EX-3.2 3 dex32.htm AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT Amended and Restated Agreement

EXHIBIT 3.2

 


 

 

 

 

 

AMENDED AND RESTATED

 

 

AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

 

 

 

OF

 

 

 

DORCHESTER MINERALS, L.P.

 

 

FEBRUARY 1, 2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         

PAGE


ARTICLE I    Definitions

  

1

        SECTION 1.1.

  

Definitions.

  

1

        SECTION 1.2.

  

Construction.

  

13

ARTICLE II.    Organization

  

13

        SECTION 2.1

  

Formation.

  

13

        SECTION 2.2.

  

Name.

  

14

        SECTION 2.3.

  

Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices.

  

14

        SECTION 2.4.

  

Purpose and Business.

  

14

        SECTION 2.5.

  

Powers.

  

15

        SECTION 2.6.

  

Power of Attorney.

  

15

        SECTION 2.7.

  

Term.

  

16

        SECTION 2.8.

  

Title to Partnership Assets.

  

16

ARTICLE III    Rights of Limited Partners

  

17

        SECTION 3.1.

  

Limitation of Liability.

  

17

        SECTION 3.2.

  

Management of Business.

  

17

        SECTION 3.3.

  

Outside Activities of the Limited Partners.

  

17

        SECTION 3.4.

  

Rights of Limited Partners.

  

17

ARTICLE IV    Certificates, Record Holders, Transfer of Partnership Interests, Redemption of Partnership Interests

  

18

        SECTION 4.1.

  

Certificates.

  

18

        SECTION 4.2.

  

Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates.

  

19

        SECTION 4.3.

  

Record Holders.

  

19

        SECTION 4.4.

  

Transfer Generally.

  

20

        SECTION 4.5.

  

Registration and Transfer of Limited Partner Interests.

  

20

        SECTION 4.6.

  

Transfer of the General Partner's General Partner Interest.

  

21

        SECTION 4.7.

  

Restrictions on Transfers.

  

22

        SECTION 4.8.

  

Citizenship Certificates; Non-citizen Assignees.

  

22

        SECTION 4.9.

  

Redemption of Partnership Interests of Non-citizen Assignees.

  

23

ARTICLE V    Capital Contributions and Issuance of Partnership Interests

  

24

        SECTION 5.1.

  

Organizational Contributions.

  

24

        SECTION 5.2.

  

Contributions by the General Partner and its Affiliates.

  

25

        SECTION 5.3.

  

Contributions by Initial Limited Partners and Reimbursement of the General Partner.

  

25

        SECTION 5.4.

  

Interest and Withdrawal.

  

25

        SECTION 5.5.

  

Capital Accounts.

  

25

        SECTION 5.6.

  

Issuances of Additional Partnership Securities.

  

28

        SECTION 5.7.

  

Limitations on Issuance of Additional Partnership Securities.

  

29

        SECTION 5.8.

  

Limited Preemptive Right.

  

29

        SECTION 5.9.

  

Splits and Combination.

  

29

        SECTION 5.10.

  

Fully Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Limited Partner Interests.

  

30

 

1


ARTICLE VI    Allocations and Distributions

  

30

        SECTION 6.1.

 

Allocations for Capital Account Purposes.

  

30

        SECTION 6.2.

 

Allocations for Tax Purposes.

  

33

        SECTION 6.3.

 

Requirement and Characterization of Distributions; Distributions to Record Holders.

  

36

ARTICLE VII    Management and Operation of Business

  

36

        SECTION 7.1.

 

Management.

  

36

        SECTION 7.2.

 

Certificate of Limited Partnership.

  

38

        SECTION 7.3.

 

Restrictions on General Partner's Authority.

  

39

        SECTION 7.4.

 

Reimbursement of the General Partner.

  

40

        SECTION 7.5.

 

Outside Activities.

  

41

        SECTION 7.6.

 

Loans from the General Partner; Loans or Contributions from the Partnership; Contracts with Affiliates; Certain Restrictions on the General Partner.

  

42

        SECTION 7.7.

 

Indemnification.

  

43

        SECTION 7.8.

 

Liability of Indemnitees.

  

45

        SECTION 7.9.

 

Resolution of Conflicts of Interest.

  

46

        SECTION 7.10.

 

Other Matters Concerning the General Partner.

  

47

        SECTION 7.11.

 

Purchase or Sale of Partnership Securities.

  

48

        SECTION 7.12.

 

Registration Rights of the General Partner and its Affiliates.

  

48

        SECTION 7.13.

 

Reliance by Third Parties.

  

50

        SECTION 7.14.

 

Officers; Compensation; Terms.

  

50

ARTICLE VIII    Books, Records, Accounting, and Reports

  

51

        SECTION 8.1.

 

Records and Accounting.

  

51

        SECTION 8.2.

 

Fiscal Year.

  

51

        SECTION 8.3.

 

Reports.

  

51

ARTICLE IX    Tax Matters

  

52

        SECTION 9.1.

 

Tax Returns and Information.

  

52

        SECTION 9.2.

 

Tax Elections.

  

52

        SECTION 9.3.

 

Tax Controversies.

  

52

        SECTION 9.4.

 

Withholding.

  

53

ARTICLE X    Admission of Partners

  

53

        SECTION 10.1.

 

Admission of Initial Limited Partners.

  

53

        SECTION 10.2.

 

Admission of Substituted Limited Partner.

  

53

        SECTION 10.3.

 

Admission of Successor General Partner.

  

54

        SECTION 10.4.

 

Admission of Additional Limited Partners.

  

54

        SECTION 10.5.

 

Amendment of Agreement and Certificate of Limited Partnership.

  

54

ARTICLE XI    Withdrawal or Removal of Partners

  

55

        SECTION 11.1.

 

Withdrawal of the General Partner.

  

55

        SECTION 11.2.

 

Removal of the General Partner.

  

56

        SECTION 11.3.

 

Interest of Departing Partner and Successor General Partner.

  

56

        SECTION 11.4.

 

Withdrawal of Limited Partners.

  

58

ARTICLE XII    Dissolution and Liquidation

  

58

        SECTION 12.1.

 

Dissolution.

  

58

 

2


        SECTION 12.2.

 

Continuation of the Business of the Partnership After Dissolution.

  

59

        SECTION 12.3.

 

Liquidator.

  

59

        SECTION 12.4.

 

Liquidation.

  

60

        SECTION 12.5.

 

Cancellation of Certificate of Limited Partnership.

  

60

        SECTION 12.6.

 

Return of Contributions.

  

61

        SECTION 12.7.

 

Waiver of Partition.

  

61

        SECTION 12.8.

 

Capital Account Restoration.

  

61

ARTICLE XIII    Amendment of Partnership Agreement, Meetings, Record Date

  

61

        SECTION 13.1.

 

Amendment to be Adopted Solely by the General Partner.

  

61

        SECTION 13.2.

 

Amendment Procedures.

  

62

        SECTION 13.3.

 

Amendment Requirements.

  

63

        SECTION 13.4.

 

Annual Meetings.

  

63

        SECTION 13.5.

 

Special Meetings.

  

65

        SECTION 13.6.

 

Notice of a Meeting.

  

66

        SECTION 13.7.

 

Record Date.

  

66

        SECTION 13.8.

 

Adjournment.

  

66

        SECTION 13.9.

 

Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting; Approval of Minutes.

  

66

        SECTION 13.10.

 

Quorum.

  

67

        SECTION 13.11.

 

Conduct of a Meeting.

  

67

        SECTION 13.12.

 

Action Without a Meeting.

  

68

        SECTION 13.13.

 

Voting and Other Rights.

  

68

ARTICLE XIV    Merger

  

69

        SECTION 14.1.

 

Authority.

  

69

        SECTION 14.2.

 

Procedure for Merger or Consolidation.

  

69

        SECTION 14.3.

 

Approval by Limited Partners of Merger or Consolidation.

  

70

        SECTION 14.4.

 

Certificate of Merger.

  

71

        SECTION 14.5.

 

Effect of Merger.

  

71

ARTICLE XV    General Provisions

  

71

        SECTION 15.1.

 

Addresses and Notices.

  

71

        SECTION 15.2.

 

Further Action.

  

72

        SECTION 15.3.

 

Binding Effect.

  

72

        SECTION 15.4.

 

Integration.

  

72

        SECTION 15.5.

 

Creditors.

  

72

        SECTION 15.6.

 

Waiver.

  

72

        SECTION 15.7.

 

Counterparts.

  

73

        SECTION 15.8.

 

Applicable Law.

  

73

        SECTION 15.9.

 

Invalidity of Provisions.

  

73

        SECTION 15.10.

 

Consent of Partners.

  

73

 

3


 

AMENDED AND RESTATED

AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

OF

DORCHESTER MINERALS, L.P.

 

THIS AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF DORCHESTER MINERALS, L.P., dated effective as of 12:00 a.m. on February 1, 2003 is entered into by and among Dorchester Minerals Management LP, a Delaware limited partnership, as the General Partner, and Dorchester Minerals Management GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as the Organizational Limited Partner, together with any other Persons who become Partners in the Partnership or parties hereto as provided herein. In consideration of the covenants, conditions, and agreements contained herein, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

 

ARTICLE I.

 

DEFINITIONS

 

SECTION 1.1. Definitions.

 

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

 

“Additional Limited Partner” means a Person admitted to the Partnership as a Limited Partner pursuant to Section 10.4 and who is shown as such on the books and records of the Partnership.

 

“Adjusted Capital Account” means the Capital Account maintained for each Partner as of the end of each fiscal year of the Partnership, (a) increased by (i) the amount of any unpaid Capital Contributions agreed to be contributed by such Partner, if any, and (ii) any amounts that each Partner is obligated to contribute under the standards set by Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(c) (or is deemed obligated to restore under Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(g) and 1.704-2(i)(5)) and (b) reduced by (i) the amount of depletion deductions with respect to oil and gas properties expected to be allocated to such Partner in subsequent years and charged to such Partner’s Capital Account under Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(k); (ii) the amount of all deductions that, as of the end of such fiscal year, are reasonably expected to be allocated to such Partner in subsequent years under Sections 704(e)(2) and 706(d) of the Code and Treasury Regulation Section 1.751-1(b)(2)(ii), and (iii) the amount of all distributions that, as of the end of such fiscal year, are reasonably expected to be made to such Partner in subsequent years in accordance with the terms of this Agreement or otherwise to the extent they exceed offsetting increases to such Partner’s Capital Account that are reasonably expected to occur during (or prior to) the year in which such distributions are reasonably expected to be made (other than increases as a result of a minimum gain chargeback pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(i) or 6.1(d)(ii)). The foregoing definition of Adjusted Capital Account is intended to comply with the provisions of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

 

1


 

“Adjusted Distribution Amount” for any fiscal year of the Partnership means

 

(a) (i) the aggregate distributions made pursuant to Section 6.3(a) with respect to the four Quarters of such fiscal year, plus (ii) an amount (which may be a negative number) equal to (x) the amount of cash reserves of the type described in clause (b) of the definition of Available Cash included in the calculation of Available Cash with respect to the last Quarter of such fiscal year, minus (y) the amount of cash reserves of the type described in clause (b) of the definition of Available Cash included in the calculation of Available Cash with respect to the last Quarter of the fiscal year preceding such fiscal year; plus

 

(b) the sum of (i) the Direct Expenses for such fiscal year, (ii) the Management Expenses actually reimbursed for such fiscal year (after application of the Management Expense Limitation, if any, imposed in Section 7.4(c)), (iii) any Production Costs for such fiscal year to the extent such Production Costs are (as determined by the General Partner in its reasonable discretion) in the nature of capital expenditures, (iv) new or additional taxes (other than income, gift or estate taxes but including amounts withheld by the Partnership and paid to any taxing authority which are attributable to Partners’ shares of local, state or federal income taxes) paid during such fiscal year that were not in effect at the Closing Date or that were increased (as to rate or other method of calculation) after the Closing Date, and (v) new or additional costs of compliance paid during such fiscal year that were required as a result of changes in federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances that were not in effect at the Closing Date or that were changed after the Closing Date.

 

“Adjusted Property” means any property the Carrying Value of that has been adjusted pursuant to Section 5.5(d)(i) or 5.5(d)(ii).

 

“Advisory Committee” means a committee of the managers or directors of the General Partner (or its general partner) composed entirely of three or more persons who are not otherwise security holders, officers, managers, directors nor employees of the General Partner (or its general partner) nor otherwise security holders, officers, managers, directors or employees of any Affiliate of the General Partner; provided that they may be holders of Limited Partner Interests.

 

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

 

“Agreed Allocation” means any allocation, other than a Required Allocation, of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.1, including, without limitation, a Curative Allocation (if appropriate to the context in which the term “Agreed Allocation” is used).

 

“Agreed Value” of any Contributed Property means the fair market value of such property or other consideration at the time of contribution as determined by the General Partner using such reasonable method of valuation as it may adopt. The General Partner shall, in its discretion, use such method as it deems reasonable and appropriate to allocate the aggregate Agreed Value of Contributed Properties contributed to the Partnership in a single or integrated transaction among each separate property on a basis proportional to the fair market value of each Contributed Property.

 

2


 

“Agreement” means this Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Dorchester Minerals, L.P., as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

 

“Assets” means the assets being conveyed to the Partnership either directly or by operation of law, including within the meaning of the Code or regulations promulgated thereunder, on the Closing Date pursuant to Article II or Article III of the Combination Agreement.

 

“Assignee” means a Non-citizen Assignee or a Person to whom one or more Limited Partner Interests have been transferred in a manner permitted under this Agreement and who has executed and delivered a Transfer Application as required by this Agreement, but who has not been admitted as a Substituted Limited Partner.

 

“Associate” means, when used to indicate a relationship with any Person, (a) any corporation or organization of which such Person is a director, officer or partner or is, directly or indirectly, the owner of 20% or more of any class of voting stock or other voting interest; (b) any trust or other estate in which such Person has at least a 20% beneficial interest or as to which such Person serves as trustee or in a similar fiduciary capacity; and (c) any relative or spouse of such Person, or any relative of such spouse, who has the same principal residence as such Person.

 

“Available Cash” means, with respect to any Quarter ending prior to the Liquidation Date,

 

(a) all cash and cash equivalents of the Partnership on hand at the end of such Quarter, less

 

(b) the amount of any cash reserves that is necessary or appropriate to (i) provide for the proper conduct of the business of the Partnership (including reserves for acquisitions permitted under Section 7.3(c)(i) or other future capital expenditures and for anticipated future credit needs of the Partnership) subsequent to such Quarter and (ii) comply with applicable law or any loan agreement, security agreement, mortgage, debt instrument or other agreement or obligation; provided, however, that cash reserves for acquisitions may only be excluded from the calculation of Available Cash to the extent such acquisitions are the subject of a binding agreement or a non-binding letter of intent.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, “Available Cash” with respect to the Quarter in which the Liquidation Date occurs and any subsequent Quarter shall equal zero.

 

“Book-Tax Disparity” means with respect to any item of Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, as of the date of any determination, the difference between the Carrying Value of such Contributed Property or Adjusted Property and the adjusted basis thereof for federal income tax purposes as of such date. A Partner’s share of the Partnership’s Book-Tax Disparities in all of its Contributed Property and Adjusted Property will be reflected by the difference between such Partner’s Capital Account balance as maintained pursuant to Section 5.5 and the hypothetical balance of such Partner’s Capital Account computed as if it had been maintained strictly in accordance with federal income tax accounting principles.

 

“Business Day” means Monday through Friday of each week, except that a legal holiday recognized as such by the government of the United States of America or the State of Texas or a date upon which any National Securities Exchange on which the Common Units or other Partnership Securities are listed for trading is closed shall not be regarded as a Business Day.

 

3


 

“Business Opportunities Agreement” means that certain Amended and Restated Business Opportunities Agreement, dated as of the Closing Date, among Dorchester Minerals, L.P., Dorchester Minerals Management LP, Vaughn Petroleum, Ltd., SAM Partners, Inc., Smith Allen Oil & Gas, Inc., James E. Raley, Inc., and P.A. Peak, Inc.

 

“Capital Account” means the capital account maintained for a Partner pursuant to Section 5.5.

 

“Capital Contribution” means any cash, cash equivalents or the Net Agreed Value of Contributed Property that a Partner contributes to the Partnership pursuant to this Agreement.

 

“Carrying Value” means (a) with respect to a Contributed Property, the Agreed Value of such property reduced (but not below zero) by all depletion, depreciation, amortization, and cost recovery deductions charged to the Partners’ and Assignees’ Capital Accounts in respect of such Contributed Property, and (b) with respect to any other Partnership property, the adjusted basis of such property for federal income tax purposes, all as of the time of determination. The Carrying Value of any property shall be adjusted from time to time in accordance with Sections 5.5(d)(i) and 5.5(d)(ii) and to reflect changes, additions or other adjustments to the Carrying Value for dispositions and acquisitions of Partnership properties, as deemed appropriate by the General Partner.

 

“Cause” means a court of competent jurisdiction has entered a final, non-appealable judgment finding the General Partner liable for actual fraud, gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct in its capacity as general partner of the Partnership.

 

“Certificate” means a certificate (i) substantially in the form of Exhibit A to this Agreement, (ii) issued in global form in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Depositary or (iii) in such other form as may be adopted by the General Partner in its discretion, issued by the Partnership evidencing ownership of one or more Common Units or a certificate, in such form as may be adopted by the General Partner in its discretion, issued by the Partnership evidencing ownership of one or more other Partnership Securities.

 

“Certificate of Limited Partnership” means the Certificate of Limited Partnership of the Partnership filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as referenced in Section 2.1, as such Certificate of Limited Partnership may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

 

“Citizenship Certification” means a properly completed certificate in such form as may be specified by the General Partner by which an Assignee or a Limited Partner certifies that he (and if he is a nominee holding for the account of another Person, that to the best of his knowledge such other Person) is an Eligible Citizen.

 

“Claim” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.12(c).

 

“Closing Date” means the date on which the Combination is consummated.

 

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and in effect from time to time. Any reference herein to a specific section or sections of the Code shall be deemed to include a reference to any corresponding provision of successor law.

 

4


 

“Combination” means the consummation of the transactions contemplated by Articles II and III of the Combination Agreement, as described in the Registration Statement.

 

“Combination Agreement” means that certain Combination Agreement, dated as of December 13, 2001, among Republic Royalty Company, Spinnaker Royalty Company, L.P., Dorchester Hugoton, Ltd, Dorchester Minerals, L.P. and certain other parties, as amended.

 

“Combined Interest” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 11.3(a).

 

“Commission” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

“Common Unit” means a Partnership Security representing a fractional part of the Partnership Interests of all Limited Partners and Assignees and of the General Partner (exclusive of its interest as a holder of the General Partner Interest) and having the rights and obligations specified with respect to Common Units in this Agreement.

 

“Contributed Property” means each property or other asset, in such form as may be permitted by the Delaware Act, but excluding cash, contributed to the Partnership, including the Assets other than cash. Once the Carrying Value of a Contributed Property is adjusted pursuant to Section 5.5(d), such property shall no longer constitute a Contributed Property, but shall be deemed an Adjusted Property.

 

“Contribution Agreement” means that certain Contribution Agreement, dated as of December 13, 2001, among SAM Partners, Ltd., Vaughn Petroleum, Ltd., Smith Allen Oil & Gas, Inc., P.A. Peak, Inc., James E. Raley, Inc., Dorchester Minerals Management LLC and Dorchester Minerals Management LP, as amended.

 

“Curative Allocation” means any allocation of an item of income, gain, deduction, loss or credit pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.1(c)(ix).

 

“Current Market Price” as of any date of any class of Limited Partner Interests listed or admitted to trading on any National Securities Exchange means the average of the daily Closing Prices (as hereinafter defined) per limited partner interest of such class for the 20 consecutive Trading Days (as hereinafter defined) immediately prior to such date. For purposes of this definition, (i) “Closing Price” for any day means the last sale price on such day, regular way, or in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices on such day, regular way, in either case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted for trading on the principal National Securities Exchange on which such Limited Partner Interests of such class are listed or admitted to trading or, if such Limited Partner Interests of such class are not listed or admitted to trading on any National Securities Exchange, the last quoted price on such day or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low asked prices on such day in the over-the-counter market, as reported by the Nasdaq Stock Market or any other system then in use, or, if on any such day such Limited Partner Interests of such class are not quoted by any such organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices on such day as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in such Limited Partner Interests of such class selected by the General Partner, or if on any such day no market maker is making a market in such Limited Partner Interests of such class, the fair value of such Limited Partner Interests on such day as determined reasonably and in good faith by the General Partner; and (ii) “Trading Day” means a day on which the principal National Securities Exchange on which such Limited Partner Interests of any class are listed or admitted to trading is

 

5


open for the transaction of business or, if Limited Partner Interests of a class are not listed or admitted to trading on any National Securities Exchange, a day on which banking institutions in Dallas, Texas generally are open.

 

“Delaware Act” means the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, 6 Del C. sec. 17-101, et seq., as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time, and any successor to such statute.

 

“Departing Partner” means a former General Partner from and after the effective date of any withdrawal or removal of such former General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1 or Section 11.2.

 

“Depositary” means, with respect to any Units issued in global form, The Depository Trust Company and its successors and permitted assigns.

 

“DHL” means Dorchester Hugoton, Ltd., a Texas limited partnership.

 

“Direct Expenses” means expenses that are properly paid directly from the Partnership (even if paid on behalf of the Partnership by the General Partner or an Affiliate thereof and reimbursed by the Partnership), including, without limitation, professional (e.g. audit, tax, legal, engineering) and regulatory fees and expenses, ad valorem taxes, severance taxes, the fees of independent managers or directors of the General Partner (or its general partner), and premiums for officers’ and managers’ liability insurance.

 

“Economic Risk of Loss” has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-2(a).

 

“Eligible Citizen” means a Person qualified to own interests in real property in jurisdictions in which any Group Member owns real property or does business or proposes to do business from time to time, and whose status as a Limited Partner or Assignee does not or would not subject such Group Member to a significant risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any of its properties or any interest therein.

 

“Employee” means (a) any Person who is or was an employee, agent or trustee of any Group Member, of the General Partner or of any Departing Partner, and (b) any Person who is or was serving at the request of the General Partner or any Departing Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner or any Departing Partner as an employee, agent, fiduciary or trustee of another Person. For purposes of the preceding sentence, “General Partner” and “Departing Partner” shall be deemed to include any general partner or Subsidiary thereof.

 

“Event of Withdrawal” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 11.1(a).

 

“General Partner” means Dorchester Minerals Management LP and its successors and permitted assigns as general partner of the Partnership.

 

“General Partner Interest” means the ownership interest of the General Partner in the Partnership (in its capacity as a general partner without reference to any Limited Partner Interest held by it), which may be evidenced by Partnership Securities, and includes any and all benefits to which the General Partner is entitled as provided in this Agreement, together with all obligations of the General Partner to comply with the terms and provisions of this Agreement.

 

6


 

“Group” means a Person that with or through any of its Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (except voting pursuant to a revocable proxy or consent given to such Person in response to a proxy or consent solicitation made to 10 or more Persons) or disposing of any Partnership Securities with any other Person that beneficially owns or whose Affiliates or Associates beneficially own, directly or indirectly, Partnership Securities.

 

“Group Member” means a member of the Partnership Group.

 

“Holder” as used in Section 7.12, has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.12(a).

 

“Indemnified Persons” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.12(c).

 

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

 

“Initial Limited Partners” means the parties admitted to the Partnership in accordance with Section 10.1.

 

“Issue Price” means the price at which a Unit is purchased from the Partnership, after taking into account any sales commission or underwriting discount charged to the Partnership.

 

“Limited Partner” means, unless the context otherwise requires, (a) the Organizational Limited Partner prior to its withdrawal from the Partnership, each Initial Limited Partner, each Substituted Limited Partner, each Additional Limited Partner and any Partner upon the change of its status from General Partner to Limited Partner pursuant to Section 11.3 or (b) solely for purposes of Articles V, VI, VII, IX and XII, each Assignee.

 

“Limited Partner Interest” means the ownership interest of a Limited Partner or Assignee in the Partnership, which may be evidenced by Common Units or other Partnership Securities or a combination thereof or interest therein, and includes any and all benefits to which such Limited Partner or Assignee is entitled as provided in this Agreement, together with all obligations of such Limited Partner or Assignee to comply with the terms and provisions of this Agreement.

 

“Limited Partner Amendment” means an amendment to this Agreement that has not been approved by the General Partner.

 

“Liquidation Date” means (a) in the case of an event giving rise to the dissolution of the Partnership of the type described in clauses (a) and (b) of the first sentence of Section 12.2, the date on which the applicable time period during which the holders of Outstanding Units have the right to elect to reconstitute the Partnership and continue its business has expired without such an election being made, and (b) in the case of any other event giving rise to the dissolution of the Partnership, the date on which such event occurs.

 

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“Liquidator” means one or more Persons selected by the General Partner to perform the functions described in Section 12.3 as liquidating trustee of the Partnership within the meaning of the Delaware Act.

 

“Management Expenses” shall mean the expenses of the General Partner or its Affiliates incurred on behalf of the Partnership, including wages, salaries, incentive compensation, and the cost of employee benefit plans paid or provided to employees and officers that are properly allocated to the Partnership and all other necessary or appropriate expenses allocable to the Partnership, provided, however, that Management Expenses shall not include Direct Expenses or Production Costs.

 

“Merger Agreement” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 14.1.

 

“National Securities Exchange” means an exchange registered with the Commission under Section 6(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time, and any successor to such statute, or the Nasdaq National Market or any successor thereto.

 

“Net Agreed Value” means, (a) in the case of any Contributed Property, the Agreed Value of such property reduced by any liabilities either assumed by the Partnership upon such contribution or to which such property is subject when contributed, and (b) in the case of any property distributed to a Partner or Assignee by the Partnership, the Partnership’s Carrying Value of such property (as adjusted pursuant to Section 5.5(d)(ii)) at the time such property is distributed, reduced by any indebtedness either assumed by such Partner or Assignee upon such distribution or to which such property is subject at the time of distribution, in either case, as determined under Section 752 of the Code.

 

“Net Income” means, for any taxable year, the excess, if any, of the Partnership’s items of income and gain for such taxable year over the Partnership’s items of loss and deduction for such taxable year. The items included in the calculation of Net Income shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.5(b) and shall not include any items specially allocated under Section 6.1(c).

 

“Net Loss” means, for any taxable year, the excess, if any, of the Partnership’s items of loss and deduction for such taxable year over the Partnership’s items of income and gain for such taxable year. The items included in the calculation of Net Loss shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.5(b) and shall not include any items specially allocated under Section 6.1(c).

 

“Non-citizen Assignee” means a Person whom the General Partner has determined in its discretion does not constitute an Eligible Citizen and as to whose Partnership Interest the General Partner has become the Substituted Limited Partner, pursuant to Section 4.9.

 

“Nonrecourse Deductions” means any and all items of loss, deduction or expenditures (including, without limitation, any expenditures described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code) that, in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(b), are attributable to a Nonrecourse Liability.

 

“Nonrecourse Liability” has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-1(a)(2).

 

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“Operating Subsidiary” means Dorchester Minerals Operating LP.

 

“Opinion of Counsel” means a written opinion of counsel (who may be regular counsel to the Partnership or the General Partner or any of its Affiliates) acceptable to the General Partner in its reasonable discretion.

 

“Organizational Limited Partner” means Dorchester Minerals Management LLC in its capacity as the organizational limited partner of the Partnership pursuant to this Agreement.

 

“ORRI” means the payments received with respect to (i) the overriding royalty interest in the properties conveyed by DHL to the Operating Subsidiary reserved by DHL pursuant to that certain Assignment, Conveyance and Assumption Agreement of even date herewith from DHL to the Operating Subsidiary, (ii) the overriding royalty interest in the properties conveyed by Republic Royalty Company, L.P. to the Operating Subsidiary reserved by Republic Royalty Company, L.P. pursuant to that certain Assignment, Conveyance and Assumption Agreement of even date herewith from Republic Royalty Company, L.P. to the Operating Subsidiary, (iii) the overriding royalty interest in the properties conveyed by Spinnaker Royalty Company, L.P. to the Operating Subsidiary reserved by Spinnaker Royalty Company, L.P. pursuant to that certain Assignment and Conveyance of even date herewith from Spinnaker Royalty Company, L.P. to the Operating Subsidiary, and (iv) any overriding royalty interest in any properties conveyed by the Partnership to the Operating Subsidiary reserved by the Partnership pursuant to that certain Royalty/NPI Agreement dated of even date herewith between the Partnership and the Operating Subsidiary.

 

“Outstanding” means, with respect to Partnership Securities, all Partnership Securities that are issued by the Partnership and reflected as outstanding on the Partnership’s books and records as of the date of determination.

 

“Partner Nonrecourse Debt” has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(b)(4).

 

“Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain” has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(2).

 

“Partner Nonrecourse Deductions” has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(2).

 

“Partners” means the General Partner and the Limited Partners.

 

“Partnership” means Dorchester Minerals, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, and any successors thereto.

 

“Partnership Group” means the Partnership and any Subsidiary of the Partnership, treated as a single consolidated entity.

 

“Partnership Interest” means an interest in the Partnership, which shall include the General Partner Interest and Limited Partner Interests.

 

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“Partnership Minimum Gain” means that amount determined in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(d).

 

“Partnership Security” means any class or series of equity interest in the Partnership (but excluding any options, rights, warrants, and appreciation rights relating to an equity interest in the Partnership), including without limitation, Common Units and the General Partner Interest.

 

“Percentage Interest” means as of any date of determination (a) as to the General Partner (with respect to its General Partner Interest), a 1% partnership interest and sharing percentage in each ORRI and a 4% partnership interest and sharing percentage in every other asset, property, obligation and liability of the Partnership and every other item of revenue, cost and expense (including any reserves established for the payment of future costs and expenses) of the Partnership, excluding only each ORRI, adjusted to the extent necessary and appropriate to reflect the interests of holders of additional Partnership Securities covered by clause (c) below, (b) as to any Unitholder or Assignee (i) a partnership interest and sharing percentage in each ORRI equal to the product obtained by multiplying (A) 99% by (B) the quotient obtained by dividing the number of Common Units held by such Unitholder or Assignee by the total number of all Outstanding Units and (ii) a partnership interest and sharing percentage in every other asset, property, obligation and liability of the Partnership and every other item of revenue, cost and expense (including any reserves established for the payment of future costs and expenses) of the Partnership, excluding only the ORRI, equal to the product obtained by multiplying (A) 96% by (B) the quotient obtained by dividing the number of Common Units held by such Unitholder or Assignee by the total number of all Outstanding Units, and in the case of (b)(i) and (ii) adjusted to the extent necessary and appropriate to reflect the interests of holders of additional Partnership Securities covered by clause (c) below, and (c) as to the holders of additional Partnership Securities (other than Common Units) issued by the Partnership in accordance with Section 5.6, the percentage established as a part of such issuance.

 

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

 

“Prime Rate” means the prime rate reported in the Money Rates section of The Wall Street Journal. In the event that The Wall Street Journal should cease or temporarily interrupt publication, the term “Prime Rate” shall mean the daily average prime rate published in another business newspaper, or business section of a newspaper, of national standing and general circulation chosen by the Partnership. In the event that a prime rate is no longer generally published or is limited, regulated or administered by a governmental or quasi-governmental body, then the Partnership shall select a comparable interest rate index which is readily available and verifiable to a Limited Partner or Assignee but is beyond the Partnership’s control.

 

“Production Costs” means “Production Costs” as defined in that certain Assignment, Conveyance and Assumption Agreement of even date herewith from DHL to the Operating Subsidiary and “Production Costs” (or its substantial equivalent) in any other net profits interest agreement in place between the Partnership and the Operating Subsidiary (or the successor to its assets).

 

“Pro Rata” means (a) when modifying Units or any class thereof, apportioned equally among all designated Units in accordance with their relative Percentage Interests and (b) when

 

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modifying Partners and Assignees, apportioned among all Partners and Assignees in accordance with their relative Percentage Interests.

 

“Quarter” means, unless the context requires otherwise, a fiscal quarter, or with respect to the first fiscal quarter after the Closing Date the portion of such fiscal quarter after the Closing Date, of the Partnership.

 

“Recapture Income” means any gain recognized by the Partnership (computed without regard to any adjustment required by Section 734 or Section 743 of the Code) upon the disposition of any property or asset of the Partnership, which gain is characterized as ordinary income because it represents the recapture of deductions previously taken with respect to such property or asset.

 

“Record Date” means the date established by the General Partner for determining (a) the identity of the Record Holders entitled to notice of, or to vote at, any meeting of Limited Partners or entitled to vote by ballot or give approval of Partnership action in writing without a meeting or entitled to exercise rights in respect of any lawful action of Limited Partners or (b) the identity of Record Holders entitled to receive any report or distribution or to participate in any offer.

 

“Record Holder” means the Person in whose name a Common Unit is registered on the books of the Transfer Agent as of the opening of business on a particular Business Day, or with respect to other Partnership Securities, the Person in whose name any such other Partnership Security is registered on the books which the General Partner has caused to be kept as of the opening of business on such Business Day.

 

“Redeemable Interests” means any Partnership Interests for which a redemption notice has been given, and has not been withdrawn, pursuant to Section 4.9.

 

“Registration Statement” means the Registration Statement on Form S-4 (Registration No. 333-88282) as it has been or as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, filed by the Partnership with the Commission under the Securities Act.

 

“Republic” means Republic Royalty Company, a Texas partnership.

 

“Required Allocations” means (a) any limitation imposed on any allocation of Net Losses under Section 6.1(b) and (b) any allocation of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(i), 6.1(c)(ii), 6.1(c)(iii), 6.1(c)(vi) or 6.1(c)(viii).

 

“Residual Gain” or “Residual Loss” means any item of gain or loss; as the case may be, of the Partnership recognized for federal income tax purposes resulting from a sale, exchange or other disposition of a Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, to the extent such item of gain or loss is not allocated pursuant to Section 6.2(d)(i)(A) or 6.2(d)(ii)(A), respectively, to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities.

 

“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time and any successor to such statute.

 

“Separate Person” means (a) any Limited Partner, (b) any Departing Partner, (c) any Person who is or was an Affiliate of the General Partner or any Departing Partner, (d) any Person who is or was a member, partner, manager, officer, director, employee, agent or trustee of any Group Member, of the General Partner or any Affiliate thereof or of any Departing Partner or any

 

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Affiliate thereof, (e) any Person who owns, directly or indirectly, in excess of 5% of the equity ownership of any Affiliate of the General Partner or any Departing Partner, and (f) any Person who is or was serving at the request of the General Partner or any Departing Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner or any Departing Partner as an officer, director, employee, member, partner, agent, fiduciary or trustee of another Person; provided, that the General Partner, the Operating Subsidiary and the general partner of the Operating Subsidiary shall not be a Separate Person.

 

“Special Approval” means approval by a majority of the members of the Advisory Committee.

 

“Spinnaker” means Spinnaker Royalty Company, L.P., a Texas limited partnership.

 

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

 

“Substituted Limited Partner” means a Person who is admitted as a Limited Partner to the Partnership pursuant to Section 10.2 in place of and with all the rights of a Limited Partner and who is shown as a Limited Partner on the books and records of the Partnership.

 

“Surviving Business Entity” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 14.2(b).

 

“Trading Day” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 15.1(a).

 

“Transfer” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.4(a).

 

“Transfer Agent” means such bank, trust company or other Person (including the General Partner or one of its Affiliates) as shall be appointed from time to time by the Partnership to act as registrar and transfer agent for the Common Units; provided that if no Transfer Agent is specifically designated for any other Partnership Securities, the General Partner shall act in such capacity.

 

“Transfer Application” means an application and agreement for transfer of Units in the form set forth on the back of a Certificate or in a form substantially to the same effect in a separate instrument.

 

“Unit” means a Common Unit, and any other Partnership Security that is issued pursuant to Section 5.6 and is designated as a “Unit,” but shall not include a General Partner Interest.

 

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“Unitholders” means the holders of Common Units (including, unless specifically excluded with respect to any particular vote or consent, Common Units held by the General Partner or its Affiliates).

 

“Unit Majority” means at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units.

 

“Unrealized Gain” attributable to any item of Partnership property means, as of any date of determination, the excess, if any, of (a) the fair market value of such property as of such date (as determined under Section 5.5(d)) over (b) the Carrying Value of such property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made pursuant to Section 5.5(d) as of such date).

 

“Unrealized Loss” attributable to any item of Partnership property means, as of any date of determination, the excess, if any, of (a) the Carrying Value of such property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made pursuant to Section 5.5(d) as of such date) over (b) the fair market value of such property as of such date (as determined under Section 5.5(d)).

 

“US GAAP” means United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles consistently applied.

 

“Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 11.1(b).

 

“Working Capital Borrowings” means borrowings exclusively for working capital purposes made pursuant to a credit facility or other arrangement requiring all such borrowings thereunder to be reduced to a relatively small amount each year (or for the year in which the Combination is consummated, the 12-month period beginning on the Closing Date) for an economically meaningful period of time.

 

SECTION 1.2. Construction.

 

Unless the context requires otherwise: (a) any pronoun used in this Agreement shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine or neuter forms, and the singular form of nouns, pronouns and verbs shall include the plural and vice versa; (b) references to Articles and Sections refer to Articles and Sections of this Agreement; and (c) the term “include” or “includes” means includes, without limitation, and “including” means including, without limitation.

 

ARTICLE II.

 

ORGANIZATION

 

SECTION 2.1. Formation.

 

The General Partner and the Organizational Limited Partner have previously formed the Partnership as a limited partnership pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act and hereby amend and restate the original Agreement of Limited Partnership of Dorchester Minerals, L.P. in its entirety. This amendment and restatement shall become effective on the date of this Agreement. Except as expressly provided to the contrary in this Agreement, the rights, duties (including fiduciary duties), liabilities, and obligations of the Partners and the administration, dissolution and termination of the Partnership shall be governed by the Delaware Act. All

 

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Partnership Interests shall constitute personal property of the owner thereof for all purposes and a Partner has no interest in specific Partnership property.

 

SECTION 2.2. Name.

 

The name of the Partnership shall be “Dorchester Minerals, L.P.” The Partnership’s business may be conducted under any other name or names deemed necessary or appropriate by the General Partner in its sole discretion, including the name of the General Partner. The words “Limited Partnership,” “Ltd.” or similar words or letters shall be included in the Partnership’s name where necessary for the purpose of complying with the laws of any jurisdiction that so requires. The General Partner in its discretion may change the name of the Partnership at any time and from time to time and shall notify the Limited Partners of such change in the next regular communication to the Limited Partners.

 

SECTION 2.3. Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices.

 

Unless and until changed by the General Partner, the registered office of the Partnership in the State of Delaware shall be located at 1209 Orange Street, City of Wilmington, County of New Castle 19801 and the registered agent for service of process on the Partnership in the State of Delaware at such registered office shall be The Corporation Trust Company. The principal office of the Partnership shall be located at 3738 Oak Lawn Avenue, Dallas, Texas or such other place as the General Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the Limited Partners in the next regular communication to the Limited Partners. The Partnership may maintain offices at such other place or places within or outside the State of Delaware as the General Partner deems necessary or appropriate. The address of the General Partner shall be 3738 Oak Lawn Avenue, Dallas, Texas or such other place as the General Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the Limited Partners in the next regular communication to the Limited Partners.

 

SECTION 2.4. Purpose and Business

 

The purpose and nature of the business to be conducted by the Partnership shall be to (a) acquire, manage, operate, and sell the Assets and any similar assets or properties now or hereafter acquired by the Partnership and to distribute all Available Cash to owners of Partnership Interests according to their respective Percentage Interests, (b) engage directly in or enter into or form any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other entity or arrangement to engage indirectly in, any business activity that the General Partner approves and which lawfully may be conducted by a limited partnership organized pursuant to the Delaware Act and, in connection therewith, to exercise all of the rights and powers conferred upon the Partnership pursuant to the agreements relating to such business activity; provided, however, that the General Partner reasonably determines, as of the date of the acquisition or commencement of such activity, that the income generated by such activity is (i) “qualifying income” (as such term is defined pursuant to Section 7704 of the Code), and (ii) enhances the operations of an activity of the Partnership, and (c) do anything necessary or appropriate to the foregoing. In managing the business of the Partnership, the General Partner shall use all reasonable efforts to prevent the Partnership from realizing income that would be treated as “unrelated business taxable income” (as such term is defined in Section 512 of the Code) to a Limited Partner or Assignee that is otherwise exempt from United States federal income tax. The General Partner has no obligation or duty to the Partnership, the Limited Partners or the Assignees to propose or approve, and in its discretion may decline to propose or approve, the conduct by the Partnership of any business, except as provided for in Section 7.3.

 

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SECTION 2.5. Powers.

 

The Partnership shall be empowered to do any and all acts and things necessary, appropriate, proper, advisable, incidental to or convenient for the furtherance and accomplishment of the purposes and business described in Section 2.4 and for the protection and benefit of the Partnership.

 

SECTION 2.6. Power of Attorney.

 

(a) Each Limited Partner and each Assignee hereby constitutes and appoints the General Partner and, if a Liquidator shall have been selected pursuant to Section 12.3, the Liquidator, (and any successor to the Liquidator by merger, transfer, assignment, election or otherwise) and each of their authorized officers and attorneys-in-fact, as the case may be, with full power of substitution, as his true and lawful agent and attorney-in-fact, with full power and authority in his name, place and stead, to:

 

(i) execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record in the appropriate public offices (A) all certificates, documents and other instruments (including this Agreement and the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all amendments or restatements hereof or thereof) that the General Partner or the Liquidator deems necessary or appropriate to form, qualify or continue the existence or qualification of the Partnership as a limited partnership (or a partnership in which the limited partners have limited liability) in the State of Delaware and in all other jurisdictions in which the Partnership may conduct business or own property; (B) all certificates, documents and other instruments that the General Partner or the Liquidator deems necessary or appropriate to reflect, in accordance with its terms, any amendment, change, modification or restatement of this Agreement; (C) all certificates, documents and other instruments (including conveyances and a certificate of cancellation) that the General Partner or the Liquidator deems necessary or appropriate to reflect the dissolution and liquidation of the Partnership pursuant to the terms of this Agreement; (D) all certificates, documents and other instruments relating to the admission, withdrawal, removal or substitution of any Partner pursuant to, or other events described in, Article IV, X, XI or XII; (E) all certificates, documents and other instruments relating to the determination of the rights, preferences and privileges of any class or series of Partnership Securities issued pursuant to Section 5.6; and (F) all certificates, documents and other instruments (including agreements and a certificate of merger) relating to a merger, consolidation or conversion of the Partnership pursuant to Article XIV; and

 

(ii) execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record all ballots, consents, approvals, waivers, certificates, documents and other instruments necessary or appropriate, in the discretion of the General Partner or the Liquidator, to make, evidence, give, confirm or ratify any vote, consent, approval, agreement or other action that is made or given by the Partners hereunder or is consistent with the terms of this Agreement or is necessary or appropriate, in the discretion of the General Partner or the Liquidator, to effectuate the terms or intent of this Agreement; provided, that when required by Section 13.3 or any other provision of this Agreement that establishes a percentage of the Limited Partners or of the Limited Partners of any class or series required to take any action, the General Partner and the Liquidator may exercise the power of attorney made in this Section 2.6(a)(ii) only after the necessary vote, consent

 

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or approval of the Limited Partners or of the Limited Partners of such class or series, as applicable.

 

Nothing contained in this Section 2.6(a) shall be construed as authorizing the General Partner to amend this Agreement except in accordance with Article XIII or as may be otherwise expressly provided for in this Agreement.

 

(b) The foregoing power of attorney is hereby declared to be irrevocable and a power coupled with an interest, and it shall survive and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, not be affected by the subsequent death, incompetency, disability, incapacity, dissolution, bankruptcy or termination of any Limited Partner or Assignee and the transfer of all or any portion of such Limited Partner’s or Assignee’s Partnership Interest and shall extend to such Limited Partner’s or Assignee’s heirs, successors, assigns and personal representatives. Each such Limited Partner or Assignee hereby agrees to be bound by any representation made by the General Partner or the Liquidator acting in good faith pursuant to such power of attorney; and each such Limited Partner or Assignee, to the maximum extent permitted by law, hereby waives any and all defenses that may be available to contest, negate or disaffirm the action of the General Partner or the Liquidator taken in good faith under such power of attorney. Each Limited Partner or Assignee shall execute and deliver to the General Partner or the Liquidator, within 15 days after receipt of the request therefor, such further designation, powers of attorney, and other instruments as the General Partner or the Liquidator deems necessary to effectuate this Agreement and the purposes of the Partnership.

 

SECTION 2.7. Term.

 

The term of the Partnership commenced upon the filing of the Certificate of Limited Partnership in accordance with the Delaware Act and shall continue in existence until the dissolution of the Partnership in accordance with the provisions of Article XII. The existence of the Partnership as a separate legal entity shall continue until the cancellation of the Certificate of Limited Partnership as provided in the Delaware Act.

 

SECTION 2.8. Title to Partnership Assets.

 

Title to Partnership assets, whether real, personal or mixed and whether tangible or intangible, shall be deemed to be owned by the Partnership as an entity, and no Partner or Assignee, individually or collectively, shall have any ownership interest in such Partnership assets or any portion thereof. Title to any or all of the Partnership assets may be held in the name of the Partnership, the General Partner, one or more of its Affiliates or one or more nominees, as the General Partner may determine. The General Partner hereby declares and warrants that any Partnership assets for which record title is held in the name of the General Partner or one or more of its Affiliates or one or more nominees shall be held by the General Partner or such Affiliate or nominee for the use and benefit of the Partnership in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement; provided, however, that the General Partner shall use reasonable efforts to cause record title to such assets (other than those assets in respect of which the General Partner determines that the expense and difficulty of conveyancing makes transfer of record title to the Partnership impracticable) to be vested in the Partnership or a wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Partnership as soon as reasonably practicable; provided, further, that, prior to the withdrawal or removal of the General Partner or as soon thereafter as practicable, the General Partner shall use reasonable efforts to effect the transfer of record title to the Partnership and, prior to any such transfer, will provide for the use of such assets for the benefit of the Partnership in a manner

 

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satisfactory to the General Partner. All Partnership assets shall be recorded as the property of the Partnership in its books and records, irrespective of the name in which record title to such Partnership assets is held.

 

ARTICLE III.

 

RIGHTS OF LIMITED PARTNERS

 

SECTION 3.1. Limitation of Liability.

 

The Limited Partners and the Assignees shall have no liability under this Agreement except as expressly provided in this Agreement or the Delaware Act.

 

SECTION 3.2. Management of Business.

 

No Limited Partner or Assignee, in its capacity as such, shall participate in the operation, management or control (within the meaning of the Delaware Act) of the Partnership’s business, transact any business in the Partnership’s name or have the power to sign documents for or otherwise bind the Partnership. Any action taken by any Affiliate of the General Partner or any officer, director, employee, manager, member, general partner, agent or trustee of the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, or any officer, director, employee, manager, member, general partner, agent or trustee of a Group Member, in its capacity as such, shall not be deemed to be participation in the control of the business of the Partnership by a limited partner of the Partnership (within the meaning of Section 17-303(a) of the Delaware Act) and shall not affect, impair or eliminate the limitations on the liability of the Limited Partners or Assignees under this Agreement.

 

SECTION 3.3. Outside Activities of the Limited Partners.

 

Subject to the provisions of Section 7.5 and the Business Opportunities Agreement, which shall continue to be applicable to the Persons referred to therein, regardless of whether such Persons shall also be Limited Partners or Assignees, any Limited Partner or Assignee shall be entitled to and may have business interests and engage in business activities in addition to those relating to the Partnership, including business interests and activities in direct competition with the Partnership Group. Neither the Partnership nor any of the other Partners or Assignees shall have any rights by virtue of this Agreement in any business ventures of any Limited Partner or Assignee.

 

SECTION 3.4. Rights of Limited Partners.

 

(a) In addition to other rights provided by this Agreement or by applicable law, and except as limited by Section 3.4(b), each Limited Partner shall have the right, for a purpose reasonably related to such Limited Partner’s interest as a limited partner in the Partnership, upon reasonable written demand setting forth the purpose of such demand and at such Limited Partner’s own expense:

 

(i) to obtain true and full information regarding the status of the business and financial condition of the Partnership;

 

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(ii) promptly after becoming available, to obtain a copy of the Partnership’s federal, state and local income tax returns for each year;

 

(iii) to have furnished to him a current list of the name and last known business, residence or mailing address of each Partner;

 

(iv) to have furnished to him a copy of this Agreement and the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all amendments thereto, together with a copy of the executed copies of all powers of attorney pursuant to which this Agreement, the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all amendments thereto have been executed;

 

(v) to obtain true and full information regarding the amount of cash and a description and statement of the Net Agreed Value of any other Capital Contribution by each Partner and which each Partner has agreed to contribute in the future, and the date on which each became a Partner; and

 

(vi) to obtain such other information regarding the affairs of the Partnership as is just and reasonable.

 

(b) The General Partner may keep confidential from the Limited Partners and Assignees, for such period of time as the General Partner deems reasonable, (i) any information that the General Partner reasonably believes to be in the nature of trade secrets or (ii) other information the disclosure of which the General Partner in good faith believes (A) is not in the best interests of the Partnership, (B) could damage the Partnership or (C) that any Partner is required by law or by agreement with any third party to keep confidential (other than agreements with Affiliates of the Partnership the primary purpose of which is to circumvent the obligations set forth in this Section 3.4).

 

ARTICLE IV.

 

CERTIFICATES; RECORD HOLDERS; TRANSFER OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS;

REDEMPTION OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

 

SECTION 4.1. Certificates.

 

Upon the Partnership’s issuance of Common Units to any Person, the Partnership shall issue one or more Certificates in the name of such Person evidencing the number of such Units being so issued. In addition, upon the General Partner’s request, the Partnership shall issue to it one or more Certificates in the name of the General Partner evidencing its interests in the Partnership. Such Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Partnership by the Chairman of the Board, President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer or any Vice President, and by the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary of the General Partner (or its general partner, if applicable). No Common Unit Certificate shall be valid for any purpose until it has been countersigned by the Transfer Agent; provided, however, that if the General Partner elects to issue Common Units in global form, the Common Unit Certificates shall be valid upon receipt of a certificate from the Transfer Agent certifying that the Common Units have been duly registered in accordance with the directions of the General Partner; and provided further that this

 

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requirement shall not apply to Common Unit Certificates issued pursuant to the Combination Agreement to the general partners of DHL with respect to their general partner interests in DHL.

 

SECTION 4.2. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates.

 

(a) If any mutilated Certificate is surrendered to the Transfer Agent, the appropriate officers of the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership shall execute, and the Transfer Agent shall countersign and deliver in exchange therefor, a new Certificate evidencing the same number and type of Partnership Securities as the Certificate so surrendered.

 

(b) The appropriate officers of the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership shall execute and deliver, and the Transfer Agent shall countersign a new Certificate in place of any Certificate previously issued if the Record Holder of the Certificate does each of the following:

 

(i) makes proof by affidavit, in form and substance satisfactory to the Partnership, that a previously issued Certificate has been lost, destroyed or stolen;

 

(ii) requests the issuance of a new Certificate before the Partnership has notice that the Certificate has been acquired by a purchaser for value in good faith and without notice of an adverse claim;

 

(iii) if requested by the Partnership, delivers to the Partnership a bond, in form and substance satisfactory to the Partnership, with surety or sureties and with fixed or open penalty as the Partnership may reasonably direct, in its sole discretion, to indemnify the Partnership, the Partners, the General Partner and the Transfer Agent against any claim that may be made on account of the alleged loss, destruction or theft of the Certificate; and

 

(iv) satisfies any other reasonable requirements imposed by the Partnership.

 

If a Limited Partner or Assignee fails to notify the Partnership within a reasonable time after he has notice of the loss, destruction or theft of a Certificate, and a transfer of the Limited Partner Interests represented by the Certificate is registered before the Partnership, the General Partner or the Transfer Agent receives such notification, the Limited Partner or Assignee shall be precluded from making any claim against the Partnership, the General Partner or the Transfer Agent for such transfer or for a new Certificate.

 

(c) As a condition to the issuance of any new Certificate under this Section 4.2, the Partnership may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Transfer Agent) reasonably connected therewith.

 

SECTION 4.3. Record Holders.

 

The Partnership shall be entitled to recognize the Record Holder as the Partner or Assignee with respect to any Partnership Interest and, accordingly, shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such Partnership Interest on the part of any other Person, regardless of whether the Partnership shall have actual or other notice thereof, except as otherwise provided by law or any applicable rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which such Partnership Interests are listed for trading. Without

 

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limiting the foregoing, when a Person (such as a broker, dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation or an agent of any of the foregoing) is acting as nominee, agent or in some other representative capacity for another Person in acquiring and/or holding Partnership Interests, as between the Partnership on the one hand, and such other Persons on the other, such representative Person (a) shall be the Partner or Assignee (as the case may be) of record and beneficially, (b) must execute and deliver a Transfer Application and (c) shall be bound by this Agreement and shall have the rights and obligations of a Partner or Assignee (as the case may be) hereunder and as, and to the extent, provided for herein.

 

SECTION 4.4. Transfer Generally.

 

(a) The term “transfer,” when used in this Agreement with respect to a Partnership Interest, shall be deemed to refer to a transaction by which the General Partner assigns its General Partner Interest or any portion thereof or interest therein to another Person who becomes the General Partner, by which the holder of a Limited Partner Interest assigns such Limited Partner Interest or any portion thereof or interest therein to another Person who is or becomes a Limited Partner or an Assignee, and includes a sale, assignment, gift, pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation, mortgage, exchange or any other disposition by law or otherwise.

 

(b) No Partnership Interest or any portion thereof or interest therein shall be transferred, in whole or in part, except in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Article IV. Any transfer or purported transfer of a Partnership Interest or any portion thereof or interest therein not made in accordance with this Article IV shall be null and void.

 

(c) Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed to prevent a disposition by any owner of equity interests of the General Partner (or its general partner, if applicable) of any or all of the issued and outstanding equity interests of the General Partner (or its general partner, if applicable).

 

SECTION 4.5. Registration and Transfer of Limited Partner Interests.

 

(a) The Partnership shall keep or cause to be kept on behalf of the Partnership a register in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe and subject to the provisions of Section 4.5(b), the Partnership will provide for the registration and transfer of Limited Partner Interests. The Transfer Agent is hereby appointed registrar and transfer agent for the purpose of registering Common Units and transfers of such Common Units as herein provided. The Partnership shall not recognize transfers of Certificates evidencing Limited Partner Interests unless such transfers are effected in the manner described in this Section 4.5. Upon surrender of a Certificate for registration of transfer of any Limited Partner Interests evidenced by a Certificate, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.5(b), the appropriate officers of the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership shall execute and deliver, and in the case of Common Units, the Transfer Agent shall countersign and deliver, in the name of the holder or the designated transferee or transferees, as required pursuant to the holder’s instructions, one or more new Certificates evidencing the same aggregate number and type of Limited Partner Interests as was evidenced by the Certificate so surrendered.

 

(b) Except as otherwise provided in Section 4.9, the Partnership shall not recognize any transfer of Limited Partner Interests until the Certificates evidencing such Limited Partner Interests are surrendered for registration of transfer and such Certificates are accompanied by a Transfer Application duly executed by the transferee (or the transferee’s attorney-in-fact duly

 

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authorized in writing). No charge shall be imposed by the Partnership for such transfer; provided, that as a condition to the issuance of any new Certificate under this Section 4.5, the Partnership may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed with respect thereto.

 

(c) Limited Partner Interests may be transferred only in the manner described in this Section 4.5. The transfer of any Limited Partner Interests and the admission of any new Limited Partner shall not constitute an amendment to this Agreement.

 

(d) Until admitted as a Substituted Limited Partner pursuant to Section 10.2, the Record Holder of a Limited Partner Interest shall be an Assignee in respect of such Limited Partner Interest. Limited Partners may include custodians, nominees or any other individual or entity in its own or any representative capacity.

 

(e) A transferee of a Limited Partner Interest who has completed and delivered a Transfer Application shall be deemed to have (i) requested admission as a Substituted Limited Partner, (ii) agreed to comply with and be bound by and to have executed this Agreement, (iii) represented and warranted that such transferee has the right, power and authority and, if an individual, the capacity to enter into this Agreement, (iv) granted the powers of attorney set forth in this Agreement and (v) given the consents and approvals and made the waivers contained in this Agreement.

 

(f) The General Partner and its Affiliates shall have the right at any time to transfer their Common Units to one or more Persons, subject to the other requirements of this Section 4.5 and Sections 4.7 and 4.8.

 

(g) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this Section 4.5 shall not apply to the transfer on the Closing Date of Common Units to the General Partner pursuant to the Contribution Agreement.

 

SECTION 4.6. Transfer of the General Partner’s General Partner Interest.

 

(a) Subject to Section 4.6(b) below, unless a Limited Partner Amendment has been effected, the General Partner shall not transfer all or any part of its General Partner Interest to a Person prior to December 31, 2010, unless such transfer (i) has been approved by the prior written consent or vote of the holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units (excluding Common Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates) or (ii) is of all, but not less than all, of its General Partner Interest to (A) an Affiliate of the General Partner or (B) another Person in connection with the merger or consolidation of the General Partner with or into another Person or the transfer by the General Partner of all or substantially all of its assets to another Person. Subject to Section 4.6(b) below, on or after December 31, 2010, the General Partner may transfer all or any of its General Partner Interest without Unitholder approval.

 

(b) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, no transfer by the General Partner of all or any part of its General Partner Interest to another Person shall be permitted unless (i) the transferee agrees to assume the rights and duties of the General Partner under this Agreement and to be bound by the provisions of this Agreement, (ii) the Partnership receives an Opinion of Counsel that such transfer would not result in the loss of limited liability of any Limited Partner or cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes (to the extent not already so treated or taxed),

 

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(iii) such transferee also agrees to purchase all (or the appropriate portion thereof, if applicable) of the partnership or membership interest of the General Partner as the general partner of the Partnership, and (iv) the General Partner sells to the transferee either (A) all of the equity interests in the Operating Subsidiary or (B) all of the assets of the Operating Subsidiary, such price for the equity interests and/or the assets of the Operating Subsidiary shall be fair market value. In the case of a transfer pursuant to and in compliance with this Section 4.6, the transferee or successor (as the case may be) shall, subject to compliance with the terms of Section 10.3, be admitted to the Partnership as a General Partner immediately prior to the transfer of the Partnership Interest, and the business of the Partnership shall continue without dissolution.

 

(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this Section 4.6 shall not apply to the transfer on the Closing Date of general partner interests in the Partnership to the General Partner pursuant to the Contribution Agreement.

 

SECTION 4.7. Restrictions on Transfers.

 

(a) Except as provided in Section 4.7(c) below, but notwithstanding the other provisions of this Article IV, no transfer of any Partnership Interests shall be made if such transfer would (i) violate the then applicable federal or state securities laws or rules and regulations of the Commission, any state securities commission or any other governmental authority with jurisdiction over such transfer, (ii) terminate the existence or qualification of the Partnership under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation, or (iii) cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes (to the extent not already so treated or taxed).

 

(b) The General Partner may impose restrictions on the transfer of Partnership Interests if a subsequent Opinion of Counsel determines that such restrictions are necessary to avoid a significant risk of the Partnership becoming taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes. The restrictions may be imposed by making such amendments to this Agreement as the General Partner may determine to be necessary or appropriate to impose such restrictions; provided, however, that any amendment that the General Partner believes, in the exercise of its reasonable discretion, could result in the delisting or suspension of trading of any class of Limited Partner Interests on the principal National Securities Exchange on which such class of Limited Partner Interests is then traded must be approved, prior to such amendment being effected, by the holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests of such class, unless the Partnership has been approved for listing or trading on another National Securities Exchange.

 

(c) Nothing contained in this Article IV, or elsewhere in this Agreement, shall preclude the settlement of any transactions involving Partnership Interests entered into through the facilities of any National Securities Exchange on which such Partnership Interests are listed for trading.

 

SECTION 4.8. Citizenship Certificates; Non-citizen Assignees.

 

(a) If any Group Member is or becomes subject to any federal, state or local law or regulation that, in the reasonable determination of the General Partner, creates a substantial risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any property in which the Group Member has an interest based on the nationality, citizenship or other related status of a Limited Partner or Assignee, the General Partner may request any Limited Partner or Assignee to furnish to the General Partner, within 30 days after receipt of such request, an executed Citizenship Certification or such other information

 

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concerning his nationality, citizenship or other related status (or, if the Limited Partner or Assignee is a nominee holding for the account of another Person, the nationality, citizenship or other related status of such Person) as the General Partner may request. If a Limited Partner or Assignee fails to furnish to the General Partner within the aforementioned 30-day period such Citizenship Certification or other requested information or if upon receipt of such Citizenship Certification or other requested information the General Partner determines, with the advice of counsel, that a Limited Partner or Assignee is not an Eligible Citizen, the Partnership Interests owned by such Limited Partner or Assignee shall be subject to redemption in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.9. In addition, the General Partner may require that the status of any such Partner or Assignee be changed to that of a Non-citizen Assignee and, thereupon, the General Partner shall be substituted for such Non-citizen Assignee as the Limited Partner in respect of his Limited Partner Interests and hold such Limited Partner Interests on behalf of such Non-citizen Assignee.

 

(b) The General Partner shall, in exercising voting rights in respect of Limited Partner Interests held by it on behalf of Non-citizen Assignees, distribute the votes in the same ratios as the votes of Partners (including without limitation the General Partner) in respect of Limited Partner Interests other than those of Non-citizen Assignees are cast, either for, against or abstaining as to the matter.

 

(c) Upon dissolution of the Partnership, a Non-citizen Assignee shall have no right to receive a distribution in kind pursuant to Section 12.4 but shall be entitled to the cash equivalent thereof, and the Partnership shall provide cash in exchange for an assignment of the Non-citizen Assignee’s share of the distribution in kind. Such payment and assignment shall be treated for Partnership purposes as a purchase by the Partnership from the Non-citizen Assignee of his Limited Partner Interest (representing his right to receive his share of such distribution in kind).

 

(d) At any time after he can and does certify that he has become an Eligible Citizen, a Non-citizen Assignee may, upon application to the General Partner, request admission as a Substituted Limited Partner with respect to any Limited Partner Interests of such Non-citizen Assignee not redeemed pursuant to Section 4.9, and upon his admission pursuant to Section 10.2, the General Partner shall cease to be deemed to be the Limited Partner in respect of the Non-citizen Assignee’s Limited Partner Interests.

 

SECTION 4.9. Redemption of Partnership Interests of Non-citizen Assignees.

 

(a) If at any time a Limited Partner or Assignee fails to furnish a Citizenship Certification or other information requested within the 30-day period specified in Section 4.8(a), or if upon receipt of such Citizenship Certification or other information the General Partner determines, with the advice of counsel, that a Limited Partner or Assignee is not an Eligible Citizen, the Partnership may, unless the Limited Partner or Assignee establishes to the satisfaction of the General Partner that such Limited Partner or Assignee is an Eligible Citizen or has transferred his Partnership Interests to a Person who is an Eligible Citizen and who furnishes a Citizenship Certification to the General Partner prior to the date fixed for redemption as provided below, redeem the Partnership Interest of such Limited Partner or Assignee as follows:

 

(i) The General Partner shall, not later than the 30th day before the date fixed for redemption, give notice of redemption to the Limited Partner or Assignee, at his last address designated on the records of the Partnership or the Transfer Agent, by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid. The notice shall be deemed to have been

 

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given when so mailed. The notice shall specify the Redeemable Interests, the date fixed for redemption, the place of payment, that payment of the redemption price will be made upon surrender of the Certificate evidencing the Redeemable Interests and that on and after the date fixed for redemption no further allocations or distributions to which the Limited Partner Assignee would otherwise be entitled in respect of the Redeemable Interests will accrue or be made.

 

(ii) The aggregate redemption price for Redeemable Interests shall be an amount equal to the Current Market Price (the date of determination of which shall be the date fixed for redemption) of Limited Partner Interests of the class to be so redeemed multiplied by the number of Limited Partner Interests of each such class included among the Redeemable Interests. The redemption price shall be paid, in the discretion of the General Partner, in cash or by delivery of a promissory note of the Partnership in the principal amount of the redemption price, bearing interest at the Prime Rate and payable in three equal annual installments of principal together with accrued interest, commencing one year after the redemption date.

 

(iii) Upon surrender by or on behalf of the Limited Partner or Assignee, at the place specified in the notice of redemption, of the Certificate evidencing the Redeemable Interests, duly endorsed in blank or accompanied by an assignment duly executed in blank, the Limited Partner or Assignee or his duly authorized representative shall be entitled to receive the payment therefor.

 

(iv) After the redemption date, Redeemable Interests shall no longer constitute issued and Outstanding Limited Partner Interests.

 

(b) The provisions of this Section 4.9 shall also be applicable to Limited Partner Interests held by a Limited Partner or Assignee as nominee of a Person determined to be other than an Eligible Citizen.

 

(c) Nothing in this Section 4.9 shall prevent the recipient of a notice of redemption from transferring his Limited Partner Interest before the redemption date if such transfer is otherwise permitted under this Agreement. Upon receipt of notice of such a transfer, the General Partner shall withdraw the notice of redemption, provided the transferee of such Limited Partner Interest certifies to the satisfaction of the General Partner in a Citizenship Certification delivered in connection with the Transfer Application that he is an Eligible Citizen. If the transferee fails to make such certification, such redemption shall be effected from the transferee on the original redemption date.

 

ARTICLE V.

 

CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND ISSUANCE OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS

 

SECTION 5.1. Organizational Contributions.

 

(a) In connection with the formation of the Partnership under the Delaware Act, the General Partner made an initial Capital Contribution to the Partnership in the amount of $50.00 for an interest in the Partnership and has been admitted as the General Partner of the Partnership, and the Organizational Limited Partner made an initial Capital Contribution to the Partnership in the

 

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amount of $950.00 for an interest in the Partnership and has been admitted as a Limited Partner of the Partnership. As of the Closing Date, the interest of the Organizational Limited Partner shall be redeemed upon the admission of the first Initial Limited Partner (other than a general partner of DHL with respect to the Common Units received by such general partner with respect to its general partner interest in DHL, which Common Units shall be converted into a general partner interest pursuant to Section 5.2); the initial Capital Contributions of each Partner shall thereupon be refunded; and the Organizational Limited Partner shall cease to be a Limited Partner of the Partnership. Ninety-five percent of any interest or other profit that may have resulted from the investment or other use of such initial Capital Contributions shall be allocated and distributed to the Organizational Limited Partner, and the balance thereof shall be allocated and distributed to the General Partner.

 

SECTION 5.2. Issuance of Common Units in the Combination.

 

Pursuant to the Combination Agreement, the Partnership shall issue Common Units as specified in the Combination Agreement.

 

SECTION 5.3. Issuance of General Partner Interests; Closing of the Contribution Agreement.

 

(a) Upon the closing of the mergers of Spinnaker and Republic into the Partnership as contemplated by the Combination Agreement, the general partner interests in the Partnership into which the general partner interests in Spinnaker and Republic are converted pursuant to the Combination Agreement shall be deemed to have been issued by the Partnership.

 

(b) Upon the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Contribution Agreement, including the contribution by the General Partner to the Partnership of the cash required to be contributed to the General Partner pursuant to the Contribution Agreement, the Common Units contributed to the General Partner pursuant to the Contribution Agreement shall be deemed to be converted into a general partner interest in the Partnership constituting a 1% interest in the capital and profits of the Partnership relating solely to the assets conveyed to the Partnership by DHL pursuant to the Combination Agreement and the certificates representing such Common Units shall be surrendered by the General Partner to the Partnership for cancellation.

 

(c) Immediately following the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Contribution Agreement, the general partner interests in the Partnership described in Sections 5.3(a) and (b) shall automatically be converted into and become the General Partner Interest.

 

SECTION 5.4. Interest and Withdrawal.

 

No interest on Capital Contributions shall be paid by the Partnership. No Partner or Assignee shall be entitled to the withdrawal or return of its Capital Contribution, except to the extent, if any, that distributions made pursuant to this Agreement or upon termination of the Partnership may be considered as such by law and then only to the extent provided for in this Agreement. Except to the extent expressly provided in this Agreement, no Partner or Assignee shall have priority over any other Partner or Assignee either as to the return of Capital Contributions or as to profits, losses or distributions. Any such return shall be a compromise to which all Partners and Assignees agree within the meaning of Section 17-502(b) of the Delaware Act.

 

SECTION 5.5. Capital Accounts.

 

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(a) The Partnership shall maintain for each Partner (or a beneficial owner of Partnership Interests held by a nominee in any case in which the nominee has furnished the identity of such owner to the Partnership in accordance with Section 6031(c) of the Code or any other method acceptable to the General Partner in its sole discretion) owning a Partnership Interest a separate Capital Account with respect to such Partnership Interest in accordance with the rules of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv). Such Capital Account shall be increased by (i) the amount of all Capital Contributions made to the Partnership with respect to such Partnership Interest pursuant to this Agreement and (ii) all items of Partnership income and gain (including, without limitation, income and gain exempt from tax) computed in accordance with Section 5.5(b) and allocated with respect to such Partnership Interest pursuant to Section 6.1, and decreased by (x) the amount of cash or Net Agreed Value of all distributions of cash or property made with respect to such Partnership Interest pursuant to this Agreement and (y) all items of Partnership deduction and loss computed in accordance with Section 5.5(b) and allocated with respect to such Partnership Interest pursuant to Section 6.1.

 

(b) For purposes of computing the amount of any item of income, gain, loss or deduction that is to be allocated pursuant to Article VI and is to be reflected in the Partners’ Capital Accounts, the determination, recognition, and classification of any such item shall be the same as its determination, recognition, and classification for federal income tax purposes (including, without limitation, any method of depreciation, cost recovery or amortization used for that purpose), provided, that:

 

(i) Solely for purposes of this Section 5.5, the Partnership shall be treated as owning directly its proportionate share (as determined by the General Partner based upon the provisions of this Agreement) of all property owned by any Subsidiary of the Partnership that is classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes.

 

(ii) All fees and other expenses incurred by the Partnership to promote the sale of (or to sell) a Partnership Interest that can neither be deducted nor amortized under Section 709 of the Code, if any, shall, for purposes of Capital Account maintenance, be treated as an item of deduction at the time such fees and other expenses are incurred and shall be allocated among the Partners pursuant to Section 6.1.

 

(iii) Except as otherwise provided in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), the computation of all items of income, gain, loss and deduction shall be made without regard to any election under Section 754 of the Code which may be made by the Partnership and, as to those items described in Section 705(a)(1)(B) or 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code, without regard to the fact that such items are not includable in gross income or are neither currently deductible nor capitalized for federal income tax purposes. To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Partnership asset pursuant to Section 734(b) or 743(b) of the Code is required, pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts, the amount of such adjustment in the Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain or loss.

 

(iv) Any income, gain or loss attributable to the taxable disposition of any Partnership property shall be determined as if the adjusted basis of such property as of such date of disposition were equal in amount to the Partnership’s Carrying Value with respect to such property as of such date.

 

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(v) In accordance with the requirements of Section 704(b) of the Code, any deductions for depreciation, cost recovery or amortization attributable to any Contributed Property shall be determined as if the adjusted basis of such property on the date it was acquired by the Partnership were equal to the Agreed Value of such property. Upon an adjustment pursuant to Section 5.5(d) to the Carrying Value of any Partnership property subject to depreciation, cost recovery or amortization, any further deductions for such depreciation, cost recovery or amortization attributable to such property shall be determined (A) as if the adjusted basis of such property were equal to the Carrying Value of such property immediately following such adjustment and (B) using a rate of depreciation, cost recovery or amortization derived from the same method and useful life (or, if applicable, the remaining useful life) as is applied for federal income tax purposes; provided, however, that, if the asset has a zero adjusted basis for federal income tax purposes, depreciation, cost recovery or amortization deductions shall be determined using any reasonable method that the General Partner may adopt.

 

(vi) Any depletion deductions attributable to a separate oil and gas property (as defined in Section 614 of the Code) shall be computed by the Partnership using the cost or percentage method of depletion (without regard to limitations imposed on the percentage method under Section 613A of the Code which theoretically could apply to less than all of the Partners), whichever results in the greater deduction. For purposes hereof, any cost depletion determined with respect to an oil and gas property shall be determined as if the adjusted basis of such property on the date of such determination was equal in amount to the Partnership’s Carrying Value with respect to such property as of such date. Depletion deductions determined with respect to an oil and gas property shall, in the aggregate, reduce the Capital Accounts of the Partners only to the extent of the Partnership’s Carrying Value with respect to such property. The allocations of basis and amount realized (and all items of income, gain, deduction or loss computed with respect thereto) required by Section 613A(c)(7)(D) of the Code shall not affect the Capital Accounts of the Partners.

 

(c) A transferee of a Partnership Interest shall succeed to a pro rata portion of the Capital Account of the transferor relating to the Partnership Interest so transferred in accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(l).

 

(d) (i) In accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), on an issuance of additional Partnership Interests for cash or Contributed Property, the General Partner may adjust the Capital Accounts of all Partners and the Carrying Value of each Partnership property immediately prior to such issuance upward or downward to reflect any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to such Partnership property, as if such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss had been recognized on an actual sale of each such property immediately prior to such issuance and had been allocated to the Partners at such time pursuant to Section 6.1 in the same manner as any item of gain or loss actually recognized during such period would have been allocated. In determining such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss, the aggregate cash amount and fair market value of all Partnership assets (including, without limitation, cash or cash equivalents) immediately prior to the issuance of additional Partnership Interests shall be determined by the General Partner using such reasonable method of valuation as it may adopt; provided, however, that the General Partner, in arriving at such valuation, must take fully into account the fair market value of the Partnership Interests of all Partners at such time. The General Partner shall allocate such aggregate value among the assets of the Partnership (in such

 

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manner as it determines in its discretion to be reasonable) to arrive at a fair market value for individual properties.

 

(ii) In accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), immediately prior to any distribution to a Partner of any Partnership property (other than a distribution of cash that is not in redemption or retirement of a Partnership Interest), the General Partner may adjust the Capital Accounts of all Partners and the Carrying Value of all Partnership property upward or downward to reflect any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to such Partnership property, as if such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss had been recognized in a sale of such property immediately prior to such distribution for an amount equal to its fair market value, and had been allocated to the Partners, at such time, pursuant to Section 6.1 in the same manner as any item of gain or loss actually recognized during such period would have been allocated. In determining such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss the aggregate cash amount and fair market value of all Partnership assets (including, without limitation, cash or cash equivalents) immediately prior to a distribution shall (A) in the case of a distribution that is not made pursuant to Section 12.4, be determined and allocated in the same manner as that provided in Section 5.5(d)(i) or (B) in the case of a liquidating distribution pursuant to Section 12.4, be determined and allocated by the Liquidator using such reasonable method of valuation as it may adopt.

 

SECTION 5.6. Issuances of Additional Partnership Securities.

 

(a) Subject to Section 5.7, the Partnership may issue additional Partnership Securities and options, rights, warrants, and appreciation rights relating to the Partnership Securities for any Partnership purpose at any time and from time to time to such Persons for such consideration and on such terms and conditions as shall be established by the General Partner in its sole discretion. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this Agreement (including this Section 5.6(a)), the Partnership is prohibited from issuing any Partnership Securities having greater rights or powers than the common units of the Partnership, and any options, rights, warrants, and appreciation rights relating to such Partnership Securities, unless such issuance is approved by a Unit Majority.

 

(b) Each additional Partnership Security authorized to be issued by the Partnership pursuant to Section 5.6(a) may be issued in one or more classes, or one or more series, with such designations, preferences, rights, powers, and duties (which may be senior to existing classes and series of Partnership Securities), as shall be fixed by the General Partner in the exercise of its sole discretion, including (i) the right to share Partnership profits and losses or items thereof; (ii) the right to have separate rights, powers or duties with respect to specified property or obligations of the Partnership; (iii) the right to share in Partnership distributions; (iv) the rights upon dissolution and liquidation of the Partnership; (v) whether, and the terms and conditions upon which, the Partnership may redeem the Partnership Security; (vi) whether such Partnership Security is issued with the privilege of conversion or exchange and, if so, the terms and conditions of such conversion or exchange; (vii) the terms and conditions upon which each Partnership Security will be issued, evidenced by certificates and assigned or transferred; and (viii) the right, if any, of each such Partnership Security to vote on Partnership matters, including matters relating to the relative designations, preferences, rights, powers, and duties of such Partnership Security.

 

(c) The General Partner is hereby authorized and directed to take all actions that it deems necessary or appropriate in connection with (i) each issuance of Partnership Securities and options, rights, warrants, and appreciation rights relating to Partnership Securities pursuant to this Section 5.6, (ii) the conversion of the General Partner Interest into Units pursuant to the terms of

 

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this Agreement, (iii) the admission of Additional Limited Partners, and (iv) all additional issuances of Partnership Securities. The General Partner is further authorized and directed to specify the relative rights, powers, and duties of the holders of the Units or other Partnership Securities being so issued. The General Partner shall do all things necessary to comply with the Delaware Act and is authorized and directed to do all things it deems to be necessary or advisable in connection with any future issuance of Partnership Securities or in connection with the conversion of the General Partner Interest into Units pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, including compliance with any statute, rule, regulation or guideline of any federal, state or other governmental agency or any National Securities Exchange on which the Units or other Partnership Securities are listed for trading.

 

SECTION 5.7. Limitations on Issuance of Additional Partnership Securities.

 

The issuance of Partnership Securities pursuant to Section 5.6 shall be subject to the following restrictions and limitations:

 

(a) Without approval of a Unit Majority, the Partnership shall not issue in a single transaction or group of related transactions any Partnership Securities representing Limited Partner Interests if, immediately after giving effect to such issuance, such newly issued Partnership Securities would represent over 20% of the outstanding Limited Partner Interests.

 

(b) No fractional Units shall be issued by the Partnership. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, fractional Common Units may, pursuant to the Combination Agreement, be issued to the general partners of DHL with respect to their general partner interests in DHL.

 

SECTION 5.8. Limited Preemptive Right.

 

Except as provided in this Section 5.8 and in Section 5.2, no Person shall have any preemptive, preferential or other similar right with respect to the issuance of any Partnership Security, whether unissued, held in the treasury or hereafter created. The General Partner shall have the right, which it may from time to time assign in whole or in part to any of its Affiliates, to purchase Partnership Securities from the Partnership whenever, and on the same terms that, the Partnership issues Partnership Securities to Persons other than the General Partner and its Affiliates, to the extent necessary to maintain the Percentage Interests of the General Partner and its Affiliates equal to that which existed immediately prior to the issuance of such Partnership Securities.

 

SECTION 5.9. Splits and Combination.

 

(a) Subject to Sections 5.9(d), 6.6 and 6.9 (dealing with adjustments of distribution levels), the Partnership may make a Pro Rata distribution of Partnership Securities to all Record Holders or may effect a subdivision or combination of Partnership Securities so long as, after any such event, each Partner shall have the same Percentage Interest in the Partnership as before such event, and any amounts calculated on a per Unit basis or stated as a number of Units are proportionately adjusted retroactive to the beginning of the Partnership.

 

(b) Whenever such a distribution, subdivision or combination of Partnership Securities is declared, the General Partner shall select a Record Date as of which the distribution, subdivision or combination shall be effective and shall send notice thereof at least 20 days prior to such Record Date to each Record Holder as of a date not less than 10 days prior to the date of such

 

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notice. The General Partner also may cause a firm of independent public accountants selected by it to calculate the number of Partnership Securities to be held by each Record Holder after giving effect to such distribution, subdivision or combination. The General Partner shall be entitled to rely on any certificate provided by such firm as conclusive evidence of the accuracy of such calculation.

 

(c) Promptly following any such distribution, subdivision or combination, the Partnership may issue Certificates to the Record Holders of Partnership Securities as of the applicable Record Date representing the new number of Partnership Securities held by such Record Holders, or the General Partner may adopt such other procedures as it may deem appropriate to reflect such changes. If any such combination results in a smaller total number of Partnership Securities Outstanding, the Partnership shall require, as a condition to the delivery to a Record Holder of such new Certificate, the surrender of any Certificate held by such Record Holder immediately prior to such Record Date.

 

(d) The Partnership shall not issue fractional Units upon any distribution, subdivision or combination of Units. If a distribution, subdivision or combination of Units would result in the issuance of fractional Units but for the provisions of Section 5.7(b) and this Section 5.9(d), each fractional Unit shall be rounded to the nearest whole Unit (and a 0.5 Unit shall be rounded to the next higher Unit).

 

SECTION 5.10. Fully Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Limited Partner Interests.

 

All Limited Partner Interests issued pursuant to, and in accordance with the requirements of, this Article V shall be fully paid and non-assessable Limited Partner Interests in the Partnership, except as such non-assessability may be affected by Section 17-607 of the Delaware Act.

 

ARTICLE VI.

 

ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

 

SECTION 6.1. Allocations for Capital Account Purposes.

 

For purposes of maintaining the Capital Accounts and in determining the rights of the Partners among themselves, the Partnership’s items of income, gain, loss, and deduction (computed in accordance with Section 5.5(b)) shall be allocated among the Partners in each taxable year (or portion thereof) as provided herein below.

 

(a) Net Income. After giving effect to the allocations set forth in Sections 6.1(c), Net Income for each taxable year (and all items of income, gain, loss and deduction taken into account in computing Net Income for such taxable year) shall be allocated as follows:

 

(i) First, to the General Partner, to the extent of Net Loss previously allocated to it under Section 6.1(b)(ii) for which Net Income has not previously been allocated pursuant to this Section 6.1(a)(i); and

 

(ii) Second, to the Partners in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests.

 

 

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(b) Net Loss. After giving effect to the allocations set forth in Section 6.1(c), Net Loss for each taxable year (and all items of income, gain, loss and deduction taken into account in computing Net Loss for such taxable year) shall be allocated as follows:

 

(i) First, to the Partners in proportion to their respective Percentage Interests provided that Net Loss shall not be allocated pursuant to this Section 6.1(b)(i) to the extent that such allocation would cause any Limited Partner to have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account at the end of such taxable year (or increase any existing deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account); and

 

(ii) Second, the balance to the General Partner.

 

(c) Special Allocations. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1, the following special allocations shall be made for such taxable period:

 

(i) Partnership Minimum Gain Chargeback. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1, if there is a net decrease in Partnership Minimum Gain during any Partnership taxable period, each Partner shall be allocated items of Partnership income and gain for such period (and, if necessary, subsequent periods) in the manner and amounts provided in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(f)(6), 1.704-2(g)(2) and 1.704-2(j)(2)(i), or any successor provision. For purposes of this Section 6.1(c), each Partner’s Adjusted Capital Account balance shall be determined, and the allocation of income or gain required hereunder shall be effected, prior to the application of any other allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(c) with respect to such taxable period (other than an allocation pursuant to Sections 6.1(c)(vi) and 6.1(c)(vii)). This Section 6.1(c)(i) is intended to comply with the Partnership Minimum Gain chargeback requirement in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(f) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

 

(ii) Chargeback of Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section 6.1 (other than Section 6.1(c)(i)), except as provided in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(4), if there is a net decrease in Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain during any Partnership taxable period, any Partner with a share of Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain at the beginning of such taxable period shall be allocated items of Partnership income and gain for such period (and, if necessary, subsequent periods) in the manner and amounts provided in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(i)(4) and 1.704-2(j)(2)(ii), or any successor provisions. For purposes of this Section 6.1(c), each Partner’s Adjusted Capital Account balance shall be determined, and the allocation of income or gain required hereunder shall be effected, prior to the application of any other allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(c), other than Section 6.1(c)(i) and other than an allocation pursuant to Sections 6.1(c)(v) and 6.1(c)(vi), with respect to such taxable period. This Section 6.1(c)(ii) is intended to comply with the chargeback of items of income and gain requirement in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(4) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

 

(ii) Qualified Income Offset. In the event any Partner unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations or distributions described in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5), or 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6), items of Partnership income and gain shall be specially allocated to such Partner in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate, to the extent required by the Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 704(b) of the Code, the deficit balance, if any, in its Adjusted Capital

 

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Account created by such adjustments, allocations or distributions as quickly as possible unless such deficit balance is otherwise eliminated pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(i) or (ii).

 

(iv) Gross Income Allocations. In the event any Partner has a deficit balance in its Capital Account at the end of any Partnership taxable period in excess of the sum of (A) the amount such Partner is required to restore pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement and (B) the amount such Partner is deemed obligated to restore pursuant to Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(g) and 1.704-2(i)(5), such Partner shall be specially allocated items of Partnership gross income and gain in the amount of such excess as quickly as possible; provided that an allocation pursuant to this Section 6.1(c)(iv) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Partner would have a deficit balance in its Capital Account as adjusted after all other allocations provided for in this Section 6.1 have been tentatively made as if this Section 6.1(c)(iv) were not in this Agreement.

 

(v) Nonrecourse Deductions. Nonrecourse Deductions for any taxable period shall be allocated to the Partners in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests. If the General Partner determines in its good faith discretion that the Partnership’s Nonrecourse Deductions must be allocated in a different ratio to satisfy the safe harbor requirements of the Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 704(b) of the Code, the General Partner is authorized, upon notice to the other Partners, to revise the prescribed ratio to the numerically closest ratio that does satisfy such requirements.

 

(vi) Partner Nonrecourse Deductions. Partner Nonrecourse Deductions for any taxable period shall be allocated 100% to the Partner that bears the Economic Risk of Loss with respect to the Partner Nonrecourse Debt to which such Partner Nonrecourse Deductions are attributable in accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i). If more than one Partner bears the Economic Risk of Loss with respect to a Partner Nonrecourse Debt, such Partner Nonrecourse Deductions attributable thereto shall be allocated between or among such Partners in accordance with the ratios in which they share such Economic Risk of Loss.

 

(vii) Nonrecourse Liabilities. For purposes of Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-3(a)(3), the Partners agree that Nonrecourse Liabilities of the Partnership in excess of the amount of Partnership Minimum Gain shall be allocated among the Partners in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.

 

(viii) Code Section 754 Adjustments. To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Partnership asset pursuant to Section 734(b) or 743(c) of the Code is required, pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts, the amount of such adjustment to the Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the asset) or loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis), and such item of gain or loss shall be specially allocated to the Partners in a manner consistent with the manner in which their Capital Accounts are required to be adjusted pursuant to such Section of the Treasury Regulations.

 

(ix) Curative Allocation.

 

(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1, other than the Required Allocations, the Required Allocations shall be taken into account in making the Agreed Allocations so that, to the extent possible, the net amount of items of income,

 

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gain, loss, and deduction allocated to each Partner pursuant to the Required Allocations and the Agreed Allocations, together, shall be equal to the net amount of such items that would have been allocated to each such Partner under the Agreed Allocations had the Required Allocations and the related Curative Allocation not otherwise been provided in this Section 6.1. Allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(c)(ix)(A) shall only be made with respect to Required Allocations to the extent the General Partner reasonably determines that such allocations will otherwise be inconsistent with the economic agreement among the Partners.

 

(B) The General Partner shall have reasonable discretion, with respect to each taxable period, to (1) apply the provisions of Section 6.1(c)(ix)(A) in whatever order is most likely to minimize the economic distortions that might otherwise result from the Required Allocations, and (2) divide all allocations pursuant to Section 6.1(c)(ix)(A) among the Partners in a manner that is likely to minimize such economic distortions.

 

SECTION 6.2. Allocations for Tax Purposes.

 

(a) Except as otherwise provided herein, for federal income tax purposes, each item of income, gain, loss, and deduction shall be allocated among the Partners in the same manner as its correlative item of “book” income, gain, loss or deduction is allocated pursuant to Section 6.1.

 

(b) The deduction for depletion with respect to each separate oil and gas property (as defined in Section 614 of the Code) shall be computed for federal income tax purposes separately by the Partners rather than the Partnership in accordance with Section 613A(c)(7)(D) of the Code. For purposes of such computation, the proportionate share of the adjusted basis (before taking into account any adjustments resulting from an election made by the Partnership on behalf of such Partner under Section 754 of the Code) of each oil and gas property (as defined in Section 614 of the Code) allocated to each Partner shall be determined in accordance with the following principles:

 

(i) In the case of a Contributed Property (or Adjusted Property that was originally a Contributed Property), the adjusted basis of such property shall be allocated at the time of contribution to the Partners who contributed such property to the Partnership in amounts equal to their respective tax basis in such property immediately prior to such contribution. For purposes of this Section 6.2(b), the Assets shall be deemed to have been contributed to the Partnership by the partners of Republic, Spinnaker or DHL, as applicable, or their successors.

 

(ii) In all other cases, the adjusted basis of each oil and gas property shall be allocated to the Partners in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.

 

Each Partner shall separately keep records of his share of the adjusted basis in each oil and gas property, allocated as provided above, adjust such share of the adjusted basis for any cost or percentage depletion allowable on such property and use such adjusted basis in the computation of his cost depletion or in the computation of his gain or loss on the disposition of such property by the Partnership.

 

(c) For the purpose of the separate computation of gain or loss by each Partner on the sale or disposition of each separate oil and gas property (as defined in Section 614 of the Code), the

 

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Partnership’s allocable share of the “amount realized” (as such term is defined in Section 1001(b) of the Code) from such sale shall be allocated for federal income tax purposes to the Partners as follows:

 

(i) In the case of the Contributed Property (or Adjusted Property that was originally a Contributed Property), such “amount realized” shall be allocated (A) first, to the Partners who contributed such property, in a manner consistent with Section 704(c) of the Code, and (B) second, the balance to the Partners in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.

 

(ii) In all other cases, the “amount realized” shall be allocated to the Partners in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.

 

(d) In an attempt to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities attributable to a Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, other than with respect to oil and gas properties as provided in Section 6.2(b) and Section 6.2(c), items of income, gain, loss, depreciation, amortization, and cost recovery deductions shall be allocated for federal income tax purposes among the Partners as follows:

 

(i) (A) In the case of a Contributed Property, such items attributable thereto shall be allocated among the Partners in the manner provided under Section 704(c) of the Code that takes into account the variation between the Agreed Value of such property and its adjusted basis at the time of contribution; and (B) any item of Residual Gain or Residual Loss attributable to a Contributed Property shall be allocated among the Partners in the same manner as its correlative item of “book” gain or loss is allocated pursuant to Section 6.1.

 

(ii) (A) In the case of an Adjusted Property, such items shall (1) first, be allocated among the Partners in a manner consistent with the principles of Section 704(c) of the Code to take into account the Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to such property and the allocations thereof pursuant to Section 5.5(d)(i) or 5.5(d)(ii), and (2) second, in the event such property was originally a Contributed Property, be allocated among the Partners in a manner consistent with Section 6.2(d)(i)(A); and (B) any item of Residual Gain or Residual Loss attributable to an Adjusted Property shall be allocated among the Partners in the same manner as its correlative item of “book” gain or loss is allocated pursuant to Section 6.1.

 

(e) For the proper administration of the Partnership and for the preservation of uniformity of the Limited Partner Interests (or any class or classes thereof), the General Partner shall have sole discretion to (i) adopt such conventions as it deems appropriate in determining the amount of depletion, depreciation, amortization, and cost recovery deductions; (ii) make special allocations for federal income tax purposes of income (including, without limitation, gross income) or deductions; and (iii) amend the provisions of this Agreement as appropriate (x) to reflect the proposal or promulgation of Treasury Regulations under Section 704(b) or Section 704(c) of the Code or (y) otherwise to preserve or achieve uniformity of the Limited Partner Interests (or any class or classes thereof). The General Partner may adopt such conventions, make such allocations, and make such amendments to this Agreement as provided in this Section 6.2(e) only if such conventions, allocations or amendments would not have a material adverse effect on the Partners, the holders of any class or classes of Limited Partner Interests issued and Outstanding or the Partnership, and if such allocations are consistent with the principles of Section 704 of the Code.

 

 

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(f) The General Partner in its discretion may determine to depreciate, deplete or amortize the portion of an adjustment under Section 743(b) of the Code attributable to unrealized appreciation in any Adjusted Property (to the extent of the unamortized Book-Tax Disparity) using a predetermined rate derived from the depreciation, depletion or amortization method and useful life applied to the Partnership’s common basis of such property, despite any inconsistency of such approach with Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-1(a)(6) or other applicable regulation or any successor regulations thereto. If the General Partner determines that such reporting position cannot reasonably be taken, the General Partner may adopt depreciation, depletion, and amortization conventions under which all purchasers acquiring Limited Partner Interests in the same month would receive depreciation, depletion, and amortization deductions, based upon the same applicable rate as if they had purchased a direct interest in the Partnership’s property. If the General Partner chooses not to utilize such method, the General Partner may use any other reasonable depreciation, depletion, and amortization conventions to preserve the uniformity of the intrinsic tax characteristics of any Limited Partner Interests that would not have a material adverse effect on the Limited Partners or the Record Holders of any class or classes of Limited Partner Interests.

 

(g) Any gain allocated to the Partners upon the sale or other taxable disposition of any Partnership asset shall, to the extent possible, after taking into account other required allocations of gain pursuant to this Section 6.2, be characterized as Recapture Income in the same proportions and to the same extent as such Partners (or their predecessors in interest) have been allocated any deductions directly or indirectly giving rise to the treatment of such gains as Recapture Income.

 

(h) All items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit recognized by the Partnership for federal income tax purposes and allocated to the Partners in accordance with the provisions hereof shall be determined without regard to any election under Section 754 of the Code which may be made by the Partnership; provided, however, that such allocations, once made, shall be adjusted as necessary or appropriate to take into account those adjustments permitted or required by Sections 734 and 743 of the Code.

 

(i) Each item of Partnership income, gain, loss, and deduction, shall for federal income tax purposes, be determined on a monthly basis and shall be allocated to the Partners on the last Business Day of each month; provided, however, that such items for the period beginning on the Closing Date and ending on the last day of the month shall be allocated to the Partners on the last Business Day of the such month; and provided, further, that gain or loss on a sale or other disposition of any assets of the Partnership or any other extraordinary item of income or loss realized and recognized other than in the ordinary course of business, as determined by the General Partner in its sole discretion, shall be allocated to the Partners on the last Business Day of the month in which such gain or loss is recognized for federal income tax purposes. The General Partner may revise, alter or otherwise modify such methods of allocation as it determines necessary or appropriate in its sole discretion, to the extent permitted or required by Section 706 of the Code and the regulations or rulings promulgated thereunder.

 

(j) Allocations that would otherwise be made to a Limited Partner under the provisions of this Article VI shall instead be made to the beneficial owner of Limited Partner Interests held by a nominee in any case in which the nominee has furnished the identity of such owner to the Partnership in accordance with Section 6031(c) of the Code or any other method acceptable to the General Partner in its sole discretion.

 

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SECTION 6.3. Requirement and Characterization of Distributions; Distributions to Record Holders.

 

(a) Within 45 days following the end of each Quarter commencing with the Quarter ending on March 31, 2003, an amount equal to 100% of Available Cash with respect to such Quarter shall, subject to Section 17-607 of the Delaware Act, be distributed in accordance with this Article VI by the Partnership to the Partners as of the Record Date selected by the General Partner in its reasonable discretion.

 

(b) Notwithstanding Section 6.3(a), in the event of the dissolution and liquidation of the Partnership, all receipts received during or after the Quarter in which the Liquidation Date occurs, other than from borrowings described in (a)(ii) of the definition of Available Cash, shall be applied and distributed solely in accordance with, and subject to the terms and conditions of, Section 12.4.

 

(c) The General Partner shall have the discretion to treat taxes paid by the Partnership on behalf of, or amounts withheld with respect to, all or less than all of the Partners, as a distribution of Available Cash to such Partners.

 

(d) Each distribution in respect of a Partnership Interest shall be paid by the Partnership, directly or through the Transfer Agent or through any other Person or agent, only to the Record Holder of such Partnership Interest as of the Record Date set for such distribution. Such payment shall constitute full payment and satisfaction of the Partnership’s liability in respect of such payment, regardless of any claim of any Person who may have an interest in such payment by reason of an assignment or otherwise.

 

(e) Available Cash with respect to any Quarter, subject to Section 17-607 of the Delaware Act, shall be distributed, except as otherwise required by Section 5.6(b) in respect of additional Partnership Securities issued pursuant thereto, according to the Partners’ respective Percentage Interests.

 

ARTICLE VII.

 

MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS

 

SECTION 7.1. Management.

 

(a) The General Partner shall conduct, direct, and manage all activities of the Partnership. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, all management powers over the business and affairs of the Partnership shall be exclusively vested in the General Partner, and no Limited Partner or Assignee shall have any management power over the business and affairs of the Partnership. In addition to the powers now or hereafter granted a general partner of a limited partnership under applicable law or that are granted to the General Partner under any other provision of this Agreement, the General Partner, subject to the other provisions of this Article VII, shall have full power and authority to do all things and on such terms as it, in its sole discretion, may deem necessary or appropriate to conduct the business of the Partnership, to exercise all powers set forth in Section 2.5 and to effectuate the purposes set forth in Section 2.4, including the following:

 

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(i) the making of any expenditures, the lending or borrowing of money, the assumption or guarantee of, or other contracting for, indebtedness and other liabilities, the issuance of evidences of indebtedness, including indebtedness that is convertible into Partnership Securities, and the incurring of any other obligations, provided that, notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this Agreement and to the extent necessary to avoid unrelated business taxable income, the General Partner is prohibited from incurring indebtedness, excluding trade payables, (i) in excess of $50,000 in the aggregate at any given time or (ii) which would constitute “acquisition indebtedness” (as defined in Section 514 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended);

 

(ii) the making of tax, regulatory and other filings, or rendering of periodic or other reports to governmental or other agencies having jurisdiction over the business or assets of the Partnership;

 

(iii) the acquisition, disposition, mortgage, pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation or exchange of any or all of the assets of the Partnership or the merger or other combination of the Partnership with or into another Person (the matters described in this clause (iii) being subject, however, to any prior approval that may be required by Section 7.3);

 

(iv) the use of the assets of the Partnership (including cash on hand) for any purpose consistent with the terms of this Agreement;

 

(v) the negotiation, execution and performance of any contracts, conveyances or other instruments (including instruments that limit the liability of the Partnership under contractual arrangements to all or particular assets of the Partnership, with the other party to the contract to have no recourse against the General Partner or its assets other than its interest in the Partnership, even if same results in the terms of the transaction being less favorable to the Partnership than would otherwise be the case);

 

(vi) the distribution of Partnership cash;

 

(vii) the selection and dismissal of employees (including employees having titles such as “president,” “chief executive officer,” “chief operating officer,” “chief financial officer,” “vice president,” “secretary,” “treasurer” and “controller”) and agents, outside attorneys, accountants, consultants, and contractors and the determination of their compensation and other terms of employment or hiring;

 

(viii) the formation of, or acquisition of, an interest in, and the contribution of property and the making of loans to, any further limited or general partnerships, joint ventures, limited liability companies, corporations or other relationships subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 2.4;

 

(ix) the control of any matters affecting the rights and obligations of the Partnership, including the bringing and defending of actions at law or in equity and otherwise engaging in the conduct of litigation and the incurring of legal expense and the settlement of claims and litigation;

 

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(x) the indemnification of any Person against liabilities and contingencies to the extent permitted by law;

 

(xi) the entering into of listing agreements with any National Securities Exchange and the delisting of some or all of the Limited Partner Interests from, or requesting that trading be suspended on, any such exchange;

 

(xii) unless restricted or prohibited by Section 5.7, the purchase, sale or other acquisition or disposition of Partnership Securities, or the issuance of additional options, rights, warrants, and appreciation rights relating to Partnership Securities; and

 

(xiii) the assigning of working interests (including those acquired in any consummated acquisition or through participation elections) to any Subsidiary of the Partnership or to the Operating Subsidiary (or the successor to its assets) for a royalty or net profits interest, on terms deemed appropriate and in the best interests of the Partnership, provided that, notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this Agreement and to the extent necessary to avoid unrelated business taxable income, the General Partner shall not cause the Partnership to acquire working interests or cost bearing interests in any oil and gas leases or similar assets. In the event that any of the assets of the Partnership become working interests or cost bearing interests, the General Partner shall cause such assets to be assigned to the Operating Subsidiary subject to the reservation of an ORRI.

 

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Delaware Act or any applicable law, rule or regulation, each of the Partners and the Assignees and each other Person who may acquire an interest in Partnership Securities hereby (i) approves, ratifies, and confirms the execution, delivery and performance by the parties thereto of the Business Opportunities Agreement, the Contribution Agreement, and the other agreements and other described in or filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are related to the transactions contemplated by the Registration Statement; (ii) agrees that the General Partner (on its own or through any officer of the Partnership) is authorized to execute, deliver, and perform the agreements referred to in clause (i) of this sentence and the other agreements, acts, transactions, and matters described in or contemplated by the Registration Statement on behalf of the Partnership without any further act, approval or vote of the Partners or the Assignees or the other Persons who may acquire an interest in Partnership Securities; and (iii) agrees that the execution, delivery or performance by the General Partner, any Group Member or any Affiliate of any of them, of this Agreement or any agreement authorized or permitted under this Agreement (including the exercise by the General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner of the rights accorded pursuant to Article XV), shall not constitute a breach by the General Partner of any duty that the General Partner may owe the Partnership or the Limited Partners or any other Persons under this Agreement (or any other agreements) or of any duty stated or implied by law or equity.

 

SECTION 7.2. Certificate of Limited Partnership.

 

The General Partner has caused the Certificate of Limited Partnership to be filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as required by the Delaware Act and shall use all reasonable efforts to cause to be filed such other certificates or documents as may be determined by the General Partner in its sole discretion to be reasonable and necessary or appropriate for the formation, continuation, qualification and operation of a limited partnership (or a partnership in which the limited partners have limited liability) in the State of Delaware or any other state in which the Partnership may elect to do business or own property. To the extent that such action is

 

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determined by the General Partner in its sole discretion to be reasonable and necessary or appropriate, the General Partner shall file amendments to and restatements of the Certificate of Limited Partnership and do all things to maintain the Partnership as a limited partnership (or a partnership or other entity in which the limited partners have limited liability) under the laws of the State of Delaware or of any other state in which the Partnership may elect to do business or own property. Subject to the terms of Section 3.4(a), the General Partner shall not be required, before or after filing, to deliver or mail a copy of the Certificate of Limited Partnership, any qualification document or any amendment thereto to any Limited Partner.

 

SECTION 7.3. Restrictions on General Partner’s Authority.

 

(a) The General Partner may not, without written approval of the specific act by holders of all of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests or by other written instrument executed and delivered by holders of all of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests subsequent to the date of this Agreement, take any action in contravention of this Agreement, including, except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, (i) committing any act that would make it impossible to carry on the ordinary business of the Partnership; (ii) possessing Partnership property, or assigning any rights in specific Partnership property, in each case for other than a Partnership purpose; (iii) admitting a Person as a Partner; (iv) amending this Agreement in any manner; or (v) transferring its interest as general partner of the Partnership.

 

(b) Except as provided in Articles XII and XIV, the General Partner may not sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the Partnership’s assets in a single transaction or a series of related transactions (including by way of merger, consolidation or other combination) or approve on behalf of the Partnership the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership, without the approval of holders of a Unit Majority; provided however that this provision shall not preclude or limit the General Partner’s ability to mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or grant a security interest in all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership and shall not apply to any forced sale of any or all of the assets of the Partnership pursuant to the foreclosure of, or other realization upon, any such encumbrance. Without the approval of holders of a Unit Majority, the General Partner shall not, on behalf of the Partnership, except as permitted under Sections 4.6, 11.1 and 11.2, elect or cause the Partnership to elect a successor general partner of the Partnership.

 

(c) After consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Combination Agreement, the General Partner may not, without written approval of a Unit Majority, cause the Partnership to acquire or obtain any oil or gas property interest (including mineral fee interests, royalty and overriding royalty interests) unless such acquisition is complementary to the Partnership’s objectives and is made either (A) in exchange for Partnership Interests (other than General Partner Interests, and subject to the restrictions described in Section 5.7) or (B) in exchange for cash, provided this clause (B) shall only be available to the extent the aggregate cost of any acquisitions (including acquisition expenses) made in exchange for cash during the 12-month period ending on the first to occur of the execution of a definitive agreement for such acquisition and its consummation (the “Determination Date”) is equal to or less than 10% of the Partnership’s aggregate cash distributions made pursuant to Section 6.3(a) with respect to the four most recent Quarters for which such cash distributions have been made as of the Determination Date. The Partnership Interests referred to in this Section 7.3(c) include but are not limited to Common Units. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this Agreement (including Section 5.7 and this 7.3(c)), in the event that the Partnership acquires properties for a combination of cash and Partnership Interests, (i) the cash component of the acquisition consideration shall be equal to or

 

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less than 5% of the aggregate cash distributions made by the Partnership for the four most recent Quarters and (ii) the amount of Partnership Interests to be issued in such acquisition, after giving effect to such issuance, shall not exceed 10% of the outstanding Limited Partnership Interests.

 

SECTION 7.4. Reimbursement of the General Partner.

 

(a) Except as provided in this Section 7.4 and elsewhere in this Agreement, the General Partner shall not be compensated for its services as general partner of the Partnership.

 

(b) Subject to Section 7.4(c), the General Partner shall be reimbursed on a monthly basis, or such other reasonable basis as the General Partner may determine in its sole discretion, for (i) all direct and indirect expenses it incurs or payments it makes on behalf of the Partnership (or that one of its Affiliates so incurs or makes, to the extent allocated or charged to the General Partner), and (ii) all other necessary or appropriate expenses allocable to the Partnership or otherwise reasonably incurred by the General Partner in connection with operating the Partnership’s business (including expenses allocated to the General Partner by its Affiliates); provided that Production Costs incurred by the Operating Subsidiary shall be separately paid under the terms of the net profits interest agreements between any Group Member and the Operating Subsidiary and to the extent such Production Costs so separately paid include general and administrative costs, such expenses so separately paid shall reduce Management Expenses. The General Partner shall determine the expenses that are allocable to the Partnership in any reasonable manner determined by the General Partner in its sole discretion. Reimbursements pursuant to this Section 7.4 shall be in addition to any reimbursement to the General Partner as a result of indemnification pursuant to Section 7.7.

 

(c) Except as provided in Section 7.4(d), the Partnership’s reimbursement for Management Expenses during any fiscal year of the Partnership shall be limited to an amount not greater than five percent of the Partnership’s Adjusted Distribution Amount during such fiscal year (the “Management Expense Limitation”). Upon the determination of the Adjusted Distribution Amount with respect to the last Quarter of a fiscal year, the General Partner shall promptly calculate the Management Expense Limitation for such fiscal year. Unless otherwise provided in Section 7.4(d), if the reimbursements for Management Expenses made during such fiscal year exceed the Management Expense Limitation, the General Partner shall promptly refund such excess to the Partnership after determination thereof.

 

(d) If the Management Expenses that would otherwise be reimbursable to the General Partner for a fiscal year exceed the Management Expense Limitation for such year, the excess (a “Reimbursement Deficit”) shall nevertheless be reimbursed to the General Partner up to an amount equal to any remaining Reimbursement Surplus (as defined below) for any of the preceding three fiscal years, and the Reimbursement Surplus for each of such preceding years shall be correspondingly reduced (first by reducing the third preceding year, then the second and then the first). The balance of any such Reimbursement Deficit, to the extent not offset by Reimbursement Surpluses, shall be reflected in a memorandum account for the Partnership and may be recouped in any of the succeeding three fiscal years in which there is a Reimbursement Surplus as provided below. If the Management Expense Limitation for any fiscal year exceeds the amount of Management Expenses that would otherwise be reimbursable to the General Partner for such year (a “Reimbursement Surplus”), the General Partner shall be entitled to an additional reimbursement in such year of an amount equal to the lesser of such Reimbursement Surplus or the remaining balances of the Reimbursement Deficits for the three preceding fiscal years and the Reimbursement Deficits for such preceding years shall be correspondingly reduced

 

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(first by reducing the third preceding year, then the second and then the first). If the Reimbursement Surplus is greater than the sum of the remaining balances of the Reimbursement Deficits for such preceding years, the balance of the Reimbursement Surplus shall be reflected in a memorandum account for the Partnership and applied against future Reimbursement Deficits as provided above.

 

(e) Subject to Section 5.7, the General Partner, in its sole discretion and without the approval of the Limited Partners (who shall have no right to vote in respect thereof), may propose and adopt (or cause the Operating Subsidiary to adopt) on behalf of the Partnership employee benefit plans, employee programs and employee practices (including plans, programs and practices involving the issuance of Partnership Securities or options to purchase Partnership Securities), or cause the Partnership to issue Partnership Securities in connection with, or pursuant to, any employee benefit plan, employee program or employee practice maintained or sponsored by the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, in each case for the benefit of employees of the General Partner or any Affiliate, or any of them, in respect of services performed, directly or indirectly, for the benefit of the Partnership. The Partnership agrees to issue and sell to the General Partner or any of its Affiliates any Partnership Securities that the General Partner or such Affiliate is obligated to provide to any employees pursuant to any such employee benefit plans, employee programs or employee practices. Expenses incurred by the General Partner in connection with any such plans, programs, and practices (including the net cost to the General Partner or such Affiliate of Partnership Securities purchased by the General Partner or such Affiliate from the Partnership to fulfill options or awards under such plans, programs, and practices) shall be reimbursed in accordance with Section 7.4(b). Any and all obligations of the General Partner or the Operating Subsidiary under any employee benefit plans, employee programs or employee practices adopted by the General Partner or the Operating Subsidiary as permitted by this Section 7.4(e) shall constitute obligations of the General Partner hereunder and shall be assumed by any successor General Partner approved pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2 or the transferee of or successor to all of the General Partner’s General Partner Interest pursuant to Section 4.6. In any fiscal year, the aggregate number of Common Units issued pursuant to this Section 7.4(e) (treating Common Units issuable upon the exercise of options, warrants or other rights as being issued on the date of the issuance of such option, warrant or other right) shall not exceed .333% of the number of Common Units outstanding at the beginning of such fiscal year.

 

SECTION 7.5. Outside Activities.

 

(a) After the Closing Date, the General Partner, for so long as it is the General Partner of the Partnership, agrees that its sole business will be to act as the general partner or managing member of the Partnership, the Operating Subsidiary and its general partner, and any other partnership or limited liability company of which the Partnership is, directly or indirectly, a partner or member and to undertake activities that are ancillary or related thereto (including being a limited partner in the Partnership and the Operating Subsidiary).

 

(b) Except as specifically restricted by Section 7.5(a) or the Business Opportunities Agreement, each Separate Person shall have the right to engage in businesses of every type and description and other activities for profit and to engage in and possess an interest in other business ventures of any and every type or description, whether in businesses engaged in or anticipated to be engaged in by any Group Member, independently or with others, including business interests and activities in direct competition with the business and activities of any Group Member or the Operating Subsidiary or their respective Affiliates, and none of the same shall constitute a breach of this Agreement or any duty express or implied by law to any Partner

 

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or Assignee. Neither any Group Member, any Limited Partner nor any other Person shall have any rights by virtue of this Agreement or the partnership relationship established hereby or thereby in any business ventures of any Separate Person.

 

(c) Subject to the terms of Section 7.5(a), Section 7.5(b), and the Business Opportunities Agreement, but otherwise notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, (i) the engaging in competitive activities by any Separate Person in accordance with the provisions of this Section 7.5 is hereby approved by the Partnership and all Partners, (ii) it shall be deemed not to be a breach of the General Partner’s fiduciary duty or any other obligation of any type whatsoever of the General Partner for the Separate Persons to engage in such business interests and activities in preference to or to the exclusion of the Partnership, (iii) Separate Persons shall have no obligation to present business opportunities to the Partnership, and (iv) the General Partner shall have no obligation to present business opportunities to the Partnership, provided the General Partner does not engage in competitive activities or engage in business interests and activities in preference to or to the exclusion of the Partnership with respect to such business opportunities.

 

(d) The General Partner and any of its Affiliates may acquire Units or other Partnership Securities in addition to those acquired on the Closing Date and, except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, shall be entitled to exercise all rights of the General Partner or Limited Partner, as applicable, relating to such Units or Partnership Securities.

 

SECTION 7.6. Loans from the General Partner; Loans or Contributions from the Partnership; Contracts with Affiliates; Certain Restrictions on the General Partner.

 

(a) The General Partner or its Affiliates may lend to any Group Member, and any Group Member may borrow from the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, funds needed or desired by the Group Member for such periods of time and in such amounts as the General Partner may determine; provided, however, that in any such case the lending party may not charge the borrowing party interest at a rate greater than the rate that would be charged the borrowing party or impose terms less favorable to the borrowing party than would be charged or imposed on the borrowing party by unrelated lenders on comparable loans made on an arm’s-length basis (without reference to the lending party’s financial abilities or guarantees). The borrowing party shall reimburse the lending party for any costs (other than any additional interest costs) incurred by the lending party in connection with the borrowing of such funds. For purposes of this Section 7.6(a) and Section 7.6(b), the term “Group Member” shall include any Affiliate of a Group Member that is controlled by the Group Member. No Group Member may lend funds to the General Partner or any of its Affiliates (other than another Group Member).

 

(b) The Partnership may lend or contribute to any Subsidiary of the Partnership, and any such Subsidiary may borrow from the Partnership, funds on terms and conditions established in the sole discretion of the General Partner; provided, however, that the Partnership may not charge the Subsidiary interest at a rate less than the rate that would be charged to the Subsidiary (without reference to the General Partner’s financial abilities or guarantees) by unrelated lenders on comparable loans. The foregoing authority shall be exercised by the General Partner in its sole discretion and shall not create any right or benefit in favor of any Person.

 

(c) The General Partner may itself, or may enter into an agreement with any of its Affiliates to, render services to a Group Member or to the General Partner in the discharge of its duties as general partner of the Partnership. Any such services rendered to or for a Group Member by the

 

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General Partner or any of its Affiliates shall be on terms that are fair and reasonable to the Partnership; provided, however, that the requirements of this Section 7.6(c) shall be deemed satisfied as to (i) any transaction approved by Special Approval, (ii) any transaction, the terms of which are no less favorable to the Partnership Group than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties, or (iii) any transaction that, taking into account the totality of the relationships between the parties involved (including other transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to the Partnership), is equitable to the Partnership. The provisions of Section 7.4, including the Management Expense Limitation, shall apply to the rendering of services chargeable to the Partnership described in this Section 7.6(c).

 

(d) The Partnership Group may transfer assets to joint ventures, other partnerships, corporations, limited liability companies or other business entities in which it is or thereby becomes a participant upon such terms and subject to such conditions as are consistent with this Agreement and applicable law.

 

(e) Neither the General Partner nor any of its Affiliates shall sell, transfer or convey any property to, or purchase any property from, the Partnership, directly or indirectly, except pursuant to transactions that are fair and reasonable to the Partnership; provided, however, that the requirements of this Section 7.6(e) shall be deemed to be satisfied as to (i) the transactions effected pursuant to Sections 5.2 and 5.3, the Contribution Agreement, the Business Opportunities Agreement and any other transactions described in or contemplated by the Registration Statement, (ii) any transaction approved by Special Approval, (iii) any transaction, the terms of which are no less favorable to the Partnership than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties, or (iv) any transaction that, taking into account the totality of the relationships between the parties involved (including other transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to the Partnership), is equitable to the Partnership. With respect to any contribution of assets to the Partnership in exchange for Partnership Securities, the Advisory Committee, in determining whether the appropriate number of Partnership Securities are being issued, may take into account, among other things, the fair market value of the assets, the liquidated and contingent liabilities assumed, the tax basis in the assets, the extent to which tax-only allocations to the transferor will protect the existing partners of the Partnership against a low tax basis, and such other factors as the Advisory Committee deems relevant under the circumstances.

 

(f) Without limitation of Sections 7.6(a) through 7.6(e), and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the existence of the conflicts of interest described in the Registration Statement are hereby approved by all Partners.

 

SECTION 7.7. Indemnification.

 

(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law but subject to the limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, all Indemnitees shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Partnership from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, in which any Indemnitee may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of its status as an Indemnitee; provided, that in each case the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner that 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

 

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to believe its conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere, or its equivalent, shall not create a presumption that the Indemnitee acted in a manner contrary to that specified above. Any indemnification pursuant to this Section 7.7 shall be made only out of the assets of the Partnership, it being agreed that the General Partner shall not be personally liable for such indemnification and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Partnership to enable it to effectuate such indemnification.

 

(b) To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses (including legal fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnitee who is indemnified pursuant to Section 7.7(a) in defending any claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding shall, from time to time promptly upon the request of such Indemnitee, be advanced by the Partnership prior to the final disposition of such claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding upon receipt by the Partnership of any undertaking by or on behalf of the Indemnitee to repay such amount (which undertaking shall not be secured) if it shall be determined that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified as authorized in this Section 7.7.

 

(c) The indemnification provided by this Section 7.7 shall be in addition to any other rights to which an Indemnitee may be entitled under any agreement, pursuant to any vote of the holders of Outstanding Limited Partner Interests, as a matter of law or otherwise, both as to actions in the Indemnitee’s capacity as an Indemnitee and as to actions in any other capacity, and shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to serve in such capacity and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, successors, assigns, and administrators of the Indemnitee.

 

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

 

(e) For purposes of this Section 7.7, the Partnership shall be deemed to have requested an Indemnitee to serve as fiduciary of an employee benefit plan whenever the performance by it of its duties to the Partnership also imposes duties on, or otherwise involves services by, it to the plan or participants or beneficiaries of the plan; excise taxes assessed on an Indemnitee with respect to an employee benefit plan pursuant to applicable law shall constitute “fines” within the meaning of Section 7.7(a); and action taken or omitted by the Indemnitee with respect to any employee benefit plan in the performance of its duties for a purpose reasonably believed by it to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose which is in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Partnership.

 

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

 

(g) An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in whole or in part under this Section 7.7 because the Indemnitee had an interest in the transaction with respect to which the indemnification applies if the transaction was otherwise permitted by the terms of this Agreement.

 

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(h) The provisions of this Section 7.7 are for the benefit of the Indemnitees, their heirs, successors, assigns, and administrators and shall not be deemed to create any rights for the benefit of any other Persons.

 

(i) The rights granted under this Section 7.7 shall be deemed contract rights, and no amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 7.7 or any provision hereof shall in any manner terminate, reduce or impair the right of any past, present or future Indemnitee to be indemnified by the Partnership, nor the obligations of the Partnership to indemnify any such Indemnitee under and in accordance with the provisions of this Section 7.7 as in effect immediately prior to such amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part, prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or be asserted.

 

(j) The Partnership may indemnify and advance expenses to any Employee to the same extent permitted under this Section 7.7 for Indemnitees. The Partnership may pay or reimburse expenses incurred by an Indemnitee or Employee in connection with his appearance as a witness or other participation in a claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding at a time when he is not a named defendant or respondent in such claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding.

 

(k) IT IS EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE INDEMNIFICATION PROVIDED IN THIS SECTION 7.7 COULD INVOLVE INDEMNIFICATION FOR NEGLIGENCE OR UNDER THEORIES OF STRICT LIABILITY.

 

(l) If all or any portion of this Section 7.7 shall be invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Partnership shall nevertheless indemnify and hold harmless any Indemnitee indemnified pursuant to this Section 7.7 as to costs, charges and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement with respect to any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, to the fullest extent permitted by any applicable portion of this Section 7.7 that shall not have been invalidated and, subject to this Section 7.7, to the fullest permitted by applicable law.

 

SECTION 7.8. Liability of Indemnitees.

 

(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, no Indemnitee shall be liable for monetary damages to the Partnership, the Limited Partners, the Assignees or any other Persons who have acquired interests in the Partnership Securities, for losses sustained or liabilities incurred as a result of any act or omission if such Indemnitee acted in good faith.

 

(b) Subject to its obligations and duties as General Partner set forth in Section 7.1(a), the General Partner may exercise any of the powers granted to it by this Agreement and perform any of the duties imposed upon it hereunder either directly or by or through its agents, and the General Partner shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any such agent appointed by the General Partner in good faith.

 

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

 

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in equity, are agreed by the Partners to replace such other duties and liabilities of such Indemnitee.

 

(d) Any amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 7.8 or any provision hereof shall be prospective only and shall not in any way affect the limitations on the liability to the Partnership, the Limited Partners, the General Partner, and the Partnership’s and General Partner’s directors, officers and employees under this Section 7.8 as in effect immediately prior to such amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part, prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or be asserted.

 

SECTION 7.9. Resolution of Conflicts of Interest.

 

(a) Unless otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, whenever a potential conflict of interest exists or arises between the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Partnership, any Partner or any Assignee, on the other, any resolution or course of action by the General Partner or its Affiliates in respect of such conflict of interest shall be permitted and deemed approved by all Partners, and shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement, of any agreement contemplated herein, or of any duty stated or implied by law or equity, if the resolution or course of action is, or by operation of this Agreement is deemed to be, fair and reasonable to the Partnership. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this Agreement (including Sections 7.5, 7.6 and this 7.9), whenever a potential conflict of interest exists or arises between the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Partnership or any of its Partners, on the other, the General Partner in connection with its resolution of such conflict is required to seek Special Approval of such resolution. Further, the General Partner shall not be entitled to use its “sole discretion” (as defined in Section 7.9(b) of this Agreement) in determining whether a potential conflict of interest exists. Any conflict of interest and any resolution of such conflict of interest shall be conclusively deemed fair and reasonable to the Partnership if such conflict of interest or resolution is approved by Special Approval (as long as the material facts known to the General Partner or any of its Affiliates regarding any proposed transaction were disclosed to the Advisory Committee at the time it gave its approval) and is (i) on terms no less favorable to the Partnership than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties, or (ii) fair to the Partnership, taking into account the totality of the relationships between the parties involved (including other transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to the Partnership). The General Partner (including the Advisory Committee in connection with any Special Approval) shall be authorized in connection with its determination of what is “fair and reasonable” to the Partnership and in connection with its resolution of any conflict of interest to consider (A) the relative interests of any party to such conflict, agreement, transaction or situation and the benefits and burdens relating to such interest; (B) any customary or accepted industry practices and any customary or historical dealings with a particular Person; (C) any applicable generally accepted accounting practices or principles; and (D) such additional factors as the General Partner (including the Advisory Committee) determines in its sole discretion to be relevant, reasonable or appropriate under the circumstances. Nothing contained in this Agreement, however, is intended to nor shall it be construed to require the General Partner (including the Advisory Committee) to consider the interests of any Person other than the Partnership. In the absence of bad faith by the General Partner, the resolution, action or terms so made, taken or provided by the General Partner with respect to such matter shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated herein or a breach of any standard of care or duty imposed herein or therein or, to the extent permitted by law, under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation.

 

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(b) The General Partner shall be under a fiduciary duty and obligation to conduct the affairs of the Partnership in a manner that it reasonably believes to be in, or not inconsistent with, the best interests of the Partnership and the Limited Partners. The foregoing statement is intended to modify this Section 7.9(b) as to the General Partner and its Affiliates other than the members of the Advisory Committee and non-manager officers of Affiliates of the General Partner. Whenever this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby provides that the General Partner or any of its Affiliates is permitted or required to make a decision (i) in its “sole discretion” or “discretion,” that it deems “necessary or appropriate” or “necessary or advisable” or under a grant of similar authority or latitude, except as otherwise provided herein, the General Partner or such Affiliate shall be entitled to consider only such interests and factors as it desires and shall have no duty or obligation to give any consideration to any interest of or factors affecting, the Partnership, any Limited Partner or any Assignee, (ii) it may make such decision in its sole discretion (regardless of whether there is a reference to “sole discretion” or “discretion”) unless another express standard is provided for, or (iii) in “good faith” or under another express standard, the General Partner or such Affiliate shall act under such express standard and shall not be subject to any other or different standards imposed by this Agreement, any other agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation. The General Partner shall have no duty, express or implied, to sell or otherwise dispose of any asset of the Partnership other than in the ordinary course of business.

 

(c) Whenever a particular transaction, arrangement or resolution of a conflict of interest is required under this Agreement to be “fair and reasonable” to any Person, the fair and reasonable nature of such transaction, arrangement or resolution shall be considered in the context of all similar or related transactions.

 

SECTION 7.10. Other Matters Concerning the General Partner.

 

(a) The General Partner and its Affiliates may rely and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, bond, debenture or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.

 

(b) The General Partner and its Affiliates may consult with legal counsel, accountants, appraisers, management consultants, investment bankers, engineers and other consultants and advisers selected by it, and any act taken or omitted to be taken in reliance upon the opinion (including an Opinion of Counsel) of such Persons as to matters that the General Partner or Affiliate reasonably believes to be within such Person’s professional or expert competence shall be conclusively presumed to have been done or omitted in good faith and in accordance with such opinion.

 

(c) The General Partner shall have the right, in respect of any of its powers or obligations hereunder, to act through any of its duly authorized officers, a duly appointed attorney or attorneys-in-fact or the duly authorized officers of the Partnership or the Operating Subsidiary, its general partner or its duly authorized officers.

 

(d) Any standard of care and duty imposed by this Agreement or under the Delaware Act or any applicable law, rule or regulation shall be modified, waived or limited to the extent permitted by law, as required to permit the General Partner and its Affiliates to act under this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated by this Agreement and to make any decision pursuant to the

 

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authority prescribed in this Agreement, so long as such action is reasonably believed by the General Partner to be in, or not inconsistent with, the best interests of the Partnership.

 

SECTION 7.11. Purchase or Sale of Partnership Securities.

 

The General Partner may cause the Partnership to purchase or otherwise acquire Partnership Securities. The General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner may also purchase or otherwise acquire and sell or otherwise dispose of Partnership Securities for its own account, subject to the provisions of Articles IV and X.

 

SECTION 7.12. Registration Rights of the General Partner and its Affiliates.

 

(a) If (i) the General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner (including for purposes of this Section 7.12, any Person that is an Affiliate of the General Partner at the date of this Agreement notwithstanding that it may later cease to be an Affiliate of the General Partner) holds Partnership Securities that it desires to sell and (ii) Rule 144 of the Securities Act (or any successor rule or regulation to Rule 144) or another exemption from registration is not available to enable such holder of Partnership Securities (the “Holder”) to dispose of the number of Partnership Securities it desires to sell at the time it desires to do so without registration under the Securities Act, then upon the request of the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, the Partnership shall file with the Commission as promptly as practicable after receiving such request, and use all reasonable efforts to cause to become effective and remain effective for a period of not less than six months following its effective date or such shorter period as shall terminate when all Partnership Securities covered by such registration statement have been sold, a registration statement under the Securities Act registering the offering and sale of the number of Partnership Securities specified by the Holder; provided, however, that the Partnership shall not be required to effect more than three registrations pursuant to this Section 7.12(a); and provided further, that if the Advisory Committee determines in its good faith judgment that a postponement of the requested registration for up to six months would be in the best interests of the Partnership and its Partners due to a pending transaction, investigation or other event, the filing of such registration statement or the effectiveness thereof may be deferred for up to six months, but not thereafter. In connection with any registration pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence, the Partnership shall promptly prepare and file (x) such documents as may be necessary to register or qualify the securities subject to such registration under the securities laws of such states as the Holder shall reasonably request; provided, however, that no such qualification shall be required in any jurisdiction where, as a result thereof, the Partnership would become subject to general service of process or to taxation or qualification to do business as a foreign corporation or partnership doing business in such jurisdiction solely as a result of such registration, and (y) such documents as may be necessary to apply for listing or to list the Partnership Securities subject to such registration on such National Securities Exchange as the Holder shall reasonably request, and do any and all other acts and things that may reasonably be necessary or advisable to enable the Holder to consummate a public sale of such Partnership Securities in such states. Except as set forth in Section 7.12(c), all costs and expenses of any such registration and offering (other than the underwriting discounts and commissions) shall be paid by the Partnership, without reimbursement by the Holder.

 

(b) The General Partner and its Affiliates are entitled to “piggyback” (i) on a registration by the Partnership for an offering of equity securities of the Partnership for cash (other than an offering relating solely to an employee benefit plan) and (ii) on a registration of Partnership

 

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Securities requested by a Person, other than the General Partner and its Affiliates, pursuant to demand registration rights, provided that the party exercising the demand registration may, at any time, abandon or delay any such registration initiated by it. If the proposed offering upon which the General Partner or its Affiliates exercise their piggyback rights shall be an underwritten offering, then, in the event that the managing underwriter or managing underwriters of such offering advise the Partnership and the Person electing to exercise piggyback rights in writing that in their opinion the inclusion of all of such Person’s Partnership Securities would adversely and materially affect the success of the offering, the securities that shall be included in such offering shall be allocated among the Partnership or the parties exercising demand registration rights, as applicable, and the Persons exercising piggyback registration rights in proportion to the total number of securities that the Partnership or the Persons exercising demand registration rights, as applicable, propose to register in relation to the total number of Partnership Securities that the Persons exercising piggyback registration rights propose to register.

 

(c) If underwriters are engaged in connection with any registration referred to in this Section 7.12, the Partnership shall provide indemnification, representations, covenants, opinions and other assurance to the underwriters in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such underwriters. Further, in addition to and not in limitation of the Partnership’s obligation under Section 7.7, the Partnership shall, to the fullest extent, permitted by law, indemnify and hold harmless the Holder, its officers, directors and each Person who controls the Holder (within the meaning of the Securities Act) and any agent thereof (collectively, “Indemnified Persons”) against any losses, claims, demands, actions, causes of action, assessments, damages, liabilities (joint or several), costs and expenses (including interest, penalties and reasonable attorneys’ fees and disbursements), resulting to, imposed upon, or incurred by the Indemnified Persons, directly or indirectly, under the Securities Act or otherwise (hereinafter referred to in this Section 7.12(c) as a “Claim” and in the plural as “Claims”) based upon, arising out of or resulting from any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in any registration statement under which any Partnership Securities were registered under the Securities Act or any state securities or Blue Sky laws, in any preliminary prospectus (if used prior to the effective date of such registration statement), or in any summary or final prospectus or in any amendment or supplement thereto (if used during the period the Partnership is required to keep the registration statement current), or arising out of, based upon or resulting from the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements made therein not misleading; provided, however, that the Partnership shall not be liable to any Indemnified Person to the extent that any such Claim arises out of, is based upon or results from an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in such registration statement, such preliminary, summary or final prospectus or such amendment or supplement, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Partnership by or on behalf of such Indemnified Person specifically for use in the preparation thereof.

 

(d) The provisions of Section 7.12(a) and 7.12(b) shall continue to be applicable with respect to the General Partner (and any of the General Partner’s Affiliates) after it ceases to be a Partner of the Partnership, during a period of two years subsequent to the effective date of such cessation and for so long thereafter as is required for the Holder to sell all of the Partnership Securities with respect to which it has requested during such two-year period inclusion in a registration statement otherwise filed or that a registration statement be filed; provided, however, that the Partnership shall not be required to file successive registration statements covering the same Partnership Securities for which registration was demanded during such two-year period. The provisions of Section 7.12(c) shall continue in effect thereafter.

 

 

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(e) Any request to register Partnership Securities pursuant to this Section 7.12 shall (i) specify the Partnership Securities intended to be offered and sold by the Person making the request, (ii) express such Person’s present intent to offer such shares for distribution, (iii) describe the nature or method of the proposed offer and sale of Partnership Securities, and (iv) contain the undertaking of such Person to provide all such information and materials and take all action as may be required in order to permit the Partnership to comply with all applicable requirements in connection with the registration of such Partnership Securities.

 

SECTION 7.13. Reliance by Third Parties.

 

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, any Person dealing with the Partnership shall be entitled to assume that the General Partner (and its general partner, if applicable) and any officer of the General Partner (or its general partner, if applicable) authorized by the General Partner (or its general partner, if applicable) to act on behalf of and in the name of the Partnership has full power and authority to encumber, sell or otherwise use in any manner any and all assets of the Partnership and to enter into any authorized contracts on behalf of the Partnership, and such Person shall be entitled to deal with the General Partner or any such officer as if it were the Partnership’s sole party in interest, both legally and beneficially. Each Limited Partner hereby waives any and all defenses or other remedies that may be available against such Person to contest, negate or disaffirm any action of the General Partner or any such officer in connection with any such dealing. In no event shall any Person dealing with the General Partner or any such officer or its representatives be obligated to ascertain that the terms of the Agreement have been complied with or to inquire into the necessity or expedience of any act or action of the General Partner or any such officer or its representatives. Each and every certificate, document or other instrument executed on behalf of the Partnership by the General Partner (or its general partner, if applicable) or its representatives shall be conclusive evidence in favor of any and every Person relying thereon or claiming thereunder that (a) at the time of the execution and delivery of such certificate, document or instrument, this Agreement was in full force and effect, (b) the Person executing and delivering such certificate, document or instrument was duly authorized and empowered to do so for and on behalf of the Partnership, and (c) such certificate, document or instrument was duly executed and delivered in accordance with the terms and provisions of this Agreement and is binding upon the Partnership.

 

SECTION 7.14. Officers; Compensation; Terms.

 

(a) Officers. The General Partner may designate one or more individuals to serve as officers of the Partnership. The Partnership shall have such officers as the General Partner may from time to time determine, which officers may (but need not) include a President, a Chief Executive Officer, a Chief Operating Officer, a Chief Financial Officer, one or more Vice Presidents (and in case of each such Vice President, with such descriptive title, if any, as the General Partner shall deem appropriate), a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Controller and one or more Assistant Secretaries and Assistant Treasurers. Any two or more offices may be held by the same person.

 

(b) Compensation. No officer of the Partnership will be compensated for serving as an officer or employee of the Partnership, but such Persons may hold positions with the General Partner or one or more of its Affiliates and may be compensated thereby and such compensation may be reimbursed by the Partnership as Management Expenses or charged against any ORRI as Production Costs.

 

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(c) Term of Office; Removal; Filling of Vacancies. Each officer of the Partnership shall hold office until his successor is chosen and qualified in his stead or until his earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal from office. Any officer designated by the General Partner may be removed at any time by the General Partner whenever in its judgment the best interests of the Partnership will be served thereby, but such removal shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the person so removed. Designation of an officer shall not of itself create contract rights. If the office of any officer becomes vacant for any reason, the vacancy may be filled by the General Partner.

 

(d) Powers and Duties. The several officers of the Partnership shall perform such duties and services and exercise such further powers as may be provided by statute, the Certificate of Formation or this Agreement or as the General Partner may from time to time determine or as may be assigned to them by any competent superior officer.

 

(e) Limitations on Powers and Duties of Officers. Notwithstanding the foregoing especially enumerated duties, services, and powers, the several officers of the Partnership shall not have the power and authority to cause the Partnership to take any action that requires the approval of the Limited Partners pursuant to Section 7.3 unless the Limited Partners have specifically approved such action.

 

ARTICLE VIII.

 

BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING, AND REPORTS

 

SECTION 8.1. Records and Accounting.

 

The General Partner shall keep or cause to be kept at the principal office of the Partnership appropriate books and records with respect to the Partnership’s business, including all books and records necessary to provide to the Limited Partners any information required to be provided pursuant to Section 3.4(a). Any books and records maintained by or on behalf of the Partnership in the regular course of its business, including the record of the Record Holders and Assignees of Units or other Partnership Securities, books of account and records of Partnership proceedings, may be kept on, or be in the form of, computer disks, hard drives, punch cards, magnetic tape, photographs, micrographics or any other information storage device; provided, that the books and records so maintained are convertible into clearly legible written form within a reasonable period of time. The books of the Partnership shall be maintained, for financial reporting purposes, on an accrual basis in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

 

SECTION 8.2. Fiscal Year.

 

The fiscal year of the Partnership shall be a fiscal year ending December 31.

 

SECTION 8.3. Reports.

 

(a) As soon as practicable, but in no event later than 120 days after the close of each fiscal year of the Partnership, the General Partner shall cause to be mailed or furnished to each Record Holder of a Unit as of a date selected by the General Partner in its discretion, an annual report containing financial statements of the Partnership for such fiscal year of the Partnership, presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, including a balance sheet and statements of operations,

 

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Partnership equity and cash flows, such statements to be audited by a firm of independent public accountants selected by the General Partner.

 

(b) To the extent required by applicable law, regulation or rule of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed for trading, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 90 days after the close of each Quarter except the last Quarter of each fiscal year, the General Partner shall cause to be mailed or furnished to each Record Holder of a Unit, as of a date selected by the General Partner in its discretion, a report containing unaudited financial statements of the Partnership and such other information as may be required by applicable law, regulation or rule of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed for trading, or as the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate.

 

ARTICLE IX.

 

TAX MATTERS

 

SECTION 9.1. Tax Returns and Information.

 

The Partnership shall timely file all returns of the Partnership that are required for federal, state, and local income tax purposes on the basis of the accrual method and a taxable year ending on December 31. The tax information reasonably required by Record Holders for federal and state income tax reporting purposes with respect to a taxable year shall be furnished to them within 90 days of the close of the calendar year in which the Partnership’s taxable year ends. The classification, realization, and recognition of income, gain, losses, and deductions and other items shall be on the accrual method of accounting for federal income tax purposes.

 

SECTION 9.2. Tax Elections.

 

(a) The Partnership shall make the election under Section 754 of the Code in accordance with applicable regulations thereunder, subject to the reservation of the right to seek to revoke any such election upon the General Partner’s determination that such revocation is in the best interests of the Limited Partners. Notwithstanding any other provision herein contained, for the purposes of computing the adjustments under Section 743(b) of the Code, the General Partner shall be authorized (but not required) to adopt a convention whereby the price paid by a transferee of a Limited Partner Interest will be deemed to be the lowest quoted closing price of the Limited Partner Interests on any National Securities Exchange on which such Limited Partner Interests are traded during the calendar month in which such transfer is deemed to occur pursuant to Section 6.2(i) without regard to the actual price paid by such transferee.

 

(b) The Partnership shall elect to deduct expenses incurred in organizing the Partnership ratably over a sixty-month period as provided in Section 709 of the Code.

 

(c) Except as otherwise provided herein, the General Partner shall determine whether the Partnership should make any other elections permitted by the Code.

 

SECTION 9.3. Tax Controversies.

 

Subject to the provisions hereof, the General Partner is designated as the Tax Matters Partner (as defined in the Code) and is authorized and required to represent the Partnership (at the

 

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Partnership’s expense) in connection with all examinations of the Partnership’s affairs by tax authorities, including resulting administrative and judicial proceedings, and to expend Partnership funds for professional services and costs associated therewith. Each Partner agrees to cooperate with the General Partner and to do or refrain from doing any or all things reasonably required by the General Partner to conduct such proceedings.

 

SECTION 9.4. Withholding.

 

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the General Partner is authorized to take any action that it determines in its discretion to be necessary or appropriate to cause the Partnership to comply with any withholding requirements established under the Code or any other federal, state or local law including, without limitation, pursuant to Sections 1441, 1442, 1445 and 1446 of the Code. To the extent that the Partnership is required or elects to withhold and pay over to any taxing authority any amount resulting from the allocation or distribution of income to any Partner or Assignee (including, without limitation, by reason of Section 1446 of the Code), the amount withheld may at the discretion of the General Partner be treated by the Partnership as a distribution of cash pursuant to Section 6.3 in the amount of such withholding from such Partner.

 

ARTICLE X.

 

ADMISSION OF PARTNERS

 

SECTION 10.1. Admission of Initial Limited Partners.

 

Upon the issuance by the Partnership of Common Units to the limited partners of Republic and Spinnaker and to the partners of DHL as described in the Combination Agreement in connection with the Combination, each such recipient of Common Units shall have the rights of an Assignee. Upon the execution of each such party of a Transfer Application, the General Partner shall admit such parties to the Partnership as “Initial Limited Partners” in respect of the Common Units issued to them.

 

SECTION 10.2. Admission of Substituted Limited Partner.

 

By transfer of a Limited Partner Interest in accordance with Article IV, the transferor shall be deemed to have given the transferee the right to seek admission as a Substituted Limited Partner subject to the conditions of, and in the manner permitted under, this Agreement. A transferor of a Certificate representing a Limited Partner Interest shall, however, only have the authority to convey to a purchaser or other transferee who does not execute and deliver a Transfer Application (a) the right to negotiate such Certificate to a purchaser or other transferee and (b) the right to transfer the right to request admission as a Substituted Limited Partner to such purchaser or other transferee in respect of the transferred Limited Partner Interests. Each transferee of a Limited Partner Interest (including any nominee holder or an agent acquiring such Limited Partner Interest for the account of another Person) who executes and delivers a Transfer Application shall, by virtue of such execution and delivery, be an Assignee and be deemed to have applied to become a Substituted Limited Partner with respect to the Limited Partner Interests so transferred to such Person. Such Assignee shall become a Substituted Limited Partner (x) at such time as the General Partner consents thereto, which consent may be given or withheld in the General Partner’s discretion, and (y) when any such admission is shown on the books and records of the

 

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Partnership. If such consent is withheld, such transferee shall be an Assignee. An Assignee shall have an interest in the Partnership equivalent to that of a Limited Partner with respect to allocations and distributions, including liquidating distributions, of the Partnership. With respect to voting rights attributable to Limited Partner Interests that are held by Assignees, the General Partner shall be deemed to be the Limited Partner with respect thereto and shall, in exercising the voting rights in respect of such Limited Partner Interests on any matter, vote such Limited Partner Interests at the written direction of the Assignee who is the Record Holder of such Limited Partner Interests. If no such written direction is received, such Limited Partner Interests will not be voted. An Assignee shall have no other rights of a Limited Partner.

 

SECTION 10.3. Admission of Successor General Partner.

 

A successor General Partner approved pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2 or the transferee of or successor to all of the General Partner Interest pursuant to Section 4.6 who is proposed to be admitted as a successor General Partner shall be admitted to the Partnership as the General Partner, effective immediately prior to the withdrawal or removal of the predecessor or transferring General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2 or the transfer of the General Partner Interest pursuant to Section 4.6; provided, however, that no such successor shall be admitted to the Partnership until compliance with the terms of Section 4.6 has occurred and such successor has executed and delivered such other documents or instruments as may be required to effect such admission. Any such successor shall, subject to the terms hereof, carry on the business of the members of the Partnership Group without dissolution.

 

SECTION 10.4. Admission of Additional Limited Partners.

 

(a) A Person (other than the General Partner, an Initial Limited Partner or a Substituted Limited Partner) who makes a Capital Contribution to the Partnership in accordance with this Agreement shall be admitted to the Partnership as an Additional Limited Partner only upon furnishing to the General Partner (i) evidence of acceptance in form satisfactory to the General Partner of all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including the power of attorney granted in Section 2.6, and (ii) such other documents or instruments as may be required in the discretion of the General Partner to effect such Person’s admission as an Additional Limited Partner.

 

(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 10.4, no Person shall be admitted as an Additional Limited Partner without the consent of the General Partner, which consent may be given or withheld in the General Partner’s discretion. The admission of any Person as an Additional Limited Partner shall become effective on the date upon which the name of such Person is recorded as such in the books and records of the Partnership, following the consent of the General Partner to such admission.

 

SECTION 10.5. Amendment of Agreement and Certificate of Limited Partnership.

 

To effect the admission to the Partnership of any Partner, the General Partner shall take all steps necessary and appropriate under the Delaware Act to amend the records of the Partnership to reflect such admission and, if necessary, to prepare as soon as practicable an amendment to this Agreement and, if required by law, the General Partner shall prepare and file an amendment to the Certificate of Limited Partnership, and the General Partner may for this purpose, among others, exercise the power of attorney granted pursuant to Section 2.6.

 

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ARTICLE XI.

 

WITHDRAWAL OR REMOVAL OF PARTNERS

 

SECTION 11.1. Withdrawal of the General Partner.

 

(a) The General Partner shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Partnership upon the occurrence of any one of the following events (each such event herein referred to as an “Event of Withdrawal”);

 

(i) The General Partner voluntarily withdraws from the Partnership by giving written notice to the other Partners (and it shall be deemed that the General Partner has withdrawn pursuant to this Section 11.1(a)(i) if the General Partner voluntarily withdraws as general partner of the Partnership);

 

(ii) The General Partner transfers all of its rights as General Partner pursuant to Section 4.6;

 

(iii) The General Partner is removed pursuant to Section 11.2;

 

(iv) The General Partner (A) makes a general assignment for the benefit of creditors; (B) files a voluntary bankruptcy petition for relief under Chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code; (C) files a petition or answer seeking for itself a liquidation, dissolution or similar relief (but not a reorganization) under any law; (D) files an answer or other pleading admitting or failing to contest the material allegations of a petition filed against the General Partner in a proceeding of the type described in clauses (A)-(C) of this Section 11.1(a)(iv); or (E) seeks, consents to or acquiesces in the appointment of a trustee (but not a debtor-in-possession), receiver or liquidator of the General Partner or of all or any substantial part of its properties;

 

(v) A final and non-appealable order of relief under Chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code is entered by a court with appropriate jurisdiction pursuant to a voluntary or involuntary petition by or against the General Partner; or

 

(vi) (A) in the event the General Partner is a corporation, a certificate of dissolution or its equivalent is filed for the General Partner, or 90 days expire after the date of notice to the General Partner of revocation of its charter without a reinstatement of its charter, under the laws of its state of incorporation; (B) in the event the General Partner is a partnership or a limited liability company, the dissolution and commencement of winding up of the General Partner; (C) in the event the General Partner is acting in such capacity by virtue of being a trustee of a trust, the termination of the trust; (D) in the event the General Partner is a natural person, his death or adjudication of incompetency; and (E) otherwise in the event of the termination of the General Partner.

 

If an Event of Withdrawal specified in Section 11.1(a)(iv), (v) or (vi)(A), (B), (C) or (E) occurs, the withdrawing General Partner shall give notice to the Limited Partners within 30 days after such occurrence. The Partners hereby agree that only the Events of Withdrawal described in this Section 11.1 shall result in the withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership.

 

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(b) Withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership upon the occurrence of an Event of Withdrawal shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement under the following circumstances: (i) at any time during the period beginning on the Closing Date and ending at 12:00 midnight, Central Standard Time, on December 31, 2010, the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days’ advance notice of its intention to withdraw to the Limited Partners; provided that prior to the effective date of such withdrawal, the withdrawal is approved by Unitholders holding at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units (excluding any Partnership Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates), and the General Partner delivers to the Partnership an Opinion of Counsel (“Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel”) that such withdrawal (following the selection of the successor General Partner) would not result in the loss of the limited liability of any Limited Partner or cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes (to the extent not previously treated as such); (ii) at any time after 12:00 midnight, Central Standard Time, on December 31, 2010, the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days’ advance notice to the Unitholders, such withdrawal to take effect on the date specified in such notice; (iii) at any time that the General Partner ceases to be the General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1(a)(ii) or is removed pursuant to Section 11.2; (iv) notwithstanding clause (i) of this sentence, at any time that the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days’ advance notice of its intention to withdraw to the Limited Partners, such withdrawal to take effect on the date specified in the notice, if at the time such notice is given one Person and its Affiliates (other than the General Partner and its Affiliates) own beneficially or of record or control at least 50% of the Outstanding Common Units; or (v) at any time after the effectiveness of a Limited Partner Amendment, the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 30 days’ advance notice to the Unitholders, such withdrawal to take effect on the date specified in such notice. If the General Partner gives a notice of withdrawal pursuant to Section 11.1(a)(i), the holders of a Unit Majority, may, prior to the effective date of such withdrawal, elect a successor General Partner. If, prior to the effective date of the General Partner’s withdrawal, a successor is not selected by the Unitholders as provided herein or the Partnership does not receive a Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel, the Partnership shall be dissolved in accordance with Section 12.1. Any successor General Partner elected in accordance with the terms of this Section 11.1 shall be subject to the provisions of Section 10.3.

 

SECTION 11.2. Removal of the General Partner.

 

The General Partner may be removed if such removal is approved by the Unitholders holding at least a Unit Majority (including Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates). Any such action by such holders for removal of the General Partner must also provide for the election of a successor General Partner by the Unitholders holding a Unit Majority (including Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates). Such removal shall be effective immediately following the admission of a successor General Partner pursuant to Section 10.3. The right of the holders of Outstanding Units to remove the General Partner shall not exist or be exercised unless the Partnership has received an opinion opining as to the matters covered by a Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel. Any successor General Partner elected in accordance with the terms of this Section 11.2 shall be subject to the provisions of Section 10.3.

 

SECTION 11.3. Interest of Departing Partner and Successor General Partner.

 

(a) In the event of (i) withdrawal of the General Partner under circumstances where such withdrawal does not violate this Agreement or (ii) removal of the General Partner by the holders of Outstanding Units where Cause does not exist, if a successor General Partner is elected in

 

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accordance with the terms of Section 11.1 or Section 11.2, the Departing Partner shall have the option exercisable prior to the effective date of departure of such Departing Partner to require its successor to purchase its General Partner Interest and either (A) purchase all of the equity interests of the Operating Subsidiary or (B) purchase all of the assets of the Operating Subsidiary and assume all of its liabilities (collectively, the “Combined Interest”) in exchange for an amount equal to the fair market value of such Combined Interest, such amount to be determined and payable as of the effective date of its departure. If the General Partner is removed by the Unitholders under circumstances where Cause exists or if the General Partner withdraws under circumstances where such withdrawal violates this Agreement, and if a successor General Partner is elected in accordance with the terms of Section 11.1 or Section 11.2, such successor shall have the option, exercisable prior to the effective date of the departure of such Departing Partner, to purchase the Combined Interest for such fair market value of such Combined Interest. In either event, the Departing Partner shall be entitled to receive all reimbursements due such Departing Partner pursuant to Section 7.4, including any employee-related liabilities (including severance liabilities), incurred in connection with the termination of any employees employed by the General Partner for the benefit of the Partnership.

 

For purposes of this Section 11.3, the fair market value of the Combined Interest shall be determined by agreement between the Departing Partner and its successor or, failing agreement within 30 days after the effective date of such Departing Partner’s departure, by an independent investment banking firm or other independent expert selected by the Departing Partner and its successor, which, in turn, may rely on other experts, and the determination of which shall be conclusive as to such matter. If such parties cannot agree upon one independent investment banking firm or other independent expert within 45 days after the effective date of such departure, then the Departing Partner shall designate an independent investment banking firm or other independent expert, the Departing Partner’s successor shall designate an independent investment banking firm or other independent expert, and such firms or experts shall mutually select a third independent investment banking firm or independent expert, which third independent investment banking firm or other independent expert shall determine the fair market value of the respective interest or assets. In making its determination, such third independent investment banking firm or other independent expert may consider the then current trading price of Units on any National Securities Exchange on which Units are then listed, the value of the Partnership’s assets, including assets held by subsidiaries, the rights and obligations of the Departing Partner, and other factors it may deem relevant.

 

(b) If a successor General Partner is elected in accordance with the terms of Section 11.1 or Section 11.2 and the Combined Interest is not purchased in the manner set forth in Section 11.3(a), then the following shall apply:

 

(i) The Departing Partner (or its transferee) shall become a Limited Partner and its General Partner Interest shall be converted into Common Units having a value equal to the value of the General Partner Interest as determined pursuant to a valuation made by an investment banking firm or other independent expert selected pursuant to Section 11.3(a), without reduction in such Partnership Interests (but subject to proportionate dilution by reason of the admission of its successor), which valuation shall take into account the Percentage Interest attributable to the General Partner Interest. Any successor General Partner shall indemnify the Departing Partner (or its transferee) as to all debts and liabilities of the Partnership arising on or after the date on which the Departing Partner (or its transferee) becomes a Limited Partner. For purposes of this Agreement, conversion of the General Partner Interest to Common Units will be

 

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characterized as if the General Partner (or its transferee) contributed its General Partner Interest to the Partnership in exchange for the newly issued Common Units.

 

(ii) The successor General Partner shall, at the effective date of its admission to the Partnership, contribute to the Partnership cash in the amount equal to 1/199th of the Net Agreed Value of the Partnership’s assets on such date. In such event, such successor General Partner shall be entitled to a 0.5% Percentage Interest in the Partnership.

 

(iii) Upon such conversion of the Departing Partner’s General Partner Interest and the admission of the successor General Partner, this Agreement shall be amended to reflect such conversion and to provide for the issuance of the new General Partner Interest to the successor General Partner.

 

(iv) The successor General Partner shall be obligated to buy, and the Departing Partner shall be obligated to sell to the successor General Partner, all of the equity interests in the Operating Subsidiary for an amount equal to the fair market value thereof, determined using the methodology provided for in the last paragraph of Section 11.3(a).

 

SECTION 11.4. Withdrawal of Limited Partners.

 

No Limited Partner shall have any right to withdraw from the Partnership; provided, however, that when a transferee of a Limited Partner’s Limited Partner Interest becomes a Record Holder of the Limited Partner Interest so transferred, such transferring Limited Partner shall cease to be a Limited Partner with respect to the Limited Partner Interest so transferred.

 

ARTICLE XII.

 

DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION

 

SECTION 12.1. Dissolution.

 

The Partnership shall not be dissolved by the admission of Substituted Limited Partners or Additional Limited Partners or by the admission of a successor General Partner in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. Upon the removal or withdrawal of the General Partner, if a successor General Partner is elected pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2, the Partnership shall not be dissolved and such successor General Partner shall continue the business of the Partnership. The Partnership shall dissolve, and (subject to Section 12.2) its affairs shall be wound up, upon:

 

(a) an Event of Withdrawal of the General Partner as provided in Section 11.1(a) (other than Section 11.1(a)(ii)), unless a successor is elected and a Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel is received as provided in Section 11.1(b) or 11.2 and such successor is admitted to the Partnership pursuant to Section 10.3;

 

(b) the approval of the dissolution of the Partnership by the holders of a majority of the Limited Partner Interests.

 

(c) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Partnership pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act; or

 

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(d) the sale of all or substantially all of the assets and properties of the Partnership.

 

SECTION 12.2. Continuation of the Business of the Partnership After Dissolution.

 

Upon (a) dissolution of the Partnership following an Event of Withdrawal caused by the withdrawal or removal of the General Partner as provided in Section 11.1(a)(i) or (iii) and the failure of the Partners to select a successor to such Departing Partner pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2, then within 90 days thereafter, or (b) dissolution of the Partnership upon an event constituting an Event of Withdrawal as defined in Section 11.1(a)(iv), (v) or (vi), then, to the maximum extent permitted by law, within 180 days thereafter, the holders of a Unit Majority may elect to reconstitute the Partnership and continue its business on the same terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement by forming a new limited partnership on terms identical to those set forth in this Agreement and having as the successor general partner a Person approved by the holders of a Unit Majority. Unless such an election is made within the applicable time period as set forth above, the Partnership shall conduct only activities necessary to wind up its affairs. If such an election is so made, then:

 

(i) the reconstituted Partnership shall continue unless earlier dissolved in accordance with this Article XII;

 

(ii) if the successor General Partner is not the former General Partner, then the interest of the former General Partner shall be treated in the manner provided in Section 11.3; and

 

(iii) all necessary steps shall be taken to cancel this Agreement and the Certificate of Limited Partnership and to enter into and, as necessary, to file a new partnership agreement and certificate of limited partnership, and the successor general partner may for this purpose exercise the powers of attorney granted the General Partner pursuant to Section 2.6; provided, that the right of the holders of a Unit Majority to approve a successor General Partner and to reconstitute and to continue the business of the Partnership shall not exist and may not be exercised unless the Partnership has received an Opinion of Counsel that (x) the exercise of the right would not result in the loss of limited liability of any Limited Partner and (y) neither the Partnership, nor the reconstituted limited partnership 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 such right to continue.

 

SECTION 12.3. Liquidator.

 

Upon dissolution of the Partnership, unless the Partnership is continued under an election to reconstitute and continue the Partnership pursuant to Section 12.2, the General Partner shall select one or more Persons (which may include the General Partner) to act as Liquidator. The Liquidator (if other than the General Partner) shall be entitled to receive such compensation for its services as may be approved by a Unit Majority. The Liquidator (if other than the General Partner) shall agree not to resign at any time without 15 days’ prior notice and may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by notice of removal approved by a Unit Majority. Upon dissolution, removal or resignation of the Liquidator, a successor and substitute Liquidator (who shall have and succeed to all rights, powers, and duties of the original Liquidator) shall within 30 days thereafter be approved by holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units. The right to approve a successor or substitute Liquidator in the manner provided herein shall be

 

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deemed to refer also to any such successor or substitute Liquidator approved in the manner herein provided. Except as expressly provided in this Article XII, the Liquidator approved in the manner provided herein shall have and may exercise, without further authorization or consent of any of the parties hereto, all of the powers conferred upon the General Partner under the terms of this Agreement (but subject to all of the applicable limitations, contractual and otherwise, upon the exercise of such powers, other than the limitation on sale set forth in Section 7.3(b)) to the extent necessary or desirable in the good faith judgment of the Liquidator to carry out the duties and functions of the Liquidator hereunder for and during such period of time as shall be reasonably required in the good faith judgment of the Liquidator to complete the winding up and liquidation of the Partnership as provided for herein.

 

SECTION 12.4. Liquidation.

 

The Liquidator shall proceed to dispose of the assets of the Partnership, discharge its liabilities, and otherwise wind up its affairs in such manner and over such period as the Liquidator determines to be in the best interest of the Partners, subject to Section 17-804 of the Delaware Act and the following:

 

(a) Disposition of Assets. The assets may be disposed of by public or private sale or by distribution in kind to one or more Partners on such terms as the Liquidator and such Partner or Partners may agree. If any property is distributed in kind, the Partner receiving the property shall be deemed for purposes of Section 12.4(c) to have received cash equal to its fair market value; and contemporaneously therewith, appropriate cash distributions must be made to the other Partners. The Liquidator may, in its absolute discretion, defer liquidation or distribution of the Partnership’s assets for a reasonable time if it determines that an immediate sale or distribution of all or some of the Partnership’s assets would be impractical or would cause undue loss to the Partners. The Liquidator may, in its absolute discretion, distribute the Partnership’s assets, in whole or in part, in kind if it determines that a sale would be impractical or would cause undue loss to the Partners.

 

(b) Discharge of Liabilities. Liabilities of the Partnership include amounts owed to the Liquidator as compensation for serving in such capacity (subject to the terms of Section 12.3) and amounts owed to Partners otherwise than in respect of their distribution rights under Article VI. With respect to any liability that is contingent, conditional or unmatured or is otherwise not yet due and payable, the Liquidator shall either settle such claim for such amount as it thinks appropriate or establish a reserve of cash or other assets to provide for its payment. When paid, any unused portion of the reserve shall be distributed as additional liquidation proceeds.

 

(c) Liquidation Distributions. All property and all cash in excess of that required to discharge liabilities as provided in Section 12.4(b) shall be distributed to the Partners in accordance with, and to the extent of, the positive balances in their respective Capital Accounts, as determined after taking into account all Capital Account adjustments (other than those made by reason of distributions pursuant to this Section 12.4(c)) for the taxable year of the Partnership during which the liquidation of the Partnership occurs (with such date of occurrence being determined pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g)), and such distribution shall be made by the end of such taxable year (or, if later, within 90 days after said date of such occurrence).

 

SECTION 12.5. Cancellation of Certificate of Limited Partnership.

 

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Upon the completion of the distribution of Partnership cash and property as provided in Section 12.4 in connection with the liquidation of the Partnership, the Partnership shall be terminated and the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all qualifications of the Partnership as a foreign limited partnership in jurisdictions other than the State of Delaware shall be canceled and such other actions as may be necessary to terminate the Partnership shall be taken.

 

SECTION 12.6. Return of Contributions.

 

The General Partner shall not be personally liable for, and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Partnership to enable it to effectuate, the return of the Capital Contributions of the Limited Partners or Unitholders, or any portion thereof, it being expressly understood that any such return shall be made solely from Partnership assets.

 

SECTION 12.7. Waiver of Partition.

 

To the maximum extent permitted by law, each Partner hereby waives any right to partition of the Partnership property.

 

SECTION 12.8. Capital Account Restoration.

 

No Partner shall have any obligation to restore any negative balance in its Capital Account upon liquidation of the Partnership.

 

ARTICLE XIII.

 

AMENDMENT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT; MEETINGS; RECORD DATE

 

SECTION 13.1. Amendment to be Adopted Solely by the General Partner.

 

Each Partner agrees that the General Partner, without the approval of any Partner or Assignee, may amend any provision of this Agreement and execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file, and record whatever documents may be required in connection therewith, to reflect:

 

(a) a change in the name of the Partnership, the location of the principal place of business of the Partnership, the registered agent of the Partnership or the registered office of the Partnership;

 

(b) admission, substitution, withdrawal or removal of Partners in accordance with this Agreement;

 

(c) a change that, in the sole discretion of the General Partner, is necessary or advisable to qualify or continue the qualification of the Partnership 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 the Partnership will not be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes;

 

(d) a change that, in the discretion of the General Partner, (i) does not adversely affect the Limited Partners in any material respect, (ii) is necessary or advisable to (A) 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

 

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statute (including the Delaware Act) or (B) facilitate the trading of the Limited Partner Interests or comply with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which the Limited Partner Interests are or will be listed for trading, compliance with any of which the General Partner determines in its discretion to be in the best interests of the Partnership and the Limited Partners, (iii) is necessary or advisable in connection with action taken by the General Partner pursuant to Section 5.9, or (iv) is required to effect the intent expressed in the Registration Statement or the intent of the provisions of this Agreement or is otherwise contemplated by this Agreement;

 

(e) a change in the fiscal year or taxable year of the Partnership and any changes that, in the discretion of the General Partner, are necessary or advisable as a result of a change in the fiscal year or taxable year of the Partnership including, if the General Partner shall so determine, a change in the definition of “Quarter” and the dates on which distributions are to be made by the Partnership;

 

(f) an amendment that is necessary, in the Opinion of Counsel, to prevent the Partnership, or the General Partner or its directors, officers, trustees or agents from in any manner being subjected to the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, or “plan asset” regulations adopted under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, regardless of whether such are substantially similar to plan asset regulations currently applied or proposed by the United States Department of Labor;

 

(g) subject to the terms of Section 5.7, an amendment that, in the discretion of the General Partner, is necessary or advisable in connection with the authorization of issuance of any class or series of Partnership Securities pursuant to Section 5.6;

 

(h) any amendment expressly permitted in this Agreement to be made by the General Partner acting alone;

 

(i) an amendment effected, necessitated or contemplated by a Merger Agreement approved in accordance with Section 14.3;

 

(j) an amendment that, in the discretion of the General Partner, is necessary or advisable to reflect, account for and deal with appropriately the formation by the Partnership of, or investment by the Partnership in, any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other entity, in connection with the conduct by the Partnership of activities permitted by the terms of Section 2.4;

 

(k) a merger or conveyance pursuant to Section 14.3(d); or

 

(l) any other amendments substantially similar to the foregoing.

 

SECTION 13.2. Amendment Procedures.

 

(a) Except as provided in Sections 13.1, 13.2(b) and 13.3, all amendments to this Agreement shall be made in accordance with the following requirements. Amendments to this Agreement may be proposed only by or with the consent of the General Partner which consent may be given or withheld in its sole discretion. A proposed amendment shall be effective upon its approval by the holders of a Unit Majority, unless a greater or different percentage is required under this

 

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Agreement or by Delaware law or by the requirements of an applicable National Securities Exchange. Each proposed amendment that requires the approval of the holders of a specified percentage of Outstanding Units shall be set forth in a writing that contains the text of the proposed amendment. If such an amendment is proposed, the General Partner shall seek the written approval of the requisite percentage of Outstanding Units or call a meeting of the Unitholders to consider and vote on such proposed amendment. The General Partner shall notify all Record Holders upon final adoption of any such proposed amendments.

 

(b) Subject to Section 13.3, this Agreement may be amended with the vote or consent of holders of a Unit Majority, unless a greater or different percentage is required by Delaware law or by the requirements of an applicable National Securities Exchange. The General Partner shall not be required to call a meeting for purposes of such vote, except pursuant to Section 13.4.

 

SECTION 13.3. Amendment Requirements.

 

(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 13.1 and 13.2, no provision of this Agreement that establishes a percentage of Outstanding Units (including Units deemed owned by the General Partner) required to take any action shall be amended, altered, changed, repealed or rescinded in any respect that would have the effect of reducing such voting percentage unless such amendment is approved by the written consent or the affirmative vote of holders of Outstanding Units whose aggregate Outstanding Units constitute not less than the voting requirement sought to be reduced.

 

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 13.1 and 13.2, no amendment to this Agreement may (i) enlarge the obligations of any Limited Partner without its consent, unless such shall be deemed to have occurred as a result of an amendment approved pursuant to Section 13.3(c), (ii) 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 to, the General Partner or any of its Affiliates without its consent, which consent may be given or withheld in its sole discretion, (iii) change Section 12.1(b), or (iv) change the term of the Partnership or, except as set forth in Section 12.1(b), give any Person the right to dissolve the Partnership.

 

(c) Except as provided in Section 14.3, and except as otherwise provided, and without limitation of the General Partner’s authority to adopt amendments to this Agreement without the approval of any Partners or Assignees as contemplated in Section 13.1, any amendment that would have a material adverse effect on the rights or preferences of any class of Partnership Interests in relation to other classes of Partnership Interests must be approved by the holders of not less than a majority of the Outstanding Partnership Interests of the class affected.

 

(d) Except as provided in Section 13.1, this Section 13.3 shall only be amended with the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the Outstanding Units.

 

SECTION 13.4. Annual Meetings.

 

(a) Beginning in 2004, an annual meeting of Limited Partners shall be held for the election of the members of the Advisory Committee, on the first Wednesday of May if not a legal holiday, and if a legal holiday then on the next business day following, at 10:00 a.m., or at such date and time as may be designated by resolution of the Board of Managers from time to time and stated in the notice of the meeting, to elect the members of the Advisory Committee by a plurality and to transact such other business as is properly brought before the meeting in accordance with this Agreement. Annual meetings of Limited Partners shall be held at such place, either within or

 

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without the State of Delaware, as shall be designated from time to time by the Board of Managers and stated in the notice of the meeting. Written notice of the annual meeting stating the place, date and hour of the meeting shall be given to each Limited Partner entitled to vote at such meeting and holding of record not less than ten (10) nor more than sixty (60) days before the date of the meeting.

 

(b) To be properly brought before an annual meeting, business must be either (i) specified in the notice of meeting (or any supplement thereto) given by or at the direction of the Board of Managers, (ii) otherwise properly brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the Board of Managers, or (iii) otherwise (A) be properly requested to be brought before the meeting by a Limited Partner of record entitled to vote in the election of the members of the Advisory Committee generally and (B) constitute a proper subject to be brought before the meeting. In order for business (other than the election of the members of the Advisory Committee) to be properly brought before the annual meeting of Limited Partners by a Limited Partner, the business must be legally proper, and written notice of such Limited Partner’s intent to bring such matter before the annual meeting of Limited Partners must be delivered, either by personal delivery or by United States mail, postage prepaid, to the General Partner of the Partnership. Such notice must be received by the General Partner not later than 60 days in advance of such meeting if such meeting is to be held on a day which is within 30 days preceding the anniversary of the previous year’s annual meeting, or 90 days in advance of such meeting if such meeting is to be held on or after the anniversary of the previous year’s annual meeting. A Limited Partner’s notice to the General Partner shall set forth as to each matter the Limited Partner proposes to bring before the annual meeting of Limited Partners: (i) a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the meeting and the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting, (ii) the name and address, as they appear on the Partnership’s books, of the Limited Partner proposing such business, (iii) the class and number of Limited Partnership Interests of the Partnership which are owned by such Limited Partner and (iv) any material interest of the Limited Partner in such business. No business brought by a Limited Partner shall be conducted at the annual meeting of Limited Partners except in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 13.4(b). The filing of a Limited Partner notice as required by this Section 13.4(b) shall not, in and of itself, constitute the bringing of the business described therein before the annual meeting. The chairman of the meeting shall, if the facts warrant, determine that (1) the business proposed to be brought before the meeting is not a proper subject therefor and/or (2) such business was not properly brought before the meeting in accordance with the provisions hereof, and if he should so determine, he shall declare to the meeting that (1) the business proposed to be brought before the meeting is not a proper subject thereof and/or (2) such business was not properly brought before the meeting and shall not be transacted.

 

(c) Nominations for the election of the members of the Advisory Committee shall be made by the General Partner and may be made by any Limited Partner entitled to vote for the election of the members of the Advisory Committee and holding of record. Any Limited Partner entitled to vote for the election of the members of the Advisory Committee at a meeting (i.e., any Limited Partner of record) may nominate persons for election as a member of the Advisory Committee only if written notice of such Limited Partner’s intent to make such nomination is given, either by personal delivery or by United States mail, postage prepaid, to the General Partner of the Partnership not later than 90 days in advance of such meeting. Each such notice shall set forth: (1) the name and address of the Limited Partner who intends to make the nomination of the person or persons to be nominated; (2) the name of the person or persons to be nominated; (3) a representation that the Limited Partner is a holder of record of Limited Partnership Interests of the Partnership entitled to vote at such meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the

 

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meeting to nominate the person or persons specified in the notice; (4) a description of all arrangements or understandings between the Limited Partner and each nominee and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which the nomination or nominations are to be made by the Limited Partner; (5) such other information regarding each nominee proposed by such Limited Partner as would have been required to be included in a proxy statement filed pursuant to the proxy rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission had each nominee been nominated, or intended to be nominated, by the General Partner; and (6) the written consent of each nominee to serve as a member of the Advisory Committee if so elected. The filing of a Limited Partner notice as required by this Section 13.4(c) shall not, in and of itself, constitute the making of the nomination(s) described therein. In order for the nomination of a person to be effective, the Limited Partner who files the notice of intent to nominate such person shall also make the nomination at the meeting. The chairman of the meeting may refuse to acknowledge the nomination of any person not made in compliance with the foregoing procedure.

 

(d) Newly created memberships on the Advisory Committee resulting from any increase in the authorized number of members of the Advisory Committee may be filled by the General Partner in accordance with the limited liability company agreement of its general partner. In the event of a vacancy on the Advisory Committee, the member of the general partner of the General Partner that held the appointment or nomination right, as applicable, with respect to such vacating member shall have the right, pursuant to the limited liability company agreement of the general partner of the General Partner, to nominate, and cause the General Partner to appoint, a replacement member of the Advisory Committee. A member of the Advisory Committee appointed to fill a newly created membership or a vacancy in accordance with the foregoing shall serve until the next annual meeting of limited partners.

 

(e) In addition to any other applicable requirements, for a Limited Partner proposal to be considered for inclusion in the Partnership’s proxy statement for the annual meeting, the Limited Partner must have satisfied all of the conditions set forth in Rule 14a-8 promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or any successor rule thereto (the “Proxy Rules”), including particularly the requirement that the Limited Partner give timely written notice of the proposal to the Partnership.

 

SECTION 13.5. Special Meetings.

 

All acts of Limited Partners to be taken pursuant to this Agreement shall be taken in the manner provided in this Article XIII. Special meetings of the Limited Partners may be called by the General Partner or by Limited Partners owning 20% or more of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests of the class or classes for which a meeting is proposed. Limited Partners shall call a special meeting by delivering to the General Partner one or more requests in writing stating that the signing Limited Partners wish to call a special meeting and indicating the general or specific purposes for which the special meeting is to be called. Within 60 days after receipt of such a call from Limited Partners or within such greater time as may be reasonably necessary for the Partnership to comply with any statutes, rules, regulations, listing, agreements or similar requirements governing the holding of a meeting or the solicitation of proxies for use at such a meeting, the General Partner shall send a notice of the meeting to the Limited Partners either directly or indirectly through the Transfer Agent. A meeting shall be held at a time and place determined by the General Partner on a date not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days after the mailing of notice of the meeting. Limited Partners shall not vote on matters that would cause the Limited Partners to be deemed to be taking part in the management and control of the business

 

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and affairs of the Partnership so as to jeopardize the Limited Partners’ limited liability under the Delaware Act or the law of any other state in which the Partnership is qualified to do business. A Limited Partner’s request to the General Partner shall set forth as to each matter the Limited Partner proposes to bring before the special meeting of Limited Partners: (i) a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the meeting and the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting, (ii) the name and address, as they appear on the Partnership’s books, of the Limited Partner proposing such business, (iii) the class and number of Limited Partnership Interests of the Partnership which are owned by such Limited Partner and (iv) any material interest of the Limited Partner in such business. No business brought by a Limited Partner shall be conducted at the annual meeting of Limited Partners except in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 13.5. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the Limited Partners shall only be entitled to call one special meeting every twelve (12) months.

 

SECTION 13.6. Notice of a Meeting.

 

Notice of a meeting called pursuant to Section 13.4 shall be given to the Record Holders of the class or classes of Limited Partner Interests for which a meeting is proposed in writing by mail or other means of written communication in accordance with Section 15.1. The notice shall be deemed to have been given at the time when deposited in the mail or sent by other means of written communication.

 

SECTION 13.7. Record Date.

 

For purposes of determining the Limited Partners entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the Limited Partners or to give approvals without a meeting as provided in Section 13.11 the General Partner may set a Record Date that shall not be less than 10 nor more than 60 days before (a) the date of the meeting (unless such requirement conflicts with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which the Limited Partner Interests are listed for trading, in which case the rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of such exchange shall govern) or (b) in the event that approvals are sought without a meeting, the date by which Limited Partners are requested in writing by the General Partner to give such approvals.

 

SECTION 13.8. Adjournment.

 

When a meeting is adjourned to another time or place, notice need not be given of the adjourned meeting and a new Record Date need not be fixed, if the time and place thereof are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken, unless such adjournment shall be for more than 45 days. At the adjourned meeting, the Partnership may transact any business that might have been transacted at the original meeting. If the adjournment is for more than 45 days or if a new Record Date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, a notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given in accordance with this Article XIII.

 

SECTION 13.9. Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting; Approval of Minutes.

 

The transactions of any meeting of Limited Partners, however called and noticed, and whenever held, shall be as valid as if it had occurred at a meeting duly held after regular call and notice, if a quorum is present, either in person or by proxy, and if, either before or after the meeting, Limited Partners representing such quorum who were present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote, sign a written waiver of notice or an approval of the holding of the meeting or an approval of the minutes thereof. All waivers and approvals shall be filed with the Partnership

 

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records or made a part of the minutes of the meeting. Attendance of a Limited Partner at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of the meeting, except when the Limited Partner objects, at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened; and except that attendance at a meeting is not a waiver of any right to disapprove the consideration of matters required to be included in the notice of the meeting, but not so included, if the disapproval is expressly made at the meeting.

 

SECTION 13.10. Quorum.

 

The holders of a majority of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called (including Limited Partner Interests deemed owned by the General Partner on behalf of Assignees) represented in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of Limited Partners of such class or classes unless any such action by the Limited Partners requires approval by holders of a greater percentage of such Limited Partner Interests, in which case the quorum shall be such greater percentage. At any meeting of the Limited Partners duly called and held in accordance with this Agreement at which a quorum is present, the act of Limited Partners holding Outstanding Limited Partner Interests that in the aggregate represent a majority of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests entitled to vote, present in person or by proxy at such meeting (not including Limited Partner Interests deemed owned by the General Partner on behalf of Assignees for which the written direction contemplated by Section 10.2 has not been received by the General Partner), shall be deemed to constitute the act of all Limited Partners, unless a greater or different percentage is required with respect to such action under the provisions of this Agreement, in which case the act of the Limited Partners holding Outstanding Limited Partner Interests that in the aggregate represent at least such greater or different percentage shall be required. Members of the Advisory Committee shall be elected by a plurality of the votes of the Outstanding Limited Interests present in person or by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the election of the members of the Advisory Committee. The Limited Partners present at a duly called or held meeting at which a quorum is present may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough Limited Partners to leave less than a quorum, if any action taken (other than adjournment) is approved by the required percentage of Outstanding Limited Partner Interests specified in this Agreement. In the absence of a quorum, any meeting of Limited Partners may be adjourned from time to time by the affirmative vote of holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests entitled to vote at such meeting represented either in person or by proxy, but no other business may be transacted, except as provided in Section 13.7.

 

SECTION 13.11. Conduct of a Meeting.

 

The General Partner shall have full power and authority concerning the manner of conducting any meeting of the Limited Partners or solicitation of approvals in writing, including the determination of Persons entitled to vote, the existence of a quorum, the satisfaction of the requirements of Section 13.4, the conduct of voting, the validity and effect of any proxies, and the determination of any controversies, votes or challenges arising in connection with or during the meeting or voting. The General Partner shall designate a Person to serve as chairman of any meeting and shall further designate a Person to take the minutes of any meeting. All minutes shall be kept with the records of the Partnership maintained by the General Partner. The General Partner may make such other regulations consistent with applicable law and this Agreement as it may deem advisable concerning the conduct of any meeting of the Limited Partners or solicitation of approvals in writing, including regulations in regard to the appointment of proxies, the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes and approvals, the submission and examination of

 

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proxies and other evidence of the right to vote, and the revocation of approvals in writing. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, no business shall be conducted at a meeting except in accordance with the procedures and conditions set forth in this Article XIII, and the Proxy Rules; provided, however, that nothing in this Article XIII or the Proxy Rules shall be deemed to preclude discussion of any business properly brought before a meeting. The chairman of the meeting shall, if the facts warrant, determine and declare to the meeting that business was not properly brought before the meeting in accordance with the provisions of this Article XIII, and if he should so determine, he shall so declare to the meeting and any such business not properly brought before the meeting shall not be transacted.

 

SECTION 13.12. Action Without a Meeting.

 

If authorized by the General Partner, any action that may be taken at a meeting of the Limited Partners may be taken without a meeting if an approval in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by Limited Partners owning not less than the minimum percentage of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests (including Limited Partner Interests deemed owned by the General Partner) that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all the Limited Partners were present and voted (unless such provision conflicts with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which the Limited Partner Interests are listed for trading, in which case the rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of such exchange shall govern). Prompt notice of the taking of action without a meeting shall be given to the Limited Partners who have not approved in writing. The General Partner may specify that any written ballot submitted to Limited Partners for the purpose of taking any action without a meeting shall be returned to the Partnership within the time period, which shall be not less than 20 days, specified by the General Partner. If a ballot returned to the Partnership does not vote all of the Limited Partner Interests held by the Limited Partners the Partnership shall be deemed to have failed to receive a ballot for the Limited Partner Interests that were not voted. If approval of the taking of any action by the Limited Partners is solicited by any Person other than by or on behalf of the General Partner, the written approvals shall have no force and effect unless and until (a) they are deposited with the Partnership in care of the General Partner, (b) approvals sufficient to take the action proposed are dated as of a date not more than 90 days prior to the date sufficient approvals are deposited with the Partnership, and (c) an Opinion of Counsel is delivered to the General Partner to the effect that the exercise of such right and the action proposed to be taken with respect to any particular matter (i) will not cause the Limited Partners to be deemed to be taking part in the management and control of the business and affairs of the Partnership so as to jeopardize the Limited Partners’ limited liability and (ii) are otherwise permissible under the state statutes then governing the rights, duties, and liabilities of the Partnership and the Partners.

 

SECTION 13.13. Voting and Other Rights.

 

(a) Only those Record Holders of the Limited Partner Interests on the Record Date set pursuant to Section 13.6 (and also subject to the limitations contained in the definition of “Outstanding”) shall be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, a meeting of Limited Partners or to act with respect to matters as to which the holders of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests have the right to vote or to act. All references in this Agreement to votes of, or other acts that may be taken by, the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests shall be deemed to be references to the votes or acts of the Record Holders of such Outstanding Limited Partner Interests.

 

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(b) With respect to Limited Partner Interests that are held for a Person’s account by another Person (such as a broker, dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation, or an agent of any of the foregoing), in whose name such Limited Partner Interests are registered, such other Person shall, in exercising the voting rights in respect of such Limited Partner Interests on any matter, and unless the arrangement between such Persons provides otherwise, vote such Limited Partner Interests in favor of, and at the direction of, the Person who is the beneficial owner, and the Partnership shall be entitled to assume it is so acting without further inquiry. The provisions of this Section 13.12(b) (as well as all other provisions of this Agreement) are subject to the provisions of Section 4.3.

 

ARTICLE XIV.

 

MERGER

 

SECTION 14.1. Authority.

 

The Partnership may merge or consolidate with one or more corporations, limited liability companies, business trusts or associations, real estate investment trusts, common law trusts or unincorporated businesses, including a general partnership or limited partnership, formed under the laws of the State of Delaware or any other state of the United States of America, pursuant to a written agreement of merger or consolidation (“Merger Agreement”) in accordance with this Article XIV.

 

SECTION 14.2. Procedure for Merger or Consolidation.

 

Merger or consolidation of the Partnership pursuant to this Article XIV requires the prior approval of the General Partner. If the General Partner shall determine, in the exercise of its discretion, to consent to the merger or consolidation, the General Partner shall approve the Merger Agreement that shall set forth:

 

(a) The names and jurisdictions of formation or organization of each of the business entities proposing to merge or consolidate;

 

(b) The name and jurisdiction of formation or organization of the business entity that is to survive the proposed merger or consolidation (the “Surviving Business Entity”);

 

(c) The terms and conditions of the proposed merger or consolidation;

 

(d) The manner and basis of exchanging or converting the equity securities of each constituent business entity for, or into, cash, property or general or limited partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of the Surviving Business Entity; and (i) if any general or limited partner interests, securities or rights of any constituent business entity are not to be exchanged or converted solely for, or into, cash, property or general or limited partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of the Surviving Business Entity, the cash, property or general or limited partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of any limited partnership, corporation, trust or other entity (other than the Surviving Business Entity) that the holders of such general or limited partner interests, securities or rights are to receive in exchange for, or upon conversion of, their general or limited partner interests, securities or rights, and (ii) in the case of securities represented by certificates, upon the surrender of such certificates, which cash, property or

 

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general or limited partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of the Surviving Business Entity or any general or limited partnership, corporation, trust or other entity (other than the Surviving Business Entity), or evidences thereof, are to be delivered;

 

(e) A statement of any changes in the constituent documents or the adoption of new constituent documents (the articles or certificate of incorporation, articles of trust, declaration of trust, certificate or agreement of limited partnership, operating agreement or other similar charter or governing document) of the Surviving Business Entity to be effected by such merger or consolidation;

 

(f) The effective time of the merger, which may be the date of the filing of the certificate of merger pursuant to Section 14.4 or a later date specified in or determinable in accordance with the Merger Agreement (provided, that if the effective time of the merger is to be later than the date of the filing of the certificate of merger, the effective time shall be fixed no later than the time of the filing of the certificate of merger and stated therein); and

 

(g) Such other provisions with respect to the proposed merger or consolidation as are deemed necessary or appropriate by the General Partner.

 

SECTION 14.3. Approval by Limited Partners of Merger or Consolidation.

 

(a) Except as provided in Section 14.3(d), the General Partner, upon its approval of the Merger Agreement, shall direct that the Merger Agreement be submitted to a vote of Limited Partners, whether at a special meeting or by written consent, in either case in accordance with the requirements of Article XIII. A copy or a summary of the Merger Agreement shall be included in or enclosed with the notice of a special meeting or the written consent.

 

(b) Except as provided in Section 14.3(d), the Merger Agreement shall be approved upon receiving the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of a Unit Majority unless the Merger Agreement contains any provision that, if contained in an amendment to this Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement or the Delaware Act would require for its approval the vote or consent of a greater percentage of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests or of any class of Limited Partners, in which case such greater percentage vote or consent shall be required for approval of the Merger Agreement.

 

(c) Except as provided in Section 14.3(d), after such approval by vote or consent of the Limited Partners, and at any time prior to the filing of the certificate of merger pursuant to Section 14.4, the merger or consolidation may be abandoned pursuant to provisions therefor, if any, set forth in the Merger Agreement.

 

(d) Notwithstanding anything else contained in this Article XIV or in this Agreement, the General Partner is permitted, in its discretion, without Limited Partner approval, (i) to merge the Partnership into, or convey all of the Partnership’s assets to, another limited liability entity that shall be newly formed and shall have no assets, liabilities or operations at the time of such Merger other than those it receives from the Partnership or (ii) to convert the Partnership into another limited liability entity in accordance with Section 17-219 of the Delaware Act if (A) the General Partner has received an Opinion of Counsel that the merger, conveyance or conversion, as the case may be, would not result in the loss of the limited liability of any Limited Partner or any partner in the Partnership or cause the Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes (to the extent not

 

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previously treated as such), (B) the sole purpose of such merger, conveyance or conversion is to effect a mere change in the legal form of the Partnership into another limited liability entity, and (C) the governing instruments of the new entity provide the Limited Partners and the General Partner with the same rights and obligations as are herein contained.

 

SECTION 14.4. Certificate of Merger.

 

Upon the required approval by the General Partner and the Unitholders of a Merger Agreement, a certificate of merger shall be executed and filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware in conformity with the requirements of the Delaware Act.

 

SECTION 14.5. Effect of Merger.

 

(a) At the effective time of the certificate of merger:

 

(i) all of the rights, privileges, and powers of each of the business entities that has merged or consolidated, and all property, real, personal, and mixed, and all debts due to any of those business entities, and all other things and causes of action belonging to each of those business entities, shall be vested in the Surviving Business Entity and after the merger or consolidation shall be the property of the Surviving Business Entity to the extent they were of each constituent business entity;

 

(ii) the title to any real property vested by deed or otherwise in any of those constituent business entities shall not revert and is not in any way impaired because of the merger or consolidation;

 

(iii) all rights of creditors and all liens on or security interests in property of any of those constituent business entities shall be preserved unimpaired; and

 

(iv) all debts, liabilities, and duties of those constituent business entities shall attach to the Surviving Business Entity and may be enforced against it to the same extent as if the debts, liabilities, and duties had been incurred or contracted by it.

 

(b) A merger or consolidation effected pursuant to this Article shall not be deemed to result in a transfer or assignment of assets or liabilities from one entity to another.

 

ARTICLE XV.

 

GENERAL PROVISIONS

 

SECTION 15.1. Addresses and Notices.

 

Any notice, demand, request, report or proxy materials required or permitted to be given or made to a Partner or Assignee under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed given or made when delivered in person or when sent by first class United States mail or by other means of written communication to the Partner or Assignee at the address described below. Any notice, payment or report to be given or made to a Partner or Assignee hereunder shall be deemed conclusively to have been given or made, and the obligation to give such notice or report or to make such payment shall be deemed conclusively to have been fully satisfied, upon sending of

 

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such notice, payment or report to the Record Holder of such Partnership Securities at his address as shown on the records of the Transfer Agent or as otherwise shown on the records of the Partnership, regardless of any claim of any Person who may have an interest in such Partnership Securities by reason of any assignment or otherwise. An affidavit or certificate of making of any notice, payment or report in accordance with the provisions of this Section 15.1 executed by the General Partner, the Transfer Agent or the mailing organization shall be prima facie evidence of the giving or making of such notice, payment or report. If any notice, payment or report addressed to a Record Holder at the address of such Record Holder appearing on the books and records of the Transfer Agent or the Partnership is returned by the United States Postal Service marked to indicate that the United States Postal Service is unable to deliver it, such notice, payment or report and any subsequent notices, payments, and reports shall be deemed to have been duly given or made without further mailing (until such time as such Record Holder or another Person notifies the Transfer Agent or the Partnership of a change in his address) if they are available for the Partner or Assignee at the principal office of the Partnership for a period of one year from the date of the giving or making of such notice, payment or report to the other Partners and Assignees. Any notice to the Partnership shall be deemed given if received by the General Partner at the principal office of the Partnership designated pursuant to Section 2.3. The General Partner may rely and shall be protected in relying on any notice or other document from a Partner, Assignee or other Person if believed by it to be genuine.

 

SECTION 15.2. Further Action.

 

The parties shall execute and deliver all documents, provide all information, and take or refrain from taking action as may be necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this Agreement.

 

SECTION 15.3. Binding Effect.

 

This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their heirs, executors, administrators, successors, legal representatives, and permitted assigns.

 

SECTION 15.4. Integration.

 

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

 

SECTION 15.5. Creditors.

 

None of the provisions of this Agreement shall be for the benefit of, or shall be enforceable by, any creditor of the Partnership.

 

SECTION 15.6. Waiver.

 

No failure by any party to insist upon the strict performance of any covenant, duty, agreement or condition of this Agreement or to exercise any right or remedy consequent upon a breach thereof shall constitute waiver of any such breach of any other covenant, duty, agreement or condition.

 

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SECTION 15.7. Counterparts.

 

This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, all of which together shall constitute an agreement binding on all the parties hereto, notwithstanding that all such parties are not signatories to the original or the same counterpart. Each party shall become bound by this Agreement immediately upon affixing its signature hereto or, in the case of a Person acquiring a Unit, upon accepting the certificate evidencing such Unit or executing and delivering a Transfer Application as herein described, independently of the signature of any other party.

 

SECTION 15.8. Applicable Law.

 

This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law.

 

SECTION 15.9. Invalidity of Provisions.

 

If any provision of this Agreement is or becomes invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality, and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein shall not be affected thereby.

 

SECTION 15.10. Consent of Partners.

 

Each Partner hereby expressly consents and agrees that, whenever in this Agreement it is specified that an action may be taken upon the affirmative vote or consent of less than all of the Partners, such action may be so taken upon the concurrence of less than all of the Partners and each Partner shall be bound by the results of such action.

 

[REST OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement effective as of the date and time first written above.

 

 

 

GENERAL PARTNER:

DORCHESTER MINERALS MANAGEMENT LP

By:

 

Dorchester Minerals Management LLC

   

By:

 

/s/    WILLIAM CASEY MCMANEMIN        


       

Name: William Casey McManemin

       

Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

ORGANIZATIONAL LIMITED PARTNER:

DORCHESTER MINERALS MANAGEMENT GP LLC

By:

 

/S/    JAMES E. RALEY       


   

Name: James E. Raley

   

Title: Chief Operating Officer

 

 

LIMITED PARTNERS:

 

All Limited Partners now and hereafter admitted as Limited Partners of the Partnership, pursuant to powers of attorney now and hereafter executed in favor of, and granted and delivered to the General Partner.

 

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EXHIBIT A

 

TO THE AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF

DORCHESTER MINERALS, L.P.

CERTIFICATE EVIDENCING COMMON UNITS

REPRESENTING LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS IN

DORCHESTER MINERALS, L.P.

 

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NUMBER

 

COMMON UNITS

01       

 

0000

 

DORCHESTER MINERALS, L.P.

(A Limited Partnership Organized Under the Laws of the State of Delaware)

 

THIS RECEIPT IS TRANSFERABLE IN CANTON, MA, JERSEY CITY, NJ

AND NEW YORK CITY, NY

 

CUSIP 25820R105

 

1. EQUISERVE TRUST COMPANY NA, a national

trust association organized under the laws of the

United States, as depositary (Depositary) hereby

Certifies that

 

(the “Holder”) is the registered owner of Dorchester Minerals, L.P. common units.

 

In accordance with Section 4.1 of the Agreement of Limited Partnership of Dorchester Minerals, L.P., as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time (the “Partnership Agreement”), Dorchester Minerals, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “Partnership”), hereby certifies that the Holder is the registered owner of Common Units representing limited partner interests in the Partnership (the “Common Units”) transferable on the books of the Partnership, in person or by duly authorized attorney, upon surrender of this Certificate properly endorsed and accompanied by a properly executed application for transfer of the Common Units represented by this Certificate. The rights, preferences, and limitations of the Common Units are set forth in, and this Certificate and the Common Units represented hereby are issued and shall in all respects be subject to the terms and provisions of the Partnership Agreement. Copies of the Partnership Agreement are on file at, and will be furnished without charge on delivery of written request to the Partnership at the principal office of the Partnership located at 3738 Oak Lawn Avenue, Dallas, Texas. Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meanings given them in the Partnership Agreement.

 

The Holder, by accepting this Certificate, is deemed to have (i) requested admission as, and agreed to become, a Limited Partner and to have agreed to comply with and be bound by and to have executed the Partnership Agreement, (ii) represented and warranted that the Holder has all right, power, and authority and, if an individual, the capacity necessary to enter into the Partnership Agreement, (iii) granted the powers of attorney provided for in the Partnership Agreement, and (iv) made the waivers and given the consents and approvals contained in the Partnership Agreement.

 

This Certificate shall not be valid for any purpose unless it has been countersigned and registered by the Transfer Agent and Registrar.

 

Dated:

    

Countersigned and Registered by:

  

By:

 

DORCHESTER MINERALS MANAGEMENT LP

EquiServe LP

      

Its General Partner

As Transfer Agent and Registrar

      

By: Dorchester Minerals Management GP LLC,

        

Its General Partner

          

   

Authorized Signature

      

William Casey McManemin

        

Chief Executive Officer

 

 

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ABBREVIATIONS

 

TEN COM

  

as tenants in common

  

UNIF GIFT/TRANSFERS MIN ACT       Uniform Gifts/Transfers to CD Minors Act

TEN ENT

  

as tenants by the entireties

  

JT TEN     as joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common

 

Additional abbreviations, though not in the above list, may also be used.

 

Tax Shelter Information for Unitholder Certificates

 

You have acquired an interest in Dorchester Minerals, L.P., 3738 Oak Lawn, Suite 300, Dallas, Texas, 75219 whose taxpayer identification number is 81-0551518. The Internal Revenue Service issued Dorchester Minerals, L.P. this tax shelter registration number: 02305000012.

 

YOU MUST REPORT THIS REGISTRATION NUMBER TO THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, IF YOU CLAIM ANY DEDUCTION, LOSS, CREDIT, OR OTHER TAX BENEFIT OR REPORT ANY INCOME BY REASON OF YOUR INVESTMENT IN DORCHESTER MINERALS, L.P.

 

You must report the registration number (as well as the name and taxpayer identification number of Dorchester Minerals, L.P.) on Form 8271.

 

FORM 8271 MUST BE ATTACHED TO THE RETURN ON WHICH YOU CLAIM THE DEDUCTION, LOSS, CREDIT, OR OTHER TAX BENEFIT OR REPORT ANY INCOME BY REASON OF YOUR INVESTMENT IN DORCHESTER MINERALS, L.P.

 

If you transfer your interest in Dorchester Minerals, L.P. to another person, you are required by the Internal Revenue Service to keep a list containing that person’s name, address and taxpayer identification number, the date on which you transferred the interest and the name, address, and tax shelter registration number of Dorchester Minerals, L.P. If you do not want to maintain such a list, you must: (i) send the information specified above to Dorchester Minerals Management LP, which will keep the list for this tax shelter, and (ii) give a copy of this notice to the person to whom you transferred your interest. Your failure to comply with any of the above-described responsibilities could result in the imposition of penalties under Section 6707(b) or 6708(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, unless such failure is shown to be due to reasonable cause.

 

ISSUANCE OF A REGISTRATION NUMBER DOES NOT INDICATE THAT THIS INVESTMENT OR THE CLAIMED TAX BENEFITS HAVE BEEN REVIEWED, EXAMINED, OR APPROVED BY THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE.

 

FOR VALUE RECEIVED,                    hereby assigns, conveys, sells, and transfers unto

 

 


Please print or typewrite name and address of Assignee

 

Please insert Social Security or other

identifying number of Assignee

 

            Common Units representing limited partner interests evidenced by this Certificate, subject to the Partnership Agreement, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint                            as its attorney-in-fact with full power of substitution to transfer the same on the books of Dorchester Minerals, L.P.

 

Date:                     

 

NOTE: The signature to any endorsement hereon must correspond with the name as written upon the face of this Certificate in every particular, without alteration, enlargement or change.

 


Signature


Signature

 

SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED BY A MEMBER FIRM OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SECURITIES DEALERS, INC. OR BY A COMMERCIAL BANK OR TRUST COMPANY SIGNATURE(S) GUARANTEED.

 

No transfer of the Common Units evidenced hereby will be registered on the books of the Partnership, unless the Certificate evidencing the Common Units to be transferred is surrendered for registration or transfer. A transferor of the Common Units shall have no duty to the transferee with respect to execution of the transfer application in order for such transferee to obtain registration of the transfer of the Common Units.