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Exhibit
4.4.1
LIMITED WAIVER AND
CONSENT
RECITALS:
Reference is made to that
certain Seventh Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of
November 2, 2007 (the “ Agreement ”), among
Chesapeake Energy Corporation (“ CEC ”),
Chesapeake Exploration, L.L.C. (“ Chesapeake
Exploration ”) and Chesapeake Appalachia, L.L.C. (“
Chesapeake Appalachia ”, and together with Chesapeake
Exploration, collectively, “ Borrowers ”), Union
Bank of California, N.A., as Administrative Agents (“
Agent ”), the other agents named therein and the
Lenders from time to time parties thereto (“ Lenders
”). Terms used and not defined herein shall have the meanings
given them in the Agreement.
Chesapeake Appalachia intends
to execute a conveyance (the “ VPP Conveyance ”)
of a volumetric production payment (the “ VPP ”)
to be carved out of its working interests in approximately 4,200
specified presently producing wells (the “ VPP Wells
”) in Kentucky and West Virginia that are not included in the
Collateral. The VPP Conveyance will not cover any other wells in
which Chesapeake Appalachia owns an interest. In connection with
the VPP, Chesapeake Appalachia intends to (i) enter into a
Purchase and Sale Agreement (the “ VPP PSA ”),
containing certain representations, warranties and covenants
relating to the VPP and the VPP Wells and a restriction on further
assignments of the VPP Wells, (ii) enter into a Gas Purchase
Contract with the buyer of the VPP (the “ Gas Purchase
Contract ”) to purchase the VPP buyer’s share of
production at or near the wellhead at an index price (reduced for
anticipated and estimated shrinkage and escalating transportation
costs) and (iii) grant Liens on its retained interests in the
VPP Wells and the production therefrom and its rights, titles and
interests related thereto pursuant to one or more mortgages and
deeds of trust (the “ VPP Mortgages ”), to
secure performance of its ongoing covenants and obligations
pursuant to the VPP Conveyance, the VPP PSA, and the Gas Purchase
Contract. CEC intends to guaranty (the “ CEC Guaranty
”) Chesapeake Appalachia’s performance of these same
covenants and obligations.
CEC and Borrowers have
requested that Agent and Lenders constituting Majority Lenders
consent to, and waive certain violations of the Agreement which
would otherwise result from, the transactions described
above.
LIMITED WAIVER AND
CONSENT:
Subject to the conditions and
limitations set forth below, Agent and Lenders hereby
(i) consent to the conveyance of the VPP and the entering into
and performance of the VPP Mortgages and the CEC Guaranty, and
(ii) waive any violations of (A) Section 7.02 of the
Agreement that would result from the Indebtedness of Chesapeake
Appalachia in respect of the VPP and the Indebtedness of CEC in
respect of the CEC Guaranty, (B) Section 7.03 of the
Agreement that would result from the Liens under the VPP Mortgages,
and (C) Section 7.12 of the Agreement that would result
from any restrictions on Chesapeake Appalachia’s ability to
assign or grant Liens on its retained interests in the VPP Wells
and the assets subject to the VPP Mortgages.
[L IMITED W
AIVER AND C ONSENT
]
For the avoidance of doubt
with respect to the treatment of the VPP under the Credit
Agreement, CEC, Borrowers and Lenders acknowledge and agree that,
(i) Consolidated Indebtedness shall not include any
Indebtedness in respect of the VPP and (ii) without
duplication with respect to any other provision subtracting or
excluding such income or gain in determining Consolidated EBITDA,
any income or gain reflected in Consolidated Net Income for any
period in respect of the VPP shall be subtracted from Consolidated
Net Income for purposes of determining Consolidated EBITDA for such
period.
Notwithstanding anything to
the contrary under the Credit Agreement, CEC and Borrowers agree
that no Group Member shall enter into or be subject to any
Qualifying Production Call Obligation, and the exclusion of
Qualifying Production Call Obligations from (i) the definition
of “Indebtedness” in the Agreement and (ii) the
restrictions on Liens provision under Section 7.3(o) of the
Agreement, shall no longer be applicable.
LIMITATIONS AND
CONDITIONS:
This Limited Waiver and
Consent shall be effective when executed or consented to by
Majority Lenders. Borrowers and CEC hereby represent and warrant to
Agent and Lenders that immediately after giving effect to this
Limited Waiver and Consent there shall exist no Default or Event of
Default and immediately after giving effect to this Limited Waiver
and Consent all representations and warranties contained herein, in
the Agreement or otherwise made in writing by any Group Member in
connection herewith or therewith shall be true and correct in all
material respects with the same force and effect as if those
representations and warranties had been made on and as of the date
hereof.
Except as expressly waived or
agreed herein, all covenants, obligations and agreements of
Borrowers and CEC contained in the Agreement shall remain in full
force and effect in accordance with their terms. Without limitation
of the foregoing, the consents, waivers and agreements set forth
herein are limited precisely to the extent set forth herein and
shall not be deemed to (a) be a consent or agreement to, or
waiver or modification of, any other term or condition of the
Agreement or any of the documents referred to therein, or
(b) except as expressly set forth herein, prejudice any right
or rights which Agent or any Lender may now have or may have in the
future under or in connection with the Agreement or any of the
documents referred to therein. Except as expressly modified hereby,
the terms and provisions of the Agreement and any other documents
or instruments executed in connection with any of the foregoing,
are and shall remain in full force and effect, and the same are
hereby ratified and confirmed by Borrowers and CEC in all
respects.
This Limited Waiver and
Consent and the rights and obligations of the parties hereunder
shall be construed in accordance with and be governed by the laws
of the State of Texas.
This Limited Waiver and
Consent and the documents referred to herein represent the entire
understanding of the parties hereto regarding the subject matter
hereof and supersede all prior and contemporaneous oral and written
agreements of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter
hereof. This Limited Waiver and Consent is a “Loan
Document” as defined and described in the Agreement and all
of the terms and provisions of the Agreement relating to Loan
Documents shall apply hereto.
[L IMITED W
AIVER AND C ONSENT
]
This Limited Waiver and
Consent may be separately executed in counterparts and by the
different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which
when so executed shall be deemed to constitute one and the same
agreement.
[ Remainder of
page intentionally left blank .]
[L IMITED W
AIVER AND C ONSENT
]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the
undersigned parties have executed this Limited Waiver and Consent
as of the 12 th day
of December, 2007.
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CHESAPEAKE EXPLORATION,
L.L.C.
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/s/ Jennifer M.
Grigsby
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Jennifer M.
Grigsby |
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Senior Vice
President and Treasurer |
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| CHESAPEAKE APPALACHIA, L.L.C. |
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| By: |
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/s/ Jennifer M.
Grigsby
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Jennifer M.
Grigsby |
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Senior Vice
President and Treasurer |
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| CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORPORATION |
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| By: |
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/s/ Jenni
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