EX-3.2 3 a18-14924_1ex3d2.htm EX-3.2

Exhibit 3.2

 

Execution Version

 

THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED

AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

OF

ALLIANCE HOLDINGS GP, L.P.

 

THIS THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP (this “Agreement”) of Alliance Holdings GP, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “Partnership”), is adopted, executed and agreed to by and among New AHGP GP, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as the General Partner, and Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, as the Limited Partner, together with any other Persons who become Partners in the Partnership or parties hereto as provided herein.  Pursuant to and in accordance with the Simplification Agreement, dated February 22, 2018 (the “Simplification Agreement”), by and among the Partnership, Alliance GP, LLC, Wildcat GP Merger Sub, LLC, MGP II, LLC, ARM GP Holdings, Inc., New AHGP GP, LLC, Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., Alliance Resource Management GP, LLC, and Alliance Resource GP, LLC (“SGP”), this Agreement hereby amends and restates the Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Alliance Holdings GP, L.P., dated as of May 31, 2018 (the “Existing Agreement”). In consideration of the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

 

RECITALS

 

WHEREAS, the Partnership was formed on November 10, 2005 and a Certificate of Limited Partnership was filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on such date;

 

WHEREAS, the prior Partners of the Partnership entered into an Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership, dated as of May 15, 2006, as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto, dated October 25, 2007, as amended by Amendment No. 2 thereto, dated February 22, 2018;

 

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Simplification Agreement, the prior Partners of the Partnership entered into the Existing Agreement on May 31, 2018;

 

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Simplification Agreement, Alliance GP, LLC, the Departing General Partner, contributed the General Partner Interest (as defined below) to the General Partner and ceased to be the general partner of the Partnership, effective as of the date of this Agreement;

 

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Simplification Agreement, SGP contributed its Limited Partner Interest (as defined below) to the Limited Partner and ceased to be a limited partner of the Partnership, effective as of the date of this Agreement; and

 

WHEREAS, following the admission of the General Partner to the Partnership, the General Partner desires to amend and restate the Existing Agreement to reflect, among other things, that it is the sole General Partner of the Partnership, the Limited Partner is the sole Limited Partner of the Partnership and the other terms and provisions set forth herein.

 



 

ARTICLE I

 

DEFINITIONS

 

The following definitions shall for all purposes, unless otherwise clearly indicated to the contrary, apply to the terms used in this Agreement.

 

Affiliate” means, with respect to any Person, any other Person that directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries controls, is controlled by or is under common control with, the Person in question. As used herein, the term “control” means the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a Person, whether through ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.

 

Certificate of Limited Partnership” means the Certificate of Limited Partnership filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as described in the first sentence of Section 2.5 as amended or restated from time to time.

 

Delaware Act” means the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, as amended from time to time, and any successor to such act.

 

Departing General Partner” means a former General Partner from and after the effective date of any withdrawal or removal of such former General Partner.

 

General Partner” means New AHGP GP, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and its successors and permitted assigns that are admitted to the Partnership as general partner of the Partnership (except as the context otherwise requires).

 

Group Member” means a member of the Partnership and its Subsidiaries.

 

Indemnitee” means (a) the General Partner; (b) any Departing General Partner; (c) any Person who is or was an Affiliate of the General Partner or any Departing General Partner; (d) any Person who is or was a member, partner, officer, director, fiduciary or trustee of any Group Member, the General Partner or any Departing General Partner or any Affiliate of any Group Member, the General Partner or any Departing General Partner; (e) any Person who is or was serving at the request of the General Partner or any Departing General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner or any Departing General Partner as an officer, director, member, partner, fiduciary or trustee of another Person; provided, that a Person shall not be an Indemnitee by reason of providing, on a fee-for-services basis, trustee, fiduciary or custodial services; and (f) any Person the General Partner designates as an “Indemnitee” for purposes of this Agreement.

 

Limited Partner” means Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership and its successors and permitted assigns that are admitted to the Partnership as limited partner of the Partnership (except as the context otherwise requires).

 

Partner” means the General Partner or Limited Partner.

 

Partnership” means Alliance Holdings GP, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership.

 

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Person” means an individual or a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, unincorporated organization, association, government agency or political subdivision thereof or other entity.

 

Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, (a) a corporation of which more than 50% of the voting power of shares entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors or other governing body of such corporation is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof; (b) a partnership (whether general or limited) in which such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of determination, a general or limited partner of such partnership, but only if more than 50% of the partnership interests of such partnership (considering all of the partnership interests of the partnership as a single class) is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof; or (c) any other Person (other than a corporation or a partnership) in which such Person, one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, has (i) at least a majority ownership interest or (ii) the power to elect or direct the election of a majority of the directors or other governing body of such Person.

 

Treasury Regulationsmeans pronouncements, as amended from time to time, or their successor pronouncements, which clarify, interpret and apply the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and which are designated as “Treasury Regulations” by the United States Department of the Treasury.

 

Underwriter” means each Person named as an underwriter in Schedule I to the Underwriting Agreement who has purchased common units of the Partnership pursuant thereto.

 

Underwriting Agreement” means the Underwriting Agreement entered into in connection with the initial offering and sale of common units of the Partnership, dated May 9, 2006, among the Underwriters, the Partnership and certain other parties, providing for the purchase of common units by such Underwriters.

 

ARTICLE II

 

ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS

 

2.1                               Formation.  The Partnership was formed on November 10, 2005 pursuant to the Certificate of Limited Partnership as filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act. Except as expressly provided to the contrary in this Agreement, the rights, duties (including fiduciary duties), liabilities and obligations of the Partners and the administration, dissolution and termination of the Partnership shall be governed by the Delaware Act. The General Partner Interest and the Limited Partner Interest shall constitute personal property of the owner thereof for all purposes.

 

2.2                               Name.  The name of the Partnership shall be, and the business of the Partnership shall be conducted under the name “Alliance Holdings GP, L.P.”.

 

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2.3                               Principal Office; Registered Office.

 

(a)                                 The principal office of the Partnership shall be at 1717 South Boulder Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74119 or such other place as the General Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the Limited Partner.

 

(b)                                 The address of the Partnership’s registered office in the State of Delaware shall be 850 New Burton Road, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19904, and the registered agent for service of process on the Partnership in the State of Delaware at such registered office shall be Cogency Global Inc.

 

2.4                               Term.  The Partnership shall continue in existence until an election to dissolve the Partnership by the General Partner.

 

2.5                               Organizational Certificate.  A Certificate of Limited Partnership of the Partnership has been filed by the General Partner with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as required by the Delaware Act.  The General Partner shall cause to be filed such other certificates or documents as may be required for the operation and qualification of a limited partnership in the State of Delaware and any jurisdiction in which the Partnership may elect to do business.  The General Partner shall thereafter file any necessary amendments to the Certificate of Limited Partnership and any such other certificates and documents and do all things requisite to the maintenance of the Partnership as a limited partnership (or as a partnership in which limited partners have limited liability) under the laws of Delaware and any state or jurisdiction in which the Partnership may elect to do business.

 

2.6                               Partnership Interests.  The General Partner shall have a non-economic general partner interest in the Partnership (the “General Partner Interest”) and the Limited Partner shall have a 100% limited partner interest in the Partnership (the “Limited Partner Interest”).

 

ARTICLE III

 

PURPOSE

 

The purpose and business of the Partnership shall be to engage in any lawful activity for which limited partnerships may be organized under the Delaware Act.

 

ARTICLE IV

 

TAX TREATMENT

 

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, unless or until the Partnership has more than one owner that is separately regarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Partnership shall be considered disregarded as an entity separate from its sole owner pursuant to Treasury Regulations § 301.7701-3(b).

 

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ARTICLE V

 

MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS OF BUSINESS

 

Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, all powers to control and manage the business and affairs of the Partnership shall be vested exclusively in the General Partner; the Limited Partner shall not have any power to control or manage the Partnership.

 

ARTICLE VI

 

LIMITED LIABILITY OF LIMITED PARTNER

 

The Limited Partner shall have no liability under this Agreement except as provided in this Agreement or the Delaware Act.

 

ARTICLE VII

 

DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION

 

The Partnership shall be dissolved, and its affairs shall be wound up as provided in Section 2.4.

 

ARTICLE VIII

 

AMENDMENT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

 

The General Partner may amend any provision of this Agreement without the consent of the Limited Partner and may execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record whatever documents may be required in connection therewith.

 

ARTICLE IX

 

INDEMNIFICATION AND LIABILITY OF INDEMNITEES

 

9.1                               Indemnification.

 

(a)                                 To the fullest extent permitted by law but subject to the limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, all Indemnitees shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Partnership from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, in which any Indemnitee may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of its status as an Indemnitee; provided, that the Indemnitee shall not be indemnified and held harmless if there has been a final and non-appealable judgment entered by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that, in respect of the matter for which the Indemnitee is seeking indemnification pursuant to this Section 9.1, the Indemnitee acted in bad faith or engaged in fraud, willful misconduct, or in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful; provided,

 

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further, no indemnification pursuant to this Section 9.1 shall be available to the General Partner or its Affiliates (other than a Group Member) with respect to its or their obligations incurred pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement (other than obligations incurred by the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership). Any indemnification pursuant to this Section 9.1 shall be made only out of the assets of the Partnership, it being agreed that the General Partner shall not be personally liable for such indemnification and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Partnership to enable it to effectuate such indemnification.

 

(b)                                 To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses (including legal fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnitee who is indemnified pursuant to Section 9.1(a) in defending any claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding shall, from time to time, be advanced by the Partnership prior to a determination that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified upon receipt by the Partnership of any undertaking by or on behalf of the Indemnitee to repay such amount if it shall be determined that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified as authorized in this Section 9.1.

 

(c)                                  The indemnification provided by this Section 9.1 shall be in addition to any other rights to which an Indemnitee may be entitled under any agreement, pursuant to any vote of the holders of outstanding Limited Partner Interests entitled to vote on such matter, as a matter of law or otherwise, both as to actions in the Indemnitee’s capacity as an Indemnitee and as to actions in any other capacity (including any capacity under the Underwriting Agreement), and shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to serve in such capacity and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, successors, assigns and administrators of the Indemnitee.

 

(d)                                 The Partnership may purchase and maintain (or reimburse the General Partner or its Affiliates for the cost of) insurance, on behalf of the General Partner, its Affiliates and such other Persons as the General Partner shall determine, against any liability that may be asserted against, or expense that may be incurred by, such Person in connection with the Partnership’s activities or such Person’s activities on behalf of the Partnership, regardless of whether the Partnership would have the power to indemnify such Person against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement.

 

(e)                                  For purposes of this Section 9.1, the Partnership shall be deemed to have requested an Indemnitee to serve as fiduciary of an employee benefit plan whenever the performance by it of its duties to the Partnership also imposes duties on, or otherwise involves services by, it to the plan or participants or beneficiaries of the plan; excise taxes assessed on an Indemnitee with respect to an employee benefit plan pursuant to applicable law shall constitute “fines” within the meaning of Section 9.1(a); and action taken or omitted by it with respect to any employee benefit plan in the performance of its duties for a purpose reasonably believed by it to be in the best interest of the participants and beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose that is in the best interests of the Partnership.

 

(f)                                   In no event may an Indemnitee subject the Limited Partner to personal liability by reason of the indemnification provisions set forth in this Agreement.

 

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(g)                                  An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in whole or in part under this Section 9.1 because the Indemnitee had an interest in the transaction with respect to which the indemnification applies if the transaction was otherwise permitted by the terms of this Agreement.

 

(h)                                 The provisions of this Section 9.1 are for the benefit of the Indemnitees, their heirs, successors, assigns and administrators and shall not be deemed to create any rights for the benefit of any other Persons.

 

(i)                                     No amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 9.1 or any provision hereof shall in any manner terminate, reduce or impair the right of any past, present or future Indemnitee to be indemnified by the Partnership, nor the obligations of the Partnership to indemnify any such Indemnitee under and in accordance with the provisions of this Section 9.1 as in effect immediately prior to such amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part, prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or be asserted.

 

9.2                               Liability of Indemnitees.

 

(a)                                 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, no Indemnitee shall be liable for monetary damages to the Partnership, the Limited Partner or any other Persons who have acquired interests in the securities of the Partnership, for losses sustained or liabilities incurred as a result of any act or omission of an Indemnitee unless there has been a final and non-appealable judgment entered by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that, in respect of the matter in question, the Indemnitee acted in bad faith or engaged in fraud, willful misconduct or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct was criminal.

 

(b)                                 The General Partner may exercise any of the powers granted to it by this Agreement and perform any of the duties imposed upon it hereunder either directly or by or through its agents, and the General Partner shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any such agent appointed by the General Partner in good faith.

 

(c)                                  To the extent that, at law or in equity, an Indemnitee has duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating thereto to the Partnership or to the Partners, the General Partner and any other Indemnitee acting in connection with the Partnership’s business or affairs shall not be liable to the Partnership or to any Partner for its good faith reliance on the provisions of this Agreement.

 

(d)                                 Any amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 9.2 or any provision hereof shall be prospective only and shall not in any way affect the limitations on the liability of the Indemnitees under this Section 9.2 as in effect immediately prior to such amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part, prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or be asserted, and provided such Person became an Indemnitee hereunder prior to such amendment, modification or repeal.

 

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ARTICLE X

 

GENERAL PROVISIONS

 

10.1                        Addresses and Notices.  Any notice to the Partnership, the General Partner or the Limited Partner shall be deemed given if received by it in writing at the principal office of the Partnership designated pursuant to Section 2.3(a).

 

10.2                        Binding Effect.  This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their successors and assigns.

 

10.3                        Integration.  This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement among the parties pertaining to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings pertaining thereto.

 

10.4                        Severability.  If any provision of this Agreement is or becomes invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions hereof, or of such provision in other respects, shall not be affected thereby.

 

10.5                        Applicable Law.  This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been duly executed by the General Partner and the Limited Partner as of the date first set forth above.

 

 

GENERAL PARTNER:

 

 

 

NEW AHGP GP, LLC

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ R. Eberley Davis

 

Name:

R. Eberley Davis

 

Title:

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

 

 

 

 

 

LIMITED PARTNER:

 

 

 

ALLIANCE RESOURCE PARTNERS, L.P.

 

 

 

By:

Alliance Resource Management GP, LLC, its general partner

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ R. Eberley Davis

 

 

 

Name:

R. Eberley Davis

 

 

 

Title:

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

 

SIGNATURE PAGE TO

THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF
 ALLIANCE HOLDINGS GP, L.P.