As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 8, 2013

Registration No. 333-189344

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Amendment No. 1 to

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

PVR Partners, L.P.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	4922	23-3087517
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

Three Radnor Corporate Center

100 Matsonford Road

Suite 301

Radnor, Pennsylvania 19087

(610) 975-2900

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number,

including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Bruce D. Davis, Jr.

PVR GP, LLC

Three Radnor Corporate Center

100 Matsonford Road

Suite 301

Radnor, Pennsylvania 19087

(610) 975-2900

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number,

including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Adorys Velazquez

Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.

666 Fifth Avenue, 26th Floor

New York, New York 10103

(212) 237-0000

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement as determined by market conditions and other factors.

If the only securities being registered on this form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest 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, please 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, 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 filer, 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.

Large accelerated filer	x	Accelerated filer	¨
Non-accelerated filer	¨  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)	Smaller reporting company	¨

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 Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. This prospectus is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale of these securities is not permitted. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective.

PROSPECTUS

Subject to completion, dated July 8, 2013

PVR PARTNERS, L.P.

Common Units Representing Limited Partner Interests

We may offer and sell up to $150,000,000 of common units representing limited partner interests in PVR Partners, L.P. (the “Common Units”) in amounts, at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions and other factors at the time of our offerings.

We may offer and sell these securities to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, on a continuous or delayed basis. This prospectus describes the general terms of these Common Units and the general manner in which we will offer the Common Units. The specific terms of any Common Units we offer will be included in a supplement to this prospectus. The prospectus supplement will also describe the specific manner in which we will offer the Common Units.

Investing in our Common Units involves risks. Limited partnerships are inherently different from corporations. Please read “Risk Factors” beginning on page 3 of this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference herein before you make any investment in our securities.

Our Common Units are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PVR.”

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

This prospectus may not be used to consummate sales of securities by the registrant unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

The date of this prospectus is                     , 2013.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS	1
ABOUT PVR PARTNERS	1
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION	1
INFORMATION WE INCORPORATE BY REFERENCE	1
RISK FACTORS	3
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS	4
USE OF PROCEEDS	6
DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMON UNITS	7
CASH DISTRIBUTION POLICY	11
MATERIAL PROVISIONS OF OUR PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT	12
MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL TAX CONSEQUENCES	20
LEGAL MATTERS	35
EXPERTS	35
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION	36

In making your investment decision, you should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone 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 is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of this prospectus. You should not assume that the information contained in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus 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.

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf process, we may offer from time to time a number of common units having a summative total market value (based on offering prices at the time of each offering) of up to $150,000,000. Each time we offer Common Units, we will provide you with a prospectus supplement that will provide, among other things, specific information about the terms of the offering. Any prospectus supplement may add, update or change information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. Any statement that we make in or incorporate by reference in this prospectus will be modified or superseded by any inconsistent statement made by us in a prospectus supplement. Therefore, you should read this prospectus (including any documents incorporated by reference) and any attached prospectus supplement before you invest in our securities.

As used in this prospectus, “we,” “us,” “our” and “PVR Partners” mean PVR Partners, L.P. References to “our general partner” mean PVR GP, LLC. References to “Chief” refer to Chief Gathering LLC, the membership and other equity interests of which were acquired by our subsidiary, PVR Marcellus, on May 17, 2012 from Chief E&D Holdings LP. The acquisition is referred to in this prospectus as the “Chief Acquisition.”

ABOUT PVR PARTNERS

PVR Partners, L.P. (NYSE: PVR) is a publicly traded limited partnership that owns and operates midstream natural gas gathering, transportation and processing businesses and owns and manages coal and natural resource properties and related assets. Our midstream natural gas assets are located principally in Texas, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma and include more than 4,600 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines and six processing systems with approximately 460 million cubic feet per day of capacity. We also own approximately 871 million tons of proven coal reserves in Northern and Central Appalachia, the Illinois Basin and the San Juan Basin.

Our address is Three Radnor Corporate Center, 100 Matsonford Road, Suite 301, Radnor, Pennsylvania 19087, and our telephone number is (610) 975-8200. Our website address is http://www.pvrpartners.com. The information contained in our website is not part of this prospectus.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports and other information with the SEC. You may 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 1-800-732-0330 for further information on their public reference room. Our SEC filings are also available at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You can also obtain information about us at the offices of the New York Stock Exchange, 20 Broad Street, New York, New York 10005, or on our website at http://www.pvrpartners.com. Information on our website or any other website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and does not constitute a part of this prospectus unless specifically so designated and filed with the SEC.

INFORMATION WE INCORPORATE BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus the information we have filed with the SEC. This means that we can disclose important information to you without actually including the specific information in this prospectus by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus. Information that we file later with the SEC, including all information that we file after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to effectiveness of the registration statement (which does not include any information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or 7.01 on any Current Report on Form 8-K), will be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and will automatically update and may replace information in this prospectus and information, including any prospectus supplement, previously filed with the SEC.

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The documents listed below and any future filings made with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act (excluding those furnished to the SEC on Form 8-K), prior to the termination of the offering, are incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

• Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, filed on February 27, 2013;

• Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 filed on May 3, 2013;

• Our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on April 25, 2013;

• Current Reports on Form 8-K, filed on January 30, 2013, February 25, 2013, April 26, 2013, May 7, 2013, May 10, 2013 and June 6, 2013 and on Form 8-K/A on July 26, 2012 (excluding, in each case, information furnished pursuant to Item 7.01); and

• The description of our Common Units contained in the Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed on October 16, 2001, and any subsequent amendment thereto filed for the purpose of updating such description.

You may request a copy of any document incorporated by reference in this prospectus, at no cost, by writing or calling us at the following address:

Investor Relations Department

PVR Partners, L.P.

Three Radnor Corporate Center

100 Matsonford Road

Suite 301

Radnor, Pennsylvania 19087

(610) 975-8200

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with any information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than its respective date.

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in our Common Units involves a significant degree of risk. Before you invest in our securities you should carefully consider those risks discussed below and in the “Forward-Looking Statements” section of this prospectus, as well as the risk factors included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, or our 2012 Annual Report, as supplemented by our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, each of which is incorporated herein by reference, and those risk factors that may be included in any applicable prospectus supplement, together with all of the other information included in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and the documents we incorporate by reference in evaluating an investment in our securities.

If any of the risks discussed in this prospectus or in the foregoing documents were to occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flow could be materially adversely affected. In that case, we may be unable to pay distributions to our unitholders, the trading price of our units could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment.

Our common units may experience price volatility.

Our common unit price has experienced volatility in the past, and volatility in the price of our common units may occur in the future as a result of any of the risk factors contained in this report and the risks described in our other public filings with the commission. For instance, our common units may experience price volatility as a result of changes in investor sentiment with respect to our competitors, our business partners and our industry in general, which may be influenced by volatility in prices for natural gas, NGLs and coal. In addition, the securities markets have from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies but affect the market price of their securities. These market fluctuations may also materially and adversely affect the market price of our common units.

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Some of the information included in this prospectus and the documents we incorporate by reference contains “forward-looking statements.” These statements use forward-looking words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “achievable,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “estimate,” “project” or other words and phrases of similar meaning. These statements discuss goals, intentions and expectations as to future trends, plans, events, results of operations or financial condition or state other “forward-looking” information. A forward-looking statement may include a statement of the assumptions or bases underlying the forward-looking statements. We believe we have chosen these assumptions or bases in good faith and that they are reasonable. However, we caution you that assumed facts or bases almost always vary from actual results, and the differences between assumed facts or bases and actual results can be material, depending on the circumstances. When considering forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the cautionary statements in this prospectus and the documents we have incorporated by reference. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are subject to various risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, but not limited to, the following:

• the volatility of commodity prices for natural gas, natural gas liquids (or NGLs) and coal;

• our ability to access external sources of capital;

• any impairment write-downs of our assets;

• the relationship between natural gas, NGL and coal prices;

• the projected demand for and supply of natural gas, NGLs and coal;

• competition among natural gas midstream companies and among producers in the coal industry generally;

• our ability to acquire natural gas midstream assets and new sources of natural gas supply and

• connections to third-party pipelines on satisfactory terms;

• our ability to retain existing or acquire new natural gas midstream customers and coal lessees;

• the extent to which the amount and quality of actual production of our coal differs from estimated recoverable coal reserves;

• our ability to generate sufficient cash from our businesses to maintain and pay the quarterly distribution to our unitholders;

• the experience and financial condition of our natural gas midstream customers and coal

• lessees, including our lessees’ ability to satisfy their royalty, environmental, reclamation and

• other obligations to us and others;

• operating risks, including unanticipated geological problems, incidental to our Eastern Midstream and Midcontinent Midstream and Coal and Natural Resource Management businesses;

• our ability to successfully complete the development of Chief Gathering LLC’s midstream systems, integrate the business of Chief Gathering LLC with ours and realize the anticipated benefits from the acquisition of Chief Gathering LLC;

• the ability of our lessees to produce sufficient quantities of coal on an economic basis from our reserves and obtain favorable contracts for such production;

• the occurrence of unusual weather or operating conditions including force majeure events;

• delays in anticipated start-up dates of new development in our Eastern Midstream and Midcontinent Midstream businesses and our lessees’ mining operations and related coal infrastructure projects;

• environmental risks affecting the production, gathering and processing of natural gas or the mining of coal reserves;

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• the timing of receipt of necessary governmental permits by us or our lessees;

• hedging results;

• accidents;

• changes in governmental regulation or enforcement practices, especially with respect to environmental, health and safety matters, including with respect to emissions levels applicable to coal-burning power generators and permissible levels of mining runoff;

• uncertainties relating to the effects of regulatory guidance on permitting under the Clean Water Act and the outcome of current and future litigation regarding mine permitting;

• risks and uncertainties relating to general domestic and international economic (including inflation, interest rates and financial and credit markets) and political conditions; and

• additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in our press releases and public periodic filings risks set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 and in other reports we file with the SEC that are incorporated by reference herein.

All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements in this paragraph and elsewhere in this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference herein. When considering forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in this prospectus, including those described in the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus. We will not update these statements unless the securities laws require us to do so.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless we inform you otherwise in a prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from any sale of Common Units under this prospectus for general partnership purposes, such as working capital, investments in subsidiaries, the retirement of existing debt and the repurchase of Common Units or other securities. The prospectus supplement will describe the actual use of the net proceeds from the sale of securities. The exact amounts to be used and when the net proceeds will be applied to partnership purposes will depend on a number of factors, including our funding requirements and the availability of alternative funding sources.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMON UNITS

The Common Units represent limited partner interests in PVR Partners, L.P. that entitle the holders to participate in our cash distributions and to exercise the rights or privileges available to limited partners under our partnership agreement. For a description of the relative rights and preferences of holders of our units in and to partnership distributions, see “Cash Distribution Policy” in this prospectus.

Our outstanding Common Units are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PVR.”

The transfer agent and registrar for our Common Units is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company.

Status as Limited Partner or Assignee

Except as described under “—Limited Liability,” the Common Units will be fully paid, and the unitholders will not be required to make additional capital contributions to us.

Transfer of Common Units

Each purchaser of Common Units offered by this prospectus must execute a transfer application. By executing and delivering a transfer application, the purchaser of Common Units:

• becomes the record holder of the Common Units and is an assignee until admitted into our partnership as a substituted limited partner;

• automatically requests admission as a substituted limited partner in our partnership;

• agrees to be bound by the terms and conditions of, and executes, our partnership agreement;

• represents that he has the capacity, power and authority to enter into the partnership agreement;

• grants powers of attorney to officers of the general partner and any liquidator of our partnership as specified in the partnership agreement; and

• makes the consents and waivers contained in the partnership agreement.

An assignee will become a substituted limited partner of our partnership for the transferred Common Units upon the consent of our general partner and the recording of the name of the assignee on our books and records. The general partner may withhold its consent in its sole discretion.

Transfer applications may be completed, executed and delivered by a purchaser’s broker, agent or nominee. We are entitled to 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 transfer of securities. In addition to other rights acquired, the purchaser has the right to request admission as a substituted limited partner in our partnership for the purchased Common Units. A purchaser of Common Units who does not execute and deliver a transfer application obtains only:

• the right to assign the Common Unit to a purchaser or transferee; and

• the right to transfer the right to seek admission as a substituted limited partner in our partnership for the purchased Common Units.

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Thus, a purchaser of Common Units who does not execute and deliver a transfer application:

• will not receive cash distributions or federal income tax allocations, 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; and

• may not receive some federal income tax information or reports furnished to record holders of Common Units.

Until a Common Unit has been transferred on our books, we and the transfer agent, notwithstanding any notice to the contrary, 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.

Limited Liability

Assuming that a limited partner does not participate in the control of our business within the meaning of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, or the Delaware Act, and that he otherwise acts in conformity with the provisions of our partnership agreement, his 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 the 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 the purposes of the Delaware Act, then the limited partners could be held personally liable for our obligations under Delaware law, to the same extent as the general partner. This liability would extend to persons who transact business with us and who 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 the general partner. While this does not mean that a limited partner could not seek legal recourse, we have found no precedent for this type of a claim in Delaware case law.

Under the Delaware Act, a limited partnership may not 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 our partnership, 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. 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 shall be liable to the limited partnership for the amount of the distribution for three years. Under the Delaware Act, an assignee who becomes a substituted limited partner of a limited partnership is liable for the obligations of his assignor to make contributions to our partnership, except the assignee is not obligated for liabilities unknown to him at the time he became a limited partner and which could not be ascertained from our partnership agreement.

Meetings; Voting

Except as described below regarding a person or group owning 20% or more of any class of units then outstanding, unitholders or assignees who are record holders of units on the 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.

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Common Units that are owned by an assignee who is a record holder, but who has not yet been admitted as a limited partner, shall be voted by our general partner at the written direction of the record holder. Absent direction of this kind, the Common Units will not be voted, except that, in the case of Common Units held by our general partner on behalf of non-citizen assignees, our general partner shall distribute the votes on those Common Units in the same ratios as the votes of limited partners on other units are cast.

Please see “Material Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement—Board of Directors of General Partner; Nomination and Election; Meetings of Limited Partners” for a description of the rights of certain unaffiliated unitholders to nominate and elect members of the board of directors of our general partner at meetings.

Other than the removal of directors of our general partner, any action that is required or permitted to be taken by the unitholders may be taken either at a meeting of the unitholders or without a meeting if consents in writing describing the action so taken are signed by holders of the number of units as would be necessary to authorize or take that action at a meeting. Meetings of the unitholders may be called by our general partner or by unitholders owning at least 20% of the outstanding 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 units of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called represented in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum unless any action by the unitholders requires approval by holders of a greater percentage of the units, in which case the quorum shall be the greater percentage.

Each record holder of a unit has a vote according to his percentage interest in our partnership, although additional limited partner interests having special voting rights could be issued. However, if at any time any person or group, other than our general partner and its affiliates, or a direct or subsequently approved transferee of our general partner or its affiliates or a person or group who acquires the units with the prior approval of the board of directors, acquires, in the aggregate, beneficial ownership of 20% or more of any class of units then outstanding (other than Class B Units representing limited partner interests in us, or Class B Units), the person or group will lose voting rights on all of its units and the units may not be voted on any matter and will not be considered to be outstanding when sending notices of a meeting of unitholders, calculating required votes, determining the presence of a quorum or for other similar purposes. For purposes of this calculation, Special Units representing limited partner interests in us, or Special Units, are included in the same class as Common Units. 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 unless the arrangement between the beneficial owner and his nominee provides otherwise.

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.

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 tax and fiscal reporting purposes, our fiscal year is the calendar year.

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 public accountants. Except for our fourth quarter, we will also furnish or make available summary financial information within 90 days after the close of each quarter.

We will furnish each record holder of a common 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

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furnish this summary information to unitholders will depend on the cooperation of unitholders in supplying us with specific information. Every unitholder will receive information to assist him in determining his federal and state tax liability and filing his federal and state income tax returns, regardless of whether he supplies us with information.

Our partnership agreement provides that a limited partner can, for a purpose reasonably related to his interest as a limited partner, upon reasonable demand and at his own expense, have furnished to him:

• 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 of the partnership, related amendments and powers of attorney under which they have been executed;

• information regarding the status of our business and financial condition; and

• any other information regarding our affairs as is just and reasonable.

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 in good faith is not in our best interests or which we are required by law or by agreements with third parties to keep confidential.

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CASH DISTRIBUTION POLICY

Distributions of Available Cash

General. Within approximately 45 days after the end of each quarter, we will distribute all available cash to unitholders of record on the applicable record date.

Definition of Available Cash. Available cash generally means, for each fiscal quarter:

• all cash on hand at the end of the quarter;

• less the amount of cash reserves that the general partner determines in its reasonable discretion is necessary or appropriate to:

– provide for the proper conduct of our business;

– comply with applicable law, any of our debt instruments or other agreements; or

– provide funds for distributions to our unitholders for any one or more of the next four quarters;

• plus all 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 generally borrowings that are made under our credit facility and in all cases are used solely for working capital purposes or to pay distributions to partners.

Class B Units and Special Units

• In May 2012, we issued two new classes of equity interests representing limited partner interests in us, Special Units and Class B Units, in connection with the Chief Acquisition. The Special Units will neither pay nor accrue distributions prior to their conversion into Common Units on the first business day after the record date for the quarter ending September 30, 2013 on a one-for-one basis. In any quarter prior to their conversion, distributions in respect of the Class B Units may be paid in cash or additional Class B Units, at the Partnership’s election.

• In this section, references to “unitholders” made in the context of the recipients of cash distributions refer to our common unitholders and, for quarters in which we elect to pay cash distributions in respect of the Class B Units, Class B unitholders.

Distributions of Cash Upon Liquidation

If we dissolve in accordance with our partnership agreement, we will sell or otherwise dispose of our assets in a process called a liquidation. We will first apply the proceeds of liquidation to the payment of our creditors. We will distribute any remaining proceeds to the unitholders, in accordance with their capital account balances, as adjusted to reflect any gain or loss upon the sale or other disposition of our assets in liquidation.

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MATERIAL PROVISIONS OF OUR PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

The following is a summary of the material provisions of our partnership agreement. The following provisions of our partnership agreement are summarized elsewhere in this prospectus:

• distributions of our available cash are described under “Cash Distribution Policy;”

• allocations of taxable income and other tax matters are described under “Material Income Tax Consequences;” and

• rights of holders of Common Units are described under “Description of the Common Units.”

Purpose

Our purpose is to engage in any business activities that may be engaged in by our subsidiaries or that are approved by our general partner.

Our general partner is authorized in general to perform all acts deemed necessary to carry out our purposes and to conduct our business.

Power of Attorney

Each limited partner, and each person who acquires a unit from a unitholder and executes and delivers a transfer application, grants to our general partner and, if appointed, a liquidator, a power of attorney to, among other things, execute and file documents required for our qualification, continuance or dissolution. The power of attorney also grants our general partner the authority to make certain amendments, and consents and waivers under, our partnership agreement.

Issuance of Additional Securities

Our partnership agreement authorizes us to issue an unlimited number of additional limited partner interests and other equity securities for the consideration and on the terms and conditions established by our general partner in its sole discretion without the approval of any limited partners.

It is possible that we will fund acquisitions through the issuance of additional limited partner units or other equity securities. Holders of any additional limited partner units issued by us will be entitled to share equally with the then-existing holders of limited partner units, the general partner interest and other securities in our distributions of available cash. In addition, the issuance of additional partnership interests may dilute the value of the interests of the then-existing holders of limited partner units in our net assets.

In accordance with Delaware law and the provisions of our partnership agreement, we may also issue additional partnership interests that, in the sole discretion of our general partner, have special voting rights to which the limited partner units are not entitled.

Board of Directors of General Partner; Nomination and Election; Meetings of Limited Partners

Pursuant to our partnership agreement, the number of directors constituting the board of directors of our general partner is eleven. Our limited partners other than the purchaser of our general partner and those limited partners holding an interest in our general partner and their respective affiliates (the “Unaffiliated Limited Partners”) have the right to vote in the election of nine directors to the board of directors of our general partner (the “Public Directors”). The Public Directors are divided into three groups, Group I, Group II, and Group III, each consisting of three directors.

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Our partnership agreement provides that an annual meeting of the limited partners for the election of the Public Directors to the board of directors of our general partner will be held in June of each year or at such other date and time as may be fixed from time to time by our general partner. Notice of the annual meeting will be given not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days prior to the date of such meeting.

The Unaffiliated Limited Partners will vote together as a single class for the election of Public Directors to the board of directors of our general partner. The Unaffiliated Limited Partners entitled to vote will elect by a plurality of the votes cast at such meeting persons to serve as Public Directors on the board of directors of our general partner who are nominated in accordance with the provisions of our partnership agreement. The exercise by an Unaffiliated Limited Partner of the right to elect the Public Directors and any other rights afforded to such Unaffiliated Limited Partner under our partnership agreement will be in such Unaffiliated Limited Partner’s capacity as a limited partner of us and is not intended to cause an Unaffiliated Limited Partner to be deemed to be taking part in the management and control of our business and affairs.

With respect to the election of Public Directors to the board of directors of our general partner, our general partner and those limited partners holding an interest in our general partner or their respective affiliates will not be entitled to vote units that are otherwise entitled to vote at any meeting of the limited partners. If our general partner has provided at least 30 days advance notice of any meeting at which Public Directors are to be elected, then the limited partners holding outstanding units (other than our general partner and those limited partners holding an interest in our general partner or any of their respective affiliates) that attend such meeting shall constitute a quorum, and if our general partner has provided less than 30 days advance notice of any such meeting, then limited partners holding a majority of the outstanding units (other than our general partner and those limited partners holding an interest in our general partner or their respective affiliates) shall constitute a quorum.

Each Public Director will serve for an initial term ending as provided in our partnership agreement. At each annual meeting of Limited Partners, successors to the Public Directors whose term expires at that annual meeting shall be elected for a three-year term.

Any vacancy in a Public Director on the board of directors of our general partner (including, without limitation, any vacancy caused by an increase in the number of Public Directors on the board of directors of our general partner) may only be filled by a person nominated for election by a majority of the remaining Public Directors with such person being thereafter deemed elected. Any Public Director elected to fill a vacancy not resulting from an increase in the number of Public Directors shall have the same remaining term as that of his predecessor.

A Public Director may be removed only at a meeting of the limited partners upon the affirmative vote of limited partners (other than our general partner and those limited partners holding an interest in our general partner or any of their respective affiliates) holding a majority of the outstanding units (other than our general partner and those limited partners holding an interest in our general partner or any of their respective affiliates); provided, however, that a Public Director may only be removed if, at the same meeting, limited partners holding a majority of the outstanding units nominate a replacement Public Director (and any such nomination shall not be subject to the nomination procedures otherwise set forth in our partnership agreement), and limited partners (other than our general partner and those limited partners holding an interest in our general partner or any of their respective affiliates) holding a majority of the outstanding units (other than our general partner and those limited partners holding an interest in our general partner or any of their respective affiliates) also vote to elect a replacement Public Director, and, provided, further, that a Public Director may only be removed for cause.

Nominations of persons for election of Public Directors to the board of directors of our general partner may be made at an annual meeting of the limited partners only pursuant to our general partner’s notice of meeting (or any supplement thereto) (a) by or at the direction of a majority of the Public Directors or (b) by a limited partner, or a group of limited partners, that holds or beneficially owns, and has continuously held or beneficially owned

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without interruption for the prior 18 months, 5% of the outstanding units (in either case, a “Limited Partner Group”) if each member of the Limited Partner Group was a record holder at the time the notice provided for in our partnership agreement is delivered to our general partner, and if the Limited Partner Group complies with the notice procedures set forth in our partnership agreement.

For any nominations brought before an annual meeting by a Limited Partner Group, the Limited Partner Group must give timely notice thereof in writing to our general partner. The notice must contain certain information as described in our partnership agreement. To be timely, a Limited Partner Group’s notice must be delivered to our general partner not later than the close of business on the 90th day, nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day, prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting (provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 70 days after such anniversary date, notice by the Limited Partner Group must be so delivered not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made by us or our general partner). The public announcement of an adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting will not commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a Limited Partner Group’s notice as described above.

In the event that the number of Public Directors to be elected to the board of directors of our general partner is increased effective after the time period for which nominations are due under our partnership agreement and there is no public announcement by us or our general partner naming the nominees for the additional directorships at least 100 days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting, a Limited Partner Group’s notice will also be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for the additional directorships, if it is delivered to our general partner not later than the close of business on the 10th day following the day on which such public announcement is first made by us or our general partner.

Nominations of persons for election as a Public Director to the board of directors of our general partner also may be made at a special meeting of limited partners at which Public Directors are to be elected in accordance with the provisions of our partnership agreement.

Only such persons who are nominated in accordance with the procedures set forth in our partnership agreement will be eligible to be elected at an annual or special meeting of limited partners to serve as Public Directors. Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless otherwise required by law, if each member of the Limited Partner Group (or a qualified representative of each member of the Limited Partner Group) does not appear at the annual or special meeting of limited partners to present a nomination, such nomination shall be disregarded notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such vote may have been received by us or our general partner.

In addition to the provisions described above and in our partnership agreement, a limited partner must also comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange Act; provided, however, that any references in our partnership agreement to the Exchange Act or the rules promulgated thereunder are not intended to and do not limit any requirements applicable to nominations pursuant to our partnership agreement, and compliance with our partnership agreement is the exclusive means for a limited partner to make nominations.

Purchaser Directors

The purchaser of our Class B Units (the “Class B Unit Purchaser”) has the right to designate and appoint two directors to the board of directors (the “Purchaser Directors”). Each Purchaser Direct shall hold office until such Purchaser Director’s earlier death, resignation or removal by the Class B Unit Purchaser. After all Class B Units have been converted to Common Units and when the Common Units issued upon such conversion and held by the Class B Unit Purchaser or any of its affiliates ceases to consist of at least 10% of the total number of outstanding units, the Class B Unit Purchaser shall cause the Purchaser Directors to resign or be removed from the board of directors, and thereafter the board of directors shall consist only of Public Directors; provided, that

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anytime thereafter in which the Common Units issued upon conversion of Class B Units held by the Class B Unit Purchaser or any of its affiliates represent at least 10% of the total number of outstanding units, the Class B Unit Purchaser will be entitled to reappoint two Purchaser Directors.

Amendment of Our Partnership Agreement

General

Amendments to our partnership agreement may be proposed only by or with the consent of our general partner. To adopt a proposed amendment, other than the amendments discussed below, our general partner must 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. Except as described below, an amendment must be approved by a majority of the outstanding units. These voting provisions are referred to as a “unit majority.”

Prohibited Amendments

Without the consent of the holders of at least 90% of the outstanding units voting together as a single class (including units owned by our general partner and its affiliates), our partnership agreement may not be amended to:

• 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;

• 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 may be given or withheld in its sole discretion;

• change the term of the partnership;

• provide that the partnership is not dissolved upon an election to dissolve the partnership by our general partner that is approved by a unit majority; or

• give any person the right to dissolve the partnership other than our general partner’s right to dissolve the partnership with the approval of a unit majority.

No Unitholder Approval

Our general partner may generally make amendments to the partnership agreement without the approval of any limited partner or assignee to reflect:

• a change in our name, the location of our principal place of business, the registered agent or registered office;

• the admission, substitution, withdrawal or removal of partners in accordance with the partnership agreement;

• a change that, in the sole discretion of our general partner, is necessary or advisable to qualify or continue our qualification as a limited partnership or a partnership in which the limited partners have limited liability under the laws of any state or to ensure that we will not be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes;

• an amendment that is necessary, in the opinion of our counsel, to prevent us or our general partner or our directors, officers, agents or trustees, from in any manner being subjected to the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Investment Advisors Act of 1940, or “plan asset” regulations adopted under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, whether or not substantially similar to plan asset regulations currently applied or proposed;

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• an amendment that in the discretion of our general partner is necessary or advisable for the authorization of additional limited or general partner interests;

• any amendment expressly permitted in our partnership agreement to be made by our general partner acting alone;

• an amendment effected, necessitated or contemplated by a merger agreement that has been approved under the terms of the partnership agreement;

• any amendment that, in the discretion of our general partner, is necessary or advisable for the formation by us of, or our investment in, any corporation, partnership or other entity, as otherwise permitted by our partnership agreement;

• a change in our fiscal year or taxable year and related changes; and

• any other amendments substantially similar to any of the matters described in the clauses above.

In addition, our general partner may make amendments to the partnership agreement without the approval of any limited partner or assignee if those amendments, in the discretion of our general partner:

• do not adversely affect the limited partners (or any particular class of limited partners) in any material respect;

• are necessary or advisable 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 advisable to facilitate the trading of our limited partner interests or to comply with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any securities exchange on which our limited partner interests are or will be listed for trading, compliance with any of which our general partner deems to be in the best interests of us and our limited partners;

• are necessary or advisable for any action taken by our general partner relating to splits or combinations of units under the provisions of the partnership agreement; or

• are required to effect the intent of the provisions of the partnership agreement or are otherwise contemplated by the partnership agreement.

Any amendment or waiver that has the effect of modifying the rights or preferences of the Class B Units and that the General Partner determines could result in an adverse effect on the Common Units, considered as a class, must be approved by a majority of the Public Directors.

Opinion of Counsel and 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 the limited partners or result in us being treated as an entity for federal income tax purposes if one of the amendments described above under “—No Unitholder Approval” should occur. No other amendments to the partnership agreement will become effective without the approval of holders of at least 90% of the units unless we obtain an opinion of counsel to the effect that the amendment will not affect the limited liability under applicable law of any limited partner in the partnership or cause us or our subsidiaries to be taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes (to the extent not previously taxed as such).

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 is required to be approved by the affirmative vote of limited partners constituting not less than the voting requirement sought to be reduced.

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Merger, Sale or Other Disposition of Assets

The partnership agreement generally prohibits our general partner, without the prior approval of the holders of a unit majority, from causing us to, among other things, sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its assets in a single transaction or a series of related transactions, including by way of merger, consolidation or other combination, or approving on our behalf the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets or the assets of its subsidiaries; provided that our general partner may mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or grant a security interest in all or substantially all of our assets without that approval. Our general partner may also sell all or substantially all of our assets under a foreclosure or other realization upon the encumbrances above without that approval. Furthermore, provided that conditions specified in the partnership agreement are satisfied, our general partner may merge the partnership or any of its subsidiaries into, or convey some or all of their assets to, a newly formed entity if the sole purpose of that merger or conveyance is to effect a mere change in our legal form into another limited liability entity. Unitholders are not entitled to dissenters’ rights of appraisal under the partnership agreement or applicable Delaware law in the event of a merger or consolidation, a sale of substantially all of our assets or any other transaction or event.

Termination and Dissolution

We will continue as a limited partnership until terminated under the partnership agreement. We will dissolve upon:

• the election of our general partner to dissolve the partnership, if approved by the holders of a unit majority;

• the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets and properties of the partnership and its subsidiaries;

• the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the partnership; or

• the withdrawal or removal of our general partner or any other event that results in its ceasing to be general partner other than by reason of a transfer of its general partner interest in accordance with the partnership agreement or withdrawal or removal following approval and admission of a successor.

Upon a dissolution under the last clause above, the holders of a majority of the outstanding Common Units may also elect, within specific time limitations, to reconstitute the partnership and continue its business on the same terms and conditions described in the partnership agreement by forming a new limited partnership on terms identical to those in the existing partnership agreement and having as general partner an entity approved by a unit majority, subject to receipt by us of an opinion of counsel to the effect that:

• the action would not result in the loss of limited liability of any limited partner; and

• neither the partnership, the reconstituted limited partnership, nor its operating company would be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise be taxable as an entity for federal income tax purposes upon the exercise of that right to continue.

Liquidation and Distribution of Proceeds

Upon dissolution of the partnership, unless it is reconstituted and 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 the liquidator deems necessary or desirable in its judgment, liquidate our assets and apply the proceeds of the liquidation as provided in “—Cash Distribution Policy—Distributions of Cash Upon Liquidation.” 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.

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Withdrawal or Removal of the General Partner

Our general partner may withdraw as general partner without first obtaining approval of any unitholder by giving 90 days’ written notice, and that withdrawal will not constitute a violation of the partnership agreement. Upon the withdrawal of our general partner under any circumstances, other than as a result of a transfer by our general partner of all or a part of its general partner interest, the holders of a majority of the outstanding units may select a successor to that withdrawing general partner. If a successor is not elected, or is elected but an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters cannot be obtained, we will be dissolved, wound up and liquidated, unless within 180 days after that withdrawal, the holders of a majority of the outstanding units agree in writing to continue our business and to appoint 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 not less than 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 majority of the outstanding Common Units.

In addition, we will be required to reimburse the departing general partner for all amounts due the departing general partner.

Transfer of General Partner Interests

Our general partner may transfer all or any of its general partner interest without unitholder approval.

Limited Call Right

If at any time persons other than our general partner and its affiliates do not own more than 20% of the then-issued and outstanding limited partner interests of any class, our general partner will have the right, which it may assign in whole or in part to any of its affiliates or to us, to acquire all, but not less than all, of the remaining limited partner interests of the class held by unaffiliated persons as of a record date to be selected by our general partner, on at least 10 but not more than 60 days’ notice. The purchase price in the event of this purchase is the greater of:

• the highest cash price paid by either 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 current market price as of 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 an undesirable time or price. The 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.

Indemnification

Under the partnership agreement, in most circumstances, we will indemnify the following persons, to the fullest extent permitted by law, from and against all losses, claims, damages or similar events:

• our general partner;

• any departing general partner;

• any person who is or was an affiliate of a general partner or any departing general partner;

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• any person who is or was a member, partner, officer, director, employee, agent or trustee of a general partner or any departing general partner or any affiliate of a general partner or any departing general partner; or

• 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 an officer, director, employee, member, partner, agent, fiduciary or trustee of another person.

Any indemnification under these provisions will only be out of our assets. Our general partner shall not be personally liable for, or have any obligation to contribute or loan funds or assets to us to enable us to effectuate indemnification. We are authorized 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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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL TAX CONSEQUENCES

This section summarizes the material federal income tax consequences that may be relevant to prospective unitholders and is based upon current provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), existing and proposed Treasury regulations thereunder (the “Treasury Regulations”), and current administrative rulings and court decisions, all of which are subject to change. Changes in these authorities may cause the federal income tax consequences to a prospective unitholder to vary substantially from those described below. Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this section to “us” or “we” are references to PVR Partners, L.P. and its subsidiaries.

Legal conclusions contained in this section, unless otherwise noted, are the opinion of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. and are based on the accuracy of representations made by us to them for this purpose. However, this section does not address all federal income tax matters that affect us or our unitholders and does not describe the application of the alternative minimum tax that may be applicable to certain unitholders. Furthermore, this section focuses on unitholders who are individual citizens or residents of the United States (for federal income tax purposes), who have the U.S. dollar as their functional currency and who hold units as capital assets (generally, property that is held for investment). This section has limited applicability to corporations, partnerships, (including entities treated as partnerships for federal income tax purposes), estates, trusts, non-resident aliens or other unitholders subject to specialized tax treatment, such as tax-exempt institutions, non-U.S. persons, individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”), employee benefit plans, real estate investment trusts or mutual funds. Accordingly, we encourage each unitholder to consult the unitholder’s own tax advisor in analyzing the federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences particular to that unitholder resulting from ownership or disposition of units and potential changes in applicable tax laws.

We are relying on opinions and advice of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. with respect to the matters described herein. An opinion of counsel represents only that counsel’s best legal judgment and does not bind the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) or a court. Accordingly, the opinions and statements made herein may not be sustained by a court if contested by the IRS. Any such contest of the matters described herein may materially and adversely impact the market for units and the prices at which our units trade. In addition, our costs of any contest with the IRS will be borne indirectly by our unitholders and our general partner because the costs will reduce our cash available for distribution. Furthermore, the tax consequences of an investment in us, may be significantly modified by future legislative or administrative changes or court decisions, which may be retroactively applied.

For the reasons described below, Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. has not rendered an opinion with respect to the following federal income tax issues: (1) the treatment of a unitholder whose units are the subject of a securities loan (e.g., a loan to a short seller to cover a short sale of units) (please read “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Treatment of Securities Loans”); (2) whether our monthly convention for allocating taxable income and losses is permitted by existing Treasury Regulations (please read “—Disposition of Units—Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees”); and (3) whether our method for taking into account Section 743 adjustments is sustainable in certain cases (please read “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Section 754 Election” and “—Uniformity of Units”).

Partnership Status

We expect to be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, therefore, generally will not be liable for entity-level federal income taxes. Instead, as described below, each of our unitholders will take into account its respective share of our items of income, gain, loss and deduction in computing its federal income tax liability as if the unitholder had earned such income directly, even if we make no cash distributions to the unitholder. Distributions we make to a unitholder generally will not give rise to income or gain taxable to such unitholder, unless the amount of cash distributed exceeds the unitholder’s adjusted tax basis in its units.

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Section 7704 of the Code generally provides that publicly-traded partnerships will be treated as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, if 90% or more of a partnership’s gross income for every taxable year it is publicly traded consists of “qualifying income,” the partnership may continue to be treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes (the “Qualifying Income Exception”). Qualifying income includes income and gains derived from the transportation, storage, processing and marketing of natural resources, including coal, timber, 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 6% of our current gross income is not qualifying income; however, this estimate could change from time to time.

Based upon factual representations made by us and our general partner regarding the composition of our income and the other representations set forth below, Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. is of the opinion that we will be treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. In rendering its opinion, Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. has relied on factual representations made by us and our general partner. The representations made by us and our general partner upon which Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. has relied include, without limitation:

(a) Neither we nor the operating company has elected or will elect to be treated as a corporation; and

(b) For each taxable year, more than 90% of our gross income has been and will be income that Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. has opined or will opine is “qualifying income” within the meaning of Section 7704(d) of the Internal Revenue Code.

We believe that these representations are true and will be true in the future.

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 (in which case the IRS may also require us to make adjustments with respect to our unitholders or pay other amounts), we will be treated as transferring 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 as distributing that stock to our unitholders in liquidation. This deemed contribution and liquidation should not result in the recognition of taxable income by our unitholders or us so long as our liabilities do not exceed the tax basis of our assets. Thereafter, we would be treated as an association taxable as a corporation for federal income tax purposes.

The present federal income tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships, including us, or an investment in our common units may be modified by administrative, legislative or judicial interpretation at any time. For example, from time to time, members of the U.S. Congress propose and consider substantive changes to the existing federal income tax laws that affect publicly traded partnerships. One such legislative proposal would have eliminated the qualifying income exception upon which we rely for our treatment as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We are unable to predict whether any such changes will ultimately be enacted. However, it is possible that a change in law could affect us and may be applied retroactively. Any such changes could negatively impact the value of an investment in our units.

If for any reason we are taxable as a corporation in any taxable year, our items of income, gain, loss and deduction would be taken into account by us in determining the amount of our liability for federal income tax, rather than being passed through to our unitholders. Our taxation as a corporation would materially reduce the cash available for distribution to unitholders and thus would likely substantially reduce the value of our units. Any distribution made to a unitholder at a time we are treated as a corporation would be (i) a taxable dividend to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, then (ii) a nontaxable return of capital to the extent of the unitholder’s tax basis in its units, and thereafter (iii) taxable capital gain.

The remainder of this discussion is based on the opinion of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. that we will be treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes.

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Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership

Limited Partner Status. Unitholders who are admitted as limited partners of the partnership will be treated as partners of PVR Partners, L.P. for federal income tax purposes. Also:

(a) assignees who have executed and delivered transfer applications, and are awaiting admission as limited partners, and

(b) 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 partners of the partnership for federal income tax purposes. As there is no direct or indirect controlling authority addressing the federal tax treatment of 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, Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.’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.

For a discussion related to the risks of losing partner status as a result of securities loans, please read “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Treatment of Securities Loans.” Unitholders who are not treated as partners in us as described above are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences applicable to them under the circumstances.

Flow-Through of Taxable Income. Subject to the discussion below under “—Entity-Level Collections” with respect to payments we may be required to make on behalf of our unitholders, we will not pay any federal income tax. Rather, each unitholder will be required to report on its federal income tax return each year its share of our income, gains, losses and deductions for our taxable year or years ending with or within its taxable year. Consequently, we may allocate income to a unitholder even if that unitholder has not received a cash distribution.

Treatment of Distributions. Distributions made by us to a unitholder generally will not be taxable to the unitholder, unless such distributions exceed the unitholder’s tax basis in its units, in which case the unitholder generally will recognize gain taxable in the manner described below under “—Disposition of Units.”

Any reduction in a unitholder’s share of our “liabilities” will be treated as a distribution by us of cash to that unitholder. A decrease in a unitholder’s percentage interest in us because of our issuance of additional units may decrease the unitholder’s share of our liabilities. For purposes of the foregoing, a unitholder’s share of our nonrecourse liabilities (liabilities for which no partner bears the economic risk of loss) generally will be based upon that unitholder’s share of the unrealized appreciation (or depreciation) in our assets, to the extent thereof, with any excess liabilities allocated based on the unitholder’s share of our profits. Please read “—Disposition of Units.”

A non-pro rata distribution of money or property (including a deemed distribution as a result of the reallocation of our liabilities described above) may cause a unitholder to recognize ordinary income, if the distribution reduces the unitholder’s share of our “unrealized receivables,” including depreciation and depletion recapture and substantially appreciated “inventory items,” both as defined in Section 751 of the Code (“Section 751 Assets”). To the extent of such reduction, the unitholder would be deemed to receive its proportionate share of the Section 751 Assets and exchange such assets with us in return for a portion of the non-pro rata distribution. This deemed exchange generally will result in the unitholder’s recognition of ordinary income in an amount equal to the excess of (1) the non-pro rata portion of that distribution over (2) the unitholder’s tax basis (generally zero) in the Section 751 Assets deemed to be relinquished in the exchange.

Basis of Common Units. A unitholder’s tax basis in its units initially will be the amount paid for those units plus the unitholder’s share of our liabilities. That basis generally will be (i) increased by the unitholder’s share of

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our income and any increases in such unitholder’s share of our liabilities, and (ii) decreased, but not below zero, by the amount of all distributions, the unitholder’s share of our losses, and any decreases in its share of our liabilities.

Limitations on Deductibility of Losses. A unitholder may not be entitled to deduct the full amount of loss we allocate to it because its share of our losses will be limited to the lesser of (i) the unitholder’s tax basis in its units, and (ii) in the case of a unitholder that is an individual, estate, trust or certain types of closely-held corporations, the amount for which the unitholder is considered to be “at risk” with respect to our activities. In general, a unitholder will be at risk to the extent of its tax basis in its units, reduced by (1) any portion of that basis attributable to the unitholder’s share of our liabilities, (2) any portion of that basis representing amounts otherwise protected against loss because of a guarantee, stop loss agreement or similar arrangement and (3) any amount of money the unitholder borrows to acquire or hold its units, if the lender of those borrowed funds owns an interest in us, is related to another unitholder or can look only to the units for repayment. A unitholder subject to the at risk limitation must recapture losses deducted in previous years to the extent that distributions (including distributions deemed to result from a reduction in a unitholder’s share of nonrecourse liabilities) cause the unitholder’s 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 the basis or at risk limitations will carry forward and will be allowable as a deduction in a later year to the extent that the unitholder’s tax basis or at risk amount, whichever is the limiting factor, is subsequently increased. Upon a taxable disposition of units, any gain recognized by a unitholder can be offset by losses that were previously suspended by the at risk limitation but not losses suspended by the basis limitation. Any loss previously suspended by the at risk limitation in excess of that gain can no longer be used, and will not be available to offset a unitholder’s salary or active business income.

In addition to the basis and at risk limitations, a passive activity loss limitation generally limits the deductibility of losses incurred by individuals, estates, trusts, some closely-held corporations and personal service corporations from “passive activities” (generally, trade or business activities in which the taxpayer does not materially participate). The passive loss limitations are applied separately with respect to each publicly-traded partnership. Consequently, any passive losses we generate will be available to offset only passive income generated by us. Passive losses that exceed a unitholder’s share of passive income we generate may be deducted in full when the unitholder disposes of all of its units in a fully taxable transaction with an unrelated party. The passive loss rules generally are applied after other applicable limitations on deductions, including the at risk and basis limitations.

Limitations on Interest Deductions. The deductibility of a non-corporate taxpayer’s “investment interest expense” generally is limited to the amount of that taxpayer’s “net investment income.” Investment interest expense includes:

• interest on indebtedness allocable to property held for investment;

• our interest expense allocated against portfolio income; and

• the portion of interest expense incurred to purchase or carry an interest in a passive activity to the extent allocated against 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. Net investment income generally does not include qualified dividend income or gains attributable to the disposition of property held for investment. A unitholder’s share of a publicly-traded partnership’s portfolio income and, according to the IRS, net passive income will be treated as investment income for purposes of the investment interest expense limitation.

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Entity-Level Collections. If we are required or elect under applicable law to pay any federal, state, local or non-U.S. tax on behalf of any current or former unitholder or our general partner, we are authorized to treat the payment as a distribution of cash to the relevant unitholder or general partner. Where the tax is payable on behalf of all unitholders or we cannot determine the specific unitholder on whose behalf the tax is payable, we are authorized to treat the payment as a distribution to all current unitholders. Payments by us as described above could give rise to an overpayment of tax on behalf of a unitholder, in which event the unitholder may be entitled to claim a refund of the overpayment amount. Unitholders are urged to consult their tax advisors to determine the consequences to them of any tax payment we make on their behalf.

Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction. Our items of income, gain, loss and deduction generally will be allocated amongst 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 the recipients to the extent of these distributions. If we have a net loss, that loss will be allocated first to our general partner and the unitholders in accordance with their percentage interests in us to the extent of their positive capital accounts and, second, to our general partner.

Specified items of our income, gain, loss and deduction will be allocated under Section 704(c) of the Code (or the principles of Section 704(c) of the Code) to account for any difference between the tax basis and fair market value of our assets at the time such assets are contributed to us and at the time of any subsequent offering of our units (a “Book-Tax Disparity”). As a result, the federal income tax burden associated with any Book-Tax Disparity immediately prior to an offering generally will be borne by our partners holding interests in us prior to such offering. In addition, items of recapture income will be specially allocated to the extent possible to the unitholder who was allocated the deduction giving rise to that recapture income in order to minimize the recognition of ordinary income by other unitholders.

An allocation of items of our income, gain, loss or deduction, other than an allocation required by the Code to eliminate a Book-Tax Disparity, will generally be given effect for federal income tax purposes in determining a partner’s share of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction only if the allocation has “substantial economic effect.” In any other case, a partner’s share of an item will be determined on the basis of the partner’s interest in us, which will be determined by taking into account all the facts and circumstances, including (i) the partner’s relative contributions to us, (ii) the interests of all the partners in profits and losses, (iii) the interest of all the partners in cash flow and (iv) the rights of all the partners to distributions of capital upon liquidation. Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. is of the opinion that, with the exception of the issues described in “— Section 754 Election” and “— Disposition of Units — Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees,” allocations under our partnership agreement will be given effect for federal income tax purposes in determining a partner’s share of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction.

Treatment of Securities Loans. A unitholder whose units are loaned (for example, a loan to a “short seller” to cover a short sale of units) may be treated as having disposed of those units. If so, he would no longer be treated for tax purposes as a partner with respect to those units 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, loss or deduction with respect to those units would not be reportable by the lending unitholder;

• any cash distributions received by the unitholder as to those units may be treated as ordinary taxable income.

Due to a lack of controlling authority, Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. has not rendered an opinion regarding the tax treatment of a unitholder that enters into a securities loan with respect to its units. Unitholders desiring to assure their status as partners and avoid the risk of income recognition from a loan of their units are urged to modify any applicable brokerage account agreements to prohibit their brokers from borrowing and lending their units. The IRS has announced that it is studying issues relating to the tax treatment of short sales of partnership interests. Please read “—Disposition of Units—Recognition of Gain or Loss.”

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Tax Rates. Beginning January 1, 2013, the highest marginal federal income tax rates for individuals applicable to ordinary income and long-term capital gains (generally, gains from the sale or exchange of certain investment assets held for more than one year) are 39.6% and 20%, respectively. These rates are subject to change by new legislation at any time.

In addition, a 3.8% Medicare tax on certain net investment income (“NIIT”) earned by individuals, estates, and trusts applies for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012. For these purposes, net investment income generally includes a unitholder’s allocable share of our income and gain realized by a unitholder from a sale of units. In the case of an individual, the tax will be imposed on the lesser of (i) the unitholder’s net investment income from all investments, or (ii) the amount by which the unitholder’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds $250,000 (if the unitholder is married and filing jointly or a surviving spouse), $125,000 (if married filing separately) or $200,000 (if the unitholder is unmarried or in any other case). In the case of an estate or trust, the tax will be imposed on the lesser of (i) undistributed net investment income, or (ii) the excess adjusted gross income over the dollar amount at which the highest income tax bracket applicable to an estate or trust begins.

Section 754 Election. We have made the election permitted by Section 754 of the Code that permits us to adjust the tax bases in our assets as to specific purchasers of our units under Section 743(b) of the Code. The Section 743(b) adjustment separately applied to each purchaser of units based upon the values and bases of our assets at the time of the relevant purchase, and the adjustment will reflect the purchase price paid. The Section 743(b) adjustment does not apply to a person who purchases units directly from us.

Under our partnership agreement, we are authorized to take a position to preserve the uniformity of units even if that position is not consistent with applicable Treasury Regulations. A literal application of Treasury Regulations governing a 743(b) adjustment attributable to properties depreciable under Section 167 of the Code may give rise to differences in the taxation of unitholders purchasing units from us and unitholders purchasing from other unitholders. If we have any such properties, we intend to adopt methods employed by other publicly traded partnerships to preserve the uniformity of units, even if inconsistent with existing Treasury Regulations, and Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. has not opined on the validity of this approach. Please read “— Uniformity of Units.”

The IRS may challenge the positions we adopt with respect to depreciating or amortizing the Section 743(b) adjustment we take to preserve the uniformity of units due to lack of controlling authority. Because a unitholder’s tax basis for its units is reduced by its share of our items of deduction or loss, any position we take that understates deductions will overstate a unitholder’s basis in its units, and may cause the unitholder to understate gain or overstate loss on any sale of such units. Please read “— Disposition of Units — Recognition of Gain or Loss.” If a challenge to such treatment were sustained, the gain from the sale of units may be increased without the benefit of additional deductions.

The calculations involved in the Section 754 election are complex and will be made on the basis of assumptions as to the value of our assets and other matters. The IRS could seek to reallocate some or all of any Section 743(b) adjustment we allocated to our assets subject to depreciation to goodwill or nondepreciable assets. Goodwill, as an intangible asset, is generally nonamortizable or amortizable over a longer period of time or under a less accelerated method than our tangible assets. We cannot assure any unitholder that the determinations we make will not be successfully challenged by the IRS or that the resulting deductions will not be reduced or disallowed altogether. Should the IRS require a different tax 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 it would have been allocated had the election not been revoked.

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Tax Treatment of Operations

Accounting Method and Taxable Year. We use the year ending December 31 as our taxable year and the accrual method of accounting for federal income tax purposes. Each unitholder will be required to include in income its share of our income, gain, loss and deduction for each taxable year ending within or with its 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 its units following the close of our taxable year but before the close of its taxable year must include its share of our income, gain, loss and deduction in income for its taxable year, with the result that it will be required to include in income for its taxable year its share of more than one year of our income, gain, loss and deduction. Please read “—Disposition of Units—Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees.”

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. 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 and depletion deductions previously taken, 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 property we own will likely be required to recapture some or all of those deductions as ordinary income upon a sale of its interest in us. Please read “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction.”

The costs we incur in offering and selling our units (called “syndication expenses”) must be capitalized and cannot be deducted currently, ratably or upon our termination. While there are uncertainties regarding the classification of costs as organization expenses, which may be amortized by us, and as syndication expenses, which may not be amortized by us, the underwriting discounts and commissions we incur will be treated as syndication expenses.

Coal Income. Section 631 of the Internal Revenue Code provides special rules by which gains or losses on the sale of coal may be treated, in whole or in part, as gains or losses from the sale of property used in a trade or business under Section 1231 of the Internal Revenue Code. Specifically, Section 631(c) provides that if the owner of coal held for more than one year disposes of that coal under a contract by virtue of which the owner retains an economic interest in the coal, the gain or loss realized will be treated under Section 1231 of the Internal Revenue Code as gain or loss from property used in a trade or business. Section 1231 gains and losses may be treated as capital gains and losses. Please read “—Sales of Coal Reserves or Timberland.” In computing such gain or loss, the amount realized is reduced by the adjusted depletion basis in the coal, determined as described in “—Coal Depletion.” For purposes of Section 631(c), the coal generally is deemed to be disposed of on the day on which the coal is mined. Further, Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 631 provide that advance royalty payments may also be treated as proceeds from sales of coal to which Section 631 applies and, therefore, such payment may be treated as capital gain under Section 1231. However, if the right to mine the related coal expires or terminates under the contract that provides for the payment of advance royalty payments or such right is abandoned before the coal has been mined, we may, pursuant to the Treasury regulations, file an amended return that reflects the payments attributable to unmined coal as ordinary income and not as received from the sale of coal under Section 631.

Our royalties from coal leases generally will be treated as proceeds from sales of coal to which Section 631 applies. Accordingly, the difference between the royalties paid to us by the lessees and the adjusted depletion basis in the extracted coal generally will be treated as gain from the sale of property used in a trade or business, which may be treated as capital gain under Section 1231. Please read “—Sales of Coal Reserves or Timberland.” Our royalties that do not qualify under Section 631(c) generally will be taxable as ordinary income in the year of sale.

Coal Depletion. In general, we are entitled to depletion deductions with respect to coal mined from the underlying mineral property. Subject to the limitations on the deductibility of losses discussed above, we generally are entitled to the greater of cost depletion limited to the basis of the property or percentage depletion.

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The percentage depletion rate for coal is 10%. If Section 631(c) applies to the disposition of the coal, however, we are not eligible for percentage depletion. Please read “—Coal Income.”

Depletion deductions we claim generally will reduce the tax basis of the underlying mineral property. Depletion deductions can, however, exceed the total tax basis of the mineral property. The excess of our percentage depletion deductions over the adjusted tax basis of the property at the end of the taxable year is subject to tax preference treatment in computing the alternative minimum tax, which is not discussed herein. In addition, a corporate unitholder’s allocable share of the amount allowable as a percentage depletion deduction for any property will be reduced by 20% of the excess, if any, of that partner’s allocable share of the amount of the percentage depletion deductions for the taxable year over the adjusted tax basis of the mineral property as of the close of the taxable year.

Oil and Natural Gas Depletion. Subject to the limitations on deductibility of losses discussed above (please read “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership-Limitations on Deductibility of Losses”), unitholders may be entitled to depletion deductions with respect to our oil and natural gas royalty interests. The deduction is equal to the greater of cost depletion limited to the basis of the property or (if otherwise allowable) percentage depletion.

Percentage depletion is generally available with respect to unitholders who qualify under the independent producer exemption contained in Section 613A(c) of the Internal Revenue Code. For this purpose, an independent producer is a person not directly or indirectly involved in the retail sale of oil, natural gas or derivative products or the operation of a major refinery. Percentage depletion is calculated as an amount generally equal to 15% of the unitholder’s gross income from the oil and gas property for the taxable year. A unitholder may deduct percentage depletion only to the extent the unitholder’s average daily production of domestic crude oil, or the natural gas equivalent, does not exceed 1,000 barrels. A limitation equal to the lower of 65% of taxable income or 100% of taxable income from the property further limits the deduction for the taxable year.

All or a portion of any gain recognized by a unitholder as a result of either the disposition by us of some or all of our oil and natural gas interests or the disposition by the unitholder of some or all of his units may be taxed as ordinary income to the extent of recapture of oil and gas depletion.

Although the Internal Revenue Code requires each unitholder to compute his own depletion allowance and maintain records of his share of the adjusted tax basis of the underlying property for depletion and other purposes, we intend to furnish each of our unitholders with information relating to this computation for federal income tax purposes. Each unitholder, however, remains responsible for calculating his own depletion allowance and maintaining records of his share of the adjusted tax basis of the underlying property for depletion and other purposes.

Timber Income. Section 631 of the Internal Revenue Code provides special rules by which gains or losses on the sale of timber may be treated, in whole or in part, as gains or losses from the sale of property used in a trade or business under Section 1231 of the Internal Revenue Code. Specifically, Section 631(b) provides that if the owner of timber (including a holder of a contract right to cut timber) held for more than one year disposes of that timber under any contract by virtue of which the owner retains an economic interest in the timber, the gain or loss realized will be treated under Section 1231 of the Internal Revenue Code as gain or loss from property used in a trade or business. Section 1231 gains and losses may be treated as capital gains and losses. Please read “—Sales of Coal Reserves or Timberland.” In computing such gain or loss, the amount realized is reduced by the adjusted basis in the timber, determined as described in “—Timber Depletion.” For purposes of Section 631(b), the timber generally is deemed to be disposed of on the day on which the timber is cut (which is generally deemed to be the date when, in the ordinary course of business, the quantity of the timber cut is first definitely determined).

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Proceeds we receive from standing timber sales generally will be treated as sales of timber to which Section 631 applies. Accordingly, the difference between those proceeds and the adjusted basis in the timber sold generally will be treated as gain from the sale of property used in a trade or business, which may be treated as capital gain under Section 1231. Please read “—Sales of Coal Reserves and Timberland.” Gains from sale of timber by the Partnership that do not qualify under Section 631 generally will be taxable as ordinary income in the year of sale.

Timber Depletion. Timber is subject to cost depletion and is not subject to accelerated cost recovery, depreciation or percentage depletion. Timber depletion is determined with respect to each separate timber account (containing timber located in a timber “block”) and is equal to the product obtained by multiplying the units of timber cut by a fraction, the numerator of which is the aggregate adjusted basis of all timber included in such account and the denominator of which is the total number of timber units in such timber account. The depletion allowance so calculated for the timber cut in a particular period represents the adjusted tax basis of such cut timber for purposes of determining gain or loss on its disposition. The tax basis of the remaining timber in each timber account is reduced by the depletion allowance for cut timber from such account.

Sales of Coal Reserves or Timberland. If any coal reserves or timberland are sold or otherwise disposed of in a taxable transaction, we will recognize gain or loss measured by the difference between the amount realized (including the amount of any indebtedness assumed by the purchaser upon such disposition or to which such property is subject) and the adjusted tax basis of the property sold. Generally, the character of any gain or loss recognized upon that disposition will depend upon whether our coal reserves or the particular tract of timberland sold are held by us:

• for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business (i.e., we are a “dealer” with respect to that property),

• for use in a trade or business within the meaning of Section 1231 of the Internal Revenue Code or

• as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code.

In determining dealer status with respect to coal reserves, timberland and other types of real estate, courts have identified a number of factors for distinguishing between a particular property held for sale in the ordinary course of business and one held for investment. Any determination must be based on all the facts and circumstances surrounding the particular property and sale in question.

We intend to hold our coal reserves and timberland for the purposes of generating cash flow from coal royalties and periodic harvesting and sale of timber and to achieve long-term capital appreciation. Although our general partner may consider strategic sales of coal reserves and timberland consistent with achieving long-term capital appreciation, our general partner does not anticipate frequent sales, nor significant marketing, improvement or subdivision activity in connection with any strategic sales. Thus, we do not believe that we will be viewed as a dealer. Nonetheless, our purposes for holding our properties may change and our future activities may cause us to be a “dealer” in coal reserves or timberland.

If we are not a dealer with respect to our coal reserves or our timberland and we have held the disposed reserves or property for more than a one year period primarily for use in our trade or business, the character of any gain or loss realized from a disposition of the property will be determined under Section 1231 of the Internal Revenue Code. If we have not held the property for more than one year at the time of the sale, gain or loss from the sale will be taxable as ordinary income.

A unitholder’s distributive share of any Section 1231 gain or loss generated by us will be aggregated with any other gains and losses realized by that unitholder from the disposition of property used in the trade or business, as defined in Section 1231(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. If a net gain results, all such gains and losses will be long-term capital gains and losses. If a net loss results, all such gains and losses will be ordinary

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income and losses. Net Section 1231 gains will be treated as ordinary income to the extent of prior net Section 1231 losses of the taxpayer or predecessor taxpayer for the five most recent prior taxable years to the extent such losses have not previously been offset against Section 1231 gains. Losses are deemed recaptured in the chronological order in which they arose.

If we are not a dealer with respect to our coal reserves or a particular tract of timberland, and that property is not used in a trade or business, the property will be a “capital asset” within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code. Gain or loss recognized from the disposition of that property will be taxable as long-term capital gain or loss if we have held such reserves or timberland for more than one year and short term capital gain or loss if we have not satisfied that holding period.

Upon a disposition of coal reserves or timberland, a portion of the gain, if any, equal to the lesser of (i) the depletion deductions that reduced the tax basis of the disposed mineral property plus deductible development and mining exploration expenses, or (ii) the amount of gain recognized on the disposition, will be treated as ordinary income to us.

Recent Legislative Developments. The White House has released President Obama’s budget proposal for the Fiscal Year 2014 (the “Budget Proposal”). Among the changes recommended in the Budget Proposal is the elimination of certain key U.S. federal income tax preferences relating to coal exploration and development. The Budget Proposal would (i) eliminate current deductions and 60-month amortization for exploration and development costs relating to coal and other hard mineral fossil fuels; (ii) repeal the percentage depletion allowance with respect to coal properties; (iii) repeal capital gains treatment of coal and lignite royalties; and (iv) exclude from the definition of domestic production gross receipts all gross receipts derived from the sale, exchange, or other disposition of coal, other hard mineral fossil fuels, or primary products thereof. The passage of any legislation as a result of the Budget Proposal or any other similar changes in U.S. federal income tax laws could eliminate certain tax deductions that are currently available to us, and any such change could increase the taxable income allocation to our unitholders and negatively impact the value of an investment in our units.

Valuation and Tax Basis of Our Properties. The federal income tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of units will depend in part on our estimates of the relative fair market values and the initial tax bases of our assets. Although we may from time to time consult with professional appraisers regarding valuation matters, we will make many of the relative fair market value estimates ourselves. These estimates and determinations of tax basis are subject to challenge and will not be binding on the IRS or the courts. If the estimates of fair market value or basis are later found to be incorrect, the character and amount of items of income, gain, loss or deduction previously reported by unitholders could change, and unitholders could be required to adjust their tax liability for prior years and incur interest and penalties with respect to those adjustments.

Disposition of Units

Recognition of Gain or Loss. A unitholder will be required to recognize gain or loss on a sale of units equal to the difference between the unitholder’s amount realized and tax basis in the units sold. A unitholder’s amount realized generally will equal the sum of the cash or the fair market value of other property it receives plus its share of our liabilities with respect to such units. Because the amount realized includes a unitholder’s share of our liabilities, the gain recognized on the sale of units could result in a tax liability in excess of any cash received from the sale.

Except as noted below, gain or loss recognized by a unitholder on the sale or exchange of a unit held for more than one year generally will be taxable as long-term capital gain or loss. However, gain or loss recognized on the disposition of units will be separately computed and taxed as ordinary income or loss under Section 751 of the Code to the extent attributable to Section 751 Assets, such as depreciation or depletion recapture. Ordinary income attributable to Section 751 Assets may exceed net taxable gain realized on the sale of a unit and may be

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recognized even if there is a net taxable loss realized on the sale of a unit. Thus, a unitholder may recognize both ordinary income and capital gain or loss upon a sale of units. Net capital loss may offset capital gains and, in the case of individuals, up to $3,000 of ordinary income per year. Both ordinary income and capital gain recognized on the sale or exchange of units may be subject to NIIT in certain circumstances. Please read “Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Tax Rates.”

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 for all those interests. 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, which generally means that the tax basis allocated to the interest sold equals an amount that bears the same relation to the partner’s tax basis in its entire interest in the partnership as the value of the interest sold bears to the value of the partner’s entire interest in the partnership.

Treasury Regulations under Section 1223 of the Code allow a selling unitholder who can identify units transferred with an ascertainable holding period to elect to use the actual holding period of the units transferred. Thus, according to the ruling discussed above, a unitholder will be unable to select high or low basis units to sell as would be the case with corporate stock, but, according to the Treasury Regulations, it may designate specific 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 our units. A unitholder considering the purchase of additional units or a sale of units purchased in separate transactions is urged to consult its tax advisor as to the possible consequences of this ruling and application of the Treasury Regulations.

Specific provisions of the Code affect the taxation of some financial products and securities, including partnership interests, by treating a taxpayer as having sold an “appreciated” financial position, including a partnership interest with respect to which gain would be recognized if it were sold, assigned or terminated at its fair market value, in the event the taxpayer or a related person enters 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 the Treasury is 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. In general, our taxable income or loss will be determined annually, will be prorated on a monthly basis and will be subsequently apportioned among the unitholders in proportion to the number of units owned by each of them as of the opening of the applicable exchange on the first business day of the month (the “Allocation Date”). However, gain or loss realized on a sale or other disposition of our assets or, in the discretion of the general partner, any other extraordinary item of income, gain, loss or deduction will be allocated among the unitholders on the Allocation Date in the month in which such income, gain, loss or deduction is recognized. As a result, a unitholder transferring units may be allocated income, gain, loss and deduction realized after the date of transfer.

Although simplifying conventions are contemplated by the Code and most publicly traded partnerships use similar simplifying conventions, the use of this method may not be permitted under existing Treasury Regulations. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS have issued proposed Treasury Regulations that

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provide a safe harbor pursuant to which a publicly traded partnership may use a similar monthly simplifying convention to allocate tax items among transferor and transferee unitholders, although such tax items must be prorated on a daily basis. Nonetheless, the proposed regulations do not specifically authorize the use of the proration method we have adopted. Accordingly, Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. is unable to opine on the validity of this method of allocating income and deductions between transferee and transferor unitholders. If this method is not allowed under the final Treasury Regulations, or only applies to transfers of less than all of the unitholder’s interest, our taxable income or losses could be reallocated among our unitholders. We are authorized to revise our method of allocation between transferee and transferor unitholders, as well as among unitholders whose interests vary during a taxable year, to conform to a method permitted under future Treasury Regulations.

A unitholder who disposes of units prior to the record date set for a cash distribution for that quarter will be allocated items of our income, gain, loss and deduction attributable to the month of disposition but will not be entitled to receive a cash distribution for that period.

Notification Requirements. A unitholder who sells or purchases any of its units is generally required to notify us in writing of that transaction within 30 days after the transaction (or, if earlier, January 15 of the year following the transaction in the case of a seller). Upon receiving such notifications, we are required to notify the IRS of that transaction and to furnish specified information to the transferor and transferee. Failure to notify us of a transfer of units may, in some cases, lead to the imposition of penalties. 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 through a broker who will satisfy such requirements.

Constructive Termination. We will be considered to have “constructively” terminated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes upon the sale or exchange of 50% or more of the total interests in our capital and profits within a twelve-month period. For such purposes, multiple sales of the same unit are counted only once. A constructive termination results in the closing of our taxable year for all unitholders. In the case of a unitholder reporting on a taxable year other than the calendar year, the closing of our taxable year may result in more than twelve months of our taxable income or loss being includable in such unitholder’s taxable income for the year of termination.

A constructive termination occurring on a date other than December 31 generally would require that we file two tax returns for one fiscal year and the cost of the preparation of these returns will be borne by all unitholders. However, pursuant to an IRS relief procedure the IRS may allow a constructively terminated partnership to provide a single Schedule K-1 for the calendar year in which a termination occurs. Following a constructive termination, we would be required to make new tax elections, including a new election under Section 754 of the Code, and the termination would 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 may either accelerate the application of, or subject us to, any tax legislation enacted before the termination that would not otherwise have been applied to us as a continuing as opposed to a terminating partnership.

Uniformity of Units

Because we cannot match transferors and transferees of units and other reasons, we must maintain uniformity of the economic and tax characteristics of the units to a purchaser of these units. In the absence of uniformity, we may be unable to completely comply with a number of federal income tax requirements. Any non-uniformity could have a negative impact on the value of the units. Please read “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Section 754 Election.”

Our partnership agreement permits our general partner to take positions in filing our tax returns that preserve the uniformity of our units. These positions may include reducing the depreciation, amortization or loss deductions to which a unitholder would otherwise be entitled or reporting a slower amortization of Section 743(b) adjustments for some unitholders than that to which they would otherwise be entitled. Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. is unable to opine as to validity of such filing positions.

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A unitholder’s basis in units is reduced by its share of our deductions (whether or not such deductions were claimed on an individual income tax return) so that any position that we take that understates deductions will overstate the unitholder’s basis in its units, and may cause the unitholder to understate gain or overstate loss on any sale of such units. Please read “—Disposition of Units—Recognition of Gain or Loss” above and “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Section 754 Election” above. The IRS may challenge one or more of any positions we take to preserve the uniformity of units. If such a challenge were sustained, the uniformity of units might be affected, and, under some circumstances, the gain from the sale of units might be increased without the benefit of additional deductions.

Tax-Exempt Organizations and Other Investors

Ownership of units by employee benefit plans, other tax-exempt organizations, non-resident aliens, non-U.S. corporations and other non-U.S. persons raises issues unique to those investors and, as described below, may have substantially adverse tax consequences to them. Prospective unitholders that are tax-exempt entities or non-U.S. persons should consult their tax advisors before investing in our units. Employee benefit plans and most other tax-exempt organizations, including IRAs and other retirement plans, are subject to federal income tax on unrelated business taxable income. Virtually all of our income will be unrelated business taxable income and will be taxable to a tax-exempt unitholder.

Non-resident aliens and foreign corporations, trusts or estates that own units will be considered to be engaged in business in the United States because of their ownership of our units. Consequently, they will be required to file federal tax returns to report their share of our income, gain, loss or deduction and pay federal income tax at regular rates on their share of our net income or gain. Moreover, under rules applicable to publicly traded partnerships, distributions to non-U.S. unitholders are subject to withholding at the highest applicable effective tax rate. Each non-U.S. unitholder must obtain a taxpayer identification number from the IRS and submit that number to our transfer agent on a Form W-8BEN or applicable substitute form in order to obtain credit for these withholding taxes.

In addition, 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 the U.S. branch profits tax at a rate of 30%, in addition to regular federal income tax, on its share of our income and gain to the extent reflected in earnings and profits, and as adjusted for changes in the foreign corporation’s “U.S. net equity.” 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 Code.

A non-U.S. unitholder who sells or otherwise disposes of a unit will be subject to federal income tax on gain realized from the sale or disposition of that unit to the extent the gain is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the non-U.S. unitholder. Under a ruling published by the IRS interpreting the scope of “effectively connected income,” part or all of a non-U.S. unitholder’s gain may be treated as effectively connected with that unitholder’s indirect U.S. trade or business constituted by its investment in us. Moreover, under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act, a non-U.S. unitholder generally will be subject to federal income tax upon the sale or disposition of a unit if (i) it owned (directly or constructively applying certain attribution rules) more than 5% of our units at any time during the five-year period ending on the date of such disposition and (ii) 50% or more of the fair market value of all of our assets consisted of U.S. real property interests at any time during the shorter of the period during which such unitholder held the units or the 5-year period ending on the date of disposition. More than 50% of our assets may consist of U.S. real property interests. Therefore, non-U.S. unitholders may be subject to federal income tax on gain from the sale or disposition of their units.

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Administrative Matters

Information Returns and Audit Procedures. We intend to furnish to each unitholder, within 90 days after the close of each taxable year, specific tax information, including a Schedule K-1, which describes its share of our income, gain, loss and deduction for our preceding taxable year. In preparing this information, which will not be reviewed by counsel, we will take various accounting and reporting positions, some of which have been mentioned earlier, to determine each unitholder’s share of income, gain, loss and deduction. We cannot assure our unitholders that those positions will yield a result that conforms to all of the requirements of the Code, Treasury Regulations or administrative interpretations of the IRS.

The IRS may audit our federal income tax information returns. Neither we nor Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. can assure prospective unitholders that the IRS will not successfully challenge the positions we adopt, and such a challenge could adversely affect the value of the units. Adjustments resulting from an IRS audit may require each unitholder to adjust a prior year’s tax liability and may result in an audit of the unitholder’s own return. Any audit of a unitholder’s return could result in adjustments unrelated to our returns.

Publicly traded partnerships generally are treated as entities separate from their owners for purposes of federal income 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 of the partners. The Code requires that one partner be designated as the “Tax Matters Partner” for these purposes, and our partnership agreement designates our general partner.

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 or by any group of unitholders having in the aggregate at least a 5% interest in profits. However, only one action for judicial review may go forward, and each unitholder with an interest in the outcome may participate in that action.

A unitholder must file a statement with the IRS identifying the treatment of any item on its federal income tax return that is not consistent with the treatment of the item on our return. Intentional or negligent disregard of this 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:

(a) the name, address and taxpayer identification number of the beneficial owner and the nominee;

(b) a statement regarding whether the beneficial owner is:

1. a non-U.S. person;

2. a non-U.S. government, an international organization or any wholly owned agency or instrumentality of either of the foregoing; or

3. a tax-exempt entity;

(c) the amount and description of units held, acquired or transferred for the beneficial owner; and

(d) 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.

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Brokers and financial institutions are required to furnish additional information, including whether they are U.S. persons and specific information on units they acquire, hold or transfer for their own account. A penalty of $100 per failure, up to a maximum of $1.5 million per calendar year, is imposed by the 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.

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 Code. No penalty will be imposed, however, for any portion of an underpayment if it is shown that there was a reasonable cause for the underpayment of that portion and that the taxpayer acted in good faith regarding the underpayment of that portion.

State, Local, Foreign and Other Tax Considerations

In addition to federal income taxes, you may be subject to other taxes, such as state, local and foreign 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 or in which you are a resident. Although an analysis of those various taxes is not presented here, each prospective unitholder should consider their potential impact on his investment in us. We own property or do business in several states, most of which impose a personal income tax on individuals. Most of these states also impose a personal income tax and an income tax on corporations and other entities. We may also own property or do business in other jurisdictions in the future. Although you may not be required to file a return and pay taxes in some jurisdictions because your income from that jurisdiction falls below the filing and payment requirement, you will be required to file income tax returns and to pay income taxes in many of these jurisdictions in which we do business or own property and may be subject to penalties for failure to comply with those requirements. In some jurisdictions, tax losses may not produce a tax benefit in the year incurred and may not be available to offset income in subsequent taxable years. Some of the jurisdictions 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 jurisdiction. Withholding, the amount of which may be greater or less than a particular unitholder’s income tax liability to the jurisdiction, generally does not relieve a nonresident unitholder from the obligation to file an income tax return. Amounts withheld will be treated as if distributed to unitholders for purposes of determining the amounts distributed by us. Please read “—Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership—Entity-Level Collections.” Based on current law and our estimate of our 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 jurisdictions, of his investment in us. We strongly recommend that each prospective unitholder consult, and depend upon, its own tax counsel or other advisor with regard to those matters. Further, it is the responsibility of each unitholder to file all state, local and non-U.S., as well as U.S. federal tax returns that may be required of it. Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. has not rendered an opinion on the state, local, alternative minimum tax or non-U.S. tax consequences of an investment in us.

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LEGAL MATTERS

Certain legal matters relating to the Common Units offered by this prospectus will be passed upon by Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., New York, New York, as our counsel. If certain legal matters in connection with an offering of the Common Units made by this prospectus and a related prospectus supplement are passed on by counsel for the underwriters of such offering, that counsel will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement related to that offering.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of PVR Partners, L.P. as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2012, and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2012 have been incorporated by reference herein in reliance upon the reports of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

The audited financial statements of Chief Gathering LLC incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement have been so incorporated by reference in reliance upon the report of Grant Thornton LLP, independent certified public accountants, upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing in giving said report.

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may use this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus to sell the common units from time to time in one or more transactions as follows: (1) through agents, (2) through underwriters or dealers, (3) directly to one or more purchasers, (4) pursuant to delayed delivery contracts or forward contracts, (5) through a combination of these methods or (6) through any other method permitted by applicable law.

By Agents

Common units may be sold, from time to time, through agents designated by us. Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, the agents will agree to use their reasonable best efforts to solicit purchases for the period of their appointment.

By Underwriters

If underwriters are used in the sale, the offered common units will be acquired by the underwriters for their own account. The underwriters may resell the common units in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of resale. The obligations of the underwriters to purchase the offered common units will be subject to certain conditions. The underwriters will be obligated to purchase all the offered common units if any of the securities are purchased. Any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or re-allowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time.

If we utilize a dealer in the sale, we will sell the common units to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the common units to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale.

To the extent that we make sales through one or more underwriters or agents in at-the-market offerings, we will do so pursuant to the terms of a sales agency agreement or other at-the-market offering arrangement between us and the underwriters or agents. If we engage in at-the-market sales pursuant to any such agreement, we will issue and sell common units through one or more underwriters or agents, which may act on an agency basis or on a principal basis. During the term of any such agreement, we may sell common units on a daily basis in exchange transactions or otherwise as we agree with the underwriters or agents. The agreement will provide that any common units sold will be sold at prices related to the then prevailing market prices for such securities. Therefore, exact figures regarding proceeds that will be raised or commissions to be paid cannot be determined at this time. Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, we also may agree to sell, and the relevant underwriters or agents may agree to solicit offers to purchase, blocks of common units. The terms of each such agreement will be set forth in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus. In the event that any underwriter or agent acts as principal, or any broker-dealer acts as underwriter, it may engage in certain transactions that stabilize, maintain, or otherwise affect the price of common units. We will describe any such activities in the prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus relating to the transaction.

Direct Sales

Common units may also be sold directly by us from time to time. In this case, no underwriters or agents would be involved. We may use electronic media, including the Internet, to sell offered securities directly.

Delayed Delivery Contracts or Forward Contracts

If indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will authorize agents, underwriters or dealers to solicit offers to purchase common units from us at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts or forward contracts providing for payment or delivery on a specified date in the

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future at prices determined as described in the prospectus supplement. Such contracts will be subject only to those conditions set forth in the prospectus supplement, and the prospectus supplement will set forth the commission payable for solicitation of such contracts.

General Information

We may set the price or prices of our common units at:

• market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

• prices related to market price; or

• a negotiated price.

Underwriters, dealers or agents that participate in the distribution of the common units may be underwriters as defined in the Securities Act, and any discounts or commissions received by them from us and any profit on the resale of the common units by them may be treated as underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. Any underwriters or agents will be identified and their compensation will be described in a prospectus supplement.

We may have agreements with agents, underwriters or dealers to indemnify them against certain specified liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Agents, underwriters or dealers, or their affiliates, may be our customers or may engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.

To the extent required, this prospectus may be amended or supplemented from time to time to describe a particular plan of distribution. The place and time of delivery for the common units in respect of which this prospectus is delivered will be set forth in the accompanying prospectus supplement.

In connection with offerings of common units 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 common units 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 common units for their own accounts. For the purpose of covering a syndicate short position or stabilizing the price of the common units, the underwriters, brokers or dealers may place bids for the common units or effect purchases of the common units 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 common units in offerings may be reclaimed by the syndicate if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed common units in transactions to cover short positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. These activities may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the common units, which may be higher than the price that might otherwise prevail in the open market, and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

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PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

The expenses of this offering (all of which are to be paid by PVR Partners, L.P., except for underwriters’ discounts, selling commissions or transfer taxes) are set forth in the following table.

Securities and Exchange Commission registration fee	$	20,460
NYSE listing fees		*
Fees and expenses of legal counsel		*
Accounting fees and expenses		*
Transfer agent fees		*
Printing expenses		*
Miscellaneous		*
Total	$	*

* These fees are calculated based on the number of issuances and amount of securities to be offered and, accordingly, cannot be estimated at this time.

Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

The partnership agreement of PVR Partners, L.P. provides that it will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, indemnify and advance expenses to the general partner, any Departing Partner (as defined therein), any person who is or was an affiliate of the general partner or any Departing Partner, any person who is or was a partner, officer, director, employee, member, agent or trustee of any Group Member (as defined therein), the general partner or any Departing Partner or any affiliate of any Group Member, the general partner or any Departing Partner, or any person who is or was serving at the request of the general partner or any affiliate of the general partner or any Departing Partner or any affiliate of any Departing Partner as a partner, officer, director, employee, member, agent or trustee of another person (“Indemnitees”) from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities (joint or several), expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, 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 in each case the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner which such Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in, or (in the case of a person other than the general partner) not opposed to, the best interests of the partnership and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe its conduct was unlawful. This indemnification would under certain circumstances include indemnification for liabilities under the Securities Act. In addition, each Indemnitee would automatically be entitled to the advancement of expenses in connection with the foregoing indemnification. Any indemnification under these provisions will be only out of the assets of the partnership.

PVR Partners, L.P. is authorized to purchase (or to reimburse the general partner for the costs of) insurance against liabilities asserted against and expenses incurred by the persons described in the paragraphs above in connection with their activities, whether or not they would have the power to indemnify such person against such liabilities under the provisions described in the paragraphs above. The general partner of PVR Partners, L.P. has purchased insurance, the cost of which is reimbursed by Penn Virginia Partners, L.P., covering its officers and directors against liabilities asserted and expenses incurred in connection with their activities as officers and directors of the general partner or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries.

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Any underwriting agreement entered into in connection with the sale of the securities offered pursuant to this registration statement will provide for indemnification of officers and directors of the general partner, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

Item 16. Exhibits.

(a) See the Exhibit Index on the page immediately preceding the exhibits for a list of exhibits filed as part of this registration statement on Form S-3, which Exhibit Index is incorporated herein by reference.

(b) Financial Statement Schedules.

Not applicable.

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;

(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 SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% 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 this registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs a(l)(i), a(l)(ii) and a(l)(iii) above 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 Exchange Act 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, 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.

(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 to any purchaser:

(i) Each prospectus filed by the 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

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(ii) 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 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 that 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 a 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.

(b) For the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the 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:

(1) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(2) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

(3) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

(4) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

(c) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) 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.

(d) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to deliver or cause to be delivered with the prospectus, to each person to whom the prospectus is sent or given, the latest annual report, to security holders that is incorporated by reference in the prospectus and furnished pursuant to and meeting the requirements of Rule 14a-3 or Rule 14c-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and, where interim financial information required to be presented by Article 3 of Regulation S-X is not set forth in the prospectus, to deliver, or cause to be delivered to each person to whom the prospectus is sent or given, the latest quarterly report that is specifically incorporated by reference in the prospectus to provide such interim financial information.

(e) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers, and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the

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registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such that 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 the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer, or controlling person of the 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.

(f) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance on Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus or prospectus supplement filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

(2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus or prospectus supplement 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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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement on Form S-3 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized in the Township of Radnor, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on the 8th day of July, 2013.

PVR PARTNERS, L.P.
By:	PVR GP, LLC
By:	/s/ Robert B. Wallace
Name:	Robert B. Wallace
Title:	Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement on Form S-3 has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated on the 8th day of July, 2013.

Signature	Title
/s/    *         William H. Shea, Jr.	President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of PVR GP, LLC** (Principal Executive Officer)
/s/    Robert B. Wallace         Robert B. Wallace	Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of PVR GP, LLC** (Principal Financial Officer)
/s/    *         Forrest W. McNair	Vice President and Controller of PVR GP, LLC** (Principal Accounting Officer)
/s/    *         Edward B. Cloues, II	Chairman of the Board and Director of PVR GP, LLC*
/s/    *         James L. Gardner	Director of PVR GP, LLC**
/s/    *         Robert J. Hall	Director of PVR GP, LLC**
/s/    *         Thomas W. Hofmann	Director of PVR GP, LLC**
/s/    *         E. Bartow Jones	Director of PVR GP, LLC**
/s/    *         Marsha R. Perelman	Director of PVR GP, LLC**
/s/    *         John C. van Roden, Jr.	Director of PVR GP, LLC**
/s/    *         Andrew W. Ward	Director of PVR GP, LLC**
/s/    *         Jonathan B. Weller	Director of PVR GP, LLC**

* By: /s/ Bruce D. Davis, Jr., as attorney in fact

** PVR GP, LLC is the general partner of PVR Partners, L.P.

INDEX TO EXHIBITS

Exhibit Number		Description
1.1*	—	Form of Underwriting Agreement.
3.1**	—	Certificate of Limited Partnership of PVR Partners, L.P. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on July 19, 2001).
3.2**	—	Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Limited Partnership of PVR Partners, L.P. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 17, 2012).
3.3**	—	Fifth Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of PVR Partners, L.P., dated as of May 17, 2012 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 23, 2012).
3.4**	—	Amendment No. 1 to the Fifth Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of PVR Partners, L.P. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 17, 2012).
3.5**	—	Limited Liability Company Agreement of PVR Finco LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 7, 2008).
3.6**	—	Certificate of Formation of PVR GP, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.5 to Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement Form S-1 filed on September 7, 2001).
3.7**	—	Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Formation of PVR GP, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 17, 2012).
3.8**	—	Sixth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of PVR GP, LLC, dated as of March 10, 2011 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 11, 2011).
3.9**	—	Amendment No. 1 to the Sixth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of PVR GP, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.4 to Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 17, 2012).
4.1**	—	Specimen Unit Certificate for Common Units (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 23, 2012).
5.1†	—	Opinion of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. as to the legality of the securities being registered.
8.1†	—	Opinion of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. relating to tax matters.
23.1***	—	Consent of KPMG LLP.
23.2***	—	Consent of Grant Thornton LLP.
23.3†	—	Consent of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. (contained in Exhibit 5.1).
24.1†	—	Powers of Attorney.

* To be filed by a post-effective amendment to this registration statement or as an exhibit to a current report on Form 8-K.

** Incorporated by reference, as indicated.

*** Filed herewith.

† Previously filed.