained in
accordance with the Rules and Regulations all Issuer Free Writing
Prospectuses that were not required to be filed pursuant to the
Rules and Regulations (it being understood that, as of the date
hereof, the Partnership has not retained any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus for the three-year period required thereby).
(k)
Formation and Qualification of the Partnership Entities .
Each of the General Partner, the Partnership, OLPGP, the Operating
Partnership and the subsidiaries of the Operating Partnership
listed on Schedule III hereto (each, a “
Partnership Entity ” and collectively, the “
Partnership Entities ,” and the subsidiaries of the
Operating Partnership listed on Schedule III hereto,
the “ Subsidiaries ”) has been duly formed or
incorporated, as the case may be, and is validly existing in good
standing under the laws of its respective jurisdiction of formation
or incorporation, as the case may be, with all corporate, limited
liability company or partnership, as the case may be, power and
authority necessary to own or hold its properties and conduct the
businesses in which it is engaged and, in the case of the General
Partner and OLPGP, to act as general partner of the Partnership and
the Operating Partnership, respectively, in each case in all
material respects as described in the Registration Statement and
the Prospectus. Each Partnership Entity is duly registered or
qualified to do business and is in good standing as a foreign
corporation, limited liability company or limited partnership, as
the case may be, in each jurisdiction in which its ownership or
lease of property or the conduct of its businesses requires such
qualification or registration, except where the failure to so
qualify or register would not, individually or in the aggregate,
have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or
otherwise), results of operations, business or prospects of the
Partnership Entities taken as a whole (a “ Material
Adverse Effect ”) or subject the limited partners of the
Partnership to any material liability or disability.
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(l)
Ownership of General Partner . Enterprise GP Holdings L.P.,
a Delaware limited partnership (“ EPE ”), owns
100% of the issued and outstanding membership interests in the
General Partner; such membership interests have been duly
authorized and validly issued in accordance with the limited
liability company agreement of the General Partner, as amended
and/or restated on or prior to the date hereof (the “ GP
LLC Agreement ”); and EPE owns such membership interests
free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, security interests,
equities, charges or claims other than those in favor of lenders of
EPE.
(m)
Ownership of General Partner Interest in the Partnership .
The General Partner is the sole general partner of the Partnership
with a 2.0% general partner interest in the Partnership (including
the right to receive Incentive Distributions (as defined in the
Partnership Agreement) (the “ Incentive Distribution
Rights ”)); such general partner interest has been duly
authorized and validly issued in accordance with the agreement of
limited partnership of the Partnership, as amended and/or restated
on or prior to the date hereof (the “ Partnership
Agreement ”); and the General Partner owns such general
partner interest free and clear of all liens, encumbrances,
security interests, equities, charges or claims.
(n)
Ownership of OLPGP . The Partnership owns 100% of the issued
and outstanding capital stock in OLPGP; such capital stock has been
duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with the bylaws of
OLPGP, as amended or restated on or prior to the date hereof (the
“ OLPGP Bylaws ”), and the certificate of
incorporation of OLPGP, as amended and restated on or prior to the
date hereof (the “ OLPGP Certificate of Incorporation
”), and is fully paid and non-assessable; and the Partnership
owns such capital stock free and clear of all liens, encumbrances,
security interests, equities, charges or claims.
(o)
Ownership of Operating Partnership . (i) OLPGP is the
sole general partner of the Operating Partnership with a 0.001%
general partner interest in the Operating Partnership; such general
partner interest has been duly authorized and validly issued in
accordance with the agreement of limited partnership of the
Operating Partnership, as amended and/or restated on or prior to
the date hereof (the “ Operating Partnership Agreement
”); and OLPGP owns such general partner interest free and
clear of all liens, encumbrances, security interests, equities,
charges or claims; and (ii) the Partnership is the sole
limited partner of the Operating Partnership with a 99.999% limited
partner interest in the Operating Partnership; such limited partner
interest has been duly authorized and validly issued in accordance
with the Operating Partnership Agreement and is fully paid (to the
extent required under the Operating Partnership Agreement) and
non-assessable (except as such non-assessability may be affected by
Sections 17-607 and 17-804 of the Delaware Revised Uniform
Limited Partnership Act (the “ Delaware LP Act
”) and as otherwise described in the Prospectus); and the
Partnership owns such limited partner interest free and clear of
all liens, encumbrances, security interests, equities, charges or
claims.
(p) No
Registration Rights . Neither the filing of the Registration
Statement nor the offering or sale of the Securities as
contemplated by this Agreement gives rise to any rights for or
relating to the registration of any securities of the Partnership,
the Operating Partnership or any Subsidiary, except such rights as
have been waived.
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(q)
Ownership of Subsidiaries . All of the outstanding shares of
capital stock, partnership interests or membership interests, as
the case may be, of each Subsidiary have been duly and validly
authorized and issued, and are fully paid and non-assessable
(except as such non-assessability may be affected by
Sections 17-607 and 17-804 of the Delaware LP Act, in the case
of partnership interests, or Sections 18-607 and 18-804 of the
Delaware Limited Liability Company Act (the “ Delaware LLC
Act ”), in the case of membership interests, and except
as otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus). Except as described in
the Prospectus, the Partnership and/or the Operating Partnership,
as the case may be, directly or indirectly, owns the shares of
capital stock, partnership interests or membership interests in
each Subsidiary as set forth on Schedule III hereto
free and clear of all liens, encumbrances (other than contractual
restrictions on transfer contained in the applicable constituent
documents), security interests, equities, charges, claims or
restrictions upon voting or any other claim of any third party.
None of the Enterprise Parties has any subsidiaries other than as
set forth on Schedule III hereto that, individually or
in the aggregate, would be deemed to be a “ significant
subsidiary ” as such term is defined in Rule 405 of
the Securities Act.
(r) Power
and Authority. (i) Each of the Enterprise Parties has all
requisite power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement
and to perform its obligations hereunder; (ii) each of the
Operating Partnership and the Partnership has all requisite power
and authority to execute and deliver the Supplemental Indenture and
to perform its obligations thereunder; and (iii) the Operating
Partnership and the Partnership have all requisite power and
authority to issue, sell and deliver the Notes and the Guarantee,
respectively, in accordance with and upon the terms and conditions
set forth in this Agreement, the Partnership Agreement, the
Operating Partnership Agreement, the Indenture, the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus. All action required to be taken by
the Enterprise Parties or any of their security holders, partners
or members for the (A) due and proper authorization, execution and
delivery of this Agreement and the Indenture, (B) the
authorization, issuance, sale and delivery of the Securities and
(C) the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby
and thereby has been duly and validly taken.
(s)
Authorization, Execution and Delivery of Agreement . This
Agreement has been duly authorized and validly executed and
delivered by each of the Enterprise Parties party
hereto.
(t)
Enforceability of Indenture . The execution and delivery of,
and the performance by the Operating Partnership and the
Partnership of their respective obligations under the Indenture
have been duly and validly authorized by each of the Operating
Partnership and the Partnership, and, at the Delivery Date, the
Indenture will be duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act, and
the Indenture, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery
thereof by the Trustee, when executed and delivered by the
Operating Partnership and the Partnership, will constitute a valid
and legally binding agreement of the Partnership (to the extent set
forth in the Supplemental Indenture) and the Operating Partnership
enforceable against the Operating Partnership and the Partnership
in accordance with its terms; provided that, the enforceability
thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent
transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws relating to
or affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general
principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is
considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
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(u) Valid
Issuance of the Notes . The Notes have been duly authorized for
issuance and sale to the Underwriter, and, when executed by the
Operating Partnership and authenticated by the Trustee in
accordance with the provisions of the Indenture and delivered to
and paid for by the Underwriter in accordance with the terms of
this Agreement, will have been duly executed and delivered by the
Operating Partnership, and will constitute the valid and legally
binding obligations of the Operating Partnership entitled to the
benefits of the Indenture and enforceable against the Operating
Partnership in accordance with their terms; provided that, the
enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws
relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and by
general principles of equity (regardless of whether such
enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at
law).
(v) Valid
Issuance of the Guarantee . The Guarantee to be endorsed on the
Notes by the Partnership has been duly authorized by the General
Partner on behalf of the Partnership and, on the Delivery Date,
will have been duly executed and delivered by the Partnership; when
the Notes have been issued, executed and authenticated in
accordance with the Indenture, including endorsement of the Notes
by the Partnership, and delivered to and paid for by the
Underwriter in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the
Guarantee will constitute the valid and legally binding obligation
of the Partnership enforceable against the Partnership in
accordance with its terms; provided that, the enforceability
thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent
transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws relating to
or affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general
principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is
considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
(w) No
Conflicts or Violations. None of the (i) offering,
issuance and sale by the Operating Partnership and the Partnership
of the Securities, (ii) execution, delivery and performance of
this Agreement and the Indenture by the Enterprise Parties that are
parties thereto, or (iii) consummation of the transactions
contemplated hereby and thereby (A) conflicts or will conflict
with or constitutes or will constitute a violation of the
certificate of limited partnership or agreement of limited
partnership, certificate of formation or limited liability company
agreement, certificate or articles of incorporation or bylaws or
other organizational documents of any of the Partnership Entities,
(B) conflicts or will conflict with or constitutes or will
constitute a breach or violation of, or a default (or an event
that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a
default) under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan
agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which any of
the Partnership Entities is a party or by which any of them or any
of their respective properties may be bound, (C) violates or
will violate any statute, law or regulation or any order, judgment,
decree or injunction of any court, arbitrator or governmental
agency or body having jurisdiction over any of the Partnership
Entities or any of their properties or assets, or (D) results
or will result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or
encumbrance upon any property or assets of any of the Partnership
Entities, which conflicts, breaches, violations, defaults or liens,
in the case of clauses (B) or (D), would, individually or in
the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(x) No
Consents. No permit, consent, approval, authorization, order,
registration, filing or qualification (“ Consent
”) of or with any court, governmental agency or body having
jurisdiction over the Partnership Entities or any of their
respective properties is required in connection with (i) the
offering, issuance and sale by the Operating Partnership
and
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the Partnership
of the Securities in the manner contemplated in this Agreement and
in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, (ii) the
execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the
Indenture by the Enterprise Parties that are parties thereto or
(iii) the consummation by the Enterprise Parties of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Indenture,
except for (A) such Consents required under the Securities
Act, the Exchange Act, the Trust Indenture Act and state securities
or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution
of the Securities by the Underwriter and (B) such Consents
that have been, or prior to the Delivery Date (as defined herein)
will be, obtained.
(y) No
Default . None of the Partnership Entities is (i) in
violation of its certificate of limited partnership or agreement of
limited partnership, certificate of formation or limited liability
company agreement, certificate or articles of incorporation or
bylaws or other organizational documents, (ii) in violation of
any law, statute, ordinance, administrative or governmental rule or
regulation applicable to it or of any order, judgment, decree or
injunction of any court or governmental agency or body having
jurisdiction over it or has failed to obtain any license, permit,
certificate, franchise or other governmental authorization or
permit necessary to the ownership of its property or to the conduct
of its business, or (iii) in breach, default (and no event
that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a
default has occurred or is continuing) or violation in the
performance of any obligation, agreement or condition contained in
any bond, debenture, note or any other evidence of indebtedness or
in any agreement, indenture, lease or other instrument to which it
is a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound,
which breach, default or violation, in the case of clause
(ii) or (iii), would, if continued, have a Material Adverse
Effect, or could materially impair the ability of any of the
Partnership Entities to perform their obligations under this
Agreement.
(z)
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm . Deloitte
& Touche LLP, who has audited the financial statements
contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement (or any amendment or supplement thereto) (other than the
financial statements included for the periods ended June 30,
2005 and June 30, 2006) is an independent registered public
accounting firm with respect to the Partnership and the General
Partner within the meaning of the Securities Act and the applicable
rules and regulations thereunder adopted by the Commission and the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (the
“ PCAOB ”).
(aa)
Financial Statements . The historical financial statements
(including the related notes and financial statement schedule)
contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement (and any amendment or supplement thereto) (i) comply
in all material respects with the applicable requirements under the
Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the related Rules and
Regulations (except that certain financial statement schedules are
omitted), (ii) present fairly in all material respects the
financial position, results of operations and cash flows of the
entities purported to be shown thereby on the basis stated therein
at the respective dates or for the respective periods, and
(iii) have been prepared in accordance with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States of America
consistently applied throughout the periods involved, except to the
extent disclosed therein. The other financial information of the
General Partner and the Partnership and its subsidiaries, including
non-GAAP financial measures, if any, contained or incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement (and any amendment or
supplement thereto) has been derived from the accounting records of
the General
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Partner and the
Partnership and its subsidiaries, and fairly presents the
information purported to be shown thereby. Nothing has come to the
attention of any of the Partnership Entities that has caused them
to believe that the statistical and market-related data included in
the Registration Statement is not based on or derived from sources
that are reliable and accurate in all material respects.
(bb) No
Distribution of Other Offering Materials . None of the
Enterprise Entities has distributed or, prior to the completion of
the distribution of the Notes, will distribute, any offering
material in connection with the offering and sale of the Notes
other than the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to
which the Underwriter has consented in accordance with
Section 1(j), 4(k) or 5 and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus
set forth on Schedule IV hereto and any other
materials, if any, permitted by the Securities Act, including
Rule 134 of the Rules and Regulations.
(cc)
Conformity to Description of the Securities . The
Securities, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as
provided in this Agreement and in the Indenture, will conform in
all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Pricing Disclosure
Package.
(dd)
Certain Transactions . Except as disclosed in the
Registration Statement (or any amendment or supplement thereto),
subsequent to the respective dates as of which such information is
given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (or any
amendment or supplement thereto), (i) none of the Partnership
Entities has incurred any liability or obligation, indirect, direct
or contingent, or entered into any transactions, not in the
ordinary course of business, that, individually or in the
aggregate, is material to the Partnership Entities, taken as a
whole, and (ii) there has not been any material change in the
capitalization or material increase in the long-term debt of the
Partnership Entities, or any dividend or distribution of any kind
declared, paid or made by the Partnership on any class of its
partnership interests.
(ee) No
Omitted Descriptions; Legal Descriptions . There are no legal
or governmental proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of the
Enterprise Parties, threatened or contemplated, against any of the
Partnership Entities, or to which any of the Partnership Entities
is a party, or to which any of their respective properties or
assets is subject, that are required to be described in the
Registration Statement but are not described as required, and there
are no agreements, contracts, indentures, leases or other
instruments that are required to be described in the Registration
Statement or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration
Statement that are not described or filed as required by the
Securities Act or the Rules and Regulations or the Exchange Act or
the rules and regulations thereunder. The statements included in or
incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement under the
headings “Description of the Notes” and “Certain
United States Federal Income Tax Considerations,” insofar as
such statements summarize legal matters, agreements, documents or
proceedings discussed therein, are accurate and fair summaries of
such legal matters, agreements, documents or
proceedings.
(ff)
Title to Properties . Each Partnership Entity has
(i) good and indefeasible title to all its interests in its
properties that are material to the operations of the Partnership
Entities, taken as a whole, and (ii) good and marketable title
in fee simple to, or valid rights to lease or otherwise use, all
items of other real and personal property which are material to
the
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business of the
Partnership Entities, in each case free and clear of all liens,
encumbrances, claims and defects and imperfections of title except
such as (A) do not materially affect the value of such
property and do not materially interfere with the use made and
proposed to be made of such property by the Partnership Entities,
(B) could not reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect or (C) are described, and subject to the
limitations contained, in the Registration Statement.
(gg)
Rights-of-Way . Each of the Partnership Entities has such
Consents, easements, rights-of-way or licenses from any person
(“ rights-of-way ”) as are necessary to conduct
its business in the manner described in the Registration Statement,
subject to such qualifications as may be set forth in the
Registration Statement and except for such rights-of-way the
failure of which to have obtained would not have, individually or
in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect; each of the
Partnership Entities has fulfilled and performed all its material
obligations with respect to such rights-of-way and no event has
occurred which allows, or after notice or lapse of time would
allow, revocation or termination thereof or would result in any
impairment of the rights of the holder of any such rights-of-way,
except for such revocations, terminations and impairments that will
not have a Material Adverse Effect, subject in each case to such
qualification as may be set forth in the Registration Statement;
and, except as described in the Registration Statement, none of
such rights-of-way contains any restriction that is materially
burdensome to the Partnership Entities, taken as a
whole.
(hh)
Permits . Each of the Partnership Entities has such permits,
Consents, licenses, franchises, certificates and authorizations of
governmental or regulatory authorities (“ permits
”) as are necessary to own or lease its properties and to
conduct its business in the manner described in the Registration
Statement, subject to such qualifications as may be set forth in
the Registration Statement and except for such permits that, if not
obtained, would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a
Material Adverse Effect; each of the Partnership Entities has
fulfilled and performed all its material obligations with respect
to such permits in the manner described, and subject to the
limitations contained in the Registration Statement, and no event
has occurred that would prevent the permits from being renewed or
reissued or that allows, or after notice or lapse of time would
allow, revocation or termination thereof or results or would result
in any impairment of the rights of the holder of any such permit,
except for such non-renewals, non-issues, revocations, terminations
and impairments that would not, individually or in the aggregate,
have a Material Adverse Effect. None of the Partnership Entities
has received notification of any revocation or modification of any
such permit or has any reason to believe that any such permit will
not be renewed in the ordinary course.
(ii)
Books and Records; Accounting Controls . The Partnership
Entities (i) make and keep books, records and accounts that,
in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the
transactions and dispositions of assets, and (ii) maintain
systems of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide
reasonable assurances that (A) transactions are executed in
accordance with management’s general or specific
authorization; (B) transactions are recorded as necessary to
permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America and to maintain accountability for assets; (C) access
to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s
general or specific authorization; and (D) the recorded
accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at
reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect
to any differences.
-10-
(jj)
Related Party Transactions . No relationship, direct or
indirect, exists between or among the Partnership Entities on the
one hand, and the directors, officers, partners, customers or
suppliers of the General Partner and its affiliates (other than the
Partnership Entities) on the other hand, which is required to be
described in the Registration Statement and which is not so
described.
(kk)
Environmental Compliance . There has been no storage,
generation, transportation, handling, treatment, disposal or
discharge of any kind of toxic or other wastes or other hazardous
substances by any of the Partnership Entities (or, to the knowledge
of the Enterprise Parties, any other entity (including any
predecessor) for whose acts or omissions any of the Partnership
Entities is or could reasonably be expected to be liable) at, upon
or from any of the property now or previously owned or leased by
any of the Partnership Entities or upon any other property, in
violation of any statute or any ordinance, rule, regulation, order,
judgment, decree or permit or which would, under any statute or any
ordinance, rule (including rule of common law), regulation, order,
judgment, decree or permit, give rise to any liability, except for
any violation or liability that could not reasonably be expected to
have, individually or in the aggregate with all such violations and
liabilities, a Material Adverse Effect; and there has been no
disposal, discharge, emission or other release of any kind onto
such property or into the environment surrounding such property of
any toxic or other wastes or other hazardous substances with
respect to which any of the Enterprise Parties has knowledge,
except for any such disposal, discharge, emission or other release
of any kind which could not reasonably be expected to have,
individually or in the aggregate with all such discharges and other
releases, a Material Adverse Effect.
(ll)
Insurance . The Partnership Entities maintain insurance
covering their properties, operations, personnel and businesses
against such losses and risks as are reasonably adequate to protect
them and their businesses in a manner consistent with other
businesses similarly situated. Except as disclosed in the
Registration Statement, none of the Partnership Entities has
received notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that
substantial capital improvements or other expenditures will have to
be made in order to continue such insurance; all such insurance is
outstanding and duly in force on the date hereof and will be
outstanding and duly in force on the Delivery Date.
(mm)
Litigation . There are no legal or governmental proceedings
pending to which any Partnership Entity is a party or of which any
property or assets of any Partnership Entity is the subject that,
individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to such
Partnership Entity, could reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect; and to the knowledge of the Enterprise Parties, no
such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental
authorities or threatened by others.
(nn) No
Labor Disputes . No labor dispute with the employees that are
engaged in the business of the Partnership or its subsidiaries
exists or, to the knowledge of the Enterprise Parties, is imminent
or threatened that is reasonably likely to result in a Material
Adverse Effect.
(oo)
Intellectual Property . Each Partnership Entity owns or
possesses adequate rights to use all material patents, patent
applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trademark
registrations, service mark registrations, copyrights, licenses and
know-how
-11-
(including
trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary
or confidential information, systems or procedures) necessary for
the conduct of their respective businesses; and the conduct of
their respective businesses will not conflict in any material
respect with, and no Partnership Entity has received any notice of
any claim of conflict with, any such rights of others.
(pp)
Investment Company . None of the Partnership Entities is
now, or after sale of the Securities to be sold by hereunder and
application of the net proceeds from such sale will be, an
“investment company” within the meaning of the
Investment Company Act.
(qq)
Absence of Certain Actions . No action has been taken and no
statute, rule, regulation or order has been enacted, adopted or
issued by any governmental agency or body which prevents the
issuance or sale of the Securities in any jurisdiction; no
injunction, restraining order or order of any nature by any federal
or state court of competent jurisdiction has been issued with
respect to any Partnership Entity which would prevent or suspend
the issuance or sale of the Securities or the use of the
Registration Statement in any jurisdiction; no action, suit or
proceeding is pending against or, to the knowledge of the
Enterprise Parties, threatened against or affecting any Partnership
Entity before any court or arbitrator or any governmental agency,
body or official, domestic or foreign, which could reasonably be
expected to interfere with or adversely affect the issuance of the
Securities or in any manner draw into question the validity or
enforceability of this Agreement or any action taken or to be taken
pursuant hereto; and the Partnership has complied with any and all
requests by any securities authority in any jurisdiction for
additional information to be included in the Prospectus.
(rr) No
Prohibition of Dividends or Distribution . No Subsidiary is
currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any
dividends to the Operating Partnership, from making any other
distribution on such Subsidiary’s capital stock or
partnership or member interests, from repaying to the Operating
Partnership any loans or advances to such Subsidiary from the
Operating Partnership or from transferring any of such
Subsidiary’s property or assets to the Operating Partnership
or any other Subsidiary of the Operating Partnership, except as
described in or contemplated by the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus (exclusive of any amendment or supplement
thereto).
(ss) No
Stabilizing Transactions . None of the General Partner, the
Partnership, the Operating Partnership or any of their controlled
affiliates has taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed
to or which has constituted or which would reasonably be expected
to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of
any securities of the Operating Partnership or the Partnership to
facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
(tt)
Form S-3 . The conditions for the use of a shelf
registration on Form S-3, by the Partnership and Operating
Partnership, as set forth in the General Instructions thereto, have
been satisfied.
(uu)
Disclosure Controls . The General Partner and the
Partnership have established and maintain disclosure controls and
procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and
15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) which (i) are designed to
ensure that material information relating to the Partnership,
including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made
-12-
known to the
General Partner’s principal executive officer and its
principal financial officer by others within those entities,
particularly during the periods in which the periodic reports
required under the Exchange Act are being prepared; (ii) have
been evaluated for effectiveness as of the end of the period
covered by the Partnership’s most recent annual report filed
with the Commission; and (iii) are effective in achieving
reasonable assurances that the Partnership’s desired control
objectives as described in Item 9A of the Partnership’s
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31,
2005 (the “ 2005 Annual Report ”) have been
met.
(vv) No
Deficiency in Internal Controls . Based on the evaluation of
its disclosure controls and procedures conducted in connection with
the preparation and filing of the 2005 Annual Report, neither the
Partnership nor the General Partner is aware of (i) any
significant deficiencies which are still deemed significant
deficiencies on the date hereof or material weaknesses in the
design or operation of its internal controls over financial
reporting that are likely to adversely affect the
Partnership’s ability to record, process, summarize and
report financial data; or (ii) any fraud, whether or not
material, that involves management or other employees who have a
role in the Partnership’s internal controls over financial
reporting.
(ww) No
Changes in Internal Controls . Since the date of the most
recent evaluation of such disclosure controls and procedures, there
have been no significant changes in the Partnership’s
internal controls that materially affected or are reasonably likely
to materially adversely affect the Partnership’s internal
controls over financial reporting.
(xx)
Sarbanes-Oxley Act . The principal executive officer and
principal financial officer of the General Partner have made all
certifications required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the
“ Sarbanes-Oxley Act ”) and any related rules
and regulations promulgated by the Commission, and the statements
contained in any such certification are complete and correct. The
Partnership and the General Partner are otherwise in compliance in
all material respects with all applicable provisions of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act that are effective.
2.
Purchase of the Securities . (a) On the basis of the
representations and warranties contained in, and subject to the
terms and conditions of, this Agreement, the Operating Partnership
agrees to issue and sell the Notes to the Underwriter and the
Underwriter agrees to purchase the principal amount of Notes from
the Operating Partnership at a price equal to 103.38% of the
principal amount thereof plus accrued interest, if any, from the
Delivery Date. The Operating Partnership shall not be obligated to
deliver any of the Notes except upon payment for all the Notes to
be purchased as provided herein.
(b) The
Operating Partnership understands that the Underwriter intends to
make a public offering of the Notes on the terms and conditions set
forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package. The Operating Partnership
acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriter may offer and sell
Notes to or through any affiliate of the Underwriter and that any
such affiliate may offer and sell Notes purchased by it to or
through any Underwriter.
3.
Delivery of and Payment for the Securities . Delivery of and
payment for the Notes shall be made at the office of Bracewell
& Giuliani LLP, Houston, Texas, at 9:00 A.M., Houston time, on
the second full business day after the date of this Agreement or
such other date and time and place as shall be determined by
agreement between the Underwriter and
-13-
the Operating
Partnership (such date and time of delivery and payment for the
Notes being herein called the “ Delivery Date
”). Delivery of the Notes shall be made to the Underwriter
against payment by the Underwriter of the purchase price thereof to
or upon the order of the Operating Partnership by wire transfer
payable in same-day funds to an account specified by the Operating
Partnership. Delivery of the Notes shall be made in book-entry form
through the Full Fast Program of the facilities of The Depository
Trust Company (“ DTC ”) unless the Underwriter
shall otherwise instruct. Time shall be of the essence, and
delivery at the time and place specified pursuant to this Agreement
is a further condition of the obligation of the
Underwriter.
4.
Further Agreements of the Enterprise Parties . Each of the
Enterprise Parties, jointly and severally, covenants and agrees
with the Underwriter:
(a)
Preparation of Prospectus and Registration Statement .
(i) To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by the
Underwriter and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b)
under the Securities Act not later than Commission’s close of
business on the second business day following the execution and
delivery of this Agreement or, if applicable, such earlier time as
may be required by Rule 430A(a)(3) under the Securities Act;
(ii) to make no further amendment or any supplement to the
Registration Statement or to the Prospectus except as permitted
herein; (iii) to advise the Underwriter, promptly after it
receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to the
Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any
supplement to the Prospectus or any amended Prospectus has been
filed and to furnish the Underwriter with copies thereof;
(iv) to advise the Underwriter promptly after it receives
notice thereof of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order
or of any order preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus
or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, of the suspension of the
qualification of the Notes for offering or sale in any
jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding
for any such purpose or of any request by the Commission for the
amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or for additional
information; and (v) in the event of the issuance of any stop
order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of the
Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or suspending any
such qualification, to use promptly its best efforts to obtain its
withdrawal.
(b)
Conformed Copies of Registration Statements . To furnish
promptly to the Underwriter and to counsel for the Underwriter,
upon request, a conformed copy of the Registration Statement as
originally filed with the Commission, and each amendment thereto
filed with the Commission, including all consents and exhibits
filed therewith.
(c)
Exchange Act Reports . To file promptly all reports and any
definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by
the Partnership with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a),
13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (“ Exchange Act
Reports ”) subsequent to the date of the Prospectus and
for so long as the delivery of a prospectus is required in
connection with the offering or sale of the Notes.
(d)
Copies of Documents to the Underwriter . To deliver promptly
to the Underwriter such number of the following documents as the
Underwriter shall reasonably request: (i) conformed copies of
the Registration Statement as originally filed with the Commission
and each amendment or supplement thereto (in each case excluding
exhibits), (ii)
-14-
the Prospectus
and any amended or supplemented Prospectus, (iii) each Issuer
Free Writing Prospectus and (iv) any document incorporated by
reference in the Prospectus; and, if the delivery of a prospectus
is required at any time after the date hereof in connection with
the offering or sale of the Notes or any other securities relating
thereto and if at such time any events shall have occurred as a
result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented
would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to
state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements
therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made when such Prospectus is delivered, not misleading, or, if for
any other reason it shall be necessary to amend or supplement the
Prospectus or to file under the Exchange Act any document
incorporated by reference in the Prospectus in order to comply with
the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or with a request from the
Commission, to notify the Underwriter immediately thereof and to
promptly prepare and, subject to Section 4(e) hereof, file with the
Commission an amended Prospectus or supplement to the Prospectus
which will correct such statement or omission or effect such
compliance.
(e)
Filing of Amendment or Supplement . To file promptly with
the Commission any amendment to the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus or any supplement to the Prospectus that may, in the
judgment of the Partnership, the Operating Partnership or the
Underwriter, be required by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act
or requested by the Commission. Prior to filing with the Commission
any amendment to the Registration Statement or supplement to the
Prospectus, any document incorporated by reference in the
Prospectus or any Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424 of the Rules
and Regulations, to furnish a copy thereof to the Underwriter and
counsel for the Underwriter and not to file any such document to
which the Underwriter shall reasonably object after having been
given reasonable notice of the proposed filing thereof unless the
Partnership is required by law to make such filing.
(f)
Reports to Security Holders . As soon as practicable after
the Delivery Date, to make generally available to the
Partnership’s security holders an earning statement of the
Partnership and its Subsidiaries (which need not be audited)
complying with Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the Rules
and Regulations (including, at the option of the Partnership, Rule
158).
(g)
Copies of Reports . For a period of two years following the
date hereof, to furnish to the Underwriter copies of all materials
furnished by the Partnership to its security holders and all
reports and financial statements furnished by the Partnership to
the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act or any rule or
regulation of the Commission thereunder, in each case to the extent
that such materials, reports and financial statements are not
publicly filed with the Commission.
(h) Blue
Sky Laws . Promptly to take from time to time such actions as
the Underwriter may reasonably request to qualify the Notes for
offering and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such
jurisdictions as the Underwriter may designate and to continue such
qualifications in effect for so long as required for the resale of
the Notes; and to arrange for the determination of the eligibility
for investment of the Notes under the laws of such jurisdictions as
the Underwriter may reasonably request; provided that no
Partnership Entity shall be obligated to qualify as a foreign
entity in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to
file a general consent to service of process in any
jurisdiction.
-15-
(i)
Application of Proceeds . To apply the net proceeds from the
sale of the Notes as set forth in the Prospectus.
(j)
Investment Company . To take such steps as shall be
necessary to ensure that no Partnership Entity shall become an
“ investment company ” as defined in the
Investment Company Act.
(k)
Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses . Not to make any offer
relating to the Notes that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus without the prior written consent of the
Underwriter.
(l)
Retention of Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses . To retain in
accordance with the Rules and Regulations all Issuer Free Writing
Prospectuses not required to be filed pursuant to the Rules and
Regulations; and if at any time after the date hereof and prior to
the Delivery Date, any events shall have occurred as a result of
which any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as then amended or
supplemented, would conflict with the information in the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus would include an untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of
the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or,
if for any other reason it shall be necessary to amend or
supplement any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, to notify the
Underwriter and, upon its reasonable request or as required by the
Rules and Regulations, to file such document and to prepare and
furnish without charge to each Underwriter as many copies as the
Underwriter may from time to time reasonably request of an amended
or supplemented Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that will correct
such conflict, statement or omission or effect such
compliance.
(m)
Foreign Sales . To take such reasonable steps as are
reasonably requested by the Underwriter to comply with all
applicable securities and other applicable laws, rules and
regulations in each foreign jurisdiction in which the Securities
are offered.
5.
Further Agreements of the Underwriter . The Underwriter
represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Operating
Partnership that the Underwriter, has not made, and will not make,
an offer relating to the Notes that would constitute a “
free writing prospectus ” (as defined in Rule 405
but excluding any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus identified on
Schedule IV hereto) required to be filed with the
Commission, without the prior written consent of the Partnership
prior to the use of such free writing prospectus.
6.
Expenses . The Operating Partnership agrees to pay
(a) the costs incident to the authorization, issuance, sale
and delivery of the Notes and any taxes payable in that connection;
(b) the costs incident to the preparation, printing and filing
under the Securities Act of the Registration Statement, any
amendments and exhibits thereto, and except as provided in the
proviso to this Section 6, and the Prospectus; (c) the
costs of printing and distributing the Registration Statement as
originally filed and each amendment thereto and any post-effective
amendments thereof (including, in each case, exhibits);
(d) the costs of producing and distributing this Agreement,
any underwriting and selling group documents and any other related
documents in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and
delivery of the Notes; (e) the filing fees incident to
securing the review, if applicable, by the National Association of
Securities
-16-
Dealers, Inc.
of the terms of sale of the Notes; (f) any applicable listing
or other similar fees; (g) the fees and expenses of preparing,
printing and distributing a Blue Sky Memorandum (including related
fees and expenses of counsel to the Underwriter); (h) the cost
of printing certificates representing the Notes; (i) the costs
and charges of any transfer agent or registrar; (j) the costs
and expenses of the Partnership and the Operating Partnership
relating to investor presentations on any “road show”
undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the
Notes, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the
production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of
any consultants engaged in connection with the road show
presentations with the prior approval of the Operating Partnership
or the Partnership, travel and lodging expenses of the
representatives and officers of the Partnership and any such
consultants; and (k) all other costs and expenses incident to
the performance of the obligations of the Enterprise Parties under
this Agreement; provided that, except as provided in this
Section 6 and in Section 12 hereof, the Underwriter shall
pay (i) its own costs and expenses, including the costs and
expenses of its counsel, any transfer taxes on the Notes which it
may sell and the expenses of advertising any offering of the Notes
made by the Underwriter and (ii) any overtime costs incurred
at the financial printer.
7.
Conditions of Underwriter’s Obligations . The
obligations of the Underwriter hereunder are subject to the
accuracy, when made and on the Delivery Date, of the
representations and warranties of the Enterprise Parties contained
herein, to the accuracy of the statements of the Enterprise Parties
and the officers of the General Partner and OLPGP made in any
certificates delivered pursuant hereto, to the performance by each
of the Enterprise Parties of its obligations hereunder and to each
of the following additional terms and conditions:
(a) The
Prospectus shall have been timely filed with the Commission in
accordance with Section 4(a); no stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement or preventing or
suspending the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectuses or any part thereof shall have been issued and no
proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened
by the Commission; any request of the Commission for inclusion of
additional information in the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus or otherwise shall have been complied with to the
reasonable satisfaction of the Underwriter; and the Commission
shall not have notified the Enterprise Parties of any objection to
the use of the form of the Registration Statement.
(b) The
Underwriter shall not have discovered and disclosed to the
Enterprise Parties on or prior to the Delivery Date that the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Pricing Disclosure
Package, or any amendment or supplement thereto, contains an untrue
statement of a fact which, in the opinion of counsel for the
Underwriter, is material or omits to state any fact which, in the
opinion of such counsel, is material and is required to be stated
therein or in the documents incorporated by reference therein or is
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.
(c) All
corporate, partnership and limited liability company proceedings
and other legal matters incident to the authorization, execution
and delivery of this Agreement, the authorization, execution and
filing of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and any Issuer
Free Writing Prospectus, and all other legal matters relating to
this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be
reasonably satisfactory in all material respects to
-17-
counsel for the
Underwriter, and the Enterprise Parties shall have furnished to
such counsel all documents and information that it or its counsel
may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such
matters.
(d) Bracewell
& Giuliani LLP, special counsel to the Enterprise Parties,
shall have furnished to the Underwriter its written opinion
addressed to the Underwriter and dated the Delivery Date, in form
and substance satisfactory to the Underwriter, substantially to the
effect set forth in Exhibit B to this
Agreement.
(e) Richard
H. Bachmann, Esq., shall have furnished to the Underwriter his
written opinion, as Chief Legal Officer of the Enterprise Parties,
addressed to the Underwriter and dated the Delivery Date, in form
and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter,
substantially to the effect set forth in Exhibit C to
this Agreement.
(f) The
Underwriter shall have received from Cadwalader, Wickersham &
Taft LLP, counsel for the Underwriter, such opinion or opinions,
dated the Delivery Date, with respect to such matters as the
Underwriter may reasonably require, and the Enterprise Parties
shall have furnished to such counsel such documents and information
as it may reasonably request for the purpose of enabling them to
pass upon such matters.
(g) The
Underwriter shall have received from Deloitte & Touche LLP a
letter, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriter,
addressed to the Underwriter and dated the Delivery Date
(i) confirming that they are an independent registered public
accounting firm within the meaning of the Securities Act and are in
compliance with the applicable rules and regulations thereunder
adopted by the Commission and the PCAOB, and (ii) stating, as
of the date hereof and thereof (or, with respect to matters
involving changes or developments since the respective dates as of
which specified financial information is given in the Prospectus,
as of a date not more than five days prior to the date hereof), the
conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial
information of the Partnership and other matters ordinarily covered
by accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters
in connection with registered public offerings.
(h) The
Partnership and the Operating Partnership shall have furnished to
the Underwriter a certificate, dated the Delivery Date, of the
chief executive officer or any vice president and the chief
financial officer of the General Partner and OLPGP stating that:
(i) such officers have carefully examined the Registration
Statement, the Prospectus and the Pricing Disclosure Package;
(ii) in their opinion, (1) the Registration Statement,
including the documents incorporated therein by reference, as of
the most recent Effective Date, (2) the Prospectus, including
any documents incorporated by reference therein, as of the date of
the Prospectus and as of the Delivery Date, and (3) the
Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, did not and
do not include any untrue statement of a material fact and did not
and do not omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make
the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading; (iii) as of the Delivery
Date, the representations and warranties of the Enterprise Parties
in this Agreement are true and correct; (iv) the Enterprise
Parties have complied with all their agreements contained herein
and satisfied all conditions on their part to be performed or
satisfied hereunder on or prior to the Delivery Date; (v) no
stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement or suspending or preventing the use of the Prospectus or
any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus has been issued and no
proceedings
-18-
for that
purpose have been instituted or, to the best of such
officer’s knowledge, are threatened; (vi) the Commission
has not notified the Partnership of any objection to the use of the
form of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment
thereto; (vii) since the date of the most recent financial
statements included or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus,
there has been no material adverse effect on the condition
(financial or otherwise), results of operations, business or
prospects of the Partnership Entities, taken as a whole, whether or
not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business,
except as set forth in or contemplated in the Prospectus; and
(viii) since the Effective Date, no event has occurred that is
required under the Rules and Regulations or the Act to be set forth
in a supplement or amendment to the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that has not been
so set forth.
(i) If any
event shall have occurred on or prior to the Delivery Date that
requires the Partnership or the Operating Partnership under Section
4(e) to prepare an amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, such
amendment or supplement shall have been prepared, the Underwriter
shall have been given a reasonable opportunity to comment thereon
as provided in Section 4(e) hereof, and copies thereof shall have
been delivered to the Underwriter reasonably in advance of the
Delivery Date.
(j) No action
shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order
shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any governmental
agency or body which would, as of the Delivery Date, prevent the
issuance or sale of the Notes; and no injunction, restraining order
or order of any other nature by any federal or state court of
competent jurisdiction shall have been issued as of the Delivery
Date which would prevent the issuance or sale of the
Notes.
(k) Subsequent
to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, if any debt
securities of any of the Partnership Entities are rated by any
“nationally recognized statistical rating
organization,” as that term is defined by the Commission for
purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) of the Rules and Regulations,
(i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded
such debt securities (including the Notes) and (ii) no such
organization shall have publicly announced that it has under
surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, its
rating of any securities of any of the Partnership
Entities.
(l) On or
after the Applicable Time, the Notes shall have been accorded a
rating of not less than B+/positive by Standard & Poor’s
Ratings Group and not less than Ba1/stable by Moody’s
Investors Service, Inc., provided that if the Company has received
oral confirmation but has not yet received written confirmation of
such ratings on or prior to the Delivery Date, the Company shall
instead be required to use its commercially reasonable efforts to
obtain such written confirmation as soon as possible following the
Delivery Date.
(m) Subsequent
to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, (i) neither
the Partnership nor any of its subsidiaries shall have sustained
any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion,
flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or
from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or
decree and (ii) except as set forth in the Prospectus, there
shall not have been any change in the capital or long-term debt of
the Partnership or any of its subsidiaries or any change, or any
development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the
condition (financial or otherwise), results of
operations,
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unitholders’ equity, properties,
management, business or prospects of the Partnership and its
subsidiaries taken as a whole, the effect of which, in any such
case described in clause (i) or (ii), is, in the judgment of
the Underwriter, so material and adverse as to make it
impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or
the delivery of the Notes being delivered on the Delivery Date on
the terms and in the manner contemplated in the
Prospectus.
(n) Subsequent
to the execution and delivery of this Agreement there shall not
have occurred any of the following: (i) trading in securities
generally on the New York Stock Exchange or the American Stock
Exchange shall have been suspended or materially limited or the
settlement of such trading generally shall have been materially
disrupted or minimum prices shall have been established on the New
York Stock Exchange, (ii) a banking moratorium shall have been
declared by federal or New York State authorities, (iii) a
material disruption in commercial banking or clearance services in
the United States, (iv) the United States shall have become
engaged in hostilities, there shall have been an escalation in
hostilities involving the United States or there shall have been a
declaration of a national emergency or war by the United States or
(v) a calamity or crisis the effect of which on the financial
markets is such as to make it, in the sole judgment of the
Underwriter, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the
offering or delivery of the Notes being delivered on the Delivery
Date on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the
Prospectus.
(o) The
Operating Partnership, the Partnership and the Trustee shall have
executed and delivered the Notes and the Supplemental Indenture.
All such
opinions, certificates, letters and documents mentioned above or
elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance
with the provisions hereof only if they are in form and substance
reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter and to counsel for the
Underwriter.
8.
Indemnification and Contribution . (a) Each of the
Enterprise Parties, jointly and severally, agrees to indemnify and
hold harmless the Underwriter, the directors, officers, employees
and agents of the Underwriter and each person who controls the
Underwriter within the meaning of either the Securities Act or the
Exchange Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages
or liabilities, to which the Underwriter, director, officer,
employee or contesting person may become subject under the
Securities Act, the Exchange Act or other Federal or state
statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as
such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect
thereof) arise out of or are based upon (i) any untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained
in: (A) the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure
Package, the Prospectus or in any amendment thereof or supplement
thereto, or (B) any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in any
amendment or supplement thereto; or (ii) the omission or the
alleged omission to state in the Registration Statement, the
Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto any material
fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading; and agrees to reimburse each
such indemnified party, as incurred, for any legal or other
expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with
investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability
or action; provided, however, that the Enterprise Parties will not
be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim,
damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any such
untrue
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statement or
alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made
therein in reliance upon and in conformity with written information
furnished to the Enterprise Parties by the Underwriter specifically
for inclusion therein, which information consists solely of the
information specified in Section 8(b). This indemnity
agreement will be in addition to any liability which the Enterprise
Parties may otherwise have.
(b) The
Underwriter agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Enterprise
Party, the directors of the General Partner and OLPGP, the
respective officers of the General Partner and OLPGP who signed the
Registration Statement, and each person who controls the Enterprise
Parties within the meaning of either the Securities Act or the
Exchange Act to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the
Partnership to the Underwriter, but only with reference to written
information relating to the Underwriter furnished to the
Partnership by the Underwriter specifically for inclusion in the
documents referred to in the foregoing indemnity. This indemnity
agreement will be in addition to any liability which the
Underwriter may otherwise have. The Enterprise Parties acknowledge
that the statements set forth in the Prospectus (i) in the
last paragraph of the cover page regarding delivery of the Notes
and (ii) under the heading “Underwriting,”
(A) the name of the Underwriter and (B) the statements in
the fourth, sixth and seventh paragraphs regarding discounts, short
sales and stabilization constitute the only information furnished
in writing by or on behalf of the Underwriter for inclusion in any
the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the
Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses or in any
amendment or supplement thereto.
(c) Promptly
after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 8 of
notice of any claim or the commencement of any action, such
indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made
against the indemnifying party under this Section 8, notify
the indemnifying party in writing of the claim or the commencement
thereof; but the failure so to notify the indemnifying party
(i) will not relieve it from liability under paragraph
(a) or (b) above unless and to the extent it did not
otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the
forfeiture by the indemnifying party of substantive rights and
defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the
indemnifying party from any obligations to any indemnified party
other than the indemnification obligation provided in paragraph
(a) or (b) above. The indemnifying party shall be
entitled to appoint counsel of the indemnifying party’s
choice at the indemnifying party’s expense to represent the
indemnified party in any action for which indemnification is sought
(in which case the indemnifying party shall not thereafter be
responsible for the reasonable fees, costs and expenses of any
separate counsel retained by the indemnified party or parties
except as set forth below); provided, however, that such counsel
shall be reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party.
Notwithstanding the indemnifying party’s election to appoint
counsel to represent the indemnified party in an action, the
indemnified party shall have the right to employ separate counsel
(including local counsel), and the indemnifying party shall bear
the reasonable fees, costs and expenses of such separate counsel if
(i) the use of counsel chosen by the indemnifying party to
represent the indemnified party would present such counsel with a
conflict of interest, (ii) the actual or potential defendants
in, or targets of, any such action include both the indemnified
party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall
have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses
available to it and/or other indemnified parties which are
different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying
party, (iii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed
counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to
represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after
notice of the
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institution of
such action or (iv) the indemnifying party shall authorize the
indemnified party to employ separate counsel at the expense of the
indemnifying party. An indemnifying party will not, without the
prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or
compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to
any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in
respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought
hereunder (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or
potential parties to such claim or action) unless such settlement,
compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each
indemnified party from all liability arising out of such claim,
action, suit or proceeding.
(d) In the
event that the indemnity provided in this Section 8 is
unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified
party for any reason, the Enterprise Parties and the Underwriter
agree to contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages and
liabilities (including legal or other expenses reasonably incurred
in connection with investigating or defending same) (collectively,
the “ Losses ”) to which the Enterprise Parties
and the Underwriter may be subject in such proportion as is
appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the
Enterprise Parties on the one hand and by the Underwriter on the
other from the offering of the Notes; provided, however, that in no
case shall (i) the Underwriter be responsible for any amount
in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Notes
underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to
the public exceeds the amount of any damages which the Underwriter
has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or
alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. If the
allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is
unavailable for any reason, the Enterprise Parties and the
Underwriter shall contribute in such proportion as is appropriate
to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative
fault of the Enterprise Parties on the one hand and of the
Underwriter on the other in connection with the statements or
omissions which resulted in such Losses as well as any other
relevant equitable considerations. Benefits received by the
Enterprise Parties shall be deemed to be equal to the total net
proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by
it, and benefits received by the Underwriter shall be deemed to be
equal to the total underwriting discounts and commissions, in each
case as set forth on the cover page of the Prospectus. Relative
fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things,
whether any untrue or any alleged untrue statement of a material
fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact
relates to information provided by the Enterprise Parties on the
one hand or the Underwriter on the other, the intent of the parties
and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity
to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The
Enterprise Parties and the Underwriter agree that it would not be
just and equitable if contribution were determined by pro rata
allocation or any other method of allocation which does not take
account of the equitable considerations referred to above.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph (d), no person
guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of
Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to
contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent
misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 8, each person
who controls the Underwriter within the meaning of either the
Securities Act or the Exchange Act and each director, officer,
employee and agent of the Underwriter shall have the same rights to
contribution as the Underwriter, and each person who controls the
Enterprise Parties within the meaning of either the Securities Act
or the Exchange Act, each officer of the General Partner and OLPGP
who shall have signed the Registration Statement and each director
of the General Partner and OLPGP shall have the same rights to
contribution as the Enterprise Parties, subject in each case to the
applicable terms and conditions of this paragraph (d).
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9. No
Fiduciary Duty . The Enterprise Parties hereby acknowledge that
the Underwriter is acting solely as an underwriter in connection
with the purchase and sale of the Notes. The Enterprise Parties
further acknowledge that the Underwriter is acting pursuant to a
contractual relationship created solely by this Agreement entered
into on an arm’s-length basis and in no event do the parties
intend that the Underwriter acts or be responsible as a fiduciary
to any of the Partnership Entities, their management, unitholders,
creditors or any other person in connection with any activity that
the Underwriter may undertake or have undertaken in furtherance of
the purchase and sale of the Notes, either before or after the date
hereof. The Underwriter hereby expressly disclaims any fiduciary or
similar obligations to any of the Partnership Entities, either in
connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or
any matters leading up to such transactions, and the Partnership
hereby confirms its understanding and agreement to that effect. The
Enterprise Parties and the Underwriter agree that they are each
responsible for making their own independent judgments with respect
to any such transactions and that any opinions or views expressed
by the Underwriter to any of the Partnership Entities regarding
such transactions, including but not limited to any opinions or
views with respect to the price or market for the Notes, do not
constitute advice or recommendations to any of the Partnership
Entities. The Enterprise Parties hereby waive and release, to the
fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that they may have
against the Underwriter with respect to any breach or alleged
breach of any fiduciary or similar duty to any of the Enterprise
Parties in connection with the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement or any matters leading up to such
transactions.
10.
Termination . The obligations of the Underwriter hereunder
may be terminated by notice given to and received by the Operating
Partnership prior to delivery of and payment for the Notes if,
prior to that time, any of the events described in Section 7(n)
shall have occurred or if the Underwriter shall decline to purchase
the Notes for any reason permitted under this Agreement.
11.
Reimbursement of Underwriter’s Expenses . If the sale
of the Notes provided for herein is not consummated because any
condition to the obligations of the Underwriter set forth in
Section 7 hereof is not satisfied (other than
Section 7(n)) or because of any refusal, inability or failure
on the part of any Enterprise Party to perform any agreement herein
or comply with any provision hereof other than by reason of a
default by the Underwriter, the Enterprise Parties will reimburse
the Underwriter, on demand for all reasonable out-of-pocket
expenses (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel)
that shall have been incurred by the Underwriter in connection with
the proposed purchase and sale of the Notes. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, if this Agreement is terminated pursuant to
Section 10 hereof, the Enterprise Parties shall not be
obligated to reimburse the Underwriter in respect of those
expenses.
12.
Research Analyst Independence . Each of the Enterprise
Parties acknowledges that the Underwriter’s research analysts
and research departments are required to be independent from their
respective investment banking divisions and are subject to certain
regulations and internal policies, and that such
Underwriter’s research analysts may hold views and make
statements or investment recommendations and/or publish research
reports with respect to each of the Enterprise Parties and/or the
offering that differ from the views of their respective investment
banking divisions. Each of the Enterprise Parties hereby waives
and
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releases, to
the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Enterprise
Parties may have against the Underwriter with respect to any
conflict of interest that may arise from the fact that the views
expressed by its independent research analysts and research
departments may be different from or inconsistent with the views or
advice communicated to the Partnership by such Underwriter’s
investment banking division. Each of the Enterprise Parties
acknowledges that the Underwriter is a full service securities firm
and as such from time to time, subject to applicable securities
laws, may effect transactions for its own account or the account of
its customers and hold long or short positions in debt or equity
securities of the companies that may be the subject of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
13.
Notices . All statements, requests, notices and agreements
hereunder shall be in writing, and:
(a) if to the
Underwriter, shall be delivered or sent by mail or facsimile
transmission to Lehman Brothers Inc., 745 Seventh Ave, New York,
New York 10019 Attention: Debt Capital Markets, Power Group (Fax:
212-526-0943); and a copy to Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP,
One World Financial Center, New York, New York 10281, Attention:
Louis J. Bevilacqua, Esq. (Fax: 212-504-6666);
(b) if to the
Enterprise Parties, shall be delivered or sent by mail or facsimile
transmission to Enterprise Products Partners L.P., 1100 Louisiana
Street, 18 th Floor, Houston, Texas 77002, Attention: Chief
Legal Officer (Fax: 713-803-2905), with a copy to Bracewell &
Giuliani LLP, 711 Louisiana Street, Suite 2300, Houston, Texas
77002-2770, Attention: Michael S. Telle, Esq. (Fax:
713-221-2113).
14.
Persons Entitled to Benefit of Agreement . This Agreement
shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriter,
the Enterprise Parties and their respective successors. This
Agreement and the terms and provisions hereof are for the sole
benefit of only those persons, except as provided in Section 8
with respect to affiliates, officers, directors, employees,
representatives, agents and controlling persons of the Partnership,
the Operating Partnership and the Underwriter. Nothing in this
Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person,
other than the persons referred to in this Section 14, any
legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of
this Agreement or any provision contained herein.
15.
Survival . The respective indemnities, representations,
warranties and agreements of the Enterprise Parties and the
Underwriter contained in this Agreement or made by or on behalf on
them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement or any certificate
delivered pursuant hereto, shall survive the delivery of and
payment for the Notes and shall remain in full force and effect,
regardless of any termination or cancellation of this Agreement or
any investigation made by or on behalf of any of them or any person
controlling any of them. The Underwriter acknowledges and agrees
that the obligations of the Enterprise Parties hereunder are
non-recourse to the General Partner.
16.
Definition of the Terms “Business Day” and
“Subsidiary” . For purposes of this Agreement, (a)
“ business day ” means any day on which the New
York Stock Exchange, Inc. is open for trading and (b) “
affiliate ” and “ subsidiary ” have
their respective meanings set forth in Rule 405 of the Rules
and Regulations.
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17.
Governing Law . THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND
CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW
YORK
18.
Jurisdiction; Venue . The parties hereby consent to
(i) nonexclusive jurisdiction in the courts of the State of
New York located in the City and County of New York or in the
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York,
(ii) nonexclusive personal service with respect thereto, and
(iii) personal jurisdiction, service and venue in any court in
which any claim arising out of or in any way relating to this
Agreement is brought by any third party against the Underwriter or
any indemnified party. Each of the parties (on its behalf and, to
the extent permitted by applicable law, on behalf of its limited
partners and affiliates) waives all right to trial by
jury
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