As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2012
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
ATLAS RESOURCE PARTNERS, L.P.
ATLAS RESOURCE FINANCE CORPORATION
and Other Registrants*
(see additional registrants below)
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | ||
| Delaware | 45-3591625 90-0812516 | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
Park Place Corporate Center One
1000 Commerce Drive, Suite 400
Pittsburgh, PA 15275
(800) 251-0171
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive office)
Edward E. Cohen
Atlas Resource Partners GP, LLC
Park Place Corporate Center One
1000 Commerce Drive, Suite 400
Pittsburgh, PA 15275
(800) 251-0171
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Please send copies of communications to:
Lisa A. Ernst, Esq.
Mark E. Rosenstein, Esq.
Ledgewood
1900 Market Street, Suite 750
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 731-9450
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after this registration statement becomes effective.
If the only securities being registered on this form are being offered pursuant to dividend or reinvestment plans, please check the following box: ¨
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box: x
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filter, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
| Large accelerated filer | ¨ | Accelerated filer | ¨ | |||
| Non-accelerated filer | x (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) | Smaller reporting company | ¨ | |||
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
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| Title of each class of securities to be registered |
Amount to be registered |
Proposed maximum offering price per unit |
Proposed maximum aggregate offering price |
Amount of registration fee | ||||
| Common Units |
(1) | (2) | (2) | |||||
| Preferred Units |
(1) | (2) | (2) | |||||
| Subordinated Units |
(1) | (2) | (2) | |||||
| Warrants |
(1) | (2) | (2) | |||||
| Debt Securities |
(1) | (2) | (2) | |||||
| Guarantees(4) |
(1) | (2) | (2) | |||||
| Total |
$500,000,000 | $57,300(3) | ||||||
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| (1) | There are being registered hereunder a presently indeterminate number of equity securities of Atlas Resource Partners, L.P. and an indeterminate principal amount of debt securities, which may be offered and sold in such amount as shall result in an aggregate offering price not to exceed $500,000,000. Any securities registered hereunder may be sold separately or together with other securities registered hereunder. This registration statement also covers an indeterminate amount of securities as may be issued in exchange for, or upon conversion or exercise of, as the case may be, the securities registered hereunder. |
| (2) | The proposed maximum offering price per unit for each class of securities and the proposed maximum aggregate offering price for each class of securities to be registered is not specified pursuant to General Instruction II.D. of Form S–3. |
| (3) | Calculated in accordance with Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act. |
| (4) | Pursuant to Rule 457(n) under the Securities Act, no separate fee is payable with respect to the guarantees of the debt securities being registered. |
| * | The companies listed on the next page in the Table of Additional Registrant Guarantors are also included in this Registration Statement as additional Registrants. |
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
*TABLE OF ADDITIONAL REGISTRANT GUARANTORS
The following are additional registrants that may guarantee the debt securities registered hereby:
| Exact name of registrant guarantor as specified in its charter(1) |
State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization |
IRS Employer Identification Number | ||
| Atlas Energy Holdings Operating Company, LLC |
Delaware | 27-4735285 | ||
| Atlas Resources, LLC |
Pennsylvania | 20-4822875 | ||
| Viking Resources, LLC |
Pennsylvania | 20-5365124 | ||
| Resource Energy, LLC |
Delaware | 20-5365174 | ||
| Atlas Noble, LLC |
Delaware | 20-5365139 | ||
| REI-NY, LLC |
Delaware | 20-5365147 | ||
| Atlas Energy Indiana, LLC |
Indiana | 26-3210546 | ||
| Atlas Energy Tennessee, LLC |
Pennsylvania | 26-2770794 | ||
| Atlas Energy Ohio, LLC |
Ohio | 20-5365198 | ||
| Atlas Energy Colorado, LLC |
Colorado | 45-2120015 | ||
| Resource Well Services, LLC |
Delaware | 20-5365162 | ||
| ARP Barnett, LLC |
Delaware | 90-0812567 |
| (1) | The address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of the principal executive offices and the agent for service of each of the co-registrants named above are the same as those of Atlas Resource Partners, L.P. |
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED MARCH 30, 2012
PROSPECTUS
$500,000,000
ATLAS RESOURCE PARTNERS, L.P.
COMMON UNITS, PREFERRED UNITS, SUBORDINATED UNITS, WARRANTS, DEBT SECURITIES AND GUARANTEES
ATLAS RESOURCE FINANCE CORPORATION
DEBT SECURITIES AND GUARANTEES
We may from time to time in one or more offerings, offer, issue and sell common units representing limited partner interests, preferred units representing limited partner interests, debt securities and warrants. Atlas Resource Finance Corporation may act as co-issuer of the debt securities, and certain direct or indirect subsidiaries of Atlas Resource Partners, L.P. may guarantee the debt securities. We refer to the equity securities and the debt securities collectively as the “securities.” The aggregate initial offering price of all securities sold by us under this prospectus will not exceed $500,000,000.
We may offer and sell these securities in amounts, at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions and other factors at the time of our offerings. This prospectus describes only the general terms of these securities and the general manner in which we will offer the securities. The specific terms of any securities we offer will be included in a supplement to this prospectus. The prospectus supplement will describe the specific manner in which we will offer the securities and also may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. The names of any underwriters and the specific terms of a plan of distribution will be stated in the prospectus supplement.
Our common units are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “ARP.” We will provide information in the related prospectus supplement for the trading market, if any, for any debt securities that may be offered.
Investing in these securities involves certain risks. You should carefully read and consider the risk factors included in our periodic reports, in any prospectus supplement relating to a specific offering of securities and in other documents that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. See “Risk Factors” on page 2 of this prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Prospectus dated , 2012
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In making your investment decision, you should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and in any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with any other information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it.
You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of those documents. You should not assume that the information contained in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the respective dates of those documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. We will disclose any material changes in our affairs in an amendment to this prospectus, a prospectus supplement or a future filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
This prospectus is a part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration statement, we may sell securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings.
Each time we sell securities we will, to the extent required by law, provide a prospectus supplement and, if applicable, a pricing supplement containing specific information about the terms of the securities being offered. That prospectus supplement may include a discussion of any risk factors or other special considerations that apply to those securities. The prospectus supplement and any pricing supplement may also add, update or change the information in this prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between the information in
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this prospectus (including the information incorporated by reference herein) and any prospectus supplement or pricing supplement, you should rely on the information in that prospectus supplement or pricing supplement. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”
SPECIAL NOTE ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND RISK FACTORS
Certain sections of this registration statement contain statements reflecting our views about our future performance and constitute “forward-looking statements.” We and our representatives may, from time to time, make written or oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in our filings with the SEC and in our reports to security holders. Generally, the inclusion of the words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “project,” “anticipate,” “will” and similar expressions identify statements that constitute forward-looking statements. All statements addressing operating performance of us or any subsidiary, events or developments that we expect or anticipates would occur in the future are forward-looking statements.
These views involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and, accordingly, our actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in such forward-looking statements. Readers should consider the various factors, including those discussed in our annual report for the year ended December 31, 2011 under “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates” that is on file with the SEC for additional factors that may affect our performance. The forward-looking statements are and will be based upon management’s then-current views and assumptions regarding future events and operating performance, and are applicable only as of the dates of such statements. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus, in the accompanying prospectus supplement and in material we file with the SEC. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different.
We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, the securities described in this prospectus only where offers and sales are permitted. Since information that we file with the SEC in the future will automatically update and supersede information contained in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement, you should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of the document.
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We are a Delaware limited partnership formed in October 2011. At December 31, 2011, we were wholly-owned by Atlas Energy, L.P., a publicly-traded master limited partnership (NYSE: ATLS). In February 2012, the general partner’s board of directors of Atlas Energy approved the distribution of approximately 5.24 million of our common units, which were distributed on March 13, 2012 to Atlas Energy’s unitholders using a ratio of 0.1021 of our limited partner units for each of its common units owned on the record date of February 28, 2012. The distribution of our limited partner units represented an approximate 19.6% limited partner interest. On March 14, 2012, we became a publicly-traded master limited partnership (NYSE: ARP). As of the date of this prospectus, Atlas Energy owns a 2% general partner interest in us represented by our Class A units, all of our incentive distribution rights and common units representing an approximate 78.4% limited partner interest.
In March 2012, before the distribution of our common units to Atlas Energy unitholders, Atlas Energy transferred to us its E&P Operations, described below.
Atlas Energy E&P Operations
Atlas Energy is an independent developer and producer of natural gas and oil, with operations in the Appalachian Basin, Illinois Basin and the Rocky Mountain region. Atlas Energy sponsors and manages tax-advantaged investment partnerships, in which it coinvests, to finance a portion of its natural gas and oil production activities. The goal is to increase unitholder distributions by continuing to grow the net production from natural gas and oil production as well as the fee-based revenues from the partnership management business.
On February 17, 2011, Atlas Energy acquired certain assets and liabilities (the “Transferred Business”) from Atlas Energy, Inc. (“AEI”), the former owner of Atlas Energy’s general partner. These assets principally included the following exploration and production assets:
| • | AEI’s investment management business, which sponsors tax-advantaged direct investment natural gas and oil partnerships, through which Atlas Energy funds a portion of our natural gas and oil well drilling; |
| • | proved reserves located in the Appalachia Basin, the Niobrara formation in Colorado, the New Albany Shale of west central Indiana, the Antrim Shale of northern Michigan, and the Chattanooga Shale of northeastern Tennessee; and |
| • | certain producing natural gas and oil properties, upon which Atlas Energy is developer and producer. |
As of December 31, 2011, Atlas Energy’s principal development and production assets consisted of:
| • | working interests in approximately 8,500 gross producing natural gas and oil wells; |
| • | overriding royalty interests in over 500 gross producing natural gas and oil wells; |
| • | net daily production of 35.9 Mmcfed for the twelve months ended December 31, 2011; |
| • | proved reserves of 167.6 Bcfe at December 31, 2011; and |
| • | Atlas Energy’s partnership management business, which includes equity interests in 98 investment partnerships and a registered broker-dealer that acts as the dealer-manager of its investment partnership offerings. |
The Atlas Energy E&P Operations include three reportable operating segments: gas and oil production, well construction and completion and other partnership management.
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Investing in our securities involves risk. Before you decide whether to purchase any of our securities, in addition to the other information, documents or reports included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any prospectus supplement or other offering materials, you should carefully consider the risk factors in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in any prospectus supplement, in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed by us subsequent to such Annual Report on Form 10-K, as the same may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by our filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. For more information, see the section of this prospectus entitled “Where You Can Find More Information.” These risks could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or operating results and could result in a partial or complete loss of your investment.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov or at our website at http://www.atlasresourcepartners.com. You may also read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F. Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for additional information on the public reference room.
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with it. This means that we can disclose important information to you by referring to these documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC under Sections 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 will automatically update and supersede this information.
We are incorporating by reference the following documents that we have previously filed with the SEC (other than information in such documents that is deemed not to be filed):
| • | our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011; |
| • | the description of our common units contained in our Form 10, filed on October 17, 2011, and any subsequent amendment thereto containing an update to such description; and |
| • | our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on February 16, 2012, February 24, 2012, March 7, 2012, March 14, 2012 and March 21, 2012. |
We are also incorporating by reference all additional documents that we may file with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, after the date hereof and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
You may request a copy of any document incorporated by reference in this prospectus without charge by writing or calling us at:
Atlas Resource Partners GP, LLC
Park Place Corporate Center One
1000 Commerce Drive, Suite 400
Pittsburgh, PA 15275
(800) 251-0171
Attn: Brian Begley
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We intend to use the net proceeds from the sales of the securities for general partnership purposes unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES
We did not have any assets or operations as of December 31, 2011, however, the ratio of earnings to fixed charges for the historical Atlas Energy E&P Operations, contributed to us in March 2012, is set forth below. As the Atlas Energy E&P Operations were not historically accounted for as a standalone operating entity, it had limited fixed charges and no preferred stock outstanding, accordingly the ratio of earnings to fixed charges of Atlas Energy E&P Operations is not directly comparable to, and should not be considered an indication of, our future financial results.
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| 2011(1) | 2010(1) | 2009(1) | 2008(1) | 2007(1) | ||||||||||||||||
| Ratio of earnings to fixed charges |
32.49 | 20.68 | — | 408.20 | 501.28 | |||||||||||||||
| (1) | The historical financial information for periods prior to March 2012 reflects the assets and liabilities of Atlas Energy E&P Operations. |
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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER
We may offer common, preferred and subordinated units representing limited partner interests, various series of debt securities, or warrants to purchase any of such securities, from time to time in one or more offerings under this prospectus at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of the offering. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities that we may offer. In connection with each offering, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will describe the specific amounts, prices and terms of the securities being offered, including, to the extent applicable:
| • | designation or classification; |
| • | aggregate offering price; |
| • | rates and times of payment of dividends; |
| • | redemption, conversion or exchange terms; |
| • | conversion or exchange prices or rates and any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the conversion or exchange prices or rates and in the securities or other property receivable upon conversion or exchange; |
| • | ranking; |
| • | restrictive covenants; |
| • | voting or other rights; and |
| • | important federal income tax considerations. |
The prospectus supplement also may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in documents we have incorporated by reference.
This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale of securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.
Common Units
The common units are a class of limited partner interests in us. The holders of common units are entitled to participate in partnership distributions and exercise the rights or privileges available to holder of common units as outlined in our partnership agreement. For a description of the rights and preferences of holders of common units in partnership distributions, please read “Our Cash Distribution Policy.” For a description of the rights and privileges of the holders of our common units under our partnership agreement, including voting rights, please read “Our Partnership Agreement.”
Transfer Agent and Registrar
Duties. American Stock Transfer serves as registrar and transfer agent for the common units. We pay all fees charged by the transfer agent for transfers of common units except the following that must be paid by unitholders:
| • | surety bond premiums to replace lost or stolen certificates, taxes and other governmental charges; |
| • | special charges for services requested by a common unitholder; and |
| • | other similar fees or charges. |
There will be no charge to unitholders for disbursements of our cash distributions. We will indemnify the transfer agent, its agents and each of their stockholders, directors, officers and employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence or intentional misconduct of the indemnified person or entity.
Resignation or Removal. The transfer agent may resign, by notice to us, or be removed by us. The resignation or removal of the transfer agent will become effective upon our appointment of a successor transfer agent and registrar and its acceptance of the appointment. If no successor has been appointed and has accepted the appointment within 30 days after notice of the resignation or removal, our general partner may act as the transfer agent and registrar until a successor is appointed.
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Transfer of Common Units
By transfer of common units in accordance with our partnership agreement, each transferee of common units shall be admitted as a limited partner with respect to the common units transferred when such transfer and admission is reflected in our books and records. Each transferee:
| • | represents that the transferee has the capacity, power and authority to become bound by our partnership agreement; |
| • | automatically becomes bound by the terms and conditions of, and is deemed to have executed, our partnership agreement; |
| • | gives the consents and waivers contained in our partnership agreement, such as the approval of all transactions and agreements that we are entering into in connection with our formation and the distribution. |
A transferee will become a limited partner of our partnership for the transferred common units automatically upon the recording of the transfer on our books and records. Our general partner will cause any transfers to be recorded on our books and records from time to time as necessary to accurately reflect the transfers.
We may, at our discretion, treat the nominee holder of a common unit as the absolute owner. In that case, the beneficial holder’s rights are limited solely to those that it has against the nominee holder as a result of any agreement between the beneficial owner and the nominee holder.
Common units are securities and are transferable according to the laws governing transfers of securities.
Until a common unit has been transferred on our books, we and the transfer agent may treat the record holder of the unit as the absolute owner for all purposes, except as otherwise required by law or stock exchange regulations.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED UNITS
The preferred units will be a separate class of limited partner interest. The rights of holders of preferred units to participate in distributions to partners will differ from, and may be senior to, the rights of the holders of common units. The prospectus supplement relating to the preferred units offered will state the number of units offered, the initial offering price and the market price, the terms of the preference, any ways in which the preferred units will differ from common units, distribution information and any other relevant information.
DESCRIPTION OF SUBORDINATED UNITS
The subordinated units will be a separate class of limited partner interest. The rights of holders of subordinated units to participate in distributions to partners will differ from, and may be subordinated to, the rights of the holders of common units. The prospectus supplement relating to the subordinated units offered will state the number of units offered, the initial offering price and the market price, the terms of the subordination, any ways in which the subordinated units will differ from common units, distribution information and any other relevant information.
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
Atlas Resource Partners, L.P. may issue debt securities in one or more series, and Atlas Resource Finance Corporation may be a co-issuer of one or more series of debt securities. Atlas Resource Finance Corporation was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware in 2012, is wholly-owned by Atlas Resource Partners, L.P., and has no material assets or any liabilities other than as a co-issuer of debt securities. Its activities are limited to co-issuing debt securities and engaging in other activities incidental thereto. When used in this section “Description of the Debt Securities,” the terms “we,” “us,” “our” and “issuers” refer jointly to Atlas Resource Partners, L.P. and Atlas Resource Finance Corporation.
If we offer senior debt securities, we will issue them under a senior indenture. If we issue subordinated debt securities, we will issue them under a subordinated indenture. A form of each indenture is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We have not restated either indenture in its entirety in this description. You should read the relevant indenture because it, and not this description, controls your rights as holders of the debt securities.
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General
The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of the board of directors of our general partner and detailed or determined in the manner provided in a board of directors’ resolution, an officers’ certificate or an indenture. We can issue debt securities that may be in one or more series with the same or various maturities, at par, at a premium or at a discount. We will set forth in a prospectus supplement, including any pricing supplement, relating to any series of debt securities being offered the initial offering price, the aggregate principal amount and the terms of the debt securities, including:
| • | the title of the debt securities; |
| • | whether our wholly-owned subsidiary, Atlas Resource Finance Corporation, will be a co-issuer of the debt securities; |
| • | the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the aggregate principal amount) at which we will sell the debt securities; |
| • | any limit on the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities; |
| • | the date or dates on which we will pay the principal on the debt securities; |
| • | the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum at which the debt securities will bear interest, the date or dates from which interest will accrue, the date or dates on which interest will commence and be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable on any interest payment date; |
| • | the place or places where the principal of, premium, and interest on the debt securities will be payable; |
| • | the terms and conditions upon which we may redeem the debt securities; |
| • | any obligation we have to redeem or purchase the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a holder of debt securities; and |
| • | the dates on which and the price or prices at which we will repurchase the debt securities at the option of the holders of debt securities and other detailed terms and provisions of these repurchase obligations. |
We may issue debt securities that are exchangeable and/or convertible into our common units or any class or series of preferred units. The terms, if any, on which the debt securities may be exchanged for and/or converted will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Such terms may include provisions for conversion, either mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option, in which case the number of shares of common stock, preferred stock or other securities to be received by the holders of debt securities would be calculated as of a time and in the manner stated in the prospectus supplement.
We may issue debt securities that provide for an amount less than their stated principal amount to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of their maturity pursuant to the terms of the indenture. We will provide you with information on the federal income tax considerations and other special considerations applicable to any of these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Payment of Interest and Exchange
Each debt security will be represented by either one or more global securities registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company, as Depositary, or a nominee of the Depositary (we will refer to any debt security represented by a global debt security as a book-entry debt security), or a certificate issued in definitive registered form (we will refer to any debt security represented by a certificated security as a certificated debt security), as described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Certificated Debt Securities
You may transfer or exchange certificated debt securities at the trustee’s office or paying agencies in accordance with the terms of the indenture. No service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of certificated debt securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with a transfer or exchange.
You may transfer certificated debt securities and the right to receive the principal of, premium and interest on certificated debt securities only by surrendering the old certificate representing those certificated debt securities and either we or the trustee will reissue the old certificate to the new holder or we or the trustee will issue a new certificate to the new holder.
Book-Entry Debt Securities
We may issue the debt securities of a series in the form of one or more book-entry debt securities that would be deposited with a depositary or its nominee identified in the prospectus supplement. We may issue book-entry debt securities in either temporary or permanent form. We will describe in the prospectus supplement the terms of any depositary arrangement and the rights and limitations of owners of beneficial interests in any book-entry debt security.
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Provisions Relating only to the Senior Debt Securities
The senior debt securities will rank equally in right of payment with all of our other senior and unsubordinated debt. The senior debt securities will be effectively subordinated, however, to all of our secured debt to the extent of the value of the collateral for that debt. We will disclose the amount of our secured debt in the prospectus supplement.
Provisions Relating only to the Subordinated Debt Securities
Subordinated Debt Securities Subordinated to Senior Indebtedness. The subordinated debt securities will rank junior in right of payment to all of our Senior Indebtedness. “Senior Indebtedness” will be defined in a supplemental indenture or authorizing resolutions respecting any issuance of a series of subordinated debt securities, and the definition will be set forth in the prospectus supplement.
Payment Blockages. The subordinated indenture will provide that no payment of principal, interest and any premium on the subordinated debt securities may be made in the event:
| • | we or our property is involved in any voluntary or involuntary liquidation or bankruptcy; |
| • | we fail to pay the principal, interest, any premium or any other amounts on any Senior Indebtedness within any applicable grace period or the maturity of such Senior Indebtedness is accelerated following any other default, subject to certain limited exceptions set forth in the subordinated indenture; or |
| • | any other default on any Senior Indebtedness occurs that permits immediate acceleration of its maturity, in which case a payment blockage on the subordinated debt securities will be imposed for a maximum of 179 days at any one time. |
No Limitation on Amount of Senior Debt. The subordinated indenture will not limit the amount of Senior Indebtedness that we may incur, unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement.
DESCRIPTION OF GUARANTEES OF DEBT SECURITIES
This summary description is not meant to be a complete description of the guarantees of debt securities that we may offer. At the time of an offering and sale of debt securities, this prospectus together with the accompanying prospectus supplement will contain the material terms of the guarantees of the debt securities being offered.
If specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, certain of our subsidiaries may guarantee the debt securities. Guarantees may be secured or unsecured and senior or subordinated. The particular terms of guarantees of a particular issue of debt securities will be described in the related prospectus supplement.
We may issue warrants to purchase debt securities, common units, preferred units, subordinated units or other securities or any combination of the foregoing. We may issue warrants independently or together with other securities. Warrants sold with other securities may be attached to or separate from the other securities. We will issue warrants under one or more warrant agreements between us and a warrant agent that we will name in the prospectus supplement or directly between us and the warrant holder.
The prospectus supplement relating to any warrants that we may offer will include specific terms relating to the offering. We will file the form of any warrant agreement with the SEC, and you should read the warrant agreement for provisions that may be important to you. The prospectus supplement will include some or all of the following terms:
| • | the title of the warrants; |
| • | the aggregate number of warrants offered; |
| • | the designation, number and terms of the debt securities, common units, preferred units, subordinated units or other securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants, and procedures by which those numbers may be adjusted; |
| • | the exercise price of the warrants; |
| • | the dates or periods during which the warrants are exercisable; |
| • | the designation and terms of any securities with which the warrants are issued; |
| • | if the warrants are issued as a unit with another security, the date, if any, on and after which the warrants and the other security will be separately transferable; |
| • | if the exercise price is not payable in U.S. dollars, the foreign currency, currency unit or composite currency in which the exercise price is denominated; |
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| • | any minimum or maximum amount of warrants that may be exercised at any one time; |
| • | any terms, procedures and limitations relating to the transferability, exchange, exercise, amendment or termination of the warrants; and |
| • | any adjustments to the terms of the warrants resulting from the occurrence of certain events or from the entry into or consummation by us of certain transactions. |
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The following is a summary of the material provisions of our partnership agreement. We will provide holders of our common units with a copy of our partnership agreement upon request at no charge.
We summarize the following provisions of our partnership agreement elsewhere in this prospectus:
| • | with regard to distributions of available cash, please read “Our Cash Distribution Policy;” |
| • | with regard to the transfer of common units, please read “Description of Common Units—Transfer of Common Units;” and |
| • | with regard to allocations of taxable income and taxable loss, please read “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters.” |
Organization and Duration
Our partnership was formed in October 2011 and will have a perpetual existence unless terminated pursuant to the terms of our partnership agreement.
Purpose
Our purpose under the partnership agreement is to engage in any business activity that is approved by our general partner and that lawfully may be conducted by a limited partnership organized under Delaware law; provided, that our general partner shall not cause us to engage in any business activity that the general partner determines would cause us to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Although our general partner has the ability to cause us and our subsidiaries to engage in activities other than the production of natural gas and oil, our general partner has no current plans to do so and may decline to do so free of any duty or obligation whatsoever to us or the limited partners, including any duty to act in good faith or in the best interests of us or the limited partners. Our general partner is authorized in general to perform all acts it determines to be necessary or appropriate to carry out our purposes and to conduct our business.
Cash Distributions
Our partnership agreement specifies the manner in which we will make cash distributions to holders of our common units and other partnership securities as well as to our general partner in respect of its incentive distribution rights. For a description of these cash distribution provisions, please read “Our Cash Distribution Policy.”
Capital Contributions; No Dilution of Class A Units; One-to-One Ratio Between Class A Units and Common Units
Unitholders are not obligated to make additional capital contributions, except as described below under “—Limited Liability.”
The class A units are entitled to 2% of all distributions that we make prior to our liquidation. The 2% sharing ratio of the class A units will not be reduced if we issue additional equity securities in the future. Because the 2% sharing ratio will not be reduced if we issue additional equity securities, and in order to ensure that each class A unit represents the same percentage economic interest in us as one common unit, if we issue additional common units, we will also issue to our general partner, for no additional consideration and without any requirement to make a capital contribution, an additional number of class A units so that the total number of outstanding class A units after such issuance equals 2% of the sum of the total number of common units and class A units after such issuance.
Voting Rights
The following is a summary of the unitholder vote required for the matters specified below. Matters requiring the approval of a “unit majority” require the approval of a majority of the common units.
Atlas Energy has the ability to ensure passage of, as well as the ability to ensure the defeat of, any matter that requires a unit majority because Atlas Energy holds approximately 80% of our outstanding common units.
In voting their common units, Atlas Energy and its affiliates will have no duty or obligation whatsoever to us or the limited partners, including any duty to act in good faith or in the best interests of us or the limited partners. The holders of a majority of the common units represented in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of such common unitholders, unless any such action requires approval by holders of a greater percentage of such units in which case the quorum shall be such greater percentage.
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The following is a summary of the vote requirements specified for certain matters under our partnership agreement:
| Issuance of additional partnership securities | No approval right. See “—Issuance of Additional Securities.” | |
| Amendment of our partnership agreement | Certain amendments may be made by our general partner without the approval of the common unitholders. Other amendments generally require the approval of a unit majority. See “—Amendment of the Partnership Agreement.” | |
| Merger of our partnership or the sale of all or substantially all of our assets |
Unit majority in certain circumstances. See “—Merger, Consolidation, Conversion, Sale or Other Disposition of Our Assets.” | |
| Dissolution of our partnership | Unit majority. See “—Termination and Dissolution.” | |
| Continuation of our partnership upon dissolution | Unit majority. See “—Termination and Dissolution.” | |
| Withdrawal of our general partner | Prior to March 13, 2022, under most circumstances, the approval of a majority of the common units, excluding common units held by our general partner and its affiliates, is required for the withdrawal of our general partner in a manner that would cause a dissolution of our partnership. See “—Withdrawal or Removal of Our General Partner.” | |
| Removal of our general partner | Not less than two-thirds of the outstanding common units, including common units held by our general partner and its affiliates. See “—Withdrawal or Removal of Our General Partner.” | |
| Transfer of the general partner interest | Our general partner may transfer without a vote of our common unitholders all, but not less than all, of its general partner interest in us to an affiliate or another person (other than an individual) in connection with its merger or consolidation with or into, or sale of all, or substantially all, of its assets, to such person. The approval of a majority of the common units, excluding common units held by our general partner and its affiliates, is required in other circumstances for a transfer of the general partner interest to a third-party prior to the tenth anniversary of the date of the distribution. See “—Transfer of General Partner Interest.” | |
| Transfer of ownership interests in our general partner | No approval required at any time. See “—Transfer of Ownership Interests in the General Partner.” | |
The holder of our class A units has all voting rights applicable to the general partner.
Applicable Law; Forum, Venue and Jurisdiction
Our partnership agreement is governed by Delaware law. Our partnership agreement requires that, unless we (through the approval of our general partner) consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for any claims, suits, actions or proceedings:
| • | arising out of or relating in any way to the partnership agreement (including any claims, suits or actions to interpret, apply or enforce the provisions of the partnership agreement or the duties, obligations or liabilities among limited partners or of limited partners to us, or the rights or powers of, or restrictions on, the limited partners or us); |
| • | brought in a derivative manner on our behalf; |
| • | asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of us or our general partner, or owed by our general partner, to us or the limited partners; |
| • | asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware Act; or |
| • | asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine; |
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regardless of whether such claims, suits, actions or proceedings sound in contract, tort, fraud or otherwise, are based on common law, statutory, equitable, legal or other grounds, or are derivative or direct claims. However, if and only if the Court of Chancery of the Statement of Delaware dismisses any such claims, suits, actions or proceedings for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, such claims, suits, actions or proceedings may be brought in another state or federal court sitting in the State of Delaware. By acquiring or purchasing a common unit, a limited partner is irrevocably consenting to these limitations and provisions regarding claims, suits, actions or proceedings and submitting to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware in connection with any such claims, suits, actions or proceedings.
Limited Liability
Assuming that a limited partner does not participate in the control of our business within the meaning of the Delaware Act and otherwise acts in conformity with the provisions of our partnership agreement, the limited partner’s liability under the Delaware Act will be limited, subject to possible exceptions, to the amount of capital he is obligated to contribute to us for his common units plus his share of any undistributed profits and assets. If it were determined, however, that the right, or exercise of the right, by the limited partners as a group:
| • | to remove or replace our general partner, |
| • | to approve some amendments to our partnership agreement, or |
| • | to take other action under our partnership agreement |
constituted “participation in the control” of our business for purposes of the Delaware Act, then our limited partners could be held personally liable for our obligations under Delaware law to the same extent as our general partner. This liability would extend to persons who transact business with us and reasonably believe that the limited partner is a general partner. Neither our partnership agreement nor the Delaware Act specifically provides for legal recourse against our general partner if a limited partner were to lose limited liability through any fault of our general partner. While this does not mean that a limited partner could not seek legal recourse, we know of no precedent for this type of a claim in Delaware case law.
Under the Delaware Act, a limited partnership cannot make a distribution to a partner if, after the distribution, all liabilities of the limited partnership, other than liabilities to partners on account of their partnership interests and liabilities for which the recourse of creditors is limited to specific property of the partnership, would exceed the fair value of the assets of the limited partnership. For the purpose of determining the fair value of the assets of a limited partnership, the Delaware Act provides that the fair value of property subject to liability for which recourse of creditors is limited shall be included in the assets of the limited partnership only to the extent that the fair value of that property exceeds the nonrecourse liability. Moreover, under the Delaware Act, a limited partnership may also not make a distribution to a partner upon the winding up of the limited partnership before liabilities of the limited partnership to creditors have been satisfied by payment or the making of reasonable provision for payment thereof. The Delaware Act provides that a limited partner who receives a distribution and knew at the time of the distribution that the distribution was in violation of the Delaware Act will be liable to the limited partnership for the amount of the distribution for three years. Under the Delaware Act, an assignee who becomes a limited partner is liable for the obligations of his assignor to make contributions to the partnership, except such person is not obligated for liabilities unknown to him at the time he became a limited partner and that could not be ascertained from the partnership agreement.
We currently conduct business in Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia. Limitations on the liability of limited partners for the obligations of a limited partnership have not been clearly established in many jurisdictions. If it were determined that we were conducting business in any state without compliance with the applicable limited partnership statute, or that the right or exercise of the right by the limited partners as a group to remove or replace our general partner, to approve some amendments to our partnership agreement or to take other action under our partnership agreement constituted “participation in the control” of our business for purposes of the statutes of any relevant jurisdiction, then the limited partners could be held personally liable for our obligations under the law of that jurisdiction to the same extent as our general partner under the circumstances. We will operate in a manner that our general partner considers reasonable and necessary or appropriate to preserve the limited liability of the limited partners.
Issuance of Additional Securities
Our partnership agreement authorizes us to issue an unlimited number of additional partnership securities for the consideration and on the terms and conditions determined by our general partner without the approval of our unitholders.
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It is possible that we will fund acquisitions through the issuance of additional common units or other partnership securities. Holders of any additional common units we issue will be entitled to share equally with the then-existing holders of common units in our distributions of available cash. In addition, the issuance of additional common units or other partnership securities may dilute the value of the interests of the then-existing holders of common units in our net assets. The holders of common units will not have preemptive rights to acquire additional common units or other partnership securities.
In accordance with Delaware law and the provisions of our partnership agreement, we may also issue additional partnership securities that, as determined by our general partner, may have special voting rights to which the common units are not entitled. In addition, our partnership agreement does not prohibit the issuance by our subsidiaries of equity securities, which may effectively rank senior to our common units.
The class A units will be entitled to 2% of all distributions that we make prior to our liquidation. The 2% sharing ratio of the class A units will not be reduced if we issue additional equity securities in the future. Because the 2% sharing ratio will not be reduced if we issue additional equity securities, and in order to ensure that each class A unit represents the same percentage economic interest in us as one common unit, if we issue additional common units, we will also issue to our general partner, for no additional consideration and without any requirement to make a capital contribution, an additional number of class A units so that the total number of outstanding class A units after such issuance equals 2% of the sum of the total number of common units and class A units after such issuance.
In addition to the right to receive additional class A units, our general partner will have a limited preemptive right in connection with any issuance by us of additional partnership securities. The right, which the general partner may assign in whole or in part to any of its affiliates, will entitle the general partner to purchase additional units of any securities being sold to third parties, on the same terms as such third parties, in an amount up to the amount necessary to maintain the aggregate ownership percentage of the general partner and its affiliates at the same level before and after such issuance.
Amendment of the Partnership Agreement
General. Amendments to our partnership agreement may be proposed only by our general partner. However, our general partner will have no duty or obligation to propose any amendment and may decline to do so free of any duty or obligation whatsoever to us or our limited partners, including any duty to act in good faith or in the best interests of us or our limited partners. To adopt a proposed amendment, other than the amendments discussed under “—Amendment of the Partnership Agreement—No Unitholder Approval”, our general partner is required to seek written approval of the holders of the number of units required to approve the amendment or call a meeting of the limited partners to consider and vote upon the proposed amendment.
Prohibited Amendments. No amendment may be made that would:
| • | enlarge the obligations of any limited partner without its consent, unless approved by at least a majority of the type or class of limited partner interests so affected; or |
| • | enlarge the obligations of, restrict in any way any action by or rights of or reduce in any way the amounts distributable, reimbursable or otherwise payable by us to our general partner or any of its affiliates without the consent of our general partner, which consent may be given or withheld at its option. |
The provision of our partnership agreement preventing the amendments having the effects described in any of the clauses above can be amended upon the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the outstanding units voting together as a single class.
No Unitholder Approval. Our general partner may generally make amendments to our partnership agreement without the approval of any limited partner to reflect:
| • | a change in our name, the location of our principal place of business, our registered agent or registered office; |
| • | the admission, substitution, withdrawal or removal of partners in accordance with our partnership agreement; |
| • | a change that our general partner determines to be necessary or appropriate for us to qualify as or continue our qualification as a limited partnership or other entity in which the limited partners have limited liability under the laws of any state or to ensure that we will not be taxed as a corporation or otherwise taxed as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes; |
| • | a change in our fiscal year or taxable year and related changes; |
| • | an amendment that is necessary, in the opinion of our counsel, to prevent us or our general partner, or its directors, officers, agents or trustees, from in any manner being subject to the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 or “plan asset” regulations adopted under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, or ERISA, whether or not substantially similar to plan asset regulations currently applied or proposed; |
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| • | an amendment that our general partner determines to be necessary or appropriate for the authorization or issuance of additional partnership securities or options, warrants, rights or appreciation rights relating to any partnership securities; |
| • | an amendment expressly permitted in our partnership agreement to be made by our general partner acting alone; |
| • | any amendment effected, necessitated or contemplated by a merger agreement or plan of conversion that has been approved under the terms of our partnership agreement; |
| • | any amendment that our general partner determines to be necessary or appropriate for the formation by us of, or our investment in, any corporation, partnership or other entity, as otherwise permitted by our partnership agreement; |
| • | any amendment necessary to require our limited partners to provide a statement, certification or other evidence to us regarding whether such limited partner is subject to U.S. federal income taxation on the income generated by us or regarding such limited partner’s nationality or citizenship and to provide for the ability of our general partner to redeem the units of any limited partner who fails to provide such statement, certification or other evidence; |
| • | conversions into, mergers with or conveyances to another limited liability entity that is newly formed and has no assets, liabilities or operations at the time of the conversion, merger or conveyance other than those it receives by way of the conversion, merger or conveyance; and |
| • | any other amendment substantially similar to any of the matters described above. |
In addition, our general partner may amend our partnership agreement, without the approval of the unitholders, if our general partner determines that those amendments:
| • | do not adversely affect the limited partners in any material respect; |
| • | are necessary or appropriate to satisfy any requirements, conditions or guidelines contained in any opinion, directive, order, ruling or regulation of any federal or state agency or judicial authority or contained in any federal or state statute; |
| • | are necessary or appropriate to facilitate the trading of limited partner interests or to comply with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any securities exchange or interdealer quotation system on which the limited partner interests are or will be listed for trading; |
| • | are necessary or appropriate for any action taken by our general partner relating to splits or combinations of units or to implement the tax-related provisions of our partnership agreement; or |
| • | are required to effect the intent expressed in this registration statement or the intent of the provisions of our partnership agreement or are otherwise contemplated by our partnership agreement. |
Unitholder Approval. For amendments of the type not requiring unitholder approval, our general partner will not be required to obtain an opinion of counsel that an amendment will not result in a loss of limited liability to our limited partners or result in our being treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for federal income tax purposes. No other amendments to our partnership agreement will become effective without the approval of holders of at least 90% of the outstanding common units if our general partner determines that such amendment will affect the limited liability of any limited partner under Delaware law.
In addition to the above restrictions, any amendment that would have a material adverse effect on the rights or preferences of any type or class of outstanding units in relation to other classes of units will require the approval of at least a majority of the type or class of units so affected. Any amendment that reduces the voting percentage required to take any action other than to remove the general partner or call a meeting of unitholders is required to be approved by the affirmative vote of limited partners whose aggregate outstanding common units constitute not less than the voting requirement sought to be reduced. Any amendment that would increase the percentage of common units required to remove the general partner or call a meeting of unitholders must be approved by the affirmative vote of limited partners whose aggregate outstanding common units constitute not less than the percentage sought to be increased.
Merger, Consolidation, Conversion, Sale or Other Disposition of Our Assets
A merger, consolidation or conversion of us requires the prior consent of our general partner. However, our general partner will have no duty or obligation to consent to any merger, consolidation or conversion and may decline to do so free of any fiduciary duty or obligation whatsoever to us or the limited partners, including any duty to act in good faith or any other standard imposed by our partnership agreement, the Delaware Act or applicable law.
In addition, the partnership agreement generally prohibits our general partner, without the prior approval by a unit majority, from causing us to sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets in a single transaction or a series of related transactions. Our general partner may, however, mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or grant a security interest in all or substantially all of our assets without the approval of a unit majority. Our general partner may also sell all or substantially all of our
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assets under a foreclosure or other realization upon those encumbrances without that approval. Finally, our general partner may consummate any merger, consolidation or conversion without the prior approval of our unitholders if we are the surviving entity in the transaction, our general partner has received an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters, the transaction will not result in an amendment to the partnership agreement (other than an amendment that the general partner could adopt without the consent of other partners), each of our units will be an identical unit of our partnership following the transaction and the number of partnership securities to be issued does not exceed 20% of our outstanding partnership securities immediately prior to the transaction.
If the conditions specified in the partnership agreement are satisfied, our general partner may convert us or any of our subsidiaries into a new limited liability entity or merge us or any of our subsidiaries into, or convey all of our assets to, a newly formed entity if the purpose of that conversion, merger or conveyance is to effect a change in our legal form into another limited liability entity, our general partner has received an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters and the general partner determines that the governing instruments of the new entity provide the limited partners and the general partner with substantially the same rights and obligations as contained in the partnership agreement. The unitholders are not entitled to dissenters’ rights of appraisal under the partnership agreement or applicable Delaware law in the event of a conversion, merger or consolidation, a sale of substantially all of our assets or any other similar transaction or event.
Termination and Dissolution
We will continue as a limited partnership until dissolved under our partnership agreement. We will dissolve upon:
| • | the election of our general partner to dissolve us, if approved by a unit majority; |
| • | the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of our partnership; |
| • | there being no limited partners, unless we are continued without dissolution in accordance with applicable Delaware law; or |
| • | the withdrawal or removal of our general partner or any other event that results in its ceasing to be our general partner other than by reason of a transfer of its general partner interest in us in accordance with our partnership agreement or withdrawal or removal following approval and admission of a successor. |
Upon a dissolution under the last item above, the holders of a unit majority may also elect, within specific time limitations, to continue our business on the same terms and conditions described in our partnership agreement by appointing as a successor general partner an entity approved by the holders of a unit majority subject to our receipt of an opinion of counsel to the effect that:
| • | the action would not result in the loss of limited liability under Delaware law of any limited partner; and |
| • | neither our partnership nor any of our subsidiaries would be taxed as a corporation or otherwise be taxable as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon the exercise of that right to continue (to the extent not already so treated or taxed). |
Liquidation and Distribution of Proceeds
Upon our dissolution, unless we are continued as a new limited partnership, the liquidator authorized to wind up our affairs will, acting with all of the powers of our general partner that are necessary or appropriate liquidate our assets and apply the proceeds of the liquidation as described in “Our Cash Distribution Policy.” The liquidator may defer liquidation or distribution of our assets for a reasonable period of time or distribute assets to partners in kind if it determines that a sale would be impractical or would cause undue loss to our partners.
Withdrawal or Removal of Our General Partner
Except as described below, our general partner has agreed not to withdraw voluntarily as our general partner prior to the tenth anniversary of the date of the distribution, without obtaining the approval of the holders of at least a majority of our outstanding common units, excluding common units held by our general partner and its affiliates, and furnishing an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters. On or after the tenth anniversary of the date of the distribution, our general partner may withdraw as our general partner without first obtaining approval from the unitholders by giving 90 days’ written notice. Notwithstanding the information above, our general partner may withdraw as our general partner without unitholder approval upon 90 days’ notice to our limited partners if at least 50% of the outstanding common units are held or controlled by one person and its affiliates other than our general partner and its affiliates. In addition, our partnership agreement permits our general partner in some instances to sell or otherwise transfer all of its general partner interest in us without the approval of the unitholders. See “—Transfer of General Partner Interest.”
If our general partner withdraws, other than as a result of a transfer of all or a part of its general partner interest in us, the holders of a unit majority may elect a successor to the withdrawing general partner. If a successor is not elected prior to the effective date of
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the withdrawal, or is elected but an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters cannot be obtained, we will be dissolved and liquidated, unless within a specified period of time after that withdrawal, the holders of a unit majority elect to continue the partnership by appointing a successor general partner. See “—Termination and Dissolution.”
Our general partner may not be removed unless that removal is approved by the vote of the holders of at least 66- 2/3% of the outstanding units, including units held by our general partner and its affiliates, and we receive an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters. Any removal of our general partner is also subject to the approval of a successor general partner by the vote of the holders of a unit majority, including units held by our general partner and its affiliates. The ownership of more than 33- 1/3% of our outstanding common units by our general partner and its affiliates would give them the practical ability to prevent our general partner’s removal. At the closing of this distribution, Atlas Energy will own 80% of our outstanding common units.
In the event of removal of our general partner under circumstances where cause exists or a withdrawal of our general partner that violates our partnership agreement, a successor general partner will have the option to purchase the class A units and incentive distribution rights of the departing general partner for a cash payment equal to the fair market value of those interests. Under all other circumstances where our general partner withdraws or is removed, the departing general partner will have the option to require the successor general partner to purchase those interests for their fair market value. In each case, fair market value will be determined by agreement between the departing general partner and the successor general partner. If they cannot reach an agreement, an independent expert selected by the departing general partner and the successor general partner will determine the fair market value. If the departing general partner and the successor general partner cannot agree on an expert, then an expert chosen by agreement of the experts selected by each of them will determine the fair market value.
If the purchase option is not exercised by either the departing general partner or the successor general partner, the class A units and incentive distribution rights will automatically convert into common units equal to the fair market value of those interests as determined by an investment banking firm or other independent expert selected in the manner described in the preceding paragraph.
In addition, we will be required to reimburse the departing general partner for all amounts due the departing general partner, including, without limitation, all employee-related liabilities, including severance liabilities, incurred for the termination of any employees employed by the departing general partner or its affiliates for our benefit.
Transfer of General Partner Interest
Except for the transfer by our general partner of all, but not less than all, of its class A units to:
| • | an affiliate of our general partner (other than an individual); or |
| • | another entity as part of the merger or consolidation of our general partner with or into another entity or the transfer by our general partner of all or substantially all of its assets to another entity, |
our general partner may not transfer all or any part of its general partner interest to another person, prior to the tenth anniversary of the date of the distribution, without the approval of the holders of at least a majority of our outstanding common units, excluding common units held by our general partner and its affiliates. As a condition of this transfer, the transferee must assume, among other things, the rights and duties of our general partner, agree to be bound by the provisions of our partnership agreement and furnish an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters.
Our general partner and its affiliates may at any time transfer common units to one or more persons without unitholder approval.
Transfer of Ownership Interests in the General Partner
The members of our general partner may sell or transfer all or part of their interest in our general partner without the approval of the unitholders.
Transfer of Incentive Distribution Rights
Our general partner or any other holder of incentive distribution rights may transfer any or all of its incentive distribution rights without unitholder approval.
Change of Management Provisions
Our partnership agreement contains specific provisions that are intended to discourage a person or group from attempting to remove Atlas Resource Partners GP, LLC as our general partner or otherwise change the management of our general partner. If any
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person or group other than our general partner and its affiliates acquires beneficial ownership of 20% or more of our common units, that person or group will lose voting rights on all of its units and the common units will not be considered outstanding for the purposes of noticing meetings, determining the presence of a quorum, calculating required votes and other similar matters. This loss of voting rights does not apply to any person or group that acquires the common units from our general partner or its affiliates, any transferees of that person or group approved by our general partner or any person or group who acquires the common units directly from us if our general partner notifies such person or group in writing, in advance, that this limitation will not apply.
Limited Call Right
If at any time our general partner and its affiliates own more than two-thirds of the outstanding common units, our general partner will have the right, which it may assign to any of its affiliates or to us, to acquire all, but not less than all, of the common units held by unaffiliated persons as of a record date selected by our general partner on at least 10 but not more than 60 days’ notice.
The purchase price is the greater of:
| • | the highest cash price paid by our general partner or any of its affiliates for any limited partner interests of the class purchased within the 90 days preceding the date on which our general partner first mails notice of its election to purchase those limited partner interests; and |
| • | the average of the daily closing prices of the limited partner interests of such class over the 20 trading days preceding the date three days before the date the notice is mailed. |
As a result of our general partner’s right to purchase outstanding limited partner interests, a holder of limited partner interests may have his limited partner interests purchased at a price that may be lower than market prices at various times prior to such purchase or lower than a unitholder may anticipate the market price to be in the future. The federal income tax consequences to a unitholder of the exercise of this call right are the same as a sale by that unitholder of his common units in the market.
Meetings; Voting
Except as described above under “—Change of Management Provisions,” unitholders who are record holders of common units on a record date will be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, meetings of our limited partners and to act upon matters for which approvals may be solicited. Our general partner does not anticipate that any meeting of common unitholders will be called in the foreseeable future.
Any action that is required or permitted to be taken by the common unitholders may be taken either at a meeting of the common unitholders or without a meeting if consents in writing describing the action so taken are signed by holders of the number of common units necessary to authorize or take that action at a meeting. Meetings of the common unitholders may be called by our general partner or by holders of at least 20% of the outstanding common units of the class for which a meeting is proposed. Unitholders may vote either in person or by proxy at meetings. The holders of a majority of the outstanding common units of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called, represented in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum unless any action by the unitholders requires approval by holders of a greater percentage of the common units, in which case the quorum will be the greater percentage.
Except as described above under “—Change of Management Provisions,” each record holder will have a vote in accordance with his percentage interest, although additional limited partner interests having different voting rights could be issued. See “—Issuance of Additional Securities.” Common units held in nominee or street name account will be voted by the broker or other nominee in accordance with the instruction of the beneficial owner.
Any notice, demand, request report, or proxy material required or permitted to be given or made to record holders of common units under our partnership agreement will be delivered to the record holder by us or by the transfer agent.
Status as Limited Partner
By transfer of any common units in accordance with our partnership agreement, each transferee of common units shall be admitted as a limited partner with respect to the common units transferred when such transfer and admission is reflected in our books and records. Except as described above under “— Limited Liability,” the common units will be fully paid, and unitholders will not be required to make additional contributions.
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Non-Citizen Assignees; Redemption
If we are or become subject to federal, state or local laws or regulations that, in the reasonable determination of our general partner, create a substantial risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any property that we have an interest in because of the nationality, citizenship or other related status of any limited partner, we may redeem the units held by the limited partner at their current market price. In order to avoid any cancellation or forfeiture, our general partner may require any limited partner or transferee to furnish information about his nationality, citizenship or related status. If a limited partner fails to furnish this information within 30 days after a request for the information, or our general partner determines after receipt of the information that the limited partner is not an eligible citizen, then the limited partner may be treated as a non-citizen assignee. A non-citizen assignee does not have the right to direct the voting of his units and may not receive distributions in kind upon our liquidation.
In addition, in such circumstance, we will have the right to acquire all (but not less than all) of the units held by such limited partner or non-citizen assignee. The purchase price for such units will be the average of the daily closing prices per unit for the 20 consecutive trading days immediately prior to the date set for such purchase, and such purchase price will be paid (in the sole discretion of our general partner) either in cash or by delivery of a promissory note. Any such promissory note will bear interest at the rate of 5% annually and will be payable in three equal annual installments of principal and accrued interest, commencing one year after the purchase date.
Non-Taxpaying Holders; Redemption
If our general partner, with the advice of counsel, determines that our not being treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, coupled with the tax status (or lack of proof thereof) of one or more of our limited partners, has, or is reasonably likely to have, a material adverse effect on the maximum applicable rate that can be charged to customers by our subsidiaries, then our general partner may adopt such amendments to our partnership agreement as it determines necessary or advisable to:
| • | obtain proof of the U.S. federal income tax status of our limited partners (and their owners, to the extent relevant); and |
| • | permit us to redeem the units at their current market price held by any person whose tax status has or is reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our ability to operate our assets or generate revenues from our assets or who fails to comply with the procedures instituted by our general partner to obtain proof of the U.S. federal income tax status. |
A non-taxpaying assignee does not have the right to direct the voting of his units and may not receive distributions in-kind upon our liquidation.
Indemnification
Under our partnership agreement, in most circumstances, we will indemnify the following persons, by reason of their status as such, to the fullest extent permitted by law, from and against all losses, claims or damages arising out of or incurred in connection with our business:
| • | our general partner; |
| • | any departing general partner; |
| • | any person who is or was an affiliate of our general partner or any departing general partner; |
| • | any person who is or was a manager, managing member, officer, director, employee, agent, fiduciary or trustee of our partnership, our subsidiaries, our general partner, any departing general partner or any affiliate of our partnership, our subsidiaries, our general partner, any departing general partner; |
| • | any person who is or was serving at the request of a general partner or any departing general partner or any affiliate of a general partner or any departing general partner as a manager, managing member officer, director, employee, agent, fiduciary or trustee of another person; and |
| • | any person whom the general partner designates as an indemnitee for purposes of our partnership agreement. |
Our indemnification obligation arises only if the indemnified person did not act in bad faith or engage in fraud, willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal matter, knowledge of the indemnified person’s unlawful conduct.
Any indemnification under these provisions will be only out of our assets. Our general partner will not be personally liable for the indemnification obligations and will not have any obligation to contribute or loan funds to us in connection with it. Our partnership agreement permits us to purchase insurance against liabilities asserted against and expenses incurred by persons for our activities, regardless of whether we would have the power to indemnify the person against liabilities under the partnership agreement.
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Reimbursement of Expenses
Our partnership agreement requires us to reimburse our general partner for all direct and indirect expenses it incurs or payments it makes on our behalf and all other expenses allocable to us or otherwise incurred by our general partner in connection with operating our business. These expenses include salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to persons who perform services for us or on our behalf, and expenses allocated to our general partner by its affiliates. Our general partner is entitled to determine the expenses that are allocable to us, and our partnership agreement does not place any aggregate limit on the amount of such reimbursements.
Books and Reports
Our general partner is required to keep appropriate books of our business at our principal offices. The books will be maintained for both tax and financial reporting purposes on an accrual basis. For financial and tax reporting purposes, our fiscal year end is December 31.
We will furnish or make available to record holders of common units, within 120 days after the close of each fiscal year, an annual report containing audited financial statements and a report on those financial statements by our independent registered public accounting firm. Except for our fourth quarter, we also furnish or make available summary financial information within 90 days after the close of each quarter. We will be deemed to have made any such report available if we file such report with the SEC on EDGAR or make the report available on a publicly available website that we maintain.
We will furnish each record holder of a unit with information reasonably required for tax reporting purposes within 90 days after the close of each calendar year. This information is expected to be furnished in summary form so that some complex calculations normally required of partners can be avoided. Our ability to furnish this summary information to our unitholders will depend on the cooperation of our unitholders in supplying us with specific information. Every unitholder will receive information to assist it in determining its federal and state tax liability and filing its federal and state income tax returns, regardless of whether it supplies us with information.
Right to Inspect Our Books and Records
Our partnership agreement provides that a limited partner can, for a purpose reasonably related to its interest as a limited partner, upon reasonable written demand stating the purpose of such demand and at his own expense, obtain:
| • | a current list of the name and last known address of each partner; |
| • | a copy of our tax returns; |
| • | information as to the amount of cash, and a description and statement of the agreed value of any other property or services, contributed or to be contributed by each partner and the date on which each became a partner; |
| • | copies of our partnership agreement, the certificate of limited partnership and related amendments and powers of attorney under which they have been executed; and |
| • | information regarding the status of our business and financial condition. |
Our general partner may, and intends to, keep confidential from the limited partners trade secrets or other information the disclosure of which our general partner believes is not in our best interests or which we are required by law or by agreements with third parties to keep confidential.
Registration Rights
In our partnership agreement, we have agreed to register for resale under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws any common units or other partnership securities proposed to be sold by our general partner, Atlas Energy or any of their respective affiliates if an exemption from the registration requirements is not otherwise available. There is no limit on the number of times that we may be required to file registration statements pursuant to this obligation. We have also agreed to include any securities held by our general partner, Atlas Energy or any of their respective affiliates in any registration statement that we file to offer securities for cash, other than an offering relating solely to an employee benefit plan. These registration rights continue for two years following any withdrawal or removal of our general partner. We are obligated to pay all expenses incidental to the registration, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions.
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Set forth below is a summary of the significant provisions of our partnership agreement that relate to our cash distributions.
General
The amount of distributions paid under our cash distribution policy and the decision to make any distribution will be determined by our general partner in its discretion, taking into account the terms of our partnership agreement. Our cash distribution policy reflects a basic judgment, given our current asset base, that our unitholders will be better served by the distribution of our available cash (which is defined in our partnership agreement and is net of any expenses and reserves established by our general partner) than by our retaining such available cash. It is the current policy of our general partner that we should increase our level of quarterly cash distributions per unit only when, in its judgment, it believes that:
| • | we have sufficient reserves and liquidity for the proper conduct of our business; and |
| • | we can maintain such an increased distribution level for a sustained period. |
The amount of “available cash,” which is defined in our partnership agreement, will be determined by our general partner for each calendar quarter after the completion of the distribution and will be based upon recommendations from our management. Because we believe that we will generally finance any expansion capital expenditures and investment capital expenditures from external financing sources, we believe that our investors are best served by our distributing all of our available cash. In addition, because we are not subject to entity-level U.S. federal income tax as a partnership, we have more cash to distribute to you than would be the case if we were subject to U.S. federal income tax. Our cash distribution policy is consistent with the terms of our partnership agreement, which requires that we distribute all of our available cash.
Minimum Quarterly Distributions
We currently intend to distribute to the holders of our common units and class A units on a quarterly basis at least a minimum quarterly distribution of $0.40 per unit, or $1.60 per unit per year, to the extent we have sufficient available cash after we establish appropriate reserves and pay fees and expenses, including payments to our general partner in reimbursement of costs and expenses it incurs on our behalf. Our minimum quarterly distribution is intended to reflect the level of cash that we expect to be available for distribution per common unit and class A unit each quarter. There is no guarantee that we will pay the minimum quarterly distribution, or any distribution, in any quarter, and we will be prohibited from making any distributions to unitholders if it would cause an event of default or an event of default is existing under our credit agreement.
It is the current policy of our general partner that we should raise our quarterly cash distribution only when our general partner believes that:
| • | we have sufficient reserves and liquidity for the proper conduct of our business; and |
| • | we can maintain such an increased distribution level for a sustained period. |
While this is our current policy, our general partner may alter the policy in the future when and if it determines such alteration to be appropriate.
Quarterly Distributions of Available Cash
Our partnership agreement requires that we make distributions of all available cash (as defined in our partnership agreement) within 45 days after the end of each quarter, beginning with the quarter ending March 31, 2012, to holders of record on the applicable record date.
For these purposes, “available cash” generally means, for any of our fiscal quarters:
| • | all cash on hand at the end of the quarter (including amounts available for working capital purposes under a credit facility, commercial paper facility or other similar financing arrangement), |
| • | less the amount of cash reserves established by our general partner at the date of determination of available cash for the quarter in order to: |
| • | provide for the proper conduct of our business (including reserves for working capital, operating expenses, future capital expenditures and credit needs and potential acquisitions); |
| • | comply with applicable law and any of our debt instruments or other agreements; or |
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| • | provide funds for distributions to (1) our unitholders for any one or more of the next four quarters or (2) with respect to our incentive distribution rights (provided that our general partner may not establish cash reserves for future distributions on our common units and class A units unless it determines that the establishment of such reserves will not prevent us from distributing the minimum distribution on all common units and class A units); |
| • | plus, if our general partner so determines, all or any portion of cash on hand on the date of determination of available cash for the quarter resulting from working capital borrowings made after the end of the quarter. |
Working capital borrowings are borrowings that are made under our credit facility or another arrangement and used solely for working capital purposes or to pay distributions to unitholders.
Operating Surplus and Capital Surplus
General
All cash we distribute to unitholders will be characterized as either “operating surplus” or “capital surplus.” Our partnership agreement requires that we distribute available cash from operating surplus differently than available cash from capital surplus.
Definition of Operating Surplus
Operating surplus generally means:
| • | $60 million (as described below); plus |
| • | all of our cash receipts after the separation, including working capital borrowings but excluding cash from (1) borrowings that are not working capital borrowings, (2) sales of equity and debt securities and (3) sales or other dispositions of assets outside the ordinary course of business; plus |
| • | working capital borrowings made after the end of a quarter but before the date of determination of operating surplus for the quarter; plus |
| • | cash distributions paid on equity securities that we may issue after the separation to finance all or a portion of the construction, acquisition, development, replacement or improvement of a capital asset (such as equipment or reserves) during the period beginning on the date that we enter into a binding obligation to commence the construction, acquisition, development or improvement of a capital improvement or replacement of a capital asset and ending on the earlier to occur of the date the capital improvement or capital asset begins producing in paying quantities, the date it is placed into service or the date that it is abandoned or disposed of; plus |
| • | cash distributions paid (including incremental incentive distributions) on equity issued to pay the construction period interest on debt incurred (including periodic net payments under related interest rate swap arrangements), or to pay construction period distributions on equity issued, to finance the capital improvements or capital assets referred to above; less |
| • | our operating expenditures (as defined below); less |
| • | the amount of cash reserves established by our general partner to provide funds for future operating expenditures; less |
| • | all working capital borrowings not repaid within 12 months after having been incurred or repaid within such twelve-month period with the proceeds of additional working capital borrowings; less |
| • | any cash loss realized on disposition of an investment capital expenditure. |
If a working capital borrowing, which increases operating surplus, is not repaid during the twelve-month period following the borrowing, it will be deemed repaid at the end of such period, thus decreasing operating surplus at such time. When such working capital borrowing is in fact repaid, it will not be treated as a reduction in operating surplus because operating surplus will have been previously reduced by the deemed repayment.
Operating expenditures is defined in our partnership agreement, and generally means all of our cash expenditures, including but not limited to:
| • | taxes; |
| • | reimbursement of expenses to our general partner and its affiliates; |
| • | payments made in the ordinary course of business on hedge contracts; |
| • | director and officer compensation; |
| • | repayment of working capital borrowings; |
| • | debt service payments; and |
| • | estimated maintenance capital expenditures, |
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Operating expenditures, however, do not include:
| • | repayment of working capital borrowings previously deducted from operating surplus pursuant to the penultimate bullet point of the definition of operating surplus when the repayment actually occurs; |
| • | payments (including prepayments and prepayment penalties) of principal of and premium on indebtedness, other than working capital borrowings; |
| • | expansion capital expenditures; |
| • | actual maintenance capital expenditures; |
| • | investment capital expenditures; |
| • | payment of transaction expenses relating to interim capital transactions; |
| • | distributions to our unitholders and distributions with respect to our incentive distribution rights; or |
| • | repurchases of equity interests except to fund obligations under employee benefit plans. |
As described above, operating surplus does not reflect actual cash on hand that is available for distribution to our unitholders. For example, it includes a provision that will enable us, if we choose, to distribute as operating surplus up to $60 million of cash that we receive in the future from non-operating sources, such as asset sales, issuances of securities and long-term borrowings that would otherwise be distributed as capital surplus. In addition, the effect of including in the definition of operating surplus certain cash distributions on equity securities would be to increase operating surplus by the amount of the cash distributions. As a result, we may also distribute as operating surplus up to the amount of the cash distributions we receive from non-operating sources.
None of actual maintenance capital expenditures, investment capital expenditures or expansion capital expenditures are subtracted from operating surplus. Because actual maintenance capital expenditures, investment capital expenditures and expansion capital expenditures include interest payments (and related fees) on debt incurred and distributions on equity issued (including incremental distributions on incentive distribution rights) to finance all of the portion of the construction, acquisition, development, replacement or improvement of a capital asset (such as equipment or reserves) during the period from when we enter into a binding commitment to commence the construction, acquisition, development or improvement of a capital asset or replacement of a capital asset until the earlier to occur of the date any such capital asset is placed into service or the date that it is abandoned or disposed of, such interest payments and equity distributions are also not subtracted from operating surplus (except, in the case of maintenance capital expenditures, to the extent such interest payments and distributions are included in estimated maintenance capital expenditures).
Capital Expenditures
Estimated maintenance capital expenditures reduce operating surplus, but expansion capital expenditures, actual maintenance capital expenditures and investment capital expenditures do not.
Maintenance Capital Expenditures. Maintenance capital expenditures are those capital expenditures we expect to make on an ongoing basis to maintain our current production levels over the long term. We expect that a primary component of maintenance capital expenditures will be capital expenditures associated with the replacement of equipment and oil and natural gas reserves (including non-proved reserves attributable to undeveloped leasehold acreage and other similar assets), whether through the development, exploitation and production of an existing leasehold or the acquisition or development of a new oil or natural gas property, including to offset expected production declines from producing properties. Maintenance capital expenditures will also include interest (and related fees) on debt incurred and distributions on equity issued (including incremental distributions on incentive distribution rights) to finance all or any portion of a replacement asset that is paid in respect of the period beginning on the date that we enter into a binding obligation to commence construction or development of the replacement asset and ending on the earlier to occur of the date the replacement asset is placed into service or the date that it is abandoned or disposed of. Capital expenditures made solely for investment purposes will not be considered maintenance capital expenditures.
Because our maintenance capital expenditures can be irregular, the amount of our actual maintenance capital expenditures may differ substantially from period to period, which could cause similar fluctuations in the amounts of operating surplus, adjusted operating surplus and cash available for distribution to our unitholders if we subtracted actual maintenance capital expenditures from operating surplus. To address this issue, our partnership agreement will require that an estimate of the average quarterly maintenance capital expenditures (including estimated plugging and abandonment costs) necessary to maintain our asset base over the long term be subtracted from operating surplus each quarter as opposed to the actual amounts spent. The amount of estimated maintenance capital expenditures deducted from operating surplus is subject to review and change by the board of directors of our general partner at least once a year. We will make the estimate at least annually and whenever an event occurs that is likely to result in a material adjustment to the amount of future estimated maintenance capital expenditures, such as a major acquisition or the introduction of new governmental regulations that will impact our business. Any adjustment to this estimate will be prospective only.
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The use of estimated maintenance capital expenditures in calculating operating surplus will have the following effects:
| • | it will reduce the risk that maintenance capital expenditures in any one quarter will be large enough to render operating surplus less than the minimum quarterly distribution to be paid on all the units for that quarter; |
| • | it will increase our ability to distribute as operating surplus cash we receive from non-operating sources; |
| • | in quarters where estimated maintenance capital expenditures exceed actual maintenance capital expenditures, it will be more difficult for us to raise our distributions above the minimum quarterly distribution, because the amount of estimated maintenance capital expenditures will reduce the amount of cash available for distribution to our unitholders, even in quarters where there are no corresponding actual capital expenditures; conversely, the use of estimated maintenance capital expenditures in calculating operating surplus will have the opposite effect for quarters in which actual maintenance capital expenditures exceed our estimated maintenance capital expenditures; and |
| • | it will be more difficult for us to raise our distribution above the minimum quarterly distribution and pay incentive distribution rights. |
Expansion Capital Expenditures
Expansion capital expenditures are those capital expenditures that we expect will increase the production of our and gas properties over the long term. Examples of expansion capital expenditures include the acquisition of reserves or equipment, the acquisition of new leasehold interests, or the development, exploitation and production of an existing leasehold interest, to the extent such expenditures are incurred to increase the production of our oil and gas properties over the long term. Expansion capital expenditures will also include interest (and related fees) on debt incurred and distributions on equity issued (including incremental distributions on incentive distribution rights) to finance all or any portion of a capital improvement that is paid in respect of the period beginning on the date that we enter into a binding obligation to commence construction or development of the capital improvement and ending on the earlier to occur of the date the capital improvement is placed into service or the date that it is abandoned or disposed of. Capital expenditures made solely for investment purposes will not be considered expansion capital expenditures.
Investment Capital Expenditures
Investment capital expenditures are those capital expenditures that are neither maintenance capital expenditures nor expansion capital expenditures. Investment capital expenditures largely will consist of capital expenditures made for investment purposes. Examples of investment capital expenditures include traditional capital expenditures for investment purposes, such as purchases of securities, as well as other capital expenditures that might be made in lieu of such traditional investment capital expenditures, such as the acquisition of a capital asset for investment purposes or development of our undeveloped properties in excess of the maintenance of our asset base, but which are not expected to expand our asset base for more than the short term.
Capital expenditures that are made in part for maintenance capital purposes and in part for investment capital or expansion capital purposes will be allocated as maintenance capital expenditures, investment capital expenditures or expansion capital expenditure by the board of directors of our general partner based upon its good faith determination.
Definition of Capital Surplus
Capital surplus is defined in our partnership agreement as any distribution of available cash in excess of our cumulative operating surplus. Accordingly, capital surplus would generally be generated by:
| • | borrowings (including sales of debt securities) other than working capital borrowings; |
| • | sales of debt and equity securities; and |
| • | sales or other dispositions of assets for cash, other than inventory, accounts receivable and other assets disposed of in the ordinary course of business or as part of normal retirement or replacement of assets. |
Characterization of Cash Distributions
We treat all available cash distributed as distributed from operating surplus until the sum of all available cash distributed since we began operations equals our total operating surplus from the date that we began operations until the end of the quarter that immediately preceded the distribution. We will treat any amount distributed in excess of operating surplus, regardless of its source, as capital surplus. As described above, operating surplus includes up to $60 million which does not reflect actual cash on hand that is available for distribution to our unitholders. Rather, it is a provision that will enable us, if we choose, to distribute as operating surplus up to this amount of cash we receive in the future from non-operating sources such as asset sales, issuances of securities and borrowings that would otherwise be distributed as capital surplus. We do not currently anticipate that we will make any distributions from capital surplus.
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Distributions of Available Cash from Operating Surplus
We will make distributions of available cash from operating surplus for any quarter in the following manner:
| • | first, 2% to holders of our class A units (which will be held by our general partner) and 98% to the holders of our common units, each pro rata, until each holder has received $0.46 per outstanding unit, which we refer to as the “first target distribution”; and |
| • | after that, in the manner described in “Cash Distribution Policy—Incentive Distribution Rights.” |
Adjusted operating surplus for any period generally means operating surplus generated during that period, less:
| 1. | any net increase in working capital borrowings with respect to that period; and |
| 2. | any net decrease in cash reserves for operating expenditures with respect to that period not relating to an operating expenditure made with respect to that period, |
and plus:
| 3. | any net decrease in working capital borrowings made with respect to that period; |
| 4. | any net increase in cash reserves for operating expenditures with respect to that period required by any debt instrument for the repayment of principal, interest or premium; and |
| 5. | any net decrease made in subsequent periods in cash reserves for operating expenditures initially established with respect to such period to the extent such decrease results in a reduction of adjusted operating surplus in subsequent periods pursuant to item 2 above. |
Operating surplus generated during a period is equal to the difference between:
| • | the operating surplus determined at the end of that period; and |
| • | the operating surplus determined at the beginning of that period. |
Incentive Distribution Rights
Incentive distribution rights represent the right to receive increasing amounts of quarterly distributions of available cash from operating surplus after we have made payments in excess of the first target distribution and the tests described below have been met. Our general partner currently holds all of the incentive distribution rights, but may transfer these rights separately from its general partner interest in us, without the consent of the unitholders.
We will make incentive distributions to our general partner for any quarter in which we have distributed available cash from operating surplus to our unitholders in an amount equal to the first target distribution, as follows:
| • | first, 2% to holders of our class A units (which will be held by our general partner) and 98% to the holders of our common units, each pro rata, until each holder has received $0.40 per outstanding unit, which we refer to as the “minimum distribution”; |
| • | second, 2% to holders of our class A units and 98% to the holders of our common units, each pro rata, until each holder has received $0.46 per outstanding unit, which we refer to as the “first target distribution”; |
| • | third, 2% to the holders of our class A units and 85% to the holders of our common units, each pro rata, and 13% to the holder of the incentive distribution rights, which will initially be our general partner, until each holder of our class A units and holder of our common units has received $0.50 per outstanding unit, which we refer to as the “second target distribution”; |
| • | fourth, 2% to the holders of our class A units and 75% to the holders of our common units, each pro rata, and 23% to the holder of the incentive distribution rights, until each holder of our class A units and holder of our common units has received $0.60 per outstanding unit, which we refer to as the “third target distribution”; and |
| • | after that, 2% to the holders of our class A units and 50% to the holders of our common units, each pro rata, and 48% to the holder of the incentive distribution rights. |
The class A units represent a 2% general partner interest in Atlas Resource Partners, and the holder of such units will be entitled to 2% of our cash distributions, without any requirement to make a capital contribution to us. The 2% sharing ratio of the class A units will not be reduced if we issue additional common units in the future. Because the 2% sharing ratio will not be reduced if we issue additional common units, and in order to ensure that each class A unit represents the same percentage economic interest in Atlas
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Resource Partners as one common unit, if we issue additional common units, we will also issue to our general partner, for no additional consideration and without any requirement to make a capital contribution, an additional number of class A units so that the total number of outstanding class A units after such issuance equals 2% of the sum of the total number of common units and class A units after such issuance.
The following table illustrates the percentage allocations of the available cash from operating surplus between the unitholders and the owner of our incentive distribution rights up to various distribution levels. The amounts set forth under “Marginal percentage interest in distributions” are the percentage interests of our common unitholders and the holders of our incentive distribution rights in any available cash from operating surplus that we distribute up to and including the corresponding amount in the column “Quarterly distribution level,” until available cash from operating surplus that we distribute reaches the next distribution level, if any. The percentage interests shown for the minimum quarterly distribution are also applicable to quarterly distribution amounts that are less than the minimum quarterly distribution.
| Marginal percentage interest in distributions | ||||||||||||||
| Quarterly distribution level |
Common units | Class A units | Incentive distribution rights |
|||||||||||
| Minimum quarterly distribution per common and class A unit |
$0.40 | 98.0 | % | 2.0 | % | 0.0 | % | |||||||
| First target distribution per common and class A unit |
up to $0.46 | 98.0 | % | 2.0 | % | 0.0 | % | |||||||
| Second target distribution per common and class A unit |
above $0.46 up to $0.50 |
85.0 | % | 2.0 | % | 13.0 | % | |||||||
| Third target distribution per common and class A unit |
above $0.50 up to $0.60 |
75.0 | % | 2.0 | % | 23.0 | % | |||||||
| After that |
above $0.60 | 50.0 | % | 2.0 | % | 48.0 | % | |||||||
Right to Reset Incentive Distribution Levels
The holder of our incentive distribution rights, which will initially be our general partner, has the right under our partnership agreement to elect to relinquish the right to receive incentive distribution payments based on the initial cash target distribution levels and to reset, at higher levels, the minimum quarterly distribution amount and cash target distribution levels upon which the incentive distribution payments to our general partner would be set. If our general partner transfers all or a portion of our incentive distribution rights in the future, then the holder or holders of a majority of our incentive distribution rights will be entitled to exercise this right.
The right to reset the minimum quarterly distribution amount and the target distribution levels upon which the incentive distributions are based may be exercised, without approval of our unitholders or the conflicts committee of the board of directors of our general partner, at any time when we have made cash distributions to the holders of the incentive distribution rights at the highest level of incentive distribution for the prior four consecutive fiscal quarters. The reset minimum quarterly distribution amount and target distribution levels are described below and will be higher than the minimum quarterly distribution amount and the target distribution levels prior to the reset and there will be no incentive distributions paid under the reset target distribution levels. We anticipate that the holder of our incentive distribution rights would exercise this reset right in order to facilitate acquisitions or internal growth projects that would otherwise not be sufficiently accretive to cash distributions per common unit, taking into account the existing levels of incentive distribution payments being made to such holder.
In connection with the resetting of the minimum quarterly distribution amount and the target distribution levels and the corresponding relinquishment of incentive distribution payments based on the target cash distributions prior to the reset, the holder of our incentive distribution rights will be entitled to receive a number of newly issued common units based on a predetermined formula described below that takes into account the “cash parity” value of the average cash distributions related to the incentive distribution rights received by such holder for the two quarters prior to the reset event, as compared to the average cash distributions per common unit during this period.
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The number of common units that the holder of our incentive distribution rights would be entitled to receive from us in connection with a resetting of the minimum quarterly distribution amount and the target distribution levels then in effect would be equal to:
| • | the average amount of cash distributions received by the holder of our incentive distribution rights in respect of such rights during the two consecutive fiscal quarters ended immediately prior to the date of such reset election; divided by |
| • | the average of the amount of cash distributed per common unit during each of these two quarters. |
Following a reset election, the minimum quarterly distribution amount will be reset to an amount equal to the average cash distribution amount per class A unit and common unit for the two fiscal quarters immediately preceding the reset election (which amount we refer to as the “reset minimum quarterly distribution”) and the target distribution levels will be reset to be correspondingly higher such that we would distribute all of our available cash from operating surplus for each quarter thereafter as follows:
| • | first, 2% to holders of our class A units and 98% to the holders of our common units, each pro rata, until each holder receives an amount per unit equal to 115% of the reset minimum quarterly distribution for that quarter; |
| • | second, 2% to the holders of our class A units and 85% to the holders of our common units, each pro rata, and 13% to our general partner, until each holder of our class A units and holder of our common units receives an amount per unit equal to 125% of the reset minimum quarterly distribution for the quarter; |
| • | third, 2% to the holders of our class A units and 75% to the holders of our common units, each pro rata, and 23% to our general partner, until each holder of our class A units and holder of our common units receives an amount per unit equal to 150% of the reset minimum quarterly distribution for the quarter; and |
| • | thereafter, 2% to the holders of our class A units and 50% to the holders of our common units, each pro rata, and 48% to our general partner. |
The holder of our incentive distribution rights will be entitled to cause the minimum quarterly distribution amount and the target distribution levels to be reset on more than one occasion, provided that it may not make a reset election except at a time when it has received incentive distributions for the prior four consecutive fiscal quarters based on the highest level of incentive distributions that it is entitled to receive under our partnership agreement.
Distributions from Capital Surplus
We distribute available cash from capital surplus, if any, in the following manner:
| • | first, 98% to the holders of our common units and 2% to the holders of our class A units, each pro rata, until distributions have been paid on each common unit from capital surplus in an aggregate amount equal to the initial unrecovered unit price (as defined below); and |
| • | after that, we will distribute all available cash from capital surplus, as if it were from operating surplus. |
Our partnership agreement treats a distribution from capital surplus as the repayment of an investment in our units, which we refer to as the “unrecovered unit price.” The initial “unrecovered unit price” will be equal to the average of the closing prices of an Atlas Resource Partners common unit on the NYSE for the five trading days immediately following the completion of the distribution. Any distributions from capital surplus after the distribution will reduce the unrecovered unit price. In addition, any distribution of capital surplus will also reduce the minimum quarterly distribution, the first target distribution, the second target distribution and the third target distribution, which we refer to in this document as “target distribution levels.” Each of the target distribution levels will be reduced in connection with a distribution of capital surplus to an amount equal to the then-applicable target distribution level multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the unrecovered unit price immediately prior to such distribution of capital surplus, and the denominator of which is the unrecovered unit price immediately after such distribution of capital surplus.
After the minimum quarterly distribution and the target distribution levels have been reduced to zero, we will treat all distributions of available cash from all sources as if they were from operating surplus. Because the minimum quarterly distribution and the target distribution levels will have been reduced to zero, our general partner will then be entitled to receive 50% of all distributions of available cash in its capacity as general partner and holder of the incentive distribution rights, in addition to any distributions to which it may be entitled as a holder of units.
Distributions from capital surplus will not reduce the minimum quarterly distribution or target distribution levels for the quarter in which they are distributed.
Adjustment of Minimum Quarterly Distribution and Target Distribution Levels
In addition to adjustments made upon a distribution of available cash from capital surplus, we will proportionately adjust the minimum quarterly distribution, target distribution levels and any other amounts calculated on a per unit basis upward or downward, as appropriate, if any combination or subdivision of common units occurs. For example, if a two-for-one split of the common units occurs, we will reduce the minimum quarterly distribution and the target distribution levels.
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We will not make any adjustment for the issuance of additional common units for cash or property.
We may also adjust the minimum quarterly distribution and the target distribution levels if legislation is enacted or if existing law is modified or interpreted in a manner that causes us to become taxable as a corporation or otherwise subject to taxation as an entity for federal, state or local income tax purposes. In this event, we will reduce the minimum quarterly distribution and the target distribution levels for each quarter after that time to amounts equal to the product of:
| • | the minimum quarterly distribution and each of the target distribution levels, and |
| • | one minus the sum of: |
| • | the highest marginal federal income tax rate which could apply to the partnership that is taxed as a corporation plus |
| • | the effective overall state and local income tax rate that would have been applicable in the preceding calendar year as a result of the new imposition of the entity level tax, after taking into account the benefit of any deduction allowable for federal income tax purposes for the payment of state and local income taxes, but only to the extent of the increase in rates resulting from that legislation or interpretation. |
For example, assuming we are not previously subject to state and local income tax, if we became taxable as a corporation for federal income tax purposes and subject to a maximum marginal federal, and effective state and local, income tax rate of 40%, then we would reduce the minimum quarterly distribution and the target distribution levels to 60% of the amount immediately before the adjustment.
Distributions of Cash Upon Liquidation
When we commence dissolution and liquidation, we will sell or otherwise dispose of our assets and adjust the partners’ capital account balances to reflect any resulting gain or loss. We will first apply the proceeds of liquidation to the payment of our creditors in the order of priority provided in our partnership agreement and by law. After that, we will distribute the proceeds to the unitholders and our general partner in accordance with their capital account balances, as so adjusted.
We maintain capital accounts in order to ensure that the partnership’s allocations of income, gain, loss and deduction are respected under the Internal Revenue Code. The balance of a partner’s capital account also determines how much cash or other property the partner will receive on liquidation of the partnership. A partner’s capital account is credited with (increased by) the following items:
| • | the amount of cash and fair market value of any property (net of liabilities) contributed by the partner to the partnership, and |
| • | the partner’s share of “book” income and gain (including income and gain exempt from tax). |
A partner’s capital account is debited with (reduced by) the following items:
| • | the amount of cash and fair market value (net of liabilities) of property distributed to the partner, and |
| • | the partner’s share of loss and deduction (including some items not deductible for tax purposes). |
Partners are entitled to liquidating distributions in accordance with their capital account balances.
Upon our liquidation, any gain, or unrealized gain attributable to assets distributed in kind, will be allocated to the partners in the following manner:
| • | first, to our partners who have negative balances in their capital accounts to the extent of and in proportion to those negative balances; |
| • | second, 2% to the holders of our class A units and 98% to the holders of our common units, each pro rata, until the capital account for each common unit is equal to the sum of: |
| • | the unrecovered unit price, and |
| • | the amount of the unpaid minimum quarterly distribution for the quarter during which our liquidation occurs; |
| • | third, 2% to the holders of our class A units and 98% to holders of our common units, each pro rata, until there has been allocated under this paragraph an amount per unit equal to: |
| • | the excess of the first target distribution per unit over the minimum quarterly distribution per unit for each quarter of our existence, less |
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| • | the cumulative amount per unit of any distribution of available cash from operating surplus in excess of the minimum quarterly distribution per unit that was distributed 2% to the holders of our class A units and 98% to the holders of our common units, each pro rata, for each quarter of our existence; |
| • | fourth, 2% to the holders of our class A units and 85% to the holders of our common units, each pro rata, and 13% to the holder of the incentive distribution rights, until there has been allocated under this paragraph an amount per unit equal to: |
| • | the excess of the second target distribution per unit over the first target distribution per unit for each quarter of our existence, less |
| • | the cumulative amount per unit of any distributions of available cash from operating surplus in excess of the first target distribution per unit that was distributed 2% to the holders of our class A units and 85% to the holders of our common units, each pro rata, and 13% to the holder of our incentive distribution rights for each quarter of our existence; and |
| • | fifth, 2% to the holders of our class A units and 75% to the holders of our common units, each pro rata, and 23% to the holder of our incentive distribution rights, until there has been allocated under this paragraph an amount per unit equal to: |
| • | the excess of the third target distribution per unit over the second target distribution per unit for each quarter of our existence, less |
| • | the cumulative amount per unit of any distributions of available cash from operating surplus in excess of the second target distribution per unit that was distributed 2% to the holders of our class A units and 75% to the holders of our common units, each pro rata, and 23% to the holder of our incentive distribution rights for each quarter of our existence; and |
| • | after that, 50% to the holders of our common units and 2% to the holders of our class A units, each pro rata, and 48% to the holder of our incentive distribution rights. |
Upon our liquidation, any loss will generally be allocated to our general partner and the unitholders in the following manner:
| • | first, 2% to the holders of our class A units and 98% to the holders of our common units, each pro rata, until the capital accounts of the common unitholders have been reduced to zero; and |
| • | after that, 100% to our general partner. |
In addition, we will make interim adjustments to the capital accounts at the time we issue additional equity interests or make distributions of property. We will base these adjustments on the fair market value of the interests or the property distributed and we will allocate any gain or loss resulting from the adjustments to the unitholders and our general partner in the same manner as we allocate gain or loss upon liquidation. In the event that we make positive interim adjustments to the capital accounts, we will allocate any later negative adjustments to the capital accounts resulting from the issuance of additional equity interests or our distributions of property or upon our liquidation in a manner which results, to the extent possible, in the capital account balances of our general partner equaling the amount which would have been our general partner’s capital account balances if we had not made any earlier positive adjustments to the capital accounts.
Rationale for Our Cash Distribution Policy
Our cash distribution policy reflects a basic judgment, given our current asset base, that our unitholders will be better served by our distributing our available cash rather than our retaining it. It is the current policy of our general partner that we should increase our level of quarterly cash distributions per unit only when, in its judgment, it believes that:
| • | we have sufficient reserves and liquidity for the proper conduct of our business, and |
| • | we can maintain such an increased distribution level for a sustained period. |
The amount of available cash will be determined by our general partner for each calendar quarter after the distribution and will be based upon recommendations from our management. Because we believe that we will generally finance any expansion capital expenditures and investment capital expenditures from external financing sources, we believe that our unitholders are best served by our distributing all of our available cash. Our cash distribution policy is consistent with the terms of our partnership agreement, which requires that we distribute all of our available cash quarterly. We are a recently formed limited partnership and have not made any cash distributions.
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Restrictions and Limitations on Our Ability to Make Quarterly Distributions
We cannot guarantee that unitholders will receive quarterly cash distributions from us or that we can or will maintain any increases in our quarterly cash distributions. Our distribution policy may be changed at any time and is subject to certain restrictions, including:
| • | Other than the obligation under our partnership agreement to distribute available cash on a quarterly basis, which is subject to our general partner’s authority to establish reserves and other limitations, our unitholders have no contractual or other legal right to receive distributions; |
| • | Our general partner will have broad discretion to establish reserves for the prudent conduct of our business and for future cash distributions, and the establishment of those reserves could result in a reduction in cash distributions to you from the levels we currently anticipate pursuant to our stated distribution policy. Any determination to establish or increase reserves made by our general partner in good faith will be binding on the unitholders. We intend to reserve a portion of our cash generated from operations to fund our exploration and development capital expenditures. Over a longer period of time, if our general partner does not set aside sufficient cash reserves or make sufficient cash expenditures to maintain our asset base, we will be unable to pay the minimum quarterly distribution from cash generated from operations and would therefore expect to reduce our distributions. If our asset base decreases and we do not reduce our distributions, a portion of the distributions may be considered a return of part of our unitholders investment in us as opposed to a return on our unitholders’ investment; |
| • | Our ability to make distributions of available cash will depend primarily on our cash flow from operations, which will fluctuate from quarter to quarter primarily based on commodity prices, production volumes, investor funds raised and the number of wells we drill. Although our partnership agreement provides for quarterly distributions of available cash, we have no prior history of making distributions to our unitholders; |
| • | Even if we do not modify our cash distribution policy, the amount of distributions we pay and the decision to make any distribution will be determined by our general partner, taking into consideration the terms of our partnership agreement, our proposed new credit facility and any other debt agreements we may enter into in the future; |
| • | Under Section 17-607 of the Delaware Act, we may not make a distribution to our unitholders if the distribution would cause our liabilities to exceed the fair value of our assets; |
| • | If and to the extent our cash available for distribution materially declines, we may reduce our quarterly distribution in order to service or repay our debt or fund expansion capital expenditures; |
| • | Our cash distribution policy may be subject to restrictions on distributions under our proposed new credit facility or other debt agreements that we may enter into in the future. Specifically, we anticipate that the agreement related to our proposed new credit facility will contain material financial tests and covenants that we will be required to satisfy. If we are unable to satisfy these restrictions, or if a default occurs under our credit facility, we would be prohibited from making cash distributions to our unitholders notwithstanding our stated cash distribution policy; |
| • | We may lack sufficient cash to pay distributions to our unitholders due to a number of factors, including the amount of natural gas and oil we produce, the price at which we sell our natural gas and oil, the level of our operating costs, our ability to acquire, locate and produce new reserves, results of our hedging activities, the number of wells we drill, the amount of funds we raise through our investment partnerships, the level of our interest expense, principal and interest payments on our outstanding debt, tax expenses, and the level of our capital expenditures. See “Risk Factors” for information regarding these factors; |
| • | Although our partnership agreement requires us to distribute our available cash, our partnership agreement may be amended with the approval of our general partner and a majority of our outstanding common units. Immediately after completion of the distribution, Atlas Energy will own outstanding common units representing an approximately 78.4% limited partner interest and will have the ability to amend our partnership agreement with the approval of our general partner; |
| • | Prior to making any distribution on our common units, we will reimburse our general partner and its affiliates for all direct and indirect expenses they incur on our behalf. Our partnership agreement does not set a limit on the amount of expenses for which our general partner and its affiliates may be reimbursed. These expenses include salary, bonus, incentive compensation and other amounts paid to persons who perform services for us or on our behalf and expenses allocated to our general partner by its affiliates. Our partnership agreement provides that our general partner will determine in good faith the expenses that are allocable to us. The reimbursement of expenses and payment of fees, if any, to our general partner and its affiliates will reduce the amount of cash available to pay cash distributions to our unitholders; |
| • | If and to the extent our cash available for distribution materially declines, we may reduce our quarterly distribution in order to service or repay our debt or fund growth capital expenditures; |
| • | Our ability to make distributions to our unitholders depends on the performance of our operating subsidiaries and their ability to distribute cash to us. The ability of our operating subsidiaries to make distributions to us may be restricted by, among other things, the provisions of existing and future indebtedness, applicable state partnership and limited liability company laws and other laws and regulations; |
| • | All available cash distributed by us from any source will be treated as distributed from operating surplus until the sum of all available cash distributed by us equals the cumulative operating surplus from the date that we began operations through the end of the quarter immediately preceding that distribution. We anticipate that distributions from operating surplus will generally not represent a return of capital. However, operating surplus, as defined in our partnership agreement, includes certain components that represent non-operating sources of cash, including a $60 cash basket and working capital borrowings. Consequently, it is possible that distributions from operating surplus may represent a return of capital. For |
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| example, the $60 million cash basket would allow us to distribute as operating surplus cash proceeds we receive from non-operating sources, such as asset sales, issuances of securities and long-term borrowings, which would represent a return of capital. Distributions representing a return of capital could result in a corresponding decrease in our asset base. Additionally, any cash distributed by us in excess of operating surplus will be deemed to be capital surplus as the repayment of the initial investment in our units, which is similar to a return of capital. Distributions from capital surplus could result in a corresponding decrease in our asset base. We do not currently anticipate that we will make any distributions from capital surplus. |
Our Cash Distribution Policy Limits Our Ability to Grow
Because we distribute our available cash, our growth may not be as significant as businesses that reinvest their available cash to expand ongoing operations. If we issue additional common units or incur debt to fund acquisitions and expansion and investment capital expenditures, the payment of distributions on those additional units or interest on that debt could increase the risk that we will be unable to maintain or increase our per unit distribution level. There are no limitations in our partnership agreement on our ability to issue additional units, including units ranking senior to the common units.
Our Ability to Grow is Dependent on Our Ability to Have Access to External Expansion Capital
Because we expect that we will distribute our available cash from operations to our unitholders each quarter in accordance with the terms of our partnership agreement, we expect that we will rely primarily upon external financing sources, including commercial bank borrowings and the issuance of debt and equity securities, to fund any expansion and investment capital expenditures and any acquisitions. As a result, to the extent we are unable to finance growth externally, our cash distribution policy will significantly impair our ability to grow. In addition, because we will distribute all of our available cash, our growth may not be as fast as that of businesses that reinvest their available cash to expand their ongoing operations. To the extent that we issue additional units in connection with any expansion capital expenditures, the payment of distributions on those additional units may increase the risk that we will be unable to maintain or increase our quarterly distribution levels. There are no limitations in our partnership agreement on our ability to issue additional units, including units ranking senior to the common units. The incurrence of additional commercial borrowings or other debt to finance our growth strategy would result in increased interest expense, which in turn may impact the available cash that we have to distribute to our unitholders.
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This section is a discussion of the material tax considerations that may be relevant to prospective unitholders who are individual citizens or residents of the United States and, unless otherwise noted in the following discussion, is the opinion of Ledgewood, P.C., tax counsel to our general partner and us, insofar as it relates to matters of United States federal income tax law and legal conclusions with respect to those matters. This section is based upon current provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, existing and proposed regulations and current administrative rulings and court decisions, all of which are subject to change. Later changes in these authorities may cause the tax consequences to vary substantially from the consequences described below.
The following discussion does not address on all federal income tax matters affecting us or the unitholders. Moreover, the discussion focuses on unitholders who are individual citizens or residents of the United States and has only limited application to corporations, estates, trusts, nonresident aliens or other unitholders subject to specialized tax treatment, such as tax-exempt institutions, foreign persons, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), real estate investment trusts (REITs) or mutual funds. Accordingly, we urge you to consult, and depend on, your own tax advisor in analyzing the federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences particular to you of the ownership or disposition of common units.
All statements as to matters of law and legal conclusions, but not as to factual matters, contained in this section, unless otherwise noted, are the opinion of Ledgewood and are based on the accuracy of the representations made by us.
We have not received, and will not request, a ruling from the IRS regarding any matter affecting us or prospective unitholders. Instead, we will rely on opinions of Ledgewood. Unlike a ruling, an opinion of counsel represents only that counsel’s best legal judgment and does not bind the IRS or the courts. Accordingly, the opinions and statements made here may not be sustained by a court if contested by the IRS. Any contest of this sort with the IRS may materially and adversely impact the market for the common units and the prices at which common units trade. In addition, the costs of any contest with the IRS, principally legal, accounting and related fees, will result in a reduction in cash available for distribution to our unitholders and our general partner and thus will be borne indirectly by our unitholders and our general partner. Furthermore, the tax treatment of us, or of an investment in us, may be significantly modified by future legislative or administrative changes or court decisions. Any modifications may or may not be retroactively applied.
For the reasons described below, Ledgewood has not rendered an opinion with respect to the following specific federal income tax issues:
| • | the treatment of a unitholder whose common units are loaned to a short seller to cover a short sale of common units (please read “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Treatment of Short Sales”); |
| • | whether our monthly convention for allocating taxable income and losses is permitted by existing Treasury Regulations (please read “—Disposition of Common Units—Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees”); and |
| • | whether our method for depreciating Section 743 adjustments is sustainable in certain cases (please read “—Disposition of Common Units—Section 754 Election”). |
Partnership Status
A partnership is not a taxable entity and incurs no federal income tax liability. Instead, each partner of a partnership is required to take into account its share of items of income, gain, loss and deduction of the partnership in computing its federal income tax liability, regardless of whether cash distributions are made to it by the partnership. Distributions by a partnership to a partner are generally not taxable unless the amount of cash distributed is in excess of the partner’s adjusted basis in its partnership interest.
Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code provides that publicly traded partnerships will, as a general rule, be taxed as corporations. However, an exception, referred to as the “qualifying income exception,” exists with respect to publicly traded partnerships of which 90% or more of the gross income for every taxable year consists of “qualifying income.” Qualifying income includes income and gains derived from the transportation, storage, processing and marketing of crude oil, natural gas and products thereof. Other types of qualifying income include interest (other than from a financial business), dividends, gains from the sale of real property and gains from the sale or other disposition of capital assets held for the production of income that otherwise constitutes qualifying income. We estimate that less than 2% of our current income is not qualifying income; however, this estimate could change from time to time. Based upon and subject to this estimate, the factual representations made by us and our general partner and a review of the applicable legal authorities, Ledgewood is of the opinion that at least 90% of our current gross income constitutes qualifying income.
We have not received, and will not seek, a ruling from the IRS and the IRS has made no determination as to our status for federal income tax purposes or whether our operations generate “qualifying income” under Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue
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Code. Instead, we will rely on the opinion of Ledgewood that, based upon the Internal Revenue Code, its regulations, published revenue rulings and court decisions and the representations described below, we will be classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes.
In rendering its opinion, Ledgewood has relied on factual representations made by us and our general partner. The representations made by us and our general partner upon which Ledgewood has relied are:
| • | Neither we nor our operating partnership or any operating subsidiary has elected or will elect to be treated as a corporation; and |
| • | For each taxable year, more than 90% of our gross income will be income that Ledgewood has opined or will opine is “qualifying income” within the meaning of Section 7704(d) of the Internal Revenue Code. |
If we fail to meet the qualifying income exception, other than a failure that is determined by the IRS to be inadvertent and that is cured within a reasonable time after discovery, we will be treated as if we had transferred all of our assets, subject to liabilities, to a newly formed corporation, on the first day of the year in which we fail to meet the qualifying income exception, in return for stock in that corporation, and then distributed that stock to the unitholders in liquidation of their interests in us. This contribution and liquidation should be tax-free to unitholders and us so long as we, at that time, do not have liabilities in excess of the tax basis of our assets. Thereafter, we would be treated as a corporation for federal income tax purposes.
If we were taxable as a corporation in any taxable year, either as a result of a failure to meet the qualifying income exception or otherwise, our items of income, gain, loss and deduction would be reflected only on our tax return rather than being passed through to the unitholders, and our net income would be taxed to us at corporate rates. In addition, any distribution made to a unitholder would be treated as either taxable dividend income, to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, or, in the absence of earnings and profits, a nontaxable return of capital, to the extent of the unitholder’s tax basis in his common units, or taxable capital gain, after the unitholder’s tax basis in his common units is reduced to zero. Accordingly, taxation of us as a corporation would result in a material reduction in a unitholder’s cash flow and after-tax return and thus would likely result in a substantial reduction of the value of the units.
The discussion below is based on Ledgewood’s opinion that we will be classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes.
Limited Partner Status
Unitholders who have become our limited partners will be treated as our partners for federal income tax purposes. Counsel is also of the opinion, based upon and in reliance upon those same representations set forth under “—Partnership Status,” that
| • | assignees who have executed and delivered transfer applications and are awaiting admission as limited partners, and |
| • | unitholders whose common units are held in street name or by a nominee and who have the right to direct the nominee in the exercise of all substantive rights attendant to the ownership of their common units, |
will be treated as our partners for federal income tax purposes. As there is no direct authority addressing assignees of common units who are entitled to execute and deliver transfer applications and thereby become entitled to direct the exercise of attendant rights, but who fail to execute and deliver transfer applications, Counsel’s opinion does not extend to these persons. Furthermore, a purchaser or other transferee of common units who does not execute and deliver a transfer application may not receive some federal income tax information or reports furnished to record holders of common units unless the common units are held in a nominee or street name account and the nominee or broker has executed and delivered a transfer application for those common units.
A beneficial owner of common units whose units have been transferred to a short seller to complete a short sale would appear to lose his or her status as a partner with respect to such units for federal income tax purposes. See “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Treatment of Short Sales.”
Income, gain, deductions or losses would not appear to be reportable by a unitholder who is not a partner for federal income tax purposes, and any cash distributions received by a unitholder who is not a partner for federal income tax purposes would therefore be fully taxable as ordinary income. These holders should consult their own tax advisors with respect to their status as our partners for federal income tax purposes.
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Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership
Flow-through of Taxable Income. We do not pay any federal income tax. Instead, each unitholder is required to report on his or her income tax return his or her allocable share of our income, gains, losses and deductions without regard to whether we make cash distributions to that unitholder. Consequently, we may allocate income to our unitholders although we have made no cash distribution to them. Each unitholder will be required to include in income his or her allocable share of our income, gain, loss and deduction for our taxable year ending with or within his or her taxable year.
Treatment of Distributions. Our distributions generally will not be taxable for federal income tax purposes to the extent of a unitholder’s tax basis in his or her common units immediately before the distribution. Our cash distributions in excess of that tax basis generally will be considered to be gain from the sale or exchange of the common units, taxable in accordance with the rules described under “—Disposition of Common Units” below. Any reduction in a unitholder’s share of our liabilities for which no partner, including our general partner, bears the economic risk of loss, known as “nonrecourse liabilities,” will be treated as a distribution of cash to that unitholder. To the extent our distributions cause a unitholder’s “at risk” amount to be less than zero at the end of any taxable year, the unitholder must recapture any losses deducted in previous years. See “—Limitations on Deductibility of Our Losses.”
A decrease in a unitholder’s percentage interest in us because of our issuance of additional common units will decrease his or her share of our nonrecourse liabilities, and thus will result in a corresponding deemed distribution of cash. A non-pro rata distribution of money or property may result in ordinary income to a unitholder, regardless of his or her tax basis in our common units, if the distribution reduces his or her share of our “unrealized receivables,” including depreciation recapture, or substantially appreciated “inventory items,” both as defined in Section 751 of the Internal Revenue Code, known collectively as “Section 751 assets.” To that extent, a unitholder will be treated as having been distributed his or her proportionate share of the Section 751 assets and having exchanged those assets with us in return for the non-pro rata portion of the actual distribution made to him or her. This latter deemed exchange will generally result in the unitholder’s realization of ordinary income under Section 751(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. That income will equal the excess of:
| • | the non-pro rata portion of that distribution over |
| • | his or her tax basis for the share of Section 751 assets deemed relinquished in the exchange. |
Ratio of Taxable Income to Distributions. We anticipate that, for the taxable year ending December 31, 2012, the ratio of allocable taxable income to cash distributions to the unitholders will be approximately 10%. This estimate is subject to, among other things, numerous business, economic, regulatory, legislative, competitive and political uncertainties beyond our control. Further, the estimate is based on current tax law and tax reporting positions that we will adopt and with which the IRS could disagree. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that the estimate will prove to be correct. The actual ratio of taxable income could be higher or lower than our estimate, and any differences could be material and could materially affect the value of the common units. For example, the ratio of allocable taxable income to cash distributions will be greater than 10% if:
| • | gross income from operations exceeds the amount required to make the minimum quarterly distribution on all units, yet we only distribute the minimum quarterly distribution on all units; or |
| • | we make a future offering of common units and use the proceeds of the offering in a manner that does not produce substantial additional deductions, such as to repay outstanding indebtedness or to acquire property that is not eligible for depreciation or amortization for U.S. federal income tax purposes or that is depreciable or amortizable at a rate significantly slower than the rate applicable to our assets. |
Tax Rates. Under current law, the highest marginal U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to ordinary income of individuals is 35% and the highest marginal U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to long-term capital gains (generally, capital gains on certain assets held for more than 12 months) of individuals is 15%. However, absent new legislation extending the current rates, beginning January 1, 2013, the highest marginal U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to ordinary income and long-term capital gains of individuals will increase to 39.6% and 20%, respectively. Moreover, these rates are subject to change by new legislation at any time.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, will impose a 3.8% Medicare tax on certain investment income earned by individuals for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012. For these purposes, investment income generally includes a unitholder’s allocable share of our income and gain realized by a unitholder from a sale of units. The tax will be imposed on the lesser of (1) the unitholder’s net income from all of its investments, or (2) the amount by which the unitholder’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds $250,000 (if the unitholder is married and filing jointly), $125,000 (if the unitholder is married and filing separately), and $200,000 (for all others).
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Alternative Minimum Tax. Although we do not expect to generate significant tax preference items or adjustments, each unitholder will be required to take into account his distributive share of any items of our income, gain, deduction or loss for purposes of the alternative minimum tax.
Basis of Common Units. A unitholder’s initial tax basis for his or her common units will be the amount he or she paid for the common units plus his or her share of our nonrecourse liabilities. That basis will be increased by his or her share of our income and by any increases in his or her share of our nonrecourse liabilities. That basis will be decreased, but not below zero, by our distributions to him or her, by his or her share of our losses, by any decreases in his or her share of our nonrecourse liabilities and by his or her share of our expenditures that are not deductible in computing taxable income and are not required to be capitalized.
Limitations on Deductibility of Our Losses. The deduction by a unitholder of his or her share of our losses will be limited to the tax basis in his or her units and, in the case of an individual unitholder or a corporate unitholder that is subject to the “at risk” rules (for example, if more than 50% of the value of its stock is owned directly or indirectly by five or fewer individuals or some tax-exempt organizations), to the amount for which the unitholder is considered to be “at risk” with respect to our activities, if that is less than its tax basis. A unitholder must recapture losses deducted in previous years to the extent that distributions cause his at risk amount to be less than zero at the end of any taxable year. Losses disallowed to a unitholder or recaptured as a result of these limitations will carry forward and will be allowable to the extent that his tax basis or at risk amount, whichever is the limiting factor, is subsequently increased. Upon the taxable disposition of a unit, any gain recognized by a unitholder can be offset by losses that were previously suspended by the at risk limitation but may not be offset by losses suspended by the basis limitation. Any excess loss above that gain previously suspended by the at risk or basis limitations is no longer utilizable.
In general, a unitholder will be at risk to the extent of the tax basis of his or her units, excluding any portion of that basis attributable to his or her share of our nonrecourse liabilities, reduced by any amount of money he or she borrows to acquire or hold the units, if the lender of those borrowed funds owns an interest in us, is related to the unitholder or can look only to the units for repayment. A unitholder’s at risk amount will increase or decrease as the tax basis of the unitholder’s units increases or decreases, other than tax basis increases or decreases attributable to increases or decreases in his or her share of our nonrecourse liabilities.
The passive loss limitations generally provide that individuals, estates, trusts and some closely-held corporations and personal service corporations can deduct losses from passive activities, which are generally activities in which the taxpayer does not materially participate, only to the extent of the taxpayer’s income from those passive activities. The passive loss limitations are applied separately with respect to each publicly-traded partnership. Consequently, any passive losses we generate will only be available to offset our passive income generated in the future and will not be available to offset income from other passive activities or investments, including our investments or your investments in other publicly-traded partnerships, or salary or active business income. Passive losses that are not deductible because they exceed a unitholder’s share of our income may be deducted in full when the unitholder disposes of his or her entire investment in us in a fully taxable transaction with an unrelated party. The passive activity loss rules are applied after other applicable limitations on deductions, including the at risk rules and the basis limitation.
A unitholder’s share of our net income may be offset by any of our suspended passive losses, but it may not be offset by any other current or carryover losses from other passive activities, including those attributable to other publicly-traded partnerships.
Limitations on Interest Deductions. The deductibility of a non-corporate taxpayer’s “investment interest expense” is generally limited to the amount of that taxpayer’s “net investment income.” As noted, a unitholder’s share of our net passive income will be treated as investment income for this purpose. In addition, a unitholder’s share of our portfolio income will be treated as investment income. Investment interest expense includes:
| • | interest on indebtedness properly allocable to property held for investment; |
| • | our interest expense attributed to portfolio income; and |
| • | the portion of interest expense incurred to purchase or carry an interest in a passive activity to the extent attributable to portfolio income. |
The computation of a unitholder’s investment interest expense will take into account interest on any margin account borrowing or other loan incurred to purchase or carry a unit. Net investment income includes gross income from property held for investment and amounts treated as portfolio income under the passive loss rules, less deductible expenses, other than interest, directly connected with the production of investment income, but generally does not include gains attributable to the disposition of property held for investment.
Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deductions. In general, if we have a net profit, our items of income, gain, loss and deduction will be allocated among our general partner and the unitholders in accordance with their percentage interests in us. At any time that incentive distributions are made to our general partner, gross income will be allocated to it to the extent of these distributions. See “—Ratio of Taxable Income to Distributions.” If we have a net loss for the entire year, the amount of that loss will generally be allocated first to our general partner and the unitholders in accordance with their particular percentage interests in us to the extent of their positive capital accounts and, second, to our general partner.
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As required by the Internal Revenue Code some items of our income, deduction, gain and loss will be allocated to account for the difference between the tax basis and fair market value of property contributed to us by our general partner referred to in this discussion as “contributed property,” and to account for the difference between the fair market value of our assets and their carrying value on our books at the time of this offering. The effect of these allocations to a unitholder purchasing common units will be essentially the same as if the tax basis of our assets were equal to their fair market value as of the date of this prospectus. In addition, specified items of recapture income will be allocated to the extent possible to the partner who was allocated the deduction giving rise to the treatment of that gain as recapture income in order to minimize the recognition of ordinary income by some unitholders.
Finally, although we do not expect that our operations will result in the creation of negative capital accounts, if negative capital accounts nevertheless result, items of our income and gain will be allocated in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate the negative balance as quickly as possible.
Ledgewood is of the opinion that, with the exception of the issues described in “—Disposition of Common Units—Section 754 Election” and “—Disposition of Common Units—Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees,” allocations under our partnership agreement will be recognized for federal income tax purposes in determining a partner’s share of an item of our income, gain, loss or deduction.
Entity-Level Collections. If we are required or elect under applicable law to pay any federal, state or local income tax on behalf of any unitholder or our general partner or any former unitholder, we are authorized to pay those taxes from our funds. That payment, if made, will be treated as a distribution of cash to the person on whose behalf the payment was made. If the payment is made on behalf of a person whose identity cannot be determined, we are authorized to treat the payment as a distribution to all current unitholders and our general partner. We are authorized to amend the partnership agreement in the manner necessary to maintain uniformity of intrinsic tax characteristics of units and to adjust later distributions, so that after giving effect to these distributions, the priority and characterization of distributions otherwise applicable under the partnership agreement is maintained as nearly as is practicable. Payments by us as described above could give rise to an overpayment of tax on behalf of a unitholder in which event he could file a claim for credit or refund.
Treatment of Short Sales. A unitholder whose units are loaned to a “short seller” to cover a short sale of units may be considered as having disposed of ownership of those units. If so, the unitholder would no longer own units for federal income tax purposes during the period of the loan and may recognize gain or loss from the disposition. As a result, during this period:
| • | any of our income, gain, deduction or loss with respect to those units would not be reportable by the unitholder; |
| • | any cash distributions we make to that unitholder with respect to those units would be fully taxable; and |
| • | all of those distributions would appear to be treated as ordinary income. |
Unitholders desiring to assure ownership of their units for tax purposes and avoid these consequences should modify any applicable brokerage account agreements to prohibit their brokers from borrowing their units. The IRS has announced that it is actively studying issues relating to the tax treatment of short sales of partnership interests. See also “—Disposition of Common Units—Recognition of Gain or Loss.” Because the IRS has not announced the results of its study and there is no authority addressing the treatment of short sales of partnership interests, Ledgewood is unable to opine on the treatment of such short sales.
Tax Treatment of Operations
Accounting Method and Taxable Year. We use the accrual method of accounting and the tax year ending December 31 for federal income tax purposes. Each unitholder must include in income his or her share of our income, gain, loss and deduction for our taxable year(s) ending within or with his or her taxable year. In addition, a unitholder who has a taxable year ending on a date other than December 31, and who disposes of all of his or her units following the close of our taxable year but before the close of his or her taxable year, must include his or her share of our income, gain, loss and deduction in income for his or her taxable year, with the result that he or she will be required to report income for his or her taxable year for his or her share of more than one year of our income, gain, loss and deduction.
Tax Basis, Depreciation and Amortization. The tax basis of our assets will be used for purposes of computing depreciation and cost recovery deductions and, ultimately, gain or loss on the disposition of these assets. The federal income tax burden associated with the difference between the fair market value of property contributed and the tax basis established for that property will be borne by our general partner and the unitholders. See “—Tax Treatment of Unitholders—Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction.”
To the extent allowable, we may elect to use the depreciation and cost recovery methods that will result in the largest deductions being taken in the early years after assets are placed in service. We are not entitled to any amortization deductions with respect to any goodwill conveyed to us on formation. Property we acquire or construct is depreciated using accelerated methods permitted by the Internal Revenue Code.
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If we dispose of depreciable property by sale, foreclosure, or otherwise, all or a portion of any gain, determined by reference to the amount of depreciation previously deducted and the nature of the property, may be subject to the recapture rules and taxed as ordinary income rather than capital gain. Similarly, a unitholder who has taken cost recovery or depreciation deductions with respect to our property may be required to recapture those deductions as ordinary income upon a sale of his units. See “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction” and “—Disposition of Common Units—Recognition of Gain or Loss.”
Uniformity of Units. We must maintain economic and tax uniformity of the units to all holders. A lack of tax uniformity can result from a literal application of Treasury Regulation Sections 1.167(c)-1(a)(6) and 1.197-2(g)(3). Any resulting non-uniformity could have a negative impact on the value of the common units by reducing the tax deductions available to a purchaser of units. See “—Disposition of Common Units—Section 754 Election.”
We intend to continue to depreciate or amortize the Section 743(b) adjustment attributable to unrealized appreciation in the value of contributed property in a way that will avoid non-uniformity of tax treatment among unitholders. See “—Disposition of Common Units—Section 754 Election.” If we determine that this position cannot reasonably be taken, we may adopt a different position in an effort to maintain uniformity. This could result in lower annual depreciation and amortization deductions than would otherwise be allowable to some unitholders and risk the loss of depreciation and amortization deductions not taken in the year that these deductions are otherwise allowable. The IRS may challenge any method of depreciating the Section 743(b) adjustment we adopt. If such a challenge were made and sustained, the uniformity of units might be affected, and the gain from the sale of units might be increased without the benefit of additional deductions. See “—Disposition of Common Units—Recognition of Gain or Loss.”
Valuation of Our Properties. The federal income tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of units depends in part on our estimates of the relative fair market values of our assets. Although we may from time to time consult with professional appraisers regarding valuation matters, we make many of the relative fair market value estimates ourselves. These estimates are subject to challenge and will not be binding on the IRS or the courts. If the estimates of fair market value are later found to be incorrect, the character and amount of items of income, gain, loss or deductions previously reported by unitholders might change, and unitholders might be required to adjust their tax liability for prior years and incur interest and penalties with respect to such adjustments.
Disposition of Common Units
Recognition of Gain or Loss. Gain or loss will be recognized on a sale of units equal to the difference between the amount realized and the unitholder’s tax basis in the units sold. A unitholder’s amount realized will be measured by the sum of the cash or the fair market value of other property received plus his or her share of our nonrecourse liabilities. Because the amount realized includes a unitholder’s share of our nonrecourse liabilities, the gain recognized on the sale of units could result in a tax liability in excess of any cash received from the sale.
Prior distributions from us in excess of cumulative net taxable income for a common unit that decreased a unitholder’s tax basis in that common unit will, in effect, become taxable income if the common unit is sold at a price greater than the unitholder’s tax basis in that common unit, even if the price is less than his original cost.
Should the IRS successfully contest our method of depreciating or amortizing the Section 743(b) adjustment, described under “—Disposition of Common Units—Section 754 Election,” attributable to contributed property, a unitholder could realize additional gain from the sale of units than had our method been respected. In that case, the unitholder may have been entitled to additional deductions against income in prior years but may be unable to claim them, with the result to him of greater overall taxable income than appropriate. Due to the lack of final regulations, Ledgewood is unable to opine as to the validity of the convention but believes a contest by the IRS is unlikely because a successful contest could result in substantial additional deductions to other unitholders.
Except as noted below, gain or loss recognized by a unitholder, other than a “dealer” in units, on the sale or exchange of a unit held for more than one year will generally be taxable as capital gain or loss. Capital gain recognized by an individual on the sale of units held more than 12 months will generally be taxed at a maximum rate of 15% (scheduled to increase to 20% on January 1, 2011). However, a portion of this gain or loss, which will likely be substantial, will be separately computed and taxed as ordinary income under Section 751 of the Internal Revenue Code to the extent attributable to assets giving rise to depreciation recapture or other “unrealized receivables” or to “inventory items” we own. Ordinary income attributable to unrealized receivables, inventory items and depreciation recapture may exceed net taxable gain realized upon the sale of a unit and may be recognized even if there is a net taxable loss realized on that sale. Thus, a unitholder may recognize both ordinary income and a capital loss upon a disposition of units. Net capital loss may offset no more than $3,000 of ordinary income in the case of individuals and may only be used to offset capital gain in the case of corporations.
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The IRS has ruled that a partner who acquires interests in a partnership in separate transactions must combine those interests and maintain a single adjusted tax basis. Upon a sale or other disposition of less than all of those interests, a portion of that tax basis must be allocated to the interests sold using an “equitable apportionment” method. Although the ruling is unclear as to how the holding period of these interests is determined once they are combined, Treasury regulations allow a selling unitholder, who can identify units transferred with an ascertainable holding period, to use the actual holding period of the units transferred. Thus, according to the ruling, a unitholder will not be able to select high or low basis common units to sell, as would be the case with corporate stock, but may designate specific common units sold for purposes of determining the holding period of units transferred. A unitholder electing to use the actual holding period of units transferred must consistently use that identification method for all subsequent sales or exchanges of units. A unitholder considering the purchase of additional common units or a sale of common units purchased in separate transactions should consult his tax advisor as to the possible consequences of this ruling and application of the Treasury regulations.
Specific provisions of the Internal Revenue Code affect the taxation of some financial products and securities, including partnership interests, by treating a taxpayer as having sold an “appreciated” partnership interest, one in which gain would be recognized if it were sold, assigned or terminated at its fair market value, if the taxpayer or related persons enter into:
| • | a short sale; |
| • | an offsetting notional principal contract; or |
| • | a futures or forward contract with respect to the partnership interest or substantially identical property. |
Moreover, if a taxpayer has previously entered into a short sale, an offsetting notional principal contract or a futures or forward contract with respect to the partnership interest, the taxpayer will be treated as having sold that position if the taxpayer or a related person then acquires the partnership interest or substantially identical property. The Secretary of Treasury is also authorized to issue regulations that treat a taxpayer that enters into transactions or positions that have substantially the same effect as the preceding transactions as having constructively sold the financial position.
Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees. Our taxable income and losses are determined annually, prorated on a monthly basis and apportioned among the unitholders in proportion to the number of units owned by each of them as of the opening of the New York Stock Exchange on the first business day of the month. However, gain or loss realized on a sale or other disposition of our assets other than in the ordinary course of business is allocated among the unitholders as of the opening of the New York Stock Exchange on the first business day of the month in which that gain or loss is recognized. As a result, a unitholder transferring units may be allocated income, gain, loss and deduction accrued after the date of transfer.
The use of this method may not be permitted under existing Treasury regulations. Accordingly, Ledgewood is unable to opine on the validity of this method of allocating income and deductions between transferors and transferees of units. If this method is not allowed under the Treasury Regulations, or only applies to transfers of less than all of the unitholder’s interest, our taxable income or losses might be reallocated among the unitholders. Under our partnership agreement, we are authorized to revise our method of allocation between transferors and transferees, as well as among partners whose interests otherwise vary during a taxable period, to conform to a method permitted under future Treasury regulations.
A unitholder who owns units at any time during a quarter and who disposes of them before the record date set for a cash distribution for that quarter will be allocated a share of our income, gain, loss and deductions attributable to that quarter but will not be entitled to receive that cash distribution.
Section 754 Election. We intend to make the election permitted by Section 754 of the Internal Revenue Code. That election is irrevocable without the consent of the IRS. The election generally permits us to adjust a common unit purchaser’s tax basis in our assets (“inside basis”) to reflect his or her purchase price. This election does not apply to a person who purchases common units directly from us. The adjustment belongs to the purchaser and not to other unitholders. For purposes of this discussion, a partner’s inside basis in our assets will be considered to have two components:
| • | his or her share of our tax basis in our assets (“common basis”) and |
| • | his or her Section 743(b) adjustment to that basis. |
Treasury regulations under Section 743 of the Internal Revenue Code require, if the remedial allocation method is adopted (which we have), a portion of the adjustment attributable to recovery property to be depreciated over the remaining cost recovery period for built-in gain. Under Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-1(a)(6), an adjustment attributable to property subject to depreciation under Section 167 of the Internal Revenue Code rather than cost recovery deductions under Section 168 is generally required to be depreciated using either the straight-line method or the 150% declining balance method. A literal application of these different rules result in lack of uniformity. Under our partnership agreement, our general partner is authorized to adopt a position intended to preserve the uniformity of units even if that position is not consistent with the Treasury Regulations. See “—Tax Treatment of Operations—Uniformity of Units.”
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We intend to depreciate the portion of a Section 743(b) adjustment attributable to unrealized appreciation in the value of property previously contributed to us, to the extent of any unamortized book-tax disparity, using a rate of depreciation or amortization derived from the depreciation or amortization method and useful life applied to the common basis of the property. If this contributed property is not amortizable, we will treat that portion as non-amortizable. This method is consistent with the regulations under Section 743. This method, however, is arguably inconsistent with Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-1(a)(6) and Treasury Regulation Section 1.197-2(g)(3), neither of which is expected to directly apply to a material portion of our assets. To the extent this Section 743(b) adjustment exceeds that amount, we will apply the rules described in the Treasury Regulations and legislative history. If we determine that this position cannot reasonably be taken, we may adopt a different position which could result in lower annual depreciation or amortization deductions than would otherwise be allowable to specified unitholders. See “—Tax Treatment of Operations—Uniformity of Units.”
The allocation of the Section 743(b) adjustment among our assets must be made in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code. The IRS could seek to allocate some or all of any Section 743(b) adjustment to goodwill not so allocated by us. Goodwill, as an intangible asset, is generally amortizable over a longer period of time or under a less accelerated method than our tangible assets.
A Section 754 election is advantageous if the transferee’s tax basis in his or her units is higher than the units’ share of the aggregate tax basis of our assets immediately before the transfer. In that case, as a result of the election, the transferee would have a higher tax basis in his or her share of our assets for purposes of calculating, among other items, his or her depreciation and depletion deductions and share of any gain or loss on a sale of our assets. Conversely, a Section 754 election is disadvantageous if the transferee’s tax basis in his or her units is lower than the units’ share of the aggregate tax basis of our assets immediately before the transfer. Thus, the fair market value of the units may be affected either favorably or adversely by the election.
The calculations involved in the Section 754 election are complex and we will make them on the basis of assumptions as to the value of our assets and other matters. There is no assurance that the determinations we make will not be successfully challenged by the IRS and that the deductions resulting from them will not be reduced or disallowed altogether. Should the IRS require a different basis adjustment to be made, and should, in our opinion, the expense of compliance exceed the benefit of the election, we may seek permission from the IRS to revoke our Section 754 election. If permission is granted, a subsequent purchaser of units may be allocated more income than he would have been allocated had the election not been revoked.
Notification Requirements. A unitholder who sells or exchanges units is required to notify us in writing of that sale or exchange within 30 days after the sale or exchange. We are required to notify the IRS of that transaction and to furnish information to the transferor and transferee. However, these reporting requirements do not apply to a sale by an individual who is a citizen of the United States and who effects the sale or exchange through a broker. Additionally, a transferor and a transferee of a unit will be required to furnish statements to the IRS, filed with their income tax returns for the taxable year in which the sale or exchange occurred, that describe the amount of the consideration received for the unit that is allocated to our goodwill or going concern value. Failure to satisfy these reporting obligations may lead to the imposition of substantial penalties.
Dissolutions and Terminations
Upon our dissolution, our assets will be sold and any resulting gain or loss will be allocated among our general partner and the unitholders. See “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Allocation of Income, Gain Loss and Deductions.” We will distribute all cash to our general partner and unitholders in liquidation in accordance with their positive capital account balances. See “Our Partnership Agreement—Cash Distribution Policy—Distributions of Cash on Liquidation” in the accompanying prospectus.
We will be considered to have terminated for tax purposes if there is a sale or exchange of 50% or more of the total interests in our capital and profits within a 12-month period. Our termination would result in the closing of our taxable year for all unitholders. In the case of a unitholder reporting on a taxable year other than a fiscal year ending December 31, the closing of our taxable year might result in more than 12 months of our taxable income or loss being includable in his taxable income for the year of termination. See “—Tax Treatment of Operations—Accounting Method and Taxable Year.” We would be required to make new tax elections after a termination, including a new election under Section 754 of the Internal Revenue Code, and a termination could result in a deferral of our deductions for depreciation. A termination could also result in penalties if we were unable to determine that the termination had occurred. Moreover, a termination might either accelerate the application of, or subject us to, any tax legislation enacted before the termination.
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Tax-Exempt Organizations and Other Investors
Ownership of units by employee benefit plans, other tax-exempt organizations, nonresident aliens, foreign corporations, other foreign persons and regulated investment companies raises issues unique to those investors and, as described below, may have substantially adverse tax consequences.
Employee benefit plans and most other organizations exempt from federal income tax, including individual retirement accounts and other retirement plans, are subject to federal income tax on unrelated business taxable income. Virtually all of our taxable income allocated to a unitholder which is a tax-exempt organization will be unrelated business taxable income and thus will be taxable to that unitholder.
A regulated investment company or “mutual fund” is required to derive 90% or more of its gross income from interest, dividends and gains from the sale of stocks or securities or foreign currency or specified related sources. The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 generally treats income from the ownership of a “qualified publicly traded partnership” as qualified income to a regulated investment company. We expect that we will meet the definition of a qualified publicly traded partnership. Accordingly, we anticipate that all of our income will be treated as qualified income to a regulated investment company.
Non-resident aliens and foreign corporations, trusts or estates that own units will be considered to be engaged in business in the United States on account of ownership of our units. As a consequence they will be required to file federal tax returns reporting their share of our income, gain, loss or deduction and pay federal income tax at regular rates on any net income or gain. Generally, a partnership is required to pay a withholding tax on the portion of the partnership’s income that is effectively connected with the conduct of a United States trade or business and which is allocable to foreign partners. Under rules applicable to publicly traded partnerships, we will withhold at the highest applicable effective tax rate on cash distributions made to foreign unitholders. Each foreign unitholder must obtain a taxpayer identification number from the IRS and submit that number to our transfer agent on a Form W-8 BEN in order to obtain credit for the taxes withheld.
Because a foreign corporation that owns units will be treated as engaged in a United States trade or business, that corporation may be subject to United States branch profits tax at a rate of 30%, in addition to regular federal income tax, on its share of our income and gain, as adjusted for changes in its “U.S. net equity,” which are effectively connected with the conduct of a United States trade or business. That tax may be reduced or eliminated by an income tax treaty between the United States and the country in which the foreign corporate unitholder is a “qualified resident.” In addition, this type of unitholder is subject to special information reporting requirements under Section 6038C of the Internal Revenue Code.
Under a ruling of the IRS, a foreign unitholder who sells or otherwise disposes of a unit will be subject to federal income tax on gain realized on the disposition of that unit to the extent that this gain is effectively connected with a United States trade or business of the foreign unitholder. Apart from the ruling, a foreign unitholder will not be taxed or subject to withholding upon the disposition of a unit if he has owned less than 5% in value of the units during the five-year period ending on the date of the disposition and if the units are regularly traded on an established securities market at the time of the disposition.
Administrative Matters
Information Returns and Audit Procedures. We furnish to each unitholder, within 90 days after the close of each calendar year, specific tax information, including a Schedule K-1, which describes his or her share of our income, gain, loss and deduction for our preceding taxable year. In preparing this information, which is generally not reviewed by counsel, we take various accounting and reporting positions, some of which have been mentioned earlier, to determine the unitholder’s share of income, gain, loss and deduction. We cannot assure you that those accounting and reporting positions will yield a result that conforms with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code, regulations, or administrative interpretations of the IRS. We also cannot assure you that the IRS will not successfully contend in court that those accounting and reporting positions are impermissible. Any challenge by the IRS could negatively affect the value of the units.
The IRS may audit our federal income tax information returns. Adjustments resulting from any such audit may require each unitholder to adjust a prior year’s tax liability, and possibly may result in an audit of that unitholder’s own return. Any audit of a unitholder’s return could result in adjustments not related to our returns as well as those related to our returns.
Partnerships generally are treated as separate entities for purposes of federal tax audits, judicial review of administrative adjustments by the IRS and tax settlement proceedings. The tax treatment of partnership items of income, gain, loss and deduction are determined in a partnership proceeding rather than in separate proceedings with the partners. The Internal Revenue Code provides for one partner to be designated as the “tax matters partner” for these purposes. The partnership agreement appoints our general partner as our tax matters partner.
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The tax matters partner will make some elections on our behalf and on behalf of unitholders. In addition, the tax matters partner can extend the statute of limitations for assessment of tax deficiencies against unitholders for items in our returns. The tax matters partner may bind a unitholder with less than a 1% profits interest in us to a settlement with the IRS unless that unitholder elects, by filing a statement with the IRS, not to give that authority to the tax matters partner. The tax matters partner may seek judicial review, by which all the unitholders are bound, of a final partnership administrative adjustment and, if the tax matters partner fails to seek judicial review, judicial review may be sought by any unitholder having at least a 1% interest in profits and by unitholders having in the aggregate at least a 5% profits interest. However, only one action for judicial review will go forward, and each unitholder with an interest in the outcome may participate.
A unitholder must file a statement with the IRS identifying the treatment of any item on his federal income tax return that is not consistent with the treatment of the item on our return. Intentional or negligent disregard of the consistency requirement may subject a unitholder to substantial penalties.
Nominee Reporting. Persons who hold an interest in us as a nominee for another person are required to furnish to us:
| • | the name, address and taxpayer identification number of the beneficial owner and the nominee; |
| • | whether the beneficial owner is |
| • | a person that is not a United States person; |
| • | a foreign government, an international organization or any wholly owned agency or instrumentality of either of the foregoing; or |
| • | a tax-exempt entity; |
| • | the amount and description of units held, acquired or transferred for the beneficial owner; and |
| • | specific information including the dates of acquisitions and transfers, means of acquisitions and transfers, and acquisition cost for purchases, as well as the amount of net proceeds from sales. |
Brokers and financial institutions are required to furnish additional information, including whether they are United States persons and specific information on units they acquire, hold or transfer for their own account. A penalty of $50 per failure, up to a maximum of $100,000 per calendar year, is imposed by the Internal Revenue Code for failure to report that information to us. The nominee is required to supply the beneficial owner of the units with the information furnished to us.
Reportable Transactions. If we were to engage in a “reportable transaction,” we (and possibly you and others) would be required to make a detailed disclosure of the transaction to the IRS. A transaction may be a reportable transaction based upon any of several factors, including the fact that it is a type of transaction publicly identified by the IRS as a “listed transaction” or that it produces certain kinds of losses in excess of $2 million. Our participation in a reportable transaction could increase the likelihood that our federal income tax information return (and possibly your tax return) is audited by the IRS. See “Information Returns and Audit Procedures.”
Moreover, if we were to participate in a reportable transaction with a significant purpose to avoid or evade tax, or in any listed transaction, you may be subject to the following provisions of the Internal Revenue Code:
| • | accuracy-related penalties with a broader scope, significantly narrower exceptions and potentially greater amounts than described below at “Accuracy-related Penalties,” |
| • | for those persons otherwise entitled to deduct interest on federal tax deficiencies, nondeductibility of interest on any resulting tax liability, and |
| • | in the case of a listed transaction, an extended statute of limitations. |
We do not expect to engage in any “reportable transactions.”
Accuracy-related Penalties. An additional tax equal to 20% of the amount of any portion of an underpayment of tax that is attributable to one or more specified causes, including negligence or disregard of rules or regulations, substantial understatements of income tax and substantial valuation misstatements, is imposed by the Internal Revenue Code. No penalty will be imposed, however, for portion of an underpayment if it is shown that there was a reasonable cause for that portion and that the taxpayer acted in good faith regarding that portion.
A substantial understatement of income tax in any taxable year exists if the amount of the understatement exceeds the greater of 10% of the tax required to be shown on the return for the taxable year or $5,000 ($10,000 for most corporations). The amount of any understatement subject to penalty generally is reduced if any portion is attributable to a position adopted on the return:
| • | for which there is, or was, “substantial authority” or |
| • | as to which there is a reasonable basis and the pertinent facts of that position are disclosed on the return. |
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If any item of income, gain, loss or deduction allocated to unitholders might result in that kind of an “understatement” of income for which no “substantial authority” exists, we must disclose the pertinent facts on our return. In addition, we will make a reasonable effort to furnish sufficient information for unitholders to make adequate disclosure on their returns to avoid liability for this penalty. More stringent rules apply to “tax shelters,” a term that in this context does not appear to include us.
A substantial valuation misstatement exists if the value of any property, or the adjusted basis of any property, claimed on a tax return is 150% or more of the amount determined to be the correct amount of the valuation or adjusted basis. No penalty is imposed unless the portion of the underpayment attributable to a substantial valuation misstatement exceeds $5,000. If the valuation claimed on a return is 200% or more than the current valuation, the penalty imposed increases to 40%.
State, Local and Other Tax Considerations
In addition to federal income taxes, you will be subject to other taxes, including state and local income taxes, unincorporated business taxes, and estate, inheritance or intangible taxes that may be imposed by the various jurisdictions in which we do business or own property. Although an analysis of those various taxes is not presented here, each prospective unitholder should consider their potential impact on his or her investment in us. We currently own property or do business in Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. Each of these states, except Texas, currently imposes a personal income tax. We may also own property or do business in other states in the future. A unitholder will be required to file state income tax returns and to pay state income taxes in some or all of these states in which we do business or own property and may be subject to penalties for failure to comply with those requirements. In some states, tax losses may not produce a tax benefit in the year incurred and also may not be available to offset income in subsequent taxable years. Some of the states may require us, or we may elect, to withhold a percentage of income from amounts to be distributed to a unitholder who is not a resident of the state. Withholding, the amount of which may be greater or less than a particular unitholder’s income tax liability to the state, generally does not relieve a nonresident unitholder from the obligation to file an income tax return. Amounts withheld may be treated as if distributed to unitholders for purposes of determining the amounts distributed by us. See “—Tax Consequences of Ownership—Entity-Level Collections.” Based on current law and our anticipated future operations, our general partner anticipates that any amounts required to be withheld will not be material.
It is the responsibility of each unitholder to investigate the legal and tax consequences, under the laws of pertinent states and localities, of his or her investment in us. Accordingly, each prospective unitholder should consult, and must depend upon, his or her own tax counsel or other advisor with regard to those matters. Further, it is the responsibility of each unitholder to file all state and local, as well as United States federal tax returns that may be required of him or her. Ledgewood has not rendered an opinion on the state or local tax consequences of an investment in us.
Investment by Employee Benefit Plans
An investment in us by an employee benefit plan is subject to additional considerations because the investments of these plans are subject to the fiduciary responsibility and prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA and restrictions imposed by Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code. For these purposes the term “employee benefit plan” includes, but is not limited to, qualified pension, profit-sharing and stock bonus plans, Keogh plans, simplified employee pension plans and tax deferred annuities or IRAs established or maintained by an employer or employee organization. Among other things, consideration should be given to:
| • | whether the investment is prudent under Section 404(a)(1)(B) of ERISA; |
| • | whether, in making the investment, the plan will satisfy the diversification requirements of Section 404(a)(1)(C) of ERISA; and |
| • | whether the investment will result in recognition of unrelated business taxable income by the plan and, if so, the potential after-tax investment return. |
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The person with investment discretion with respect to the assets of an employee benefit plan, often called a fiduciary, should determine whether an investment in us is authorized by the appropriate governing instrument and is a proper investment for the plan.
Section 406 of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code prohibit employee benefit plans, and also IRAs that are not considered part of an employee benefit plan, from engaging in specified transactions involving “plan assets” with parties that are “parties in interest” under ERISA or “disqualified persons” under the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the plan.
In addition to considering whether the purchase of common units is a prohibited transaction, a fiduciary of an employee benefit plan should consider whether the plan will, by investing in us, be deemed to own an undivided interest in our assets, with the result that our general partner also would be a fiduciary of the plan and our operations would be subject to the regulatory restrictions of ERISA, including its prohibited transaction rules, as well as the prohibited transaction rules of the Internal Revenue Code.
The Department of Labor regulations provide guidance with respect to whether the assets of an entity in which employee benefit plans acquire equity interests would be deemed “plan assets” under some circumstances. Under these regulations, an entity’s assets would not be considered to be “plan assets” if, among other things,
| • | the equity interests acquired by employee benefit plans are publicly offered securities, i.e., the equity interests are widely held by 100 or more investors independent of the issuer and each other, freely transferable and registered under some provisions of the federal securities laws; |
| • | the entity is an “operating company,” i.e., it is primarily engaged in the production or sale of a product or service other than the investment of capital either directly or through a majority-owned subsidiary or subsidiaries; or |
| • | there is no significant investment by benefit plan investors, which is defined to mean that less than 25% of the value of each class of equity interest, disregarding some interests held by our general partner, its affiliates, and some other persons, is held by the employee benefit plans referred to above, IRAs and other employee benefit plans not subject to ERISA, including governmental plans. |
Our assets should not be considered “plan assets” under these regulations because we satisfy the first requirement above.
Plan fiduciaries contemplating a purchase of common units should consult with their own counsel regarding the consequences under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code in light of the serious penalties imposed on persons who engage in prohibited transactions or other violations.
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The securities offered pursuant to this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement may be sold in any of the following ways:
| • | directly to one or more purchasers; |
| • | through agents; |
| • | through underwriters, brokers or dealers; or |
| • | through a combination of any of these methods of sale. |
We will fix a price or prices of our securities at:
| • | market prices prevailing at the time of any sale under this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement; |
| • | prices related to market prices; or |
| • | negotiated prices. |
We may change the price of the securities offered from time to time.
Offers to purchase securities may be solicited directly by us and the sale thereof may be made by us directly to institutional investors or others. In this case, no underwriters or agents would be involved. We may use electronic media, including the Internet, to sell offered securities directly.
We, or agents designated by us, may directly solicit, from time to time, offers to purchase the securities. Any such agent may be deemed to be an underwriter as that term is defined in the Securities Act. We will name any agents involved in the offer or sale of the securities and describe any commissions payable by us to these agents in the prospectus supplement. Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, these agents will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of their appointment. The agents may be entitled under agreements which may be entered into with us to indemnification by us against specific civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. The agents may also be our customers or may engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.
If we utilize any underwriters in the sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we will enter into an underwriting agreement with those underwriters at the time of sale to them. We will set forth the names of these underwriters and the terms of the transaction in the prospectus supplement, which will be used by the underwriters to make resales of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered to the public. We may indemnify the underwriters under the relevant underwriting agreement against specific liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. The underwriters or their affiliates may be customers of, may engage in transactions with and may perform services for us or our affiliates in the ordinary course of business.
If we utilize a dealer in the sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we will sell those securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell those securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale. We may indemnify the dealers against specific liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. The dealers or their affiliates may also be our customers or may engage in transactions with, or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.
We may offer the common units covered by this prospectus into an existing trading market on the terms described in the prospectus supplement relating thereto. Underwriters, dealers and agents who participate in any at–the–market offerings will be described in the prospectus supplement relating thereto.
A prospectus and accompanying prospectus supplement in electronic form may be made available on the web sites maintained by the underwriters. The underwriters may agree to allocate a number of securities for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Such allocations of securities for internet distributions will be made on the same basis as other allocations. In addition, securities may be sold by the underwriters to securities dealers who resell securities to online brokerage account holders.
In compliance with the guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, the aggregate maximum discount, commission or agency fees or other items constituting underwriting compensation to be received by any FINRA member or independent broker-dealer will not exceed 8% of any offering pursuant to this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement.
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If 5% or more of the net proceeds of any offering of securities made under this prospectus will be received by a FINRA member participating in the offering or affiliates or associated persons of such FINRA member, the offering will be conducted in accordance with FINRA Rule 5121 (or any successor rule).
To the extent required, this prospectus may be amended or supplemented from time to time to describe a specific plan of distribution. The place and time of delivery for the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered will be set forth in the accompanying prospectus supplement.
In connection with offerings of securities under the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and in compliance with applicable law, underwriters, brokers or dealers may engage in transactions that stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at levels above those that might otherwise prevail in the open market. Specifically, underwriters, brokers or dealers may over–allot in connection with offerings, creating a short position in the securities for their own accounts. For the purpose of covering a syndicate short position or stabilizing the price of the securities, the underwriters, brokers or dealers may place bids for the securities or effect purchases of the securities in the open market. Finally, the underwriters may impose a penalty whereby selling concessions allowed to syndicate members or other brokers or dealers for distribution of the securities in offerings may be reclaimed by the syndicate if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed securities in transactions to cover short positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. These activities may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the securities, which may be higher than the price that might otherwise prevail in the open market, and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.
Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the validity of the securities being offered hereby is being passed upon for us by Ledgewood, P.C.
The financial statement and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) of Atlas Resource Partners, L.P. incorporated in this prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 have been so incorporated by reference in reliance upon the reports of Grant Thornton LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting in giving said reports.
The financial statements of Atlas Energy E&P Operations incorporated in this prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Atlas Resource Partners, L.P. for the year ended December 31, 2011 have been so incorporated by reference in reliance upon the report of Grant Thornton LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting in giving said reports.
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PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
| Item 14. | Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution |
The following table sets forth the estimated costs and expenses payable by us in connection with the sale of the securities being registered hereby. With the exception of the SEC registration fee, all the amounts set forth below are estimated:
| Amount to
be Paid |
||||
| Securities and Exchange Commission Registration fee |
$ | 57,300 | ||
| FINRA filing fee |
75,500 | |||
| Printing expenses |
* | |||
| Legal fees and expenses |
* | |||
| Accounting fees and expenses |
* | |||
| Miscellaneous |
* | |||
| TOTAL |
$ | * | ||
|
|
|
|||
| * | Because an indeterminate number of securities are covered by this registration statement, the expenses in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities cannot be estimated at this time. |
| Item 15. | Indemnification of Directors and Officers |
The section of the prospectus entitled “The Partnership Agreement—Indemnification” is incorporated herein by this reference. Subject to any terms, conditions or restrictions set forth in the partnership agreement, Section 17-108 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act empowers a Delaware limited partnership to indemnify and hold harmless any partner or other person from and against all claims and demands whatsoever.
| Item 16. | Exhibits |
The Exhibits furnished as part of this registration statement on Form S-3 are identified in the Exhibit Index immediately following the signature pages of this registration statement. Such Exhibit Index is incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 17. | Undertakings |
(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:
(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;
provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) of this section do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.
(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
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(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:
(A) Each prospectus filed by a registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and
(B) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5) or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii) or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which the prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to the purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.
(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of a registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of an undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of an undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of an undersigned registrant or used or referred to by an undersigned registrant;
(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about an undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of an undersigned registrant; and
(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by an undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of such registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(h) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrants pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by a registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(j) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Commission under section 305(b)(2) of the Act.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 30, 2012.
| ATLAS RESOURCE PARTNERS, L.P. | ||
| By: | ATLAS RESOURCE PARTNERS GP, LLC, its general partner | |
| By: | /s/ Sean P. McGrath | |
| Sean P. McGrath Chief Financial Officer | ||
KNOWN ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that the persons whose signatures appear below, constitute and appoint Jonathan Z. Cohen and Sean P. McGrath, and each of them, as their true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for them and in their names, places and steads, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this registration statement, and any subsequent registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and the other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as they might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and conforming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his or her substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated on March 30, 2012.
| Signature |
Title at Atlas Resource Partners GP, LLC | |
| /s/ EDWARD E. COHEN |
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) | |
| Edward E. Cohen | ||
| /s/ JONATHAN Z. COHEN |
Vice Chairman | |
| Jonathan Z. Cohen | ||
| /s/ MATTHEW A. JONES |
President, Chief Operating Officer and Director | |
| Matthew A. Jones | ||
| /s/ SEAN P. McGRATH |
Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) | |
| Sean P. McGrath | ||
| /s/ JEFFREY M. SLOTTERBACK |
Chief Accounting Officer (principal accounting officer) | |
| Jeffrey M. Slotterbac | ||
| /s/ ANTHONY CONIGLIO |
Director | |
| Anthony Coniglio | ||
| /s/ DeANN CRAIG |
Director | |
| DeAnn Craig | ||
| /s/ JEFFREY C. KEY |
Director | |
| Jeffrey C. Key | ||
| /s/ BRUCE WOLF |
Director | |
| Bruce Wolf | ||
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 30, 2012.
| ATLAS RESOURCE FINANCE CORPORATION | ||
| By: |
/s/ Sean P. McGrath | |
| Sean P. McGrath Chief Financial Officer | ||
KNOWN ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that the persons whose signatures appear below, constitute and appoint Jonathan Z. Cohen and Sean P. McGrath, and each of them, as their true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for them and in their names, places and steads, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this registration statement, and any subsequent registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and the other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as they might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and conforming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his or her substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated on March 30, 2012.
| Signature |
Title | |
| /s/ JONATHAN Z. COHEN |
Chair of the Board | |
| Jonathan Z. Cohen | ||
|
/s/ MATTHEW A. JONES |
Senior Vice President and Director | |
| Matthew A. Jones | ||
|
/s/ EDWARD E. COHEN |
Chief Executive Officer and President | |
| Edward E. Cohen | (principal executive officer) | |
|
/s/ SEAN P. McGRATH |
Chief Financial Officer and Director | |
| Sean P. McGrath | (principal financial officer and principal accounting officer) | |
II-4
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 30, 2012.
| ATLAS ENERGY HOLDINGS OPERATING COMPANY, LLC | ||
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners, L.P., its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners GP, LLC, its general partner | |
| ATLAS RESOURCES, LLC | ||
| By: | Atlas Energy Holdings Operating Company, LLC, its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners, L.P., its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners GP, LLC, its general partner | |
| VIKING RESOURCES, LLC | ||
| By: | Atlas Energy Holdings Operating Company, LLC, its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners, L.P., its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners GP, LLC, its general partner | |
| RESOURCE ENERGY, LLC | ||
| By: | Atlas Energy Holdings Operating Company, LLC, its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners, L.P., its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners GP, LLC, its general partner | |
| ATLAS NOBLE, LLC | ||
| By: | Atlas Energy Holdings Operating Company, LLC, its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners, L.P., its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners GP, LLC, its general partner | |
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| REI-NY, LLC | ||
| By: | Atlas Energy Holdings Operating Company, LLC, its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners, L.P., its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners GP, LLC, its general partner | |
| ATLAS ENERGY INDIANA, LLC | ||
| By: | Atlas Energy Holdings Operating Company, LLC, its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners, L.P., its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners GP, LLC, its general partner | |
| ATLAS ENERGY TENNESSEE, LLC | ||
| By: | Atlas Energy Holdings Operating Company, LLC, its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners, L.P., its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners GP, LLC, its general partner | |
| ATLAS ENERGY OHIO, LLC | ||
| By: | Atlas Energy Holdings Operating Company, LLC, its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners, L.P., its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners GP, LLC, its general partner | |
| ATLAS ENERGY COLORADO, LLC | ||
| By: | Atlas Energy Holdings Operating Company, LLC, its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners, L.P., its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners GP, LLC, its general partner | |
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| RESOURCE WELL SERVICES, LLC | ||
| By: | Atlas Energy Holdings Operating Company, LLC, its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners, L.P., its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners GP, LLC, its general partner | |
| ARP BARNETT, LLC | ||
| By: | Atlas Energy Holdings Operating Company, LLC, its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners, L.P., its sole member | |
| By: | Atlas Resource Partners GP, LLC, its general partner | |
| By: | /s/ Sean P. McGrath | |
| Sean P. McGrath Chief Financial Officer | ||
KNOWN ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that the persons whose signatures appear below, constitute and appoint Jonathan Z. Cohen and Sean P. McGrath, and each of them, as their true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for them and in their names, places and steads, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this registration statement, and any subsequent registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and the other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as they might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and conforming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his or her substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated on March 30, 2012.
| Signature |
Title at Atlas Resource Partners GP, LLC | |
| /s/ EDWARD E. COHEN |
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) | |
| Edward E. Cohen | ||
| /s/ JONATHAN Z. COHEN |
Vice Chairman | |
| Jonathan Z. Cohen | ||
| /s/ MATTHEW A. JONES |
President, Chief Operating Officer and Director | |
| Matthew A. Jones | ||
| /s/ SEAN P. McGRATH |
Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) | |
| Sean P. McGrath | ||
| /s/ JEFFREY M. SLOTTERBACK |
Chief Accounting Officer (principal accounting officer) | |
| Jeffrey M. Slotterback | ||
| /s/ ANTHONY CONIGLIO |
Director | |
| Anthony Coniglio | ||
| /s/ DeANN CRAIG |
Director | |
| DeAnn Craig | ||
| /s/ JEFFREY C. KEY |
Director | |
| Jeffrey C. Key | ||
| /s/ BRUCE WOLF |
Director | |
| Bruce Wolf | ||
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EXHIBIT INDEX
The following exhibits are filed herewith pursuant to the requirements of Item 601 of Regulation S-K:
| Exhibit No. |
Description | |
| 1.1* | Form of Underwriting Agreement | |
| 4.1 | Form of senior indenture | |
| 4.2* | Form of debt security | |
| 4.3 | Form of subordinated indenture | |
| 4.4* | Form of debt security | |
| 4.5* | Form of warrant | |
| 4.6* | Form of warrant agreement | |
| 5.1 | Opinion of Ledgewood, P.C. as to the legality of the securities being registered | |
| 8.1 | Opinion of Ledgewood, P.C. relating to tax matters | |
| 12.1 | Ratios of earnings to fixed charges and earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred dividends | |
| 23.1 | Consent of Grant Thornton LLP | |
| 23.2 | Consent of Grant Thornton LLP | |
| 23.3 | Consent of Ledgewood (contained in Exhibit 5.1) | |
| 24.1 | Power of Attorney (included in signature pages) | |
| 25.1 | Form T-1 Statement of Eligibility and Qualification under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 of the Trustee under the Senior Indenture | |
| 25.2 | Form T-1 Statement of Eligibility and Qualification under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 of the Trustee under the Subordinated Indenture | |
| * | To be filed, if necessary, as an exhibit to a current report on Form 8-K or in a post-effective amendment to this registration statement. |