FORM S-3
Table of Contents

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 2, 2014

Registration No. 333-        

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

Form S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP

Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

 

Delaware

Delaware

     

45-2842469

80-0894797

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

     

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

2501 North Harwood Street, Suite 2410 Dallas, Texas 75201

(972) 479-5980

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Nathan P. Pekar

Mid-Con Energy GP, LLC

2501 North Harwood Street, Suite 2410

Dallas, Texas 75201

(972) 479-5980

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

William J. Cooper

Jon W. Daly

Andrews Kurth LLP

600 Travis, Suite 4200

Houston, Texas 77002

(713) 220-4200

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement.  ¨

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box.  ¨

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box.  x

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ¨

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ¨

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  ¨

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:

 

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

 


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CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of Each Class of Securities To Be Registered   

Amount
to be

Registered

  

Proposed
Maximum

Offering Price
Per Security

 

Proposed
Maximum

Aggregate
Offering Price

  

Amount of

Registration Fee

Primary Offering(1)(2):

                  

Common Units

          

Preferred Units

          

Debt Securities(3)

          

Guarantees of Debt Securities(4)

          

Total Primary Offering

   (1)    (2)   $400,000,000 (5)    $12,880 (8)

Secondary Offering:

                  

Common Units

   3,186,363 (6)    $23.18 (7)   $73,859,895 (7)    $4,479 (8)

Total (Primary and Secondary)

        $473,859,895    $17,359 (9)

 

(1) There are being registered hereunder such presently indeterminate number of common units and preferred units representing limited partner interests in Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP, debt securities and guarantees of debt securities, which may be offered and sold, on a primary basis, in such amount as shall result in an aggregate offering price not to exceed $400,000,000. This registration statement also covers an indeterminate amount of securities as may be issued in exchange for, or upon conversion or exercise of, as the case may be, the securities registered hereunder.
(2) With respect to the primary offering, the proposed maximum aggregate offering price for each class of securities to be registered is unspecified in accordance with General Instruction II.D. of Form S-3 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
(3) Debt securities may be issued solely by Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP or with Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation as co-issuer. If any debt securities are issued at an original issue discount, then the offering price of such debt securities shall be in such amount as shall result in an aggregate initial offering price not to exceed $400,000,000, less the dollar amount of any registered securities previously issued.
(4) Any debt securities may be guaranteed by Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC, which is a 100 percent-owned subsidiary of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP. The guarantees will be issued without additional consideration. Pursuant to Rule 457(n) under the Securities Act, no separate registration fee will be paid in respect of any guarantees of any debt securities registered hereby.
(5) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act. With respect to the primary offering, in no event will the aggregate initial offering price of all securities offered from time to time pursuant to this registration statement exceed $400,000,000.
(6) Pursuant to Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act, the number of common units being registered on behalf of the selling unitholders shall be adjusted to include any additional common units that may become issuable as a result of any unit distribution, split, combination or similar transaction.
(7) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act on the basis of the average of the high and low sale prices of the common units on April 28, 2014, as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.
(8) Pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) under the Securities Act, the securities registered under this registration statement include unsold primary and secondary securities previously registered on Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP’s Registration Statement on Form S-3, as amended (Registration No. 333-187012), declared effective on March 28, 2013 (the “Prior Registration Statement”). The Prior Registration Statement registered the offer and sale of an indeterminate number of common units representing limited partner interests in Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP, debt securities and guarantees of debt securities with an aggregate offering price not to exceed $300,000,000, of which all $300,000,000 of such securities (the “Primary Unsold Securities”) remain unsold as of the filing date of this registration statement and are being included in this registration statement. Pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) under the Securities Act, the filing fee of $40,920 relating to the Primary Unsold Securities under the Prior Registration Statement will continue to be applied to such securities registered in this registration statement. A total of 1,686,363 common units registered hereunder for sale by selling unitholders were registered under the Prior Registration Statement (collectively, the “Secondary Unsold Securities” and, together with the Primary Unsold Securities, the “Unsold Securities”) and remain unsold as of the filing date of this registration statement. Pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) under the Securities Act, the aggregate filing fee of $5,047 previously paid in connection with the Secondary Unsold Securities will continue to be applied to the Secondary Unsold Securities. There are also being registered on this registration statement (i) new securities with an aggregate offering price of $100,000,000 (the “Primary New Securities”), which aggregate offering price is not specified as to each class of security (see footnote (1)) and (ii) 1,500,000 common units for sale by a new selling unitholder (the “New Secondary Securities” and, together with the Primary New Securities, the “New Securities”). To the extent that, after the filing date hereof and prior to the effectiveness of this registration statement, any Unsold Securities are sold pursuant to the Prior Registration Statement, the Registrant will identify in a pre-effective amendment to this registration statement the updated amount of Unsold Securities from the Prior Registration Statement to be included in this registration statement pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) and the updated amount of New Securities to be registered on this registration statement. Pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) under the Securities Act, the offering of the Unsold Securities under the Prior Registration Statement will be deemed terminated as of the date of effectiveness of this registration statement.
(9) The filing fee of $45,967 relating to the Unsold Securities under the Prior Registration Statement was previously paid. A filing fee of $17,358 with respect to the New Securities is being paid in connection with the filing of this registration statement. See footnote (8) above.

 

 

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

ADDITIONAL REGISTRANT GUARANTOR

 

Exact name of additional registrant as
specified in its charter*

  

State or other jurisdiction of incorporation
or
organization

  

I.R.S. Employer Identification No.

Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC

   Delaware    45-2842566                

 

*    The address for the additional registrant guarantor’s principal executive office is 2501 North Harwood Street, Suite 2410, Dallas, Texas 75201, and the telephone number is (972) 479-5980.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. The securities may not be sold pursuant to this prospectus until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED MAY 2, 2014

PROSPECTUS

Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP

Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation

Common Units Representing Limited Partner Interests

Preferred Units Representing Limited Partner Interests

Debt Securities

Guarantees

We may from time to time, in one or more offerings, offer and sell common units and preferred units representing limited partner interests in Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP and the debt securities described in this prospectus. The debt securities may be issued by Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP or co-issued by Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP and Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation, and may be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by our 100 percent-owned subsidiary, Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC. We refer to the common units, preferred units and the debt securities collectively as the “securities.” The aggregate initial offering price of all securities we may issue and sell under this prospectus will not exceed $400,000,000.

In addition, the selling unitholders named in this prospectus may from time to time, in one or more offerings, offer and sell up to 3,186,363 common units representing limited partner interests in Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP. A portion of these common units was issued to certain of the selling unitholders in connection with our initial public offering, and a portion of the these common units was issued to one of the selling unitholders in connection with our acquisition of certain oil properties. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of these common units by the selling unitholders. For a more detailed discussion of the selling unitholders, please read “Selling Unitholders.”

This prospectus describes only the general terms of these securities and the general manner in which we or the selling unitholders will offer the securities. The specific terms of any securities we or the selling unitholders offer will be included in a supplement to this prospectus. The prospectus supplement will describe the specific manner in which we or the selling unitholders will offer the securities and also may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus.

We or the selling unitholders may offer and sell these securities in amounts, at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions and other factors at the time of the offering.

Our common units are traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, or NASDAQ, under the symbol “MCEP.” We will provide information in the related prospectus supplement for the trading market, if any, for any debt securities or preferred units that may be offered.

Investing in our securities involves risks. You should carefully consider the risks relating to investing in our securities and each of the other risk factors described under “Risk Factors” on page 2 of this prospectus before you make an investment in our securities.

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

The date of this prospectus is                     , 2014.


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

     ii   

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

     iii   

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     iv   

ABOUT MID-CON ENERGY PARTNERS, LP

     1   

RISK FACTORS

     2   

USE OF PROCEEDS

     3   

RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

     4   

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

     5   

DESCRIPTION OF GUARANTEES OF DEBT SECURITIES

     16   

DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMON UNITS

     17   

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED UNITS

     19   

THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

     20   

PROVISIONS OF OUR PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT RELATING TO CASH DISTRIBUTIONS

     33   

MATERIAL TAX CONSEQUENCES

     35   

INVESTMENT IN MID-CON ENERGY PARTNERS, LP BY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

     53   

SELLING UNITHOLDERS

     55   

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

     57   

VALIDITY OF THE SECURITIES

     59   

EXPERTS

     59   

 

 

In making your investment decision, you should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with any other information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it.

You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of those documents. You should not assume that the information contained in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the respective dates of those documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) utilizing a “shelf” registration process or continuous offering process. Under this shelf registration process, we may, from time to time, sell up to $400,000,000 of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. In addition, the selling unitholders may offer and sell up to 3,186,363 common units representing limited partner interests in Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP from time to time in one or more offerings.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP and the securities that are registered hereunder that may be offered by us or the selling unitholders. Each time we sell any securities offered by this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering and the securities being offered. Each time the selling unitholders sell any common units offered by this prospectus, the selling unitholders are required to provide you with this prospectus and the related prospectus supplement containing specific information about the selling unitholders and the terms of the common units being offered in the manner required by the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). A prospectus supplement may include additional risk factors or other special considerations applicable to those securities and may also add to, update or change information in this prospectus. To the extent information in this prospectus is inconsistent with the information contained in a prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement.

Additional information, including our financial statements and the notes thereto, is incorporated in this prospectus by reference to our reports filed with the SEC. Please read “Where You Can Find More Information.” You are urged to read carefully this prospectus and any attached prospectus supplements relating to the securities offered to you, together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information,” before investing in our securities.

As used in this prospectus, “Mid-Con Energy Partners,” “the Partnership,” “we,” “our,” “us” or like terms mean Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP, a Delaware limited partnership, and its subsidiaries. References to our “general partner” refer to Mid-Con Energy GP, LLC, the general partner of the Partnership, which effectively manages the business and affairs of the Partnership. References to “Yorktown” collectively refers to Yorktown Partners LLC, Yorktown Energy Partners VI, L.P., Yorktown Energy Partners VII, L.P., Yorktown Energy Partners VIII, L.P. and/or Yorktown Energy Partners IX, L.P. References to “Founders” collectively refers to Charles R. Olmstead, S. Craig George and Jeffrey R. Olmstead. References to our “predecessor” collectively refers to Mid-Con Energy Corporation, prior to June 30, 2009, and to Mid-Con Energy I, LLC and Mid-Con Energy II, LLC, on a combined basis, thereafter, our respective predecessors for accounting purposes. References to Mid-Con III refer to Mid-Con Energy III, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and an affiliate of our general partner.

 

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We have filed a registration statement with the SEC under the Securities Act that registers the securities offered by this prospectus. The registration statement, including the attached exhibits, contains additional relevant information about us. The rules and regulations of the SEC allow us to omit some information included in the registration statement from this prospectus.

In addition, we file annual, quarterly and other reports and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-732-0330 for further information on the operation of the SEC’s public reference room. Our SEC filings are available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. We also make available free of charge on our website at http://www.midconenergypartners.com/, all materials that we file electronically with the SEC, including our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, Section 16 reports and amendments to these reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we have filed with the SEC. This means that we can disclose important information to you without actually including the specific information in this prospectus by referring you to other documents filed separately with the SEC. These other documents contain important information about us, our financial condition and our results of operations. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus. Information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and may replace information in this prospectus and information previously filed with the SEC. Unless otherwise specified, information contained on, or available by hyperlink from, our website or contained on the SEC’s website is not incorporated into this prospectus.

We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), (excluding any information in those documents that is deemed by the rules of the SEC to be furnished and not filed with the SEC) until all offerings under the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part are completed or terminated, or after the date on which such registration statement was initially filed with the SEC and before the effectiveness of such registration statement:

 

    our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, filed on March 5, 2014 (the “Annual Report”);

 

    our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 24, 2014, March 5, 2014, April 4, 2014 (8-K/A), April 15, 2014 and April 23, 2014 (excluding any information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 on any Current Report on Form 8-K); and

 

    the description of our common units contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A (File No. 001-35374) filed on December 9, 2011, as supplemented and amended by our registration statement on Form 8-A/A (File No. 001-35374) filed on December 13, 2011.

You may obtain copies of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus from the SEC through the SEC’s website at the address provided above. You also may request a copy of any document incorporated by reference in this prospectus (including exhibits to those documents specifically incorporated by reference in this prospectus), at no cost, by visiting our website at http://www.midconenergypartners.com, or by writing or calling us at the following address:

Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP

2501 North Harwood Street, Suite 2410

Dallas, Texas 75201

(972) 479-5980

Attn: Investor Relations

 

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Some of the information included in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and the documents we incorporate by reference contain “forward-looking statements” that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which may include statements about our:

 

    business strategies;
    ability to replace the reserves we produce through acquisitions and the development of our properties;
    oil and natural gas reserves;
    technology;
    realized oil and natural gas prices;
    production volumes;
    lease operating expenses;
    general and administrative expenses;
    future operating results;
    cash flow and liquidity;
    availability of production equipment;
    availability of oil field labor;
    capital expenditures;
    availability and terms of capital;
    marketing of oil and natural gas;
    general economic conditions;
    competition in the oil and natural gas industry;
    effectiveness of risk management activities;
    environmental liabilities;
    counterparty credit risk;
    governmental regulation and taxation;
    developments in oil producing and natural gas producing countries; and
    plans, objectives, expectations and intentions.

These types of statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this prospectus, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may be found in “Risk Factors” and other sections of this prospectus, in the “Financial Statements,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Business,” “Properties” and other items within our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, which is incorporated by reference herein. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “project,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “pursue,” “target,” “continue,” “goal,” “forecast,” “guidance,” “might,” “scheduled” and the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology.

The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and the documents we incorporate by reference are largely based on our expectations, which reflect estimates and assumptions made by our management. These estimates and assumptions reflect our best judgment based on currently known market conditions and other factors. Although we believe such estimates and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently uncertain and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that are beyond our control. In addition, management’s assumptions about future events may prove to be inaccurate. All readers are cautioned that the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and the documents we incorporate by reference are not guarantees of future performance, and we cannot assure any reader that such statements will be realized or that the forward-looking events and circumstances will occur. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements due to factors described in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and the documents we incorporate by reference. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and other than as required by law; we do not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. These cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf.

 

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ABOUT MID-CON ENERGY PARTNERS, LP

We are a publicly held Delaware limited partnership formed in July 2011 that engages in the acquisition, exploitation and development of producing oil and natural gas properties in North America, with a focus on the Mid-Continent region of the United States. We operate as one business segment engaged in the exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas properties. Our properties are located in the Mid-Continent region of the United States in three core areas: Southern Oklahoma, Northeastern Oklahoma and parts of Oklahoma and Colorado within the Hugoton Basin. Our properties primarily consist of mature, legacy onshore oil reservoirs with long-lived, relatively predictable production profiles and low production decline rates.

Our general partner, Mid-Con Energy GP, LLC, is a Delaware limited liability company. Neither we, our general partner, nor our subsidiaries have any employees. We and our general partner are parties to a services agreement with Mid-Con Energy Operating, Inc., pursuant to which Mid-Con Energy Operating, Inc. provides management, administrative and operational services to us.

We own 100% of Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation. Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation was organized for the purpose of co-issuing our debt securities and has no material assets or liabilities other than as co-issuer of our debt securities. Its activities will be limited to co-issuing our debt securities and engaging in activities related thereto.

Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC, a 100 percent-owned subsidiary of the Partnership, holds title to our properties. Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC may unconditionally guarantee any series of debt securities offered by this prospectus, as set forth in an applicable prospectus supplement.

Our principal executive office is located at 2501 North Harwood Street, Suite 2410, Dallas, Texas 75201, and our telephone number is (972) 479-5980.

 

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in our securities involves risks. Before you invest in our securities, you should consider carefully the risk factors included in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and those that may be included in any applicable prospectus supplement, as well as risks described in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and cautionary notes regarding forward-looking statements included or incorporated by reference herein, together with all of the other information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and the documents we incorporate by reference.

If any of these risks were to materialize, our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. In that case, our ability to make distributions to our unitholders or pay interest on, or the principal of, any debt securities, may be reduced, the trading price of our securities could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise specified in an applicable prospectus supplement, we expect to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities covered by this prospectus for general partnership purposes, which may include, among other things, debt repayment, future acquisitions, capital expenditures and additions to working capital.

Any allocation of the net proceeds of an offering of securities to a specific purpose will be determined at the time of the offering and will be described in a prospectus supplement.

We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of common units by the selling unitholders.

 

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RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

The following table sets forth our and our predecessor’s historical consolidated ratio of earnings to fixed charges for the periods indicated. To date, neither we nor our predecessor have issued any preferred units. Therefore, the ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred unit dividend requirements is the same as the ratio of earnings to fixed charges presented below.

 

     Year Ended December 31,      Six Months
Ended
December 31,
    Year Ended
June 30,
 
         2013              2012              2011              2010              2009             2009      

Ratio of

Earnings to

Fixed

Charges

     9.1x         16.6x         33.8x         12.0x         (a     33.1x   

 

 

 

(a) During the period noted, our coverage ratio was less than 1:1. We would have needed to generate additional earnings of approximately $9.1 million during the six months ended December 31, 2009 to achieve a coverage ratio of 1:1.

For purposes of calculating the ratio of earnings to fixed charges:

 

    “earnings” consist of net earnings less interest capitalized plus fixed charges; and

 

    “fixed charges” consist of interest expense (gross of interest income), capitalized interest, amortization of deferred loan costs and interest component of rental income.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

Mid-Con Energy Partners may issue debt securities in one or more series, as to any of which Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation (“Mid-Con Finance”) may be a co-issuer. Mid-Con Finance was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware on February 11, 2013, is 100 percent-owned by Mid-Con Energy Partners and has no material assets or any liabilities other than as a co-issuer of debt securities. As used in this description, the words “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP, and not to any of its subsidiaries or affiliates.

Any debt securities that we offer under a prospectus supplement will be direct, unsecured general obligations. The debt securities will be either senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities. The debt securities will be issued under one or more separate indentures between us and a banking or financial institution, as trustee. Senior debt securities will be issued under a senior indenture and subordinated debt securities will be issued under a subordinated indenture. Together, the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture are called “indentures.” The indentures will be supplemented by supplemental indentures, the material provisions of which will be described in a prospectus supplement.

We have summarized some of the material provisions of the indentures below. This summary does not restate those agreements in their entirety. A form of senior indenture and a form of subordinated indenture have been filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We urge you to read each of the indentures because each one, and not this description, defines the rights of holders of debt securities.

Capitalized terms defined in the indentures have the same meanings when used in this prospectus.

General

The debt securities issued under the indentures will be our direct, unsecured general obligations. The senior debt securities will rank equally with all of our other senior and unsubordinated debt. The subordinated debt securities will have a junior position to all of our senior debt.

The following description sets forth the general terms and provisions that could apply to debt securities that we may offer to sell. A prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities being offered will include specific terms relating to the offering. These terms will include some or all of the following, among others:

 

    the title and type of the debt securities;

 

    the total principal amount of the debt securities;

 

    the percentage of the principal amount at which the debt securities will be issued and any payments due if the maturity of the debt securities is accelerated;

 

    the dates on which the principal of the debt securities will be payable;

 

    the interest rate which the debt securities will bear and the interest payment dates for the debt securities;

 

    any conversion or exchange features;

 

    any optional redemption periods;

 

    any sinking fund or other provisions that would obligate us to repurchase or otherwise redeem some or all of the debt securities;

 

    any provisions granting special rights to holders when a specified event occurs;

 

    any changes to or additional events of default or covenants;

 

    any special tax implications of the debt securities, including provisions for original issue discount securities, if offered; and

 

    any other terms of the debt securities.

Neither of the indentures will limit the amount of debt securities that may be issued. Each indenture will allow debt securities to be issued up to the principal amount that may be authorized by us and may be in any currency or currency unit designated by us.

 

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Debt securities of a series may be issued in registered or global form.

Subsidiary Guarantees

Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC, a 100 percent-owned subsidiary of the Partnership, may fully and unconditionally guarantee our payment obligations under any series of debt securities offered using this prospectus.

If the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a series of our senior debt securities provides that those senior debt securities will have the benefit of a guarantee by Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC, payment of the principal, premium, if any, and interest on those senior debt securities will be unconditionally guaranteed on an unsecured, unsubordinated basis by Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC. The guarantee of senior debt securities will rank equally in right of payment with all of Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC’s unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness.

If the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a series of our subordinated debt securities provides that those subordinated debt securities will have the benefit of a guarantee by Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC, payment of the principal, premium, if any, and interest on those subordinated debt securities will be unconditionally guaranteed on an unsecured, subordinated basis by Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC. The guarantee of the subordinated debt securities will be subordinated in right of payment to all of Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC’s existing and future senior indebtedness (as defined in the related prospectus supplement), including any guarantee of the senior debt securities, to the same extent and in the same manner as the subordinated debt securities are subordinated to our senior indebtedness (as defined in the related prospectus supplement). See “— Subordination” below.

The obligations of Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC under any such guarantee will be limited as necessary to prevent the guarantee from constituting a fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer under applicable law.

Covenants

Under the indentures, we:

 

    will pay the principal of, and interest and any premium on, the debt securities when due;

 

    will maintain a place of payment;

 

    will deliver a certificate to the trustee each fiscal year reviewing our compliance with our obligations under the indentures;

 

    will preserve our corporate existence; and

 

    will segregate or deposit with any paying agent sufficient funds for the payment of any principal, interest or premium on or before the due date of such payment.

Mergers and Sale of Assets

Each of the indentures will provide that we may not consolidate with or merge into any other Person or sell, convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of our properties and assets (on a consolidated basis) to another Person, unless:

 

    either: (a) we are the surviving Person; or (b) the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation, amalgamation or merger or resulting from such conversion (if other than us) or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition has been made is a corporation, limited liability company or limited partnership organized or existing under the laws of the United States, any State thereof or the District of Columbia;

 

    the Person formed by or surviving any such conversion, consolidation, amalgamation or merger (if other than us) or the Person to which such sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance or other disposition has been made assumes all of our obligations under such indenture and the debt securities governed thereby pursuant to agreements reasonably satisfactory to the trustee, which may include a supplemental indenture;

 

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    we or the successor will not immediately be in default under such indenture; and

 

    we deliver an officer’s certificate and opinion of counsel to the trustee stating that such consolidation, amalgamation, merger, conveyance, sale, transfer or lease and any supplemental indenture comply with such indenture and that all conditions precedent set forth in such indenture have been complied with.

Upon the assumption of our obligations under each indenture by a successor, we will be discharged from all obligations under such indenture.

As used in the indenture and in this description, the word “Person” means any individual, corporation, company, limited liability company, partnership, limited partnership, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust, other entity, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof.

Events of Default

“Event of default,” when used in the indentures with respect to debt securities of any series, will mean any of the following:

(1) default in the payment of any interest upon any debt security of that series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days;

(2) default in the payment of the principal of (or premium, if any, on) any debt security of that series at its maturity;

(3) default in the performance, or breach, of any covenant set forth in Article Ten of the applicable indenture (other than a covenant a default in the performance of which or the breach of which is elsewhere specifically dealt with as an event of default or which has expressly been included in such indenture solely for the benefit of one or more series of debt securities other than that series), and continuance of such default or breach for a period of 90 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail, to us by the trustee or to us and the trustee by the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the then-outstanding debt securities of that series a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” thereunder;

(4) default in the performance, or breach, of any covenant in the applicable indenture (other than a covenant set forth in Article Ten of such indenture or any other covenant a default in the performance of which or the breach of which is elsewhere specifically dealt with as an event of default or which has expressly been included in such indenture solely for the benefit of one or more series of debt securities other than that series), and continuance of such default or breach for a period of 180 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail, to us by the trustee or to us and the trustee by the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the then-outstanding debt securities of that series a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” thereunder;

(5) we, pursuant to or within the meaning of any bankruptcy law, (i) commence a voluntary case, (ii) consent to the entry of any order for relief against us in an involuntary case, (iii) consent to the appointment of a custodian of us or for all or substantially all of our property, or (iv) make a general assignment for the benefit of our creditors;

(6) a court of competent jurisdiction enters an order or decree under any bankruptcy law that (i) is for relief against us in an involuntary case, (ii) appoints a custodian of us or for all or substantially all of our property, or (iii) orders the liquidation of us, and the order or decree remains unstayed and in effect for 60 consecutive days;

(7) default in the deposit of any sinking fund payment when due; or

(8) any other event of default provided with respect to debt securities of that series in accordance with provisions of the indenture related to the issuance of such debt securities.

 

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An event of default for a particular series of debt securities does not necessarily constitute an event of default for any other series of debt securities issued under an indenture. The trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any default (except in the payment of principal, interest or any premium) if it considers the withholding of notice to be in the interests of the holders.

If an event of default for any series of debt securities occurs and continues, the trustee or the holders of 25% in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of the series may declare the entire principal of all of the debt securities of that series to be due and payable immediately. If this happens, subject to certain conditions, the holders of a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of that series can void the declaration.

Other than its duties in case of a default, a trustee is not obligated to exercise any of its rights or powers under any indenture at the request, order or direction of any holders, unless the holders offer the trustee reasonable indemnity. If they provide this reasonable indemnification, the holders of a majority in principal amount outstanding of any series of debt securities may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding or any remedy available to the trustee, or exercising any power conferred upon the trustee, for any series of debt securities.

Amendments and Waivers

Subject to certain exceptions, the indentures, the debt securities issued thereunder or the subsidiary guarantees may be amended or supplemented with the consent of the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then-outstanding debt securities of each series affected by such amendment or supplemental indenture, with each such series voting as a separate class (including, without limitation, consents obtained in connection with a purchase of, or tender offer or exchange offer for, debt securities) and, subject to certain exceptions, any past default or compliance with any provisions may be waived with respect to each series of debt securities with the consent of the holders of a majority in principal amount of the then-outstanding debt securities of such series voting as a separate class (including consents obtained in connection with a purchase of, or tender offer or exchange offer for, debt securities).

Without the consent of each holder of the outstanding debt securities affected, an amendment, supplement or waiver may not, among other things:

(1) change the stated maturity of the principal of, or any installment of principal of or interest on, any debt security, reduce the principal amount thereof or the rate of interest thereon or any premium payable upon the redemption thereof, reduce the amount of the principal of an original issue discount security that would be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to the applicable indenture, change the coin or currency in which any debt security or any premium or the interest thereon is payable, or impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after the stated maturity thereof (or, in the case of redemption, on or after the redemption date therefor);

(2) reduce the percentage in principal amount of the then-outstanding debt securities of any series, the consent of the holders of which is required for any such amendment or supplemental indenture, or the consent of the holders of which is required for any waiver of compliance with certain provisions of the applicable indenture or certain defaults thereunder and their consequences provided for in the applicable indenture;

(3) modify any of the provisions set forth in (i) the provisions of the applicable indenture related to the holder’s unconditional right to receive principal, premium, if any, and interest on the debt securities or (ii) the provisions of the applicable indenture related to the waiver of past defaults under such indenture;

(4) waive a redemption payment with respect to any debt security; provided, however, that any purchase or repurchase of debt securities shall not be deemed a redemption of the debt securities;

(5) release any guarantor from any of its obligations under its guarantee or the applicable indenture, except in accordance with the terms of such indenture (as amended or supplemented); or

 

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(6) make any change in the foregoing amendment and waiver provisions, except to increase any percentage provided for therein or to provide that certain other provisions of the applicable indenture cannot be modified or waived without the consent of the holder of each then-outstanding debt security affected thereby.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, without the consent of any holder of debt securities, we, the guarantors and the trustee may amend each of the indentures or the debt securities issued thereunder to:

(1) cure any ambiguity or defect or to correct or supplement any provision therein that may be inconsistent with any other provision therein;

(2) evidence the succession of another Person to us and the assumption by any such successor of our covenants therein and, to the extent applicable, of the debt securities;

(3) provide for uncertificated debt securities in addition to or in place of certificated debt securities; provided that the uncertificated debt securities are issued in registered form for purposes of Section 163(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), or in the manner such that the uncertificated debt securities are described in Section 163(f)(2)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code;

(4) cause any corporate subsidiary to become a co-issuer of any series of debt securities, and/or add a guarantee and cause any Person to become a guarantor, and/or to evidence the succession of another Person to a guarantor and the assumption by any such successor of the guarantee of such guarantor therein and, to the extent applicable, endorsed upon any debt securities of any series;

(5) secure the debt securities of any series;

(6) add to the covenants such further covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions as we shall consider to be appropriate for the benefit of the holders of all or any series of debt securities (and if such covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions are to be for the benefit of less than all series of debt securities, stating that such covenants are expressly being included solely for the benefit of such series), to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and continuance, of a default in any such additional covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions an event of default permitting the enforcement of all or any of the several remedies provided in the applicable indenture as set forth therein, or to surrender any right or power therein conferred upon us; provided, that in respect of any such additional covenant, restriction, condition or provision, such amendment or supplemental indenture may provide for a particular period of grace after default (which period may be shorter or longer than that allowed in the case of other defaults) or may provide for an immediate enforcement upon such an event of default or may limit the remedies available to the trustee upon such an event of default or may limit the right of the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of such series to waive such an event of default;

(7) make any change to any provision of the applicable indenture that does not adversely affect the rights or interests of any holder of debt securities issued thereunder;

(8) provide for the issuance of additional debt securities in accordance with the provisions set forth in the applicable indenture;

(9) add any additional defaults or events of default in respect of all or any series of debt securities;

(10) add to, change or eliminate any of the provisions of the applicable indenture to such extent as shall be necessary to permit or facilitate the issuance of debt securities in bearer form, registrable or not registrable as to principal, and with or without interest coupons;

(11) change or eliminate any of the provisions of the applicable indenture; provided that any such change or elimination shall become effective only when there is no debt security outstanding of any series created prior to the execution of such amendment or supplemental indenture that is entitled to the benefit of such provision;

 

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(12) establish the form or terms of debt securities of any series as permitted thereunder, including to reopen any series of any debt securities as permitted thereunder;

(13) evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment thereunder by a successor trustee with respect to the debt securities of one or more series and to add to or change any of the provisions of the applicable indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts thereunder by more than one trustee, pursuant to the requirements of such indenture;

(14) conform the text of the applicable indenture (and/or any supplemental indenture) or any debt securities issued thereunder to any provision of a description of such debt securities appearing in a prospectus or prospectus supplement or an offering memorandum or offering circular to the extent that such provision appears on its face to have been intended to be a verbatim recitation of a provision of such indenture (and/or any supplemental indenture) or any debt securities issued thereunder; or

(15) modify, eliminate or add to the provisions of the applicable indenture to such extent as shall be necessary to effect the qualification of such indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”), or under any similar federal statute subsequently enacted, and to add to such indenture such other provisions as may be expressly required under the Trust Indenture Act.

The consent of the holders is not necessary under either indenture to approve the particular form of any proposed amendment. It is sufficient if such consent approves the substance of the proposed amendment. After an amendment with the consent of the holders under an indenture becomes effective, we are required to mail to the holders of debt securities thereunder a notice briefly describing such amendment. However, the failure to give such notice to all such holders, or any defect therein, will not impair or affect the validity of the amendment.

Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance

Each indenture provides that we may, at our option and at any time, elect to have all of our obligations discharged with respect to the debt securities outstanding thereunder and all obligations of any guarantors of such debt securities discharged with respect to their guarantees (“Legal Defeasance”), except for:

(1) the rights of holders of outstanding debt securities to receive payments in respect of the principal of, or interest or premium, if any, on, such debt securities when such payments are due from the trust referred to below;

(2) our obligations with respect to the debt securities concerning temporary debt securities, registration of debt securities, mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen debt securities, the maintenance of an office or agency for payment and money for security payments held in trust;

(3) the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the trustee, and our and each guarantor’s obligations in connection therewith; and

(4) the Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance (as defined below) provisions of the applicable indenture.

In addition, we may, at our option and at any time, elect to have our obligations released with respect to certain provisions of each indenture, including certain provisions described in any prospectus supplement (such release and termination being referred to as “Covenant Defeasance”), and thereafter any failure to comply with such obligations or provisions will not constitute a default or event of default. In addition, in the event Covenant Defeasance occurs in accordance with the applicable indenture, any defeasible event of default will no longer constitute an event of default.

In order to exercise either Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance:

(1) we must irrevocably deposit with the trustee, in trust, for the benefit of the holders of the debt securities, cash in U.S. dollars, non-callable U.S. government securities, or a combination of cash in U.S. dollars and non-callable U.S. government securities, in amounts as will be sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized investment bank, appraisal firm or firm of independent public accountants, to pay the

 

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principal of, and interest and premium, if any, on, the outstanding debt securities on the stated date for payment thereof or on the applicable redemption date, as the case may be, and we must specify whether the debt securities are being defeased to such stated date for payment or to a particular redemption date;

(2) in the case of Legal Defeasance, we must deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel reasonably acceptable to the trustee confirming that (a) we have received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling or (b) since the issue date of the debt securities, there has been a change in the applicable federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion of counsel will confirm that, the holders of the outstanding debt securities will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such Legal Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same time as would have been the case if such Legal Defeasance had not occurred;

(3) in the case of Covenant Defeasance, we must deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel reasonably acceptable to the trustee confirming that the holders of the outstanding debt securities will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such Covenant Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Covenant Defeasance had not occurred;

(4) no default or event of default shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit (other than a default or event of default resulting from the borrowing of funds to be applied to such deposit);

(5) the deposit must not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, any other instrument to which we are, or any guarantor is, a party or by which we are, or any guarantor is, bound;

(6) such Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance must not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, any material agreement or instrument (other than the applicable indenture) to which we are, or any of our subsidiaries is, a party or by which we are, or any of our subsidiaries is, bound;

(7) we must deliver to the trustee an officer’s certificate stating that the deposit was not made by us with the intent of preferring the holders of debt securities over our other creditors with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding our creditors or the creditors of others;

(8) we must deliver to the trustee an officer’s certificate stating that all conditions precedent set forth in clauses (1) through (6) of this paragraph have been complied with; and

(9) we must deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel (which opinion of counsel may be subject to customary assumptions, qualifications, and exclusions) stating that all conditions precedent set forth in clauses (2), (3) and (6) of this paragraph have been complied with.

Satisfaction and Discharge

Each of the indentures will be discharged and will cease to be of further effect (except as to surviving rights of registration of transfer or exchange of debt securities and certain rights of the trustee, as expressly provided for in such indenture) as to all outstanding debt securities issued thereunder and the guarantees issued thereunder when:

(1) either (a) all of the debt securities theretofore authenticated and delivered under such indenture (except lost, stolen or destroyed debt securities that have been replaced or paid and debt securities for the payment of which money has theretofore been deposited in trust or segregated and held in trust by us and thereafter repaid to us or discharged from such trust) have been delivered to the trustee for cancellation or (b) all debt securities not theretofore delivered to the trustee for cancellation have become due and payable, will become due and payable at their stated maturity within one year, or are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the trustee for the giving of notice of redemption by the trustee in the name, and at the expense, of us, and we have irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the trustee funds, in an amount sufficient to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on the debt securities not theretofore delivered to the trustee for cancellation, for principal of and premium, if any, and

 

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interest on the debt securities to the date of deposit (in the case of debt securities that have become due and payable) or to the stated maturity or redemption date, as the case may be, together with instructions from us irrevocably directing the trustee to apply such funds to the payment thereof at maturity or redemption, as the case may be;

(2) we have paid all other sums then due and payable under such indenture by us; and

(3) we have delivered to the trustee an officer’s certificate and an opinion of counsel, which, taken together, state that all conditions precedent under such indenture relating to the satisfaction and discharge of such indenture have been complied with.

No Personal Liability of Directors, Managers, Officers, Employees, Partners, Members and Equityholders

No director, manager, officer, employee, incorporator, partner, member or equityholder of us or any guarantor, as such, shall have any liability for any of our obligations or those of the guarantors under the debt securities, the indentures, the guarantees or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each holder of debt securities, upon our issuance of the debt securities and execution of the indentures, waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the debt securities. Such waiver may not be effective to waive liabilities under the federal securities laws and it is the view of the SEC that such a waiver is against public policy.

Denominations

Unless stated otherwise in the prospectus supplement for each issuance of debt securities, the debt securities will be issued in denominations of $1,000 each or integral multiples of $1,000.

Paying Agent and Registrar

The trustee will initially act as paying agent and registrar for the debt securities. We may change the paying agent or registrar without prior notice to the holders of the debt securities, and we may act as paying agent or registrar.

Transfer and Exchange

A holder may transfer or exchange debt securities in accordance with the applicable indenture. The registrar and the trustee may require a holder, among other things, to furnish appropriate endorsements and transfer documents, and we may require a holder to pay any taxes and fees required by law or permitted by the applicable indenture. We are not required to transfer or exchange any debt security selected for redemption. In addition, we are not required to transfer or exchange any debt security for a period of 15 days before a selection of debt securities to be redeemed.

Subordination

The payment of the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on subordinated debt securities and any of our other payment obligations in respect of subordinated debt securities (including any obligation to repurchase subordinated debt securities) is subordinated in certain circumstances in right of payment, as set forth in the subordinated indenture, to the prior payment in full in cash of all senior debt.

We also may not make any payment, whether by redemption, purchase, retirement, defeasance or otherwise, upon or in respect of subordinated debt securities, except from a trust described under “— Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance,” if

 

    a default in the payment of all or any portion of the obligations on any designated senior debt (“payment default”) occurs that has not been cured or waived, or

 

    any other default occurs and is continuing with respect to designated senior debt pursuant to which the maturity thereof may be accelerated (“non-payment default”) and, solely with respect to this clause, the trustee for the subordinated debt securities receives a notice of the default (a “payment blockage notice”) from the trustee or other representative for the holders of such designated senior debt.

 

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Cash payments on subordinated debt securities will be resumed (a) in the case of a payment default, upon the date on which such default is cured or waived, and (b) in case of a nonpayment default, the earliest of the date on which such nonpayment default is cured or waived, the termination of the payment blockage period by written notice to the trustee for the subordinated debt securities from the trustee or other representative for the holders of such designated senior debt, the payment in full of such designated senior debt or 179 days after the date on which the applicable payment blockage notice is received. No new payment blockage period may be commenced unless and until 360 days have elapsed since the date of commencement of the payment blockage period resulting from the immediately prior payment blockage notice. No nonpayment default in respect of designated senior debt that existed or was continuing on the date of delivery of any payment blockage notice to the trustee for the subordinated debt securities will be, or be made, the basis for a subsequent payment blockage notice unless such default shall have been cured or waived for a period of no less than 90 consecutive days.

Upon any payment or distribution of our assets or securities (other than with the money, securities or proceeds held under any defeasance trust established in accordance with the subordinated indenture) in connection with any dissolution or winding up or total or partial liquidation or reorganization of us, whether voluntary or involuntary, or in bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other proceedings or other marshalling of assets for the benefit of creditors, all amounts due or to become due upon all senior debt shall first be paid in full, in cash or cash equivalents, before the holders of the subordinated debt securities or the trustee on their behalf shall be entitled to receive any payment by or on behalf of us on account of the subordinated debt securities, or any payment to acquire any of the subordinated debt securities for cash, property or securities, or any distribution with respect to the subordinated debt securities of any cash, property or securities. Before any payment may be made by, or on behalf of, us on any subordinated debt security (other than with the money, securities or proceeds held under any defeasance trust established in accordance with the subordinated indenture) in connection with any such dissolution, winding up, liquidation or reorganization, any payment or distribution of our assets or securities, to which the holders of subordinated debt securities or the trustee on their behalf would be entitled, shall be made by us or by any receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, liquidating trustee, agent or other similar Person making such payment or distribution, or by the holders or the trustee if received by them or it, directly to the holders of senior debt or their representatives or to any trustee or trustees under any indenture pursuant to which any such senior debt may have been issued, as their respective interests appear, to the extent necessary to pay all such senior debt in full, in cash or cash equivalents, after giving effect to any concurrent payment, distribution or provision therefor to or for the holders of such senior debt.

As a result of these subordination provisions, in the event of our liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, receivership or similar proceeding or an assignment for the benefit of our creditors or a marshalling of our assets or liabilities, holders of subordinated debt securities may receive ratably less than other creditors.

Payment and Transfer

Principal, interest and any premium on fully registered debt securities will be paid at designated places. Payment will be made by check mailed to the persons in whose names the debt securities are registered on days specified in the indentures or any prospectus supplement. Debt securities payments in other forms will be paid at a place designated by us and specified in a prospectus supplement.

Fully registered debt securities may be transferred or exchanged at the office of the trustee or at any other office or agency maintained by us for such purposes, without the payment of any service charge except for any tax or governmental charge.

Global Securities

The debt securities of a series may be issued in whole or in part in the form of one or more global certificates that we will deposit with a depositary identified in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless and until it is exchanged in whole or in part for the individual debt securities that it represents, a global security may not be transferred except as a whole:

 

    by the applicable depositary to a nominee of the depositary;

 

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    by any nominee to the depositary itself or another nominee; or

 

    by the depositary or any nominee to a successor depositary or any nominee of the successor.

We will describe the specific terms of the depositary arrangement with respect to a series of debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement. We anticipate that the following provisions will generally apply to depositary arrangements.

When we issue a global security in registered form, the depositary for the global security or its nominee will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the respective principal amounts of the individual debt securities represented by that global security to the accounts of persons that have accounts with the depositary (“participants”). Those accounts will be designated by the dealers, underwriters or agents with respect to the underlying debt securities or by us if those debt securities are offered and sold directly by us. Ownership of beneficial interests in a global security will be limited to participants or persons that may hold interests through participants. For interests of participants, ownership of beneficial interests in the global security will be shown on records maintained by the applicable depositary or its nominee. For interests of persons other than participants, that ownership information will be shown on the records of participants. Transfer of that ownership will be effected only through those records. The laws of some states require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of securities in definitive form. These limits and laws may impair our ability to transfer beneficial interests in a global security.

As long as the depositary for a global security, or its nominee, is the registered owner of that global security, the depositary or nominee will be considered the sole owner or holder of the debt securities represented by the global security for all purposes under the applicable indenture. Except as provided below, owners of beneficial interests in a global security:

 

    will not be entitled to have any of the underlying debt securities registered in their names;

 

    will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of any of the underlying debt securities in definitive form; and

 

    will not be considered the owners or holders under the indenture relating to those debt securities.

Payments of the principal of, any premium on and any interest on individual debt securities represented by a global security registered in the name of a depositary or its nominee will be made to the depositary or its nominee as the registered owner of the global security representing such debt securities. Neither we, the trustee for the debt securities, any paying agent nor the registrar for the debt securities will be responsible for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made by the depositary or any participants on account of beneficial interests in the global security.

We expect that the depositary or its nominee, upon receipt of any payment of principal, any premium or interest relating to a global security representing any series of debt securities, immediately will credit participants’ accounts with the payments. Those payments will be credited in amounts proportional to the respective beneficial interests of the participants in the principal amount of the global security as shown on the records of the depositary or its nominee. We also expect that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in the global security held through those participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices. This is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers registered in “street name.” Those payments will be the sole responsibility of those participants.

If the depositary for a series of debt securities is at any time unwilling, unable or ineligible to continue as depositary and we do not appoint a successor depositary within 90 days, we will issue individual debt securities of that series in exchange for the global security or securities representing that series. In addition, we may at any time in our sole discretion determine not to have any debt securities of a series represented by one or more global securities. In that event, we will issue individual debt securities of that series in exchange for the global security or securities. Furthermore, if we specify, an owner of a beneficial interest in a global security may, on terms acceptable to us, the trustee and the applicable depositary, receive individual debt securities of that series in

 

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exchange for those beneficial interests. The foregoing is subject to any limitations described in the applicable prospectus supplement. In any such instance, the owner of the beneficial interest will be entitled to physical delivery of individual debt securities equal in principal amount to the beneficial interest and to have the debt securities registered in its name. Those individual debt securities will be issued in any authorized denominations.

Governing Law

Each indenture and the debt securities will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

Information Concerning the Trustee

U.S. Bank National Association will be the trustee under the indentures. A successor trustee may be appointed in accordance with the terms of the indentures.

The indentures and the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act incorporated by reference therein will contain certain limitations on the rights of the trustee, should it become a creditor of us, to obtain payment of claims in certain cases, or to realize on certain property received in respect of any such claim as security or otherwise. The trustee will be permitted to engage in other transactions; however, if it acquires any conflicting interest (within the meaning of the Trust Indenture Act), it must eliminate such conflicting interest or resign.

A single banking or financial institution may act as trustee with respect to both the subordinated indenture and the senior indenture. If this occurs, and should a default occur with respect to either the subordinated debt securities or the senior debt securities, such banking or financial institution would be required to resign as trustee under one of the indentures within 90 days of such default, pursuant to the Trust Indenture Act, unless such default were cured, duly waived or otherwise eliminated.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF GUARANTEES OF DEBT SECURITIES

Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC, a 100 percent-owned subsidiary of the Partnership, may issue unconditional guarantees on an unsecured, unsubordinated basis with respect to senior debt securities that we offer in any prospectus supplement and may issue unconditional guarantees on an unsecured, subordinated basis with respect to subordinated debt securities that we offer in any prospectus supplement. The guarantee of senior debt securities will rank equally in right of payment with all of Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC’s unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness. The guarantee of the subordinated debt securities will be subordinated in right of payment to all Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC’s existing and future senior indebtedness (as defined in the related prospectus supplement), including any guarantee of senior debt securities, to the same extent and in the same manner as the subordinated debt securities are subordinated to our senior indebtedness (as defined in the related prospectus supplement). Each guarantee will be issued under a supplement to an indenture. The prospectus supplement relating to a particular issue of guarantees will describe the terms of those guarantees, including the following:

 

    the series of debt securities to which the guarantees apply;

 

    whether the guarantees are secured or unsecured;

 

    whether the guarantees are senior or subordinate to other guarantees or debt;

 

    the terms under which the guarantees may be amended, modified, waived, released or otherwise terminated, if different from the provisions applicable to the guaranteed debt securities; and

 

    any additional terms of the guarantees.

The obligations of Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC under any such guarantee will be limited as necessary to prevent the guarantee from constituting a fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer under applicable law.

Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC holds title to our properties. Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC may fully and unconditionally guarantee any series of debt securities offered by this prospectus, as set forth in an applicable prospectus supplement. The Partnership has no assets or operations independent of Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC, and there are no significant restrictions upon the ability of Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC to distribute funds to the Partnership by dividend or loan. Other than Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation, a 100 percent owned finance subsidiary of the Partnership whose sole purpose is to co-issue any debt securities issued by the Partnership and who has no material assets or liabilities other than as co-issuer of the Partnership’s debt securities, Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC is the sole subsidiary of the Partnership.

As stated above, Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation may co-issue any debt securities issued by the Partnership. Any such co-issuance will constitute the joint and several obligations of the Partnership and Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation. Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation has no material assets or liabilities other than as co-issuer of the Partnership’s debt securities. Its activities will be limited to co-issuing our debt securities and engaging in activities related thereto. There are no significant restrictions upon the ability of Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation to distribute funds to the Partnership by dividend or loan.

None of the assets of Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation or Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC represent restricted net assets pursuant to Rule 4-08(e)(3) of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMON UNITS

The Units

Our common units are traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “MCEP.” At the close of business on April 1, 2014, based upon information received from our transfer agent and brokers and nominees, we had approximately 49 unrestricted common unitholders of record. This number does not include owners for whom common units may be held in “street” name or whose common units are restricted. The holders of units are entitled to participate in partnership distributions and exercise the rights or privileges available to limited partners under our partnership agreement. For a description of the rights of holders of common units in and to partnership distributions, please read this section and “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions.” For a description of other rights and privileges of limited partners under our partnership agreement, including voting rights, please read “The Partnership Agreement.” As of May 1, 2014, 21,061,940 common units were outstanding.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

Duties

Wells Fargo Shareowner Services serves as registrar and transfer agent for the common units. We pay all fees charged by the transfer agent for transfers of common units, except the following, which must be paid by our unitholders:

 

    surety bond premiums to replace lost or stolen certificates or to cover taxes and other governmental charges;

 

    special charges for services requested by a common unitholder; and

 

    other similar fees or charges.

There is no charge to our unitholders for disbursements of our cash distributions. We will indemnify the transfer agent, its agents and each of their respective stockholders, directors, officers and employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of their actions for their activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence or willful misconduct of the indemnitee.

Resignation or Removal

The transfer agent may resign, by notice to us, or be removed by us. The resignation or removal of the transfer agent will become effective upon our appointment of a successor transfer agent and registrar and its acceptance of the appointment. If no successor is appointed, our general partner may act as the transfer agent and registrar until a successor is appointed.

Transfer of Common Units

By transfer of common units in accordance with our partnership agreement, each transferee of common units shall be admitted as a limited partner with respect to the common units transferred when such transfer and admission are reflected in our books and records. Each transferee:

 

    represents that the transferee has the capacity, power and authority to become bound by our partnership agreement;

 

    automatically agrees to be bound by the terms and conditions of our partnership agreement; and

 

    makes the consents, acknowledgments and waivers contained in our partnership agreement, such as the approval of all transactions and agreements that we are entering into in connection with this offering.

Our general partner may request that a transferee of common units certify that such transferee is an Eligible Holder. As of the date of this prospectus, an Eligible Holder means:

 

    a citizen of the United States;

 

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    a corporation organized under the laws of the United States or of any state thereof;

 

    a public body of the United States, including a municipality of the United States;

 

    an association of United States citizens, such as a partnership or limited liability company, organized under the laws of the United States or of any state thereof, but only if such association does not have any direct or indirect foreign ownership, other than foreign ownership of stock in a parent corporation organized under the laws of the United States or of any state thereof; or

 

    a limited partner whose nationality, citizenship or other related status would not, in the determination of our general partner, create a substantial risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any property in which we or our subsidiary has an interest.

For the avoidance of doubt, onshore mineral leases or any direct or indirect interest therein may be acquired and held by aliens only through stock ownership, holding or control in a corporation organized under the laws of the United States or of any state thereof.

In addition to other rights acquired upon transfer, the transferor gives the transferee the right to be admitted to our partnership as a limited partner with respect to the transferred common units. A transferee will become a limited partner of our partnership for the transferred common units automatically upon the recording of the transfer on our books and records. Our general partner will cause any transfers to be recorded on our books and records no less frequently than quarterly.

Until a common unit has been transferred on our books, we and the transfer agent may treat the record holder of the unit as the absolute owner for all purposes, except as otherwise required by law or stock exchange regulations.

We may, at our discretion, treat the nominee holder of a common unit as the absolute owner. In that case, the beneficial holder’s rights are limited solely to those that it has against the nominee holder as a result of any agreement between the beneficial owner and the nominee holder.

Common units are securities and any transfers are subject to the laws governing transfers of securities.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED UNITS

Our partnership agreement authorizes us to issue an unlimited number of additional limited partner interests and other equity securities, including preferred units, for the consideration and with the designations, preferences, rights, powers and duties established by our general partner without the approval of any of our limited partners. As of the date of this prospectus, we have no preferred units outstanding.

Should we offer preferred units under this prospectus, a prospectus supplement relating to the particular series of preferred units offered will include the specific terms of those preferred units, including, among other things, the following:

 

    the designation and liquidation preference of the preferred units and the number of preferred units offered;

 

    the initial public offering price at which the preferred units will be issued;

 

    the conversion or exchange provisions of the preferred units;

 

    any redemption or sinking fund provisions of the preferred units;

 

    the distribution rights of the preferred units, if any;

 

    a discussion of any additional material federal income tax considerations regarding the preferred units;

 

    voting rights, if any, including voting rights to which common units are not entitled; and

 

    any additional rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, and restrictions of the preferred units.

The transfer agent and registrar for any preferred units will be designated in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

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THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

The following is a summary of the material provisions of our partnership agreement. We will provide prospective investors with a copy of our partnership agreement upon request at no charge.

We summarize the following provisions of our partnership agreement elsewhere in this prospectus:

 

    with regard to distributions of available cash, please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions;”

 

    with regard to the fiduciary duties of our general partner, you should read the risk factors included in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and those that may be included in the applicable prospectus supplement;

 

    with regard to the transfer of common units, please read “Description of the Common Units —Transfer Agent and Registrar — Transfer of Common Units;” and

 

    with regard to allocations of taxable income, taxable loss and other matters, please read “Material Tax Consequences.”

Organization and Duration

Our partnership was organized in July 2011 and will have a perpetual existence unless terminated pursuant to the terms of our partnership agreement.

Purpose

Our purpose under our partnership agreement is to engage directly in, or enter into or form, hold and dispose of any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other arrangement to engage directly in, any business activity that is approved by our general partner and that lawfully may be conducted by a limited partnership organized under Delaware law and, in connection therewith, to exercise all of the rights and powers conferred upon us pursuant to the agreements relating to such business activity and do anything necessary or appropriate to the foregoing. However, our general partner may not cause us to engage in any business activity that it determines would be reasonably likely to cause us to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for federal income tax purposes.

Although our general partner has the ability to cause us and our subsidiary to engage in activities other than the ownership, acquisition, exploitation and development of oil and natural gas properties and the ownership, acquisition and operation of related assets, our general partner has no current plans to do so and may decline to do so free of any fiduciary duty or obligation whatsoever to us or our limited partners, including any duty to act in good faith or in the best interests of us or our limited partners. Our general partner is generally authorized to perform all acts it determines to be necessary or appropriate to carry out our purposes and to conduct our business.

Cash Distributions

Our partnership agreement specifies the manner in which we will make cash distributions to our unitholders and other partnership interests as well as to our general partner in respect of its general partner interest. For a description of these cash distribution provisions, please read “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions.”

Capital Contributions

Unitholders are not obligated to make additional capital contributions, except as described under “— Limited Liability.”

For a discussion of our general partner’s right to contribute capital to maintain its approximate 2.0% general partner interest if we issue additional units, please read “— Issuance of Additional Interests.”

 

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Limited Voting Rights

The following is a summary of the unitholder vote required for each of the matters specified below.

Various matters require the approval of a “unit majority,” which means the approval of a majority of the outstanding common units.

In voting their common units, our general partner, and our general partner’s affiliates (including the Founders and Mid-Con III) and Yorktown will have no fiduciary duty or obligation whatsoever to us or the limited partners, including any duty to act in good faith or in the best interests of us or our limited partners.

 

Issuance of additional units    No approval right. Please read “— Issuance of Additional Interests.”
Amendment of the partnership agreement    Certain amendments may be made by our general partner without the approval of any limited partner. Other amendments generally require the approval of a unit majority. Please read “— Amendment of the Partnership Agreement.”
Merger of our partnership or the sale of all or substantially all of our assets    Unit majority, in certain circumstances. Please read “— Merger, Consolidation, Sale or Other Disposition of Assets.”
Dissolution of our partnership    Unit majority. Please read “— Dissolution.”
Continuation of our business upon dissolution    Unit majority. Please read “— Dissolution.”
Withdrawal of our general partner    Prior to December 31, 2021, under most circumstances, the approval of a majority of the common units, excluding common units held by our general partner and its affiliates (including the Founders and Mid-Con III), is required for the withdrawal of our general partner in a manner that would cause a dissolution of our partnership. Please read “— Withdrawal or Removal of Our General Partner.”
Removal of our general partner    Not less than 66 23% of the outstanding units, including units held by our general partner and its affiliates (including the Founders and Mid-Con III). Please read “—Withdrawal or Removal of Our General Partner.”
Transfer of our general partner interest    Our general partner may transfer without a vote of our unitholders all, but not less than all, of its general partner interest in us to an affiliate or another person (other than an individual) in connection with its merger or consolidation with or into, or sale of all, or substantially all, of its assets to, such other person. The approval of a majority of the common units, excluding common units held by our general partner and its affiliates (including the Founders and Mid-Con III), is required in other circumstances for a transfer of the general partner interest to a third party prior to December 31, 2021. Please read “— Transfer of General Partner Interest.”
Transfer of ownership interests in our general partner    No approval required at any time. Please read “— Transfer of Ownership Interests in Our General Partner.”

 

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Applicable Law; Forum, Venue and Jurisdiction

Our partnership agreement is governed by Delaware law. Our partnership agreement requires that any claims, suits, actions or proceedings:

 

    arising out of or relating in any way to the partnership agreement (including any claims, suits or actions to interpret, apply or enforce the provisions of the partnership agreement or the duties, obligations or liabilities among limited partners or of limited partners to us, or the rights or powers of, or restrictions on, the limited partners or us);
    brought in a derivative manner on our behalf;
    asserting a claim of breach of duty (including any fiduciary duty) owed by any director, officer or other employee of us or our general partner, or owed by our general partner, to us or the limited partners;
    asserting a claim arising pursuant to or to interpret or enforce any provision of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, which we refer to in this prospectus as the “Delaware Act”; or
    asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine,

shall be exclusively brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, any other court in the State of Delaware with subject matter jurisdiction), in each case, regardless of whether such claims, suits, actions or proceedings sound in contract, tort, fraud or otherwise, are based on common law, statutory, equitable, legal or other grounds, or are derivative or direct claims. By purchasing a common unit, a limited partner (i) irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in connection with any such claim, suit, action or proceedings; (ii) irrevocably agrees not to, and waives any right to, assert in any such claim, suit, action or proceeding that (A) it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of such courts or of any other court to which proceedings in such courts may be appealed, (B) such claim, suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum, or (C) the venue of such claim, suit, action or proceeding is improper; (iii) expressly waives any requirement for the posting of a bond by a party bringing such claim, suit, action or proceeding; (iv) consents to process being served in any such claim, suit, action or proceeding by (X) mailing, certified mail, return receipt requested, a copy thereof to such party at the address in effect for notices under our partnership agreement or (Y) any other manner permitted by law; and (v) irrevocably waives any and all right to trial by jury in any such claim, suit, action or proceeding.

Limited Liability

Assuming that a limited partner does not participate in the control of our business within the meaning of the Delaware Act and that he otherwise acts in conformity with the provisions of our partnership agreement, his liability under the Delaware Act will be limited, subject to possible exceptions, to the amount of capital he is obligated to contribute to us for his common units plus his share of any undistributed profits and assets. If it were determined, however, that the right or exercise of the right by our limited partners as a group:

 

    to remove or replace our general partner;

 

    to approve some amendments to the partnership agreement; or

 

    to take other action under the partnership agreement;

constituted “participation in the control” of our business for the purposes of the Delaware Act, then our limited partners could be held personally liable for our obligations under Delaware law, to the same extent as our general partner. This liability would extend to persons who transact business with us and reasonably believe that the limited partner is a general partner. Neither our partnership agreement nor the Delaware Act specifically provides for legal recourse against our general partner if a limited partner were to lose limited liability through any fault of our general partner. While this does not mean that a limited partner could not seek legal recourse, we know of no precedent for this type of a claim in Delaware case law.

 

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Under the Delaware Act, a limited partnership may not make a distribution to a partner if, after the distribution, all liabilities of the limited partnership, other than liabilities to partners on account of their partnership interests and liabilities for which the recourse of creditors is limited to specific property of the partnership, would exceed the fair value of the assets of the limited partnership. For the purpose of determining the fair value of the assets of a limited partnership, the Delaware Act provides that the fair value of property subject to liability for which recourse of creditors is limited shall be included in the assets of the limited partnership only to the extent that the fair value of that property exceeds the nonrecourse liability. The Delaware Act provides that a limited partner who receives a distribution and knew at the time of the distribution that the distribution was in violation of the Delaware Act shall be liable to the limited partnership for the amount of the distribution for three years. Under the Delaware Act, a substituted limited partner of a limited partnership is liable for the obligations of his assignor to make contributions to the partnership, except that such person is not obligated for liabilities unknown to him at the time he became a limited partner and that could not be ascertained from the partnership agreement.

Our operating subsidiary conducts business in Oklahoma and Colorado, and we may have operating subsidiaries that conduct business in other states in the future. Maintenance of our limited liability as an owner of our operating subsidiary may require compliance with legal requirements in the jurisdictions in which our operating subsidiary conducts business, including qualifying our operating subsidiary to do business there.

Limitations on the liability of members or limited partners for the obligations of a limited liability company or limited partnership have not been clearly established in many jurisdictions. If, by virtue of our ownership in our subsidiary or otherwise, it were determined that we were conducting business in any state without compliance with the applicable limited partnership or limited liability company statute, or that the right or exercise of the right by our limited partners as a group to remove or replace our general partner, to approve some amendments to our partnership agreement, or to take other action under our partnership agreement constituted “participation in the control” of our business for purposes of the statutes of any relevant jurisdiction, then our limited partners could be held personally liable for our obligations under the law of that jurisdiction to the same extent as our general partner under the circumstances. We will operate in a manner that our general partner considers reasonable and necessary or appropriate to preserve the limited liability of our limited partners.

Issuance of Additional Interests

Our partnership agreement authorizes us to issue an unlimited number of additional partnership interests and options, rights, warrants, restricted units, appreciation rights, phantom or tracking interests or other economic interests in us or in our securities for the consideration and on the terms and conditions determined by our general partner without the approval of our unitholders.

It is possible that we will fund acquisitions through the issuance of additional common units or other partnership interests. Holders of any additional common units we issue will be entitled to share equally with the then-existing holders of common units in our distributions of available cash. In addition, the issuance of additional common units or other partnership interests may dilute the value of the interests of the then-existing holders of common units in our net assets.

In accordance with Delaware law and the provisions of our partnership agreement, we may also issue additional partnership interests that, as determined by our general partner, may have special voting rights to which the common units are not entitled. In addition, our partnership agreement does not prohibit the issuance by our subsidiary of equity interests, which may effectively rank senior to our common units.

If we issue additional partnership interests (other than the issuance of partnership interests upon conversion of any outstanding partnership interests that may be converted into common units), our general partner is entitled, but not required, to make additional capital contributions to the extent necessary to maintain its approximate 2.0% general partner interest in us. Our general partner’s approximate 2.0% general partner interest in us will be reduced if we complete any such issuance of partnership interests in the future and our general partner does not contribute a proportionate amount of capital to us to maintain its approximate 2.0% general partner interest in us. Moreover, our general partner will have the right, which it may from time to time assign in whole or in part to

 

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any of its affiliates, to purchase common units or other partnership interests whenever, and on the same terms that, we issue those interests to persons other than our general partner and its affiliates, to the extent necessary to maintain the aggregate percentage interest in us of our general partner and its affiliates, including such interest represented by common units or other partnership interests, that existed immediately prior to each issuance. The holders of common units will not have preemptive rights to acquire additional common units or other partnership interests.

Amendment of the Partnership Agreement

General

Amendments to our partnership agreement may be proposed only by our general partner. However, our general partner will have no duty or obligation to propose any amendment and may decline to do so free of any fiduciary duty or obligation whatsoever to us or our limited partners, including any duty to act in good faith and in the best interests of us or our limited partners. To adopt a proposed amendment, other than the amendments discussed below under “— No Unitholder Approval,” our general partner is required to seek written approval of the holders of the number of units required to approve the amendment or call a meeting of our limited partners to consider and vote upon the proposed amendment. Except as described below, an amendment must be approved by a unit majority.

Prohibited Amendments

No amendment may:

 

    enlarge the obligations of any limited partner without its consent, unless approved by at least a majority of the type or class of limited partner interests so affected; or
    enlarge the obligations of, restrict, change or modify in any way any action by or rights of, or reduce in any way the amounts distributable, reimbursable or otherwise payable by us to our general partner or any of its affiliates without the consent of our general partner, which consent may be given or withheld in its sole discretion.

The provision of our partnership agreement preventing the amendments having the effects described in any of the clauses above can be amended upon the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the outstanding units (including units owned by our general partner, our general partner’s affiliates (including the Founders and Mid-Con III) and Yorktown) or upon receipt of a written opinion of counsel acceptable to our general partner to the effect that such amendment will not affect the limited liability of any limited partner under the Delaware Act.

As of May 1, 2014, affiliates of our general partner (including the Founders and Mid-Con III) and Yorktown owned an aggregate of approximately 21.4% of our outstanding common units.

No Unitholder Approval

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

 

    a change in our name, the location of our principal place of business, our registered agent or our registered office;
    the admission, substitution, withdrawal or removal of partners in accordance with our partnership agreement;
    a change that our general partner determines to be necessary or appropriate for us to qualify or to continue our qualification as a limited partnership or other entity in which the limited partners have limited liability under the laws of any state or to ensure that neither we, nor our subsidiary will be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes;
    a change in our fiscal year or taxable period and related changes;
   

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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, or ERISA, regardless of whether such are substantially similar to plan asset regulations currently applied or proposed by the U.S. Department of Labor;

    an amendment that our general partner determines to be necessary or appropriate for the creation, authorization or issuance of any class or series of additional partnership securities or options, rights, warrants, restricted units, appreciation rights, tracking or phantom interests or other economic interests in the partnership relating to our securities;
    any amendment expressly permitted in our partnership agreement to be made by our general partner acting alone;
    an amendment effected, necessitated or contemplated by a merger agreement that has been approved under the terms of our partnership agreement;
    any amendment that our general partner determines to be necessary or appropriate to reflect and account for the formation by us of, or our investment in, any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture or other entity, as otherwise permitted by our partnership agreement;
    conversions into, mergers with or conveyances to another limited liability entity that is newly formed and has no assets, liabilities or operations at the time of the conversion, merger or conveyance other than those it receives by way of the conversion, merger or conveyance subject in each case to certain restrictions; or
    any other amendments substantially similar to any of the matters described in the clauses above.

In addition, our general partner may make amendments to our partnership agreement without the approval of any limited partner if our general partner determines that those amendments:

 

    do not adversely affect our limited partners (or any particular class of limited partners) in any material respect;
    are necessary or appropriate to satisfy any requirements, conditions or guidelines contained in any opinion, directive, order, ruling or regulation of any federal or state agency or judicial authority or contained in any federal or state statute;
    are necessary or appropriate to facilitate the trading of our units or to comply with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any securities exchange on which any class of our partnership interests is or will be listed for trading;
    are necessary or appropriate for any action taken by our general partner relating to splits or combinations of units under the provisions of our partnership agreement; or
    are required to effect the intent expressed in this prospectus or the intent of the provisions of our partnership agreement or are otherwise contemplated by our partnership agreement.

Opinion of Counsel and Unitholder Approval

Our general partner will not be required to obtain an opinion of counsel that an amendment will not result in a loss of limited liability to our limited partners or result in our being treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for federal income tax purposes in connection with any of the amendments described above under “— No Unitholder Approval.” No other amendments to our partnership agreement will become effective without the approval of holders of at least 90% of the outstanding units unless we first obtain an opinion of counsel to the effect that the amendment will not affect the limited liability under Delaware law of any of our limited partners.

In addition to the above restrictions, any amendment that would have a material adverse effect on the rights or preferences of any type or class of outstanding units in relation to other classes of units will require the approval of at least a majority of the type or class of units so affected, but no vote will be required by any class or classes or type or types of limited partners that our general partner determines are not adversely affected in any material respect. Any amendment that reduces the voting percentage required to take any action other than to

 

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remove the general partner or call a meeting of unitholders must be approved by the affirmative vote of partners holding aggregate partnership interests constituting not less than the voting requirement sought to be reduced. Any amendment that would increase the percentage of units required to remove the general partner or call a meeting of unitholders must be approved by the affirmative vote of limited partners whose aggregate outstanding units constitute not less than the percentage sought to be increased.

Merger, Consolidation, Sale or Other Disposition of Assets

A merger or consolidation of us requires the prior consent of our general partner. However, our general partner will have no duty or obligation to consent to any merger or consolidation and may decline to do so free of any duty (including any fiduciary duty) or obligation whatsoever to us or our limited partners, including any duty to act in good faith and in the best interest of us or our limited partners.

In addition, our partnership agreement generally prohibits our general partner, without the prior approval of the holders of a unit majority, from causing us, among other things, to sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our and our subsidiary’s assets (taken as a whole) in a single transaction or a series of related transactions, including by way of merger, consolidation or other combination or sale of ownership interests of our subsidiary. Our general partner may, however, mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or grant a security interest in all or substantially all of our assets without such approval. Our general partner may also sell all or substantially all of our assets under a foreclosure or other realization upon those encumbrances without such approval. Finally, our general partner may consummate any merger or consolidation without the prior approval of our unitholders if we are the surviving entity in the transaction, our general partner has received an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters, the merger or consolidation will not result in a material amendment to our partnership agreement (other than an amendment that the general partner could adopt without the consent of other partners), each of our partnership interests outstanding immediately prior to the merger or consolidation will be an identical partnership interest of our partnership following the transaction, and the number partnership interests to be issued in such merger or consolidation does not exceed 20% of our outstanding partnership interests immediately prior to the effective date of such merger or consolidation.

If the conditions specified in our partnership agreement are satisfied, our general partner may convert us or our subsidiary into a new limited liability entity or merge us or our subsidiary into, or convey all of our assets to, a newly formed entity that has no assets, liabilities or operations at the time of such conversion, merger or conveyance, if the sole purpose of that conversion, merger or conveyance is to effect a mere change in our legal form into another limited liability entity, our general partner has received an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters, and the governing instruments of the new entity provide our limited partners and our general partner with substantially the same rights and obligations as contained in our partnership agreement. The unitholders are not entitled to dissenters’ rights of appraisal under our partnership agreement or applicable Delaware law in the event of a conversion, merger or consolidation, a sale of substantially all of our assets or any other similar transaction or event.

Dissolution

We will continue as a limited partnership until dissolved under our partnership agreement. We will dissolve upon:

 

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

 

    there being no limited partners, unless we are continued without dissolution in accordance with the Delaware Act;

 

    the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of our partnership pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act; or

 

    the withdrawal or removal of our general partner or any other event that results in its ceasing to be our general partner, other than by reason of a transfer of its general partner interest in us in accordance with our partnership agreement, unless a successor general partner is elected and admitted pursuant to our partnership agreement.

 

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Upon a dissolution under the last clause above, the holders of a unit majority may also elect, within specific time limitations, to continue our business on the same terms and conditions described in our partnership agreement by appointing as a successor general partner an entity approved by the holders of a unit majority, subject to our receipt of an opinion of counsel to the effect that:

 

    the exercise of the right would not result in the loss of limited liability under the Delaware Act of any limited partner; and

 

    neither our partnership nor our subsidiary would be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise be taxable as an entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon the exercise of that right to continue (to the extent not already so treated or taxed).

Liquidation and Distribution of Proceeds

Upon our dissolution, unless our business is continued, the liquidator authorized to wind up our affairs will, acting with all of the powers of our general partner that are necessary or appropriate, liquidate our assets and apply the proceeds of the liquidation as described in “Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement Relating to Cash Distributions — Distributions of Cash Upon Liquidation.” The liquidator may defer liquidation or distribution of our assets for a reasonable period of time or distribute assets to partners in kind if it determines that a sale would be impractical or would cause undue loss to our partners.

Withdrawal or Removal of Our General Partner

Except as described below, our general partner has agreed not to withdraw voluntarily as our general partner prior to December 31, 2021 without obtaining the approval of the holders of at least a majority of our outstanding common units, excluding common units held by our general partner and its affiliates (including the Founders and Mid-Con III), and furnishing an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters. On or after December 31, 2021, our general partner may withdraw as our general partner without first obtaining approval of any unitholder by giving at least 90 days’ written notice, and that withdrawal will not constitute a violation of our partnership agreement. Notwithstanding the information above, our general partner may withdraw as our general partner without unitholder approval upon 90 days’ notice to our limited partners if at least 50% of the outstanding common units are held or controlled by one person and its affiliates other than our general partner and its affiliates (including the Founders and Mid-Con III). In addition, subject to the restrictions set forth in our partnership agreement, on or after December 31, 2021, our general partner may sell or otherwise transfer all of its general partner interest in us without the approval of the unitholders. Please read “— Transfer of General Partner Interest.”

Upon withdrawal of our general partner under any circumstances, other than as a result of a transfer by our general partner of all or a part of its general partner interest in us, the holders of a unit majority may, prior to the effective date of such withdrawal, elect a successor to the withdrawing general partner. If a successor is not elected, or is elected but an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters is not obtained, we will be dissolved, wound up and liquidated, unless within a specified period of time after that withdrawal, the holders of a unit majority agree in writing to continue our business and to appoint a successor general partner. Please read “— Dissolution.”

Our general partner may not be removed unless that removal is approved by the vote of the holders of not less than 66 23% of our outstanding units, including units held by our general partner, our general partner’s affiliates (including the Founders and Mid-Con III) and Yorktown, and we receive an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters. Any removal of our general partner is also subject to the approval of a successor general partner by the vote of the holders of a majority of our outstanding common units, voting as a separate class. The ownership of more than 33 13% of our outstanding units by our general partner, our general partner’s affiliates (including the Founders and Mid-Con III) and Yorktown would give them the practical ability to prevent our general partner’s removal. As of May 1, 2014, affiliates of our general partner (including the Founders and Mid-Con III) and Yorktown owned an aggregate of approximately 21.4% of our outstanding common units.

 

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Our partnership agreement also provides that if our general partner is removed as our general partner under circumstances where cause does not exist our general partner will have the right to convert its general partner interest into common units or to receive cash in exchange for those interests based on the fair market value of the interests at the time.

In the event of removal of our general partner under circumstances where cause exists or withdrawal of our general partner where that withdrawal violates our partnership agreement, a successor general partner will have the option to purchase the departing general partner’s general partner interest for a cash payment equal to the fair market value of those interests. Under all other circumstances where our general partner withdraws or is removed by the limited partners, the departing general partner will have the option to require the successor general partner to purchase the general partner interest of the departing general partner for fair market value. In each case, this fair market value will be determined by agreement between the departing general partner and the successor general partner. If no agreement is reached within the period provided under our partnership agreement, an independent investment banking firm or other independent expert selected by the departing general partner and the successor general partner will determine the fair market value. If the departing general partner and the successor general partner cannot agree upon one independent investment banking firm or other independent expert, then an independent investment banking firm or other independent expert chosen by agreement of the independent investment banking firm or other independent expert selected by each of them will determine the fair market value.

If the option described above is not exercised by either the departing general partner or the successor general partner, the departing general partner will become a limited partner and such general partner interest will automatically convert into common units equal to the fair market value of those interests as determined by an investment banking firm or other independent expert selected in the manner described in the preceding paragraph.

In addition, we will be required to reimburse the departing general partner for all amounts due the departing general partner, including, without limitation, all employee-related liabilities, including severance liabilities, incurred for the termination of any employees employed by the departing general partner or its affiliates for our benefit.

Transfer of General Partner Interest

Except for the transfer by our general partner of all, but not less than all, of its general partner interest to:

 

    an affiliate of our general partner (other than an individual); or

 

    another entity as part of the merger or consolidation of our general partner with or into another entity or the transfer by our general partner of all or substantially all of its assets to another entity,

our general partner may not transfer all or any part of its general partner interest to another person prior to December 31, 2021, without the approval of the holders of at least a majority of our outstanding common units, excluding common units held by our general partner and its affiliates (including the Founders and Mid-Con III). As a condition of this transfer, the transferee must agree to purchase all (or the appropriate portion thereof, if applicable) of the partnership or membership interests held by our general partner as the general partner or managing member, if any, of us or our subsidiary and must assume, among other things, the rights and duties of our general partner, agree to be bound by the provisions of our partnership agreement, and furnish an opinion of counsel regarding limited liability and tax matters.

Our general partner, our general partner’s affiliates (including the Founders and Mid-Con III) and Yorktown may at any time transfer common units to one or more persons without unitholder approval.

Transfer of Ownership Interests in Our General Partner

At any time, the members of our general partner may sell or transfer all or part of their membership interests in our general partner to an affiliate or a third party without the approval of our unitholders.

 

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Change of Management Provisions

Our partnership agreement contains specific provisions that are intended to discourage a person or group from attempting to remove our general partner or otherwise change the management of our general partner. If any person or group other than our general partner, its affiliates (including the Founders and Mid-Con III) and Yorktown acquires beneficial ownership of 20% or more of any class of units, that person or group loses voting rights with respect to all of such partnership interests. This loss of voting rights does not apply to any person or group that acquires partnership interests directly from our general partner or its affiliates and any transferees of that person or group approved by our general partner or to any person or group who acquires partnership interests with the prior approval of the board of directors of our general partner.

If our general partner is removed without cause, our partnership agreement provides that, among other things, our general partner will have the right to convert its general partner interest into common units or receive cash in exchange for those interests.

Limited Call Right

If at any time our general partner and its affiliates (including the Founders and Mid-Con III) own more than 80% of our then-issued and outstanding limited partner interests of any class, our general partner will have the right, which it may assign and transfer in whole or in part to any of its affiliates or to us, to purchase all, but not less than all, of the limited partner interests of the class held by unaffiliated persons as of a record date to be selected by our general partner, on at least 10 but not more than 60 days’ notice. The purchase price in the event of this purchase is the greater of:

 

    the highest cash price paid by our general partner or any of its affiliates for any limited partner interests of such class purchased within the 90 days preceding the date on which our general partner first mails notice of its election to purchase such limited partner interests; and

 

    the average of the daily closing prices of the limited partner interests of such class over the 20 trading days preceding the date three days before the date the notice is mailed.

As a result of our general partner’s right to purchase outstanding limited partner interests, a holder of limited partner interests may have his limited partner interests purchased at an undesirable time or price. The federal income tax consequences to a unitholder of the exercise of this call right are the same as a sale by that unitholder of his common units in the market. Please read “Material Tax Consequences — Disposition of Units.”

Meetings; Voting

Except as described below regarding a person or group owning 20% or more of any class of partnership interests then outstanding, record holders of limited partner interests on the record date will be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, meetings of our limited partners and to act upon matters for which approvals may be solicited. Units that are owned by non-citizens or other ineligible holders will be voted by our general partner and our general partner will cast the votes on those units in the same ratios as the votes of limited partners on other units are cast. Please read “— Non-Citizen Unitholders; Redemption” for additional information concerning the citizenship, nationality, and related status requirements for owning our common units.

Our general partner does not anticipate that any meeting of unitholders will be called in the foreseeable future. If authorized by our general partner, any action that is required or permitted to be taken by the unitholders may be taken either at a meeting of the unitholders or without a meeting if an approval in writing or by electronic transmission is signed or transmitted by holders of not less than the number of units necessary to authorize or take that action at a meeting. Meetings of the unitholders may be called by our general partner or by unitholders owning at least 20% of the outstanding units of the class for which a meeting is proposed. Unitholders may vote either in person or by proxy at meetings. The holders of a majority of the outstanding units of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called, represented in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum unless any action by the unitholders requires approval by holders of a greater percentage of the units, in which case the quorum will be the greater percentage.

 

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Each record holder of a unit has a vote according to his percentage interest in us, although additional limited partner interests having special voting rights could be issued. Please read “— Issuance of Additional Interests.” However, if at any time any person or group, other than our general partner and its affiliates (including the Founders and Mid-Con III) or a direct or subsequently approved transferee of our general partner or its affiliates and specifically approved by our general partner, acquires, in the aggregate, beneficial ownership of 20% or more of any class of partnership interests then outstanding, that person or group will lose voting rights with respect to all of such partnership interests and the units may not be voted on any matter and will not be considered to be outstanding when sending notices of a meeting of unitholders, calculating required votes or, determining the presence of a quorum or for other similar purposes. Common units held in nominee or street name account will be voted by the broker or other nominee in accordance with the instruction of the beneficial owner unless the arrangement between the beneficial owner and his nominee provides otherwise.

Any notice, demand, request, report or proxy material required or permitted to be given or made to record holders of common units under our partnership agreement will be delivered to the record holder by us or by the transfer agent.

Status as Limited Partner

Upon a transfer of any common units in accordance with our partnership agreement, each transferee of common units shall be admitted as a limited partner with respect to the common units transferred when such transfer and admission is reflected in our books and records and such limited partner becomes the record holder of the common units so transferred. Except as described under “— Limited Liability,” the common units will be fully paid, and unitholders will not be required to make additional contributions.

Non-Citizen Unitholders; Redemption

We may acquire interests in oil and natural gas leases on United States federal lands in the future. To comply with certain U.S. laws relating to the ownership of interests in oil and natural gas leases on federal lands, our general partner, acting on our behalf, may request any unitholder to furnish to the general partner within 30 days of the request a properly completed certificate certifying as to the unitholder’s nationality, citizenship or other related status. If, following a request by our general partner, a unitholder fails to furnish such certification within the 30-day period or if the general partner determines, with the advice of counsel, that the unitholder’s nationality, citizenship or other related status would create a substantial risk of cancellation or forfeiture of property in which the we have an interest, we will have the right to redeem the units held by such unitholder. Further, the units held by such unitholder will not be entitled to any voting rights. The redemption price will be paid in cash or delivery of a promissory note, as determined by our general partner. If our general partner chooses to redeem the units in cash, the redemption price will be the average of the daily closing prices per unit for the 20 consecutive trading days immediately prior to the date set for redemption. If our general partner chooses to redeem the units with a promissory note, the promissory note will bear interest at the rate of 5% annually and be payable in three equal annual installments of principal and accrued interest, commencing one year after the redemption date.

For the avoidance of doubt, onshore mineral leases or any direct or indirect interest therein may be acquired and held by aliens only through stock ownership, holding or control in a corporation organized under the laws of the United States or of any state thereof.

Indemnification

Under our partnership agreement, in most circumstances, we will indemnify the following persons, to the fullest extent permitted by law, from and against all losses, claims, damages or similar events whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, and whether formal or informal and including appeals:

 

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

 

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    any person who is or was a director, officer, employee, agent, manager, managing member, partner, fiduciary or trustee of us, our subsidiary or any entity set forth in the preceding three bullet points;
    any person who is or was serving at the request of a general partner, any departing general partner, or any affiliate of us or our subsidiary, as a director, officer, employee, agent, manager, managing member, general partner, fiduciary or trustee of another person owing a fiduciary duty to us or our subsidiary;
    any person who controls our general partner or any departing general partner; and
    any person designated by our general partner.

Any indemnification under these provisions will only be out of our assets. Unless it otherwise agrees, our general partner will not be personally liable for, or have any obligation to contribute or lend funds or assets to us to enable us to effectuate, indemnification. We may purchase insurance covering liabilities asserted against and expenses incurred by persons for our activities, regardless of whether we would have the power to indemnify the person against liabilities under our partnership agreement.

Reimbursement of Expenses

Our partnership agreement requires us to reimburse our general partner for all direct and indirect expenses it incurs or payments it makes on behalf of us or our subsidiary and all other expenses allocable to us or otherwise incurred by our general partner in connection with operating our business. Our partnership agreement does not set a limit on the amount of expenses for which our general partner and our other affiliates, including Mid-Con Energy Operating, Inc., may be reimbursed. These expenses include salary, bonus, incentive compensation, employment benefits, and other amounts paid to persons who perform services for us or on our behalf, and expenses allocated to our general partner by its affiliates. Our general partner is entitled to determine in good faith the expenses that are allocable to us.

Books and Reports

Our general partner is required to keep appropriate books and records of our business at our principal offices. The books will be maintained for both tax and financial reporting purposes on an accrual basis in accordance with GAAP. For financial reporting and tax purposes, our fiscal year end is December 31.

We will furnish or make available to record holders of common units, within 100 days after the close of each fiscal year, an annual report containing audited financial statements, including a balance sheet and statements of operations, partnership equity and cash flows and a report on those financial statements by our independent registered public accounting firm. Except for our fourth quarter, we will also furnish or make available within 50 days after the close of each quarter, a report containing unaudited financial statements and such other information as may be received by applicable law, regulation or NASDAQ rule, or as our general partner determines to be necessary or appropriate.

Our general partner will be deemed to have made a report available if it has either filed such report with the SEC and such report is publicly available or made such report available on any publicly available website maintained by us.

The tax information reasonably required for federal, state and local income tax reporting purposes will be furnished within 90 days of the close of the calendar year in which our taxable period ends.

Right to Inspect Our Books and Records

Our partnership agreement provides that a limited partner can, for a purpose reasonably related to his interest as a limited partner, upon reasonable written demand stating the purpose of such demand and at his own expense, obtain:

 

    a current list of the name and last known address of each record holder;

 

    copies of our partnership agreement, our certificate of limited partnership and related amendments if such documents are not available on the SEC’s website;

 

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    true and full information regarding the status of our business and financial condition (provided that these requirements will be satisfied to the extent the limited partner is furnished our most recent annual report any subsequent quarterly or periodic reports required to be filed with the SEC pursuant to Section 13 of the Exchange Act); and

 

    any other information regarding our affairs as our general partner determines in its sole discretion is just and reasonable.

Our general partner may, and intends to, keep confidential from the limited partners trade secrets or other information the disclosure of which our general partner believes in good faith is not in our best interests or that we are required by law or by agreements with third parties to keep confidential.

Registration Rights

Under our partnership agreement, our general partner and its affiliates (including the Founders and Mid-Con III) have the right to cause us to register for resale under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws any common units or other partnership interests proposed to be sold by our general partner or any of its affiliates or their assignees if an exemption from the registration requirements is not otherwise available. In addition, our general partner and its affiliates (including the Founders and Mid-Con III) have the right to include such securities in a registration by us or any other unitholder, subject to customary exceptions. These registration rights continue for two years following the withdrawal or removal of our general partner and for so long as is required for the holder to sell all of the partnership interests with respect to which it has requested registration during such two-year period. In addition, we are restricted from granting any superior piggyback registration rights during this two-year period. We will pay all expenses incidental to the registration, excluding underwriting fees and discounts. In connection with any registration of this kind, we will indemnify the unitholders participating in the registration and their officers, directors and controlling persons from and against specified liabilities, including under the Securities Act or any applicable state securities laws.

 

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PROVISIONS OF OUR PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT RELATING TO CASH DISTRIBUTIONS

Set forth below is a summary of the significant provisions of our partnership agreement that relate to cash distributions. The information presented in this section assumes that our general partner will continue to make capital contributions to us in order to maintain its approximate 2.0% general partner interest.

Distributions of Available Cash

General

Our partnership agreement requires that, within 45 days after the end of each quarter, we will distribute all of our available cash to unitholders of record on the applicable record date. We will distribute approximately 98.0% of our available cash to our common unitholders, pro rata, and approximately 2.0% to our general partner. Unlike many publicly traded limited partnerships, our general partner is not entitled to any incentive distributions, and we do not have any subordinated units.

Definition of Available Cash

Available cash, for any quarter, consists of all cash and cash equivalents on hand at the end of that quarter:

 

    less, the amount of cash reserves established by our general partner at the date of determination of available cash for the quarter to:

 

    provide for the proper conduct of our business (including reserves for future capital expenditures, working capital and operating expenses) subsequent to that quarter;
    comply with applicable law or any of our loan agreements, security agreements, mortgages, debt instruments or other agreements or obligations; or
    provide funds for distributions to our unitholders (including our general partner) for any one or more of the next four quarters;

 

    plus, if our general partner so determines, all or a portion of the cash and cash equivalents on hand on the date of determination of available cash for the quarter.

Distributions of Cash Upon Liquidation

General

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

Manner of Adjustments for Gain

The manner of the adjustment for gain is set forth in the partnership agreement. Upon our liquidation, we will allocate any net gain (or unrealized gain attributable to assets distributed in kind to our partners) in the following manner:

 

    first, to our general partner and the holders of units who have negative balances in their capital accounts to the extent of and in proportion to those negative balances; and

 

    second, approximately 98.0% to the common unitholders, pro rata, and approximately 2.0% to our general partner.

 

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Manner of Adjustments for Losses

Upon our liquidation, we will generally allocate any loss to our general partner and the unitholders in the following manner:

 

    first, approximately 98.0% to the holders of common units, in proportion to the positive balances in their capital accounts and approximately 2.0% to our general partner, until the capital accounts of our unitholders have been reduced to zero; and

 

    thereafter, 100.0% to our general partner.

Adjustments to Capital Accounts

Our partnership agreement requires that we make adjustments to capital accounts upon the issuance of additional units. In this regard, our partnership agreement specifies that we allocate any unrealized and, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, unrecognized gain or loss resulting from the adjustments to the unitholders and our general partner in the same manner as we allocate gain or loss upon liquidation.

 

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MATERIAL TAX CONSEQUENCES

This section is a summary of the material U.S. federal income, state and local tax consequences that may be relevant to prospective common unitholders and, unless otherwise noted in the following discussion, is the opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP insofar as it describes legal conclusions with respect to matters of U.S. federal income tax law. Such statements are based on the accuracy of the representations made by our general partner and us to Andrews Kurth LLP, and statements of fact do not represent opinions of Andrews Kurth LLP. To the extent this section discusses U.S. federal income taxes, that discussion is based upon current provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), existing and proposed Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Treasury Regulations”), and current administrative rulings and court decisions, all of which are subject to change. Changes in these authorities may cause the tax consequences to vary substantially from the consequences described below. Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this section to “us” or “we” are references to Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP and our subsidiary, and references to “unitholders” are references to holders of our common units.

This section does not address all U.S. federal, state and local tax matters that affect us or our unitholders. To the extent that this section relates to taxation by a state, local or other jurisdiction within the United States, such discussion is intended to provide only general information. We have not sought the opinion of legal counsel regarding U.S. state, local or other taxation and, thus, any portion of the following discussion relating to such taxes does not represent the opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP or any other legal counsel. Furthermore, this section focuses on unitholders who are individual citizens or residents of the United States, whose functional currency is the U.S. dollar and who hold common units as a capital asset (generally, property that is held as an investment). This section has only limited application to corporations, partnerships (and entities treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes), estates, trusts, non-resident aliens or other unitholders subject to specialized tax treatment, such as tax-exempt institutions, non-U.S. persons, individual retirement accounts, employee benefit plans, real estate investment trusts or mutual funds. Accordingly, we encourage each prospective unitholder to consult such unitholder’s own tax advisor in analyzing the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences particular to that unitholder resulting from his ownership or disposition of his common units.

No ruling has been or will be requested from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) regarding any matter that affects us or our unitholders. Instead, we will rely on opinions and advice of Andrews Kurth LLP. Unlike a ruling, an opinion of counsel represents only that counsel’s best legal judgment and does not bind the IRS or the courts. Accordingly, the opinions and statements made herein may not be sustained by a court if contested by the IRS. Any contest of this sort with the IRS may materially and adversely impact the market for our common units and the prices at which such common units trade. In addition, the costs of any contest with the IRS, principally legal, accounting and related fees, will result in a reduction in cash available for distribution to our unitholders and our general partner and thus will be borne indirectly by our unitholders and our general partner. Furthermore, our tax treatment, or the tax treatment of an investment in us, may be significantly modified by future legislative or administrative changes or court decisions. Any modifications may or may not be retroactively applied.

For the reasons described below, Andrews Kurth LLP has not rendered an opinion with respect to the following specific U.S. federal income tax issues: (1) the treatment of a unitholder whose common units are loaned to a short seller to cover a short sale of common units (please read “— Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership — Treatment of Short Sales”); (2) whether our monthly convention for allocating taxable income and losses is permitted by existing Treasury Regulations (please read “— Disposition of Units — Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees”); and (3) whether our method for depreciating Section 743 adjustments is sustainable in certain cases (please read “— Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership — Section 754 Election” and “— Uniformity of Units”).

Taxation of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP

Partnership Status

We will be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, therefore, generally will not be liable for U.S. federal income taxes. Instead, each of our unitholders will be required to take into account his respective share of our items of income, gain, loss and deduction in computing his U.S. federal income tax

 

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liability as if the unitholder had earned such income directly, even if no cash distributions are made to the unitholder. Distributions by us to a unitholder generally will not be taxable to the unitholder unless the amount of cash distributed to the unitholder exceeds the unitholder’s tax basis in his common units.

Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code provides that publicly traded partnerships will, as a general rule, be taxed as corporations. However, an exception, referred to as the “Qualifying Income Exception,” exists with respect to publicly traded partnerships of which 90% or more of the gross income for every taxable year consists of “qualifying income.” Qualifying income includes income and gains derived from exploration and production of certain natural resources, including oil, natural gas, and products thereof. Other types of qualifying income include interest (other than from a financial business), dividends, gains from the sale of real property and gains from the sale or other disposition of capital assets held for the production of income that otherwise constitutes qualifying income. We estimate that less than 5% of our current gross income is not qualifying income; however, this estimate could change from time to time. Based upon and subject to this estimate, the factual representations made by us and our general partner, and a review of the applicable legal authorities, Andrews Kurth LLP is of the opinion that at least 90% of our current gross income constitutes qualifying income. The portion of our income that is qualifying income may change from time to time.

No ruling has been or will be sought from the IRS, and the IRS has made no determination as to our status or the status of our operating subsidiary for U.S. federal income tax purposes or whether our operations generate “qualifying income” under Section 7704 of the Internal Revenue Code. Instead, we will rely on the opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP on such matters. It is the opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP that we will be classified as a partnership and our operating subsidiary will be disregarded as an entity separate from us for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

In rendering its opinion, Andrews Kurth LLP has relied on factual representations made by us and our general partner. The representations made by us and our general partner upon which Andrews Kurth LLP has relied include, without limitation:

(a)   neither we nor our operating subsidiary has elected or will elect to be treated as a corporation; and

(b)   for each taxable year, including short taxable years occurring as a result of a constructive termination, more than 90% of our gross income has been and will be income that Andrews Kurth LLP has opined or will opine is “qualifying income” within the meaning of Section 7704(d) of the Internal Revenue Code.

We believe that these representations have been true in the past and expect that these representations will continue to be true in the future.

If we fail to meet the Qualifying Income Exception, unless such failure is determined by the IRS to be inadvertent and is cured within a reasonable time after discovery (in which case the IRS may also require us to make adjustments with respect to our unitholders or pay other amounts), we will be treated as if we had transferred all of our assets, subject to liabilities, to a newly formed corporation, on the first day of the year in which we failed to meet the Qualifying Income Exception, in return for stock in that corporation and then distributed that stock to our unitholders in liquidation of their interests in us. This deemed contribution and liquidation should be tax-free to our unitholders and us so long as we, at that time, do not have liabilities in excess of the tax basis of our assets. Thereafter, we would be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

If we were taxed as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes in any taxable year, either as a result of a failure to meet the Qualifying Income Exception or otherwise, our items of income, gain, loss and deduction would be reflected only on our tax return, rather than being passed through to our unitholders, and our net income would be taxed to us at corporate rates. In addition, any distribution made to a unitholder would be treated as taxable dividend income, to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, or, in the absence of earnings and profits, a nontaxable return of capital, to the extent of the unitholder’s tax basis in our common units, or taxable capital gain, after the unitholder’s tax basis in his common units is reduced to zero. Accordingly, taxation as a corporation would result in a material reduction in a unitholder’s cash flow and after-tax return and thus would likely result in a substantial reduction of the value of our common units.

 

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The discussion below is based on Andrews Kurth LLP’s opinion that we will be classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership

Limited Partner Status

Unitholders who are admitted as limited partners of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP, as well as unitholders whose common units are held in street name or by a nominee and who have the right to direct the nominee in the exercise of all substantive rights attendant to the ownership of common units, will be treated as partners of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A beneficial owner of common units whose units have been transferred to a short seller to complete a short sale would appear to lose his status as a partner with respect to those units for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Please read “— Treatment of Short Sales.” Unitholders who are not treated as partners in us as described above are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences applicable to them under the circumstances.

The references to “unitholders” in the discussion that follows are to persons who are treated as partners in Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP for federal income tax purposes.

Flow-Through of Taxable Income

Subject to the discussion below under “— Entity-Level Collections of Unitholder Taxes,” neither we nor our subsidiary will pay any U.S. federal income tax. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, each unitholder will be required to report on his income tax return his share of our income, gains, losses and deductions without regard to whether we make cash distributions to such unitholder. Consequently, we may allocate income to a unitholder even if that unitholder has not received a cash distribution. Each unitholder will be required to include in income his allocable share of our income, gains, losses and deductions for his taxable year or years ending with or within our taxable year. Our taxable year ends on December 31.

Treatment of Distributions

Distributions made by us to a unitholder generally will not be taxable to the unitholder for federal income tax purposes, except to the extent the amount of any such cash distribution exceeds his tax basis in his common units immediately before the distribution. Cash distributions made by us to a unitholder in an amount in excess of the unitholder’s tax basis in his common units generally will be considered to be gain from the sale or exchange of those common units, taxable in accordance with the rules described under “— Disposition of Units” below. Any reduction in a unitholder’s share of our liabilities, including as a result of future issuances of additional common units, will be treated as a distribution of cash to that unitholder. To the extent that cash distributions made by us cause a unitholder’s “at risk” amount to be less than zero at the end of any taxable year, that unitholder must recapture any losses deducted in previous years. Please read “— Limitations on Deductibility of Losses.”

A decrease in a unitholder’s percentage interest in us because of our issuance of additional common units will decrease his share of our nonrecourse liabilities, and thus will result in a corresponding deemed distribution of cash. This deemed distribution may constitute a non-pro rata distribution. A non-pro rata distribution of money or property, including a deemed distribution, may result in ordinary income to a unitholder, regardless of that unitholder’s tax basis in its common units, if the distribution reduces the unitholder’s share of our “unrealized receivables,” including depreciation recapture, depletion recapture and/or substantially appreciated “inventory items,” both as defined in Section 751 of the Internal Revenue Code, and collectively, “Section 751 Assets.” To the extent of such reduction, a unitholder will be treated as having received his proportionate share of the Section 751 Assets and then having exchanged those assets with us in return for an allocable portion of the non-pro rata distribution made to such unitholder. This latter deemed exchange generally will result in the unitholder’s realization of ordinary income in an amount equal to the excess of (1) the non-pro rata portion of that distribution over (2) the unitholder’s tax basis (generally zero) in the Section 751 Assets deemed relinquished in the exchange.

 

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Basis of Units

A unitholder’s initial tax basis in his common units will be the amount he paid for those common units plus his share of our nonrecourse liabilities. That basis generally will be (i) increased by the unitholder’s share of our income and by any increases in such unitholder’s share of our nonrecourse liabilities, and (ii) decreased, but not below zero, by distributions to him, by his share of our losses, by depletion deductions taken by him to the extent such deductions do not exceed his proportionate share of the adjusted tax basis of the underlying properties, by any decreases in his share of our nonrecourse liabilities and by his share of our expenditures that are not deductible in computing taxable income and are not required to be capitalized. A unitholder will have no share of our debt that is recourse to our general partner, but will have a share, generally, based on his share of our profits, of our nonrecourse liabilities. Please read “— Disposition of Units — Recognition of Gain or Loss.”

Limitations on Deductibility of Losses

The deduction by a unitholder of that unitholder’s share of our losses will be limited to the lesser of (i) the tax basis such unitholder has in his common units, and (ii) in the case of an individual, estate, trust or corporate unitholder (if more than 50% of the corporate unitholder’s stock is owned directly or indirectly by or for five or fewer individuals or some tax exempt organizations) to the amount for which the unitholder is considered to be “at risk” with respect to our activities. A unitholder subject to these limitations must recapture losses deducted in previous years to the extent that distributions cause the unitholder’s at risk amount to be less than zero at the end of any taxable year. Losses disallowed to a unitholder or recaptured as a result of these limitations will carry forward and will be allowable as a deduction in a later year to the extent that the unitholder’s tax basis or at risk amount, whichever is the limiting factor, is subsequently increased. Upon the taxable disposition of a unit, any gain recognized by a unitholder can be offset by losses that were previously suspended by the at risk limitation but may not be offset by losses suspended by the basis limitation. Any loss previously suspended by the at risk limitation in excess of that gain would no longer be utilizable.

In general, a unitholder will be at risk to the extent of the tax basis of the unitholder’s common units, excluding any portion of that basis attributable to the unitholder’s share of our nonrecourse liabilities, reduced by (1) any portion of that basis representing amounts otherwise protected against loss because of a guarantee, stop loss agreement or other similar arrangement and (2) any amount of money the unitholder borrows to acquire or hold his common units, if the lender of those borrowed funds owns an interest in us, is related to another unitholder or can look only to the common units for repayment. A unitholder’s at risk amount will increase or decrease as the tax basis of the unitholder’s common units increases or decreases, other than tax basis increases or decreases attributable to increases or decreases in the unitholder’s share of our liabilities.

The at risk limitation applies on an activity-by-activity basis, and in the case of oil and natural gas properties, each property is treated as a separate activity. Thus, a taxpayer’s interest in each oil or natural gas property is generally required to be treated separately so that a loss from any one property would be limited to the at risk amount for that property and not the at risk amount for all the taxpayer’s oil and natural gas properties. It is uncertain how this rule is implemented in the case of multiple oil and natural gas properties owned by a single entity treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. However, for taxable years ending on or before the date on which further guidance is published, the IRS will permit aggregation of oil or natural gas properties we own in computing a unitholder’s at risk limitation with respect to us. If a unitholder were required to compute his at risk amount separately with respect to each oil or natural gas property we own, he might not be allowed to utilize his share of losses or deductions attributable to a particular property even though he has a positive at risk amount with respect to his common units as a whole.

In addition to the basis and at risk limitations on the deductibility of losses, the passive loss limitations generally provide that individuals, estates, trusts and some closely-held corporations and personal service corporations may deduct losses from passive activities, which are generally defined as trade or business activities in which the taxpayer does not materially participate, only to the extent of the taxpayer’s income from those passive activities. The passive loss limitations are applied separately with respect to each publicly-traded partnership. Consequently, any passive losses we generate will only be available to offset our passive income generated in the future and will not be available to offset income from other passive activities or investments,

 

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including our investments or a unitholder’s investments in other publicly-traded partnerships, or a unitholder’s salary or active business income. Passive losses that are not deductible because they exceed a unitholder’s share of passive income we generate may be deducted in full when he disposes of his entire investment in us in a fully taxable transaction with an unrelated party. The passive loss limitations are applied after other applicable limitations on deductions, including the at risk rules and the basis limitation.

A unitholder’s share of our net passive income may be offset by any of our suspended passive losses, but it may not be offset by any other current or carryover losses from other passive activities, including those attributable to other publicly traded partnerships.

Limitations on Interest Deductions

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

 

    interest on indebtedness properly allocable to property held for investment;
    our interest expense attributed to portfolio income; and
    the portion of interest expense incurred to purchase or carry an interest in a passive activity to the extent attributable to portfolio income.

The computation of a unitholder’s investment interest expense will take into account interest on any margin account borrowing or other loan incurred to purchase or carry a unit. Net investment income includes gross income from property held for investment and amounts treated as portfolio income under the passive loss rules, less deductible expenses, other than interest, directly connected with the production of investment income, but generally does not include gains attributable to the disposition of property held for investment or (if applicable) qualified dividend income. The IRS has indicated that net passive income earned by a publicly-traded partnership will be treated as investment income to its unitholders for purposes of the investment interest expense limitation. In addition, the unitholder’s share of our portfolio income will be treated as investment income.

Entity-Level Collections of Unitholder Taxes

If we are required or elect under applicable law to pay any U.S. federal, state, local or non-U.S. tax on behalf of any unitholder or our general partner or any former unitholder, we are authorized to pay those taxes from our funds. That payment, if made, will be treated as a distribution of cash to the unitholder on whose behalf the payment was made. If the payment is made on behalf of a unitholder whose identity cannot be determined, we are authorized to treat the payment as a distribution to all current unitholders. We are authorized to amend our partnership agreement in the manner necessary to maintain uniformity of intrinsic tax characteristics of common units and to adjust later distributions, so that after giving effect to these distributions, the priority and characterization of distributions otherwise applicable under our partnership agreement is maintained as nearly as is practicable. Payments by us as described above could give rise to an overpayment of tax on behalf of an individual unitholder in which event the unitholder would be required to file a claim in order to obtain a credit or refund.

Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction

In general, our items of income, gain, loss and deduction will be allocated among our general partner and the unitholders in accordance with their percentage interests in us. If we have a net loss for an entire taxable year, the loss will be allocated first to our general partner and the unitholders in accordance with their percentage interests in us to the extent of the unitholders’ positive capital accounts as adjusted to take into account the unitholders’ share of nonrecourse debt, and thereafter to our general partner.

Specified items of our income, gain, loss and deduction will be allocated to account for the difference between the tax basis and fair market value of our assets, a “Book Tax Disparity,” at the time of this offering and any future offerings or certain other transactions. The effect of these allocations, referred to as Section 704(c) Allocations, to a unitholder acquiring common units in this offering will be essentially the same as if the tax bases of our assets were equal to their fair market values at the time of this offering. However, in connection with providing this benefit to any future unitholders, similar allocations will be made to all holders of partnership

 

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interests immediately prior to a future offering or certain other transactions, including purchasers of common units in this offering, to account for any Book Tax Disparity at the time of such transaction. In addition, items of recapture income will be allocated to the extent possible to the unitholder who was allocated the deduction giving rise to the treatment of that gain as recapture income in order to minimize the recognition of ordinary income by other unitholders.

An allocation of items of our income, gain, loss or deduction, other than an allocation required by the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate a Book-Tax Disparity, will generally be given effect for U.S. federal income tax purposes in determining a unitholder’s share of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction only if the allocation has substantial economic effect. In any other case, a unitholder’s share of an item will be determined on the basis of his interest in us, which will be determined by taking into account all the facts and circumstances, including:

 

    his relative contributions to us;

 

    the interests of all the partners in profits and losses;

 

    the interest of all the partners in cash flow; and

 

    the rights of all the partners to distributions of capital upon liquidation.

Andrews Kurth LLP is of the opinion that, with the exception of the issues described in “— Section 754 Election” and “— Disposition of Common Units — Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees,” allocations under our partnership agreement will be given effect for federal income tax purposes in determining a partner’s share of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction.

Treatment of Short Sales

A unitholder whose common units are loaned to a “short seller” to cover a short sale of common units may be considered as having disposed of those common units. If so, such unitholder would no longer be treated for tax purposes as a partner with respect to those common units during the period of the loan and may recognize gain or loss from the disposition. As a result, during this period:

 

    any of our income, gain, loss or deduction with respect to those common units would not be reportable by the unitholder;

 

    any cash distributions received by the unitholder as to those common units would be fully taxable; and

 

    all of these distributions may be subject to tax as ordinary income.

Andrews Kurth LLP has not rendered an opinion regarding the tax treatment of a unitholder whose common units are loaned to a short seller to cover a short sale of our common units. Unitholders desiring to assure their status as partners and avoid the risk of gain recognition from a loan to a short seller are urged to consult with their tax advisor about modifying any applicable brokerage account agreements to prohibit their brokers from borrowing and loaning their common units. The IRS has previously announced that it is studying issues relating to the tax treatment of short sales of partnership interests. Please read “— Disposition of Units — Recognition of Gain or Loss.”

Alternative Minimum Tax

Each unitholder will be required to take into account the unitholder’s distributive share of any items of our income, gain, loss or deduction for purposes of the alternative minimum tax. The current minimum tax rate for non-corporate taxpayers is 26% on the first $182,500 of alternative minimum taxable income in excess of the exemption amount and 28% on any additional alternative minimum taxable income. Prospective unitholders are urged to consult with their tax advisors with respect to the impact of an investment in our common units on their liability for the alternative minimum tax.

 

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Tax Rates

Under current law, the highest marginal U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to ordinary income of individuals is 39.6% and the highest marginal U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to long-term capital gains (generally, gains from the sale or exchange of certain investment assets held for more than one year) of individuals is 20%. These rates are subject to change by new legislation at any time.

A 3.8% Medicare tax applies to certain investment income earned by individuals, estates, and trusts. For these purposes, investment income generally includes a unitholder’s allocable share of our income and gain realized by a unitholder from a sale of common units. In the case of an individual, the tax will be imposed on the lesser of (i) the unitholder’s net investment income from all investments, or (ii) the amount by which the unitholder’s modified adjusted gross income exceeds specified threshold levels depending on a unitholder’s federal income tax filing status. In the case of an estate or trust, the tax will be imposed on the lesser of (i) undistributed net investment income, or (ii) the excess adjusted gross income over the dollar amount at which the highest income tax bracket applicable to an estate or trust begins.

Section 754 Election

We have made the election permitted by Section 754 of the Internal Revenue Code. That election is irrevocable without the consent of the IRS. That election generally permits us to adjust a unit purchaser’s tax basis in our assets (“inside basis”) under Section 743(b) of the Internal Revenue Code to reflect the unitholder’s purchase price. The Section 743(b) adjustment separately applies to any transferee of a unitholder who purchases outstanding common units from another unitholder based upon the values and bases of our assets at the time of the transfer to the transferee. The Section 743(b) adjustment does not apply to a person who purchases common units directly from us, and belongs only to the purchaser and not to other unitholders. Please read, however, “—Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction.” For purposes of this discussion, a unitholder’s inside basis in our assets will be considered to have two components: (1) the unitholder’s share of our tax basis in our assets (“common basis”) and (2) the unitholder’s Section 743(b) adjustment to that basis.

The timing and calculation of deductions attributable to Section 743(b) adjustments to our common basis will depend upon a number of factors, including the nature of the assets to which the adjustment is allocable, the extent to which the adjustment offsets any Internal Revenue Code Section 704(c) type gain or loss with respect to an asset and certain elections we make as to the manner in which we apply Internal Revenue Code Section 704(c) principles with respect to an asset to which the adjustment is applicable. Please read “— Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction.”

The timing of these deductions may affect the uniformity of our common units. Under our partnership agreement, our general partner is authorized to take a position to preserve the uniformity of common units even if that position is not consistent with these and any other Treasury Regulations or if the position would result in lower annual depreciation or amortization deductions than would otherwise be allowable to some unitholders. Please read “— Uniformity of Units.” Andrews Kurth LLP is unable to opine as to the validity of any such alternate tax positions because there is no clear applicable authority. A unitholder’s basis in a unit is reduced by his share of our deductions (whether or not such deductions were claimed on an individual income tax return) so that any position that we take that understates deductions will overstate the unitholder’s basis in his common units and may cause the unitholder to understate gain or overstate loss on any sale of such common units. Please read “— Uniformity of Units.”

A Section 754 election is advantageous if the transferee’s tax basis in his common units is higher than the common units’ share of the aggregate tax basis of our assets immediately prior to the transfer. In that case, as a result of the election, the transferee would have, among other items, a greater amount of depreciation and depletion deductions and the transferee’s share of any gain or loss on a sale of assets by us would be less. Conversely, a Section 754 election is disadvantageous if the transferee’s tax basis in his common units is lower than those common units’ share of the aggregate tax basis of our assets immediately prior to the transfer. Thus, the fair market value of the common units may be affected either favorably or unfavorably by the election. A basis adjustment is required regardless of whether a Section 754 election is made in the case of a transfer of an

 

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interest in us if we have a substantial built-in loss immediately after the transfer, or if we distribute property and have a substantial basis reduction. Generally a built-in loss or a basis reduction is substantial if it exceeds $250,000.

The calculations involved in the Section 754 election are complex and will be made on the basis of assumptions as to the fair market value of our assets and other matters. For example, the allocation of the Section 743(b) adjustment among our assets must be made in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code. The IRS could seek to reallocate some or all of any Section 743(b) adjustment we allocated to our tangible assets to goodwill instead. Goodwill, as an intangible asset, is generally either non-amortizable or amortizable over a longer period of time or under a less accelerated method than our tangible assets. We cannot assure our unitholders that the determinations we make will not be successfully challenged by the IRS or that the resulting deductions will not be reduced or disallowed altogether. Should the IRS require a different basis adjustment to be made, and should our general partner determine the expense of compliance exceeds the benefit of the election, we may seek permission from the IRS to revoke our Section 754 election. If permission is granted, a subsequent purchaser of common units may be allocated more income than such purchaser would have been allocated had the election not been revoked.

Tax Treatment of Operations

Accounting Method and Taxable Year

We use the year ending December 31 as our taxable year and the accrual method of accounting for federal income tax purposes. Each unitholder will be required to include in income his share of our income, gain, loss and deduction for our taxable year ending within or with his taxable year. In addition, a unitholder who has a taxable year ending on a date other than December 31 and who disposes of all of his common units following the close of our taxable year but before the close of his taxable year must include his share of our income, gain, loss and deduction in income for his taxable year, with the result that he will be required to include in income for his taxable year his share of more than one year of our income, gain, loss and deduction. Please read “— Disposition of Units — Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees.”

Depletion Deductions

Subject to the limitations on deductibility of losses discussed above (please read “— Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership — Limitations on Deductibility of Losses”), unitholders will be entitled to deductions for the greater of either cost depletion or (if otherwise allowable) percentage depletion with respect to our oil and natural gas interests. Although the Internal Revenue Code requires each unitholder to compute his own depletion allowance and maintain records of his share of the adjusted tax basis of the underlying property for depletion and other purposes, we intend to furnish each of our unitholders with information relating to this computation for federal income tax purposes. Each unitholder, however, remains responsible for calculating his own depletion allowance and maintaining records of his share of the adjusted tax basis of the underlying property for depletion and other purposes.

Percentage depletion is generally available with respect to unitholders who qualify under the independent producer exemption contained in Section 613A(c) of the Internal Revenue Code. To qualify as an “independent producer” eligible for percentage depletion (and that is not subject to the intangible drilling and development cost deduction limits, please read “— Deductions for Intangible Drilling and Development Costs”), a unitholder, either directly or indirectly through certain related parties, may not be involved in the refining of more than 75,000 barrels of oil (or the equivalent amount of natural gas) on average for any day during the taxable year or in the retail marketing of oil and natural gas products exceeding $5.0 million per year in the aggregate. Percentage depletion is calculated as an amount generally equal to 15% (and, in the case of marginal production, potentially a higher percentage) of the unitholder’s gross income from the depletable property for the taxable year. The percentage depletion deduction with respect to any property is limited to 100% of the taxable income of the unitholder from the property for each taxable year, computed without the depletion allowance. A unitholder that qualifies as an independent producer may deduct percentage depletion only to the extent the unitholder’s average net daily production of domestic crude oil, or the natural gas equivalent, does not exceed 1,000 barrels. This depletable amount may be allocated between oil and natural gas production, with 6,000 cubic

 

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feet of domestic natural gas production regarded as equivalent to one barrel of crude oil. The 1,000-barrel limitation must be allocated among the independent producer and controlled or related persons and family members in proportion to the respective production by such persons during the period in question.

In addition to the foregoing limitations, the percentage depletion deduction otherwise available is limited to 65% of a unitholder’s total taxable income from all sources for the year, computed without the depletion allowance, net operating loss carrybacks, or capital loss carrybacks. Any percentage depletion deduction disallowed because of the 65% limitation may be deducted in the following taxable year if the percentage depletion deduction for such year plus the deduction carryover does not exceed 65% of the unitholder’s total taxable income for that year. The carryover period resulting from the 65% net income limitation is unlimited.

Unitholders that do not qualify under the independent producer exemption are generally restricted to depletion deductions based on cost depletion. Cost depletion deductions are calculated by (i) dividing the unitholder’s share of the adjusted tax basis in the underlying mineral property by the number of mineral common units (barrels of oil and thousand cubic feet, or Mcf, of natural gas) remaining as of the beginning of the taxable year and (ii) multiplying the result by the number of mineral common units sold within the taxable year. The total amount of deductions based on cost depletion cannot exceed the unitholder’s share of the total adjusted tax basis in the property.

All or a portion of any gain recognized by a unitholder as a result of either the disposition by us of some or all of our oil and natural gas interests or the disposition by the unitholder of some or all of his common units may be taxed as ordinary income to the extent of recapture of depletion deductions, except for percentage depletion deductions in excess of the tax basis of the property. The amount of the recapture is generally limited to the amount of gain recognized on the disposition.

The foregoing discussion of depletion deductions does not purport to be a complete analysis of the complex legislation and Treasury Regulations relating to the availability and calculation of depletion deductions by the unitholders. Further, because depletion is required to be computed separately by each unitholder and not by our partnership, no assurance can be given, and counsel is unable to express any opinion, with respect to the availability or extent of percentage depletion deductions to the unitholders for any taxable year. Moreover, the availability of percentage depletion may be reduced or eliminated if recently proposed (or similar) tax legislation is enacted. For a discussion of such legislative proposals, please read “— Recent Legislative Developments.” We encourage each prospective unitholder to consult his tax advisor to determine whether percentage depletion would be available to him.

Deductions for Intangible Drilling and Development Costs

We have elected to currently deduct intangible drilling and development costs, or IDCs. IDCs generally include our expenses for wages, fuel, repairs, hauling, supplies and other items that are incidental to, and necessary for, the drilling and preparation of wells for the production of oil, natural gas, or geothermal energy. The option to currently deduct IDCs applies only to those items that do not have a salvage value.

Although we have elected to currently deduct IDCs, each unitholder will have the option of either currently deducting IDCs or capitalizing all or part of the IDCs and amortizing them on a straight-line basis over a 60-month period, beginning with the taxable month in which the expenditure is made. If a unitholder makes the election to amortize the IDCs over a 60-month period, no IDC preference amount in respect of those IDCs will result for alternative minimum tax purposes.

Integrated oil companies must capitalize 30% of all their IDCs (other than IDCs paid or incurred with respect to oil and natural gas wells located outside of the United States) and amortize these IDCs over 60 months beginning in the month in which those costs are paid or incurred. If the taxpayer ceases to be an integrated oil company, it must continue to amortize those costs as long as it continues to own the property to which the IDCs relate. An “integrated oil company” is a taxpayer that has economic interests in oil or natural gas properties and also carries on substantial retailing or refining operations. An oil or natural gas producer is deemed to be a substantial retailer or refiner if it is does not qualify as an independent producer under the rules disqualifying retailers and refiners from taking percentage depletion. Please read “— Depletion Deductions.”

 

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IDCs previously deducted that are allocable to property (directly or through ownership of an interest in a partnership) and that would have been included in the adjusted tax basis of the property had the IDC deduction not been taken are recaptured to the extent of any gain realized upon the disposition of the property or upon the disposition by a unitholder of interests in us. Recapture is generally determined at the unitholder level. Where only a portion of the recapture property is sold, any IDCs related to the entire property are recaptured to the extent of the gain realized on the portion of the property sold. In the case of a disposition of an undivided interest in a property, a proportionate amount of the IDCs with respect to the property is treated as allocable to the transferred undivided interest to the extent of any gain recognized. Please read “— Disposition of Units — Recognition of Gain or Loss.”

The election to currently deduct IDCs may be restricted or eliminated if recently proposed (or similar) tax legislation is enacted. For a discussion of such legislative proposals, please read “— Recent Legislative Developments.”

Deduction for U.S. Production Activities

Subject to the limitations on the deductibility of losses discussed above and the limitation discussed below, unitholders will be entitled to a deduction, herein referred to as the Section 199 deduction, equal to 9% of the lesser of (i) our qualified production activities income that is allocated to such unitholder or (ii) the common unitholder’s taxable income.

A common unitholder’s otherwise allowable Section 199 deduction for each taxable year is reduced by 3% of the least of (i) the oil related qualified production activities income of the taxpayer for the taxable year, (ii) the qualified production activities income of the taxpayer for the taxable year, or (iii) the taxpayer’s taxable income for the taxable year (determined without regard to any Section 199 deduction). For this purpose, the term “oil related qualified production activities income” means the qualified production activities income attributable to the production, refining, processing, transportation, or distribution of oil, gas, or any primary production thereof. We expect that most of all of our qualified production activities income will consist of oil related qualified production activities income.

Qualified production activities income is generally equal to gross receipts from domestic production activities reduced by cost of goods sold allocable to those receipts, other expenses directly associated with those receipts, and a share of other deductions, expenses and losses that are not directly allocable to those receipts or another class of income. The products produced must be manufactured, produced, grown or extracted in whole or in significant part by the taxpayer in the United States.

For a partnership, the Section 199 deduction is determined at the partner level. To determine his Section 199 deduction, each unitholder will aggregate his share of the qualified production activities income allocated to him from us with the unitholder’s qualified production activities income from other sources. Each unitholder must take into account his distributive share of the expenses allocated to him from our qualified production activities regardless of whether we otherwise have taxable income. However, our expenses that otherwise would be taken into account for purposes of computing the Section 199 deduction are taken into account only if and to the extent the unitholder’s share of losses and deductions from all of our activities is not disallowed by the tax basis rules, the at risk rules or the passive activity loss rules. Please read “— Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership — Limitations on Deductibility of Losses.”

The amount of a unitholder’s Section 199 deduction for each year is limited to 50% of the IRS Form W-2 wages actually or deemed paid by the unitholder during the calendar year that are deducted in arriving at qualified production activities income. Each unitholder is treated as having been allocated IRS Form W-2 wages from us equal to the unitholder’s allocable share of our wages that are deducted in arriving at qualified production activities income for that taxable year. It is not anticipated that we or our operating subsidiary will pay material wages that will be allocated to our unitholders, and thus a unitholder’s ability to claim the Section 199 deduction may be limited.

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production activities income, or IRS Form W-2 wages, or how such items are allocated by us to unitholders. Further, because the Section 199 deduction is required to be computed separately by each unitholder, no assurance can be given, and counsel is unable to express any opinion, as to the availability or extent of the Section 199 deduction to the unitholders. Moreover, the availability of Section 199 deductions may be reduced or eliminated if recently proposed (or similar) tax legislation is enacted. For a discussion of such legislative proposals, please read “— Recent Legislative Developments.” Each prospective unitholder is encouraged to consult his tax advisor to determine whether the Section 199 deduction would be available to him.

Lease Acquisition Costs

The cost of acquiring oil and natural gas lease or similar property interests is a capital expenditure that must be recovered through depletion deductions if the lease is productive. If a lease is proved worthless and abandoned, the cost of acquisition less any depletion claimed may be deducted as an ordinary loss in the year the lease becomes worthless. Please read “— Tax Treatment of Operations — Depletion Deductions.”

Geophysical Costs

The cost of geophysical exploration incurred in connection with the exploration and development of oil and natural gas properties in the United States are deducted ratably over a 24-month period beginning on the date that such expense is paid or incurred. The amortization period for certain geological and geophysical expenditures may be extended if recently proposed (or similar) tax legislation is enacted. For a discussion of such legislative proposals, please read “— Recent Legislative Developments.”

Operating and Administrative Costs

Amounts paid for operating a producing well are deductible as ordinary business expenses, as are administrative costs, to the extent they constitute ordinary and necessary business expenses that are reasonable in amount.

Tax Basis, Depreciation and Amortization

The tax basis of our assets will be used for purposes of computing depreciation and cost recovery deductions and, ultimately, gain or loss on the disposition of these assets. The federal income tax burden associated with the difference between the fair market value of our assets and their tax basis immediately prior to an offering will be borne by our partners holding interests in us prior to such offering. Please read “— Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership — Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction.”

To the extent allowable, we may elect to use the depreciation and cost recovery methods, including bonus depreciation to the extent applicable, that will result in the largest deductions being taken in the early years after assets subject to these allowances are placed in service. We may not be entitled to any amortization deductions with respect to certain goodwill properties conveyed to us or held by us at the time of any future offering. Please read “— Uniformity of Units.” Property we subsequently acquire or construct may be depreciated using accelerated methods permitted by the Internal Revenue Code.

If we dispose of depreciable property by sale, foreclosure or otherwise, all or a portion of any gain, determined by reference to the amount of depreciation previously deducted and the nature of the property, may be subject to the recapture rules and taxed as ordinary income rather than capital gain. Similarly, a unitholder who has taken cost recovery or depreciation deductions with respect to property we own will likely be required to recapture some or all of those deductions as ordinary income upon a sale of his interest in us. Please read “— Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership — Allocation of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction” and “— Disposition of Units — Recognition of Gain or Loss.”

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

 

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Valuation and Tax Basis of Our Properties

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

Disposition of Units

Recognition of Gain or Loss

Gain or loss will be recognized on a sale of common units equal to the difference between the unitholder’s amount realized and the unitholder’s tax basis for the common units sold. A unitholder’s amount realized will equal the sum of the cash or the fair market value of other property he receives plus his share of our liabilities. Because the amount realized includes a unitholder’s share of our liabilities, the gain recognized on the sale of common units could result in a tax liability in excess of any cash received from the sale.

Prior distributions from us that in the aggregate were in excess of the cumulative net taxable income allocated for a unit that decreased a unitholder’s tax basis in that unit will, in effect, become taxable income if the unit is sold at a price greater than the unitholder’s tax basis in the unit, even if the price received is less than his original cost.

Except as noted below, gain or loss recognized by a unitholder on the sale or exchange of a unit held for more than one year will generally be taxable as long-term capital gain or loss. However, a portion of this gain or loss, which will likely be substantial, will be separately computed and taxed as ordinary income or loss under Section 751 of the Internal Revenue Code to the extent attributable to assets giving rise to depreciation recapture or other “unrealized receivables” or “inventory items” that we own. The term “unrealized receivables” includes potential recapture items, including depreciation, depletion, amortization or IDC recapture. Ordinary income attributable to unrealized receivables, inventory items and depreciation recapture may exceed net taxable gain realized on the sale of a unit and may be recognized even if there is a net taxable loss realized on the sale of a unit. Thus, a unitholder may recognize both ordinary income and a capital loss upon a sale of common units. Capital losses may offset capital gains and no more than $3,000 of ordinary income each year, in the case of individuals, and may only be used to offset capital gain in the case of corporations.

The IRS has ruled that a partner who acquires interests in a partnership in separate transactions must combine those interests and maintain a single adjusted tax basis for all those interests. Upon a sale or other disposition of less than all of those interests, a portion of that tax basis must be allocated to the interests sold using an “equitable apportionment” method, which generally means that the tax basis allocated to the interest sold equals an amount that bears the same relation to the partner’s tax basis in his entire interest in the partnership as the value of the interest sold bears to the value of the partner’s entire interest in the partnership. Treasury Regulations under Section 1223 of the Internal Revenue Code allow a selling unitholder who can identify common units transferred with an ascertainable holding period to elect to use the actual holding period of the common units transferred. Thus, according to the ruling discussed above, a unitholder will be unable to select high or low basis common units to sell as would be the case with corporate stock, but, according to the Treasury Regulations, he may designate specific common units sold for purposes of determining the holding period of common units transferred. A unitholder electing to use the actual holding period of common units transferred must consistently use that identification method for all subsequent sales or exchanges of our common units. A unitholder considering the purchase of additional common units or a sale of common units purchased in separate transactions is urged to consult his tax advisor as to the possible consequences of this ruling and application of the Treasury Regulations.

 

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Specific provisions of the Internal Revenue Code affect the taxation of some financial products and securities, including partnership interests, by treating a taxpayer as having sold an “appreciated” partnership interest, one in which gain would be recognized if it were sold, assigned or terminated at its fair market value, if the taxpayer or related persons enter(s) into:

 

    a short sale;

 

    an offsetting notional principal contract; or

 

    a futures or forward contract;

in each case, with respect to the partnership interest or substantially identical property.

Moreover, if a taxpayer has previously entered into a short sale, an offsetting notional principal contract or a futures or forward contract with respect to the partnership interest, the taxpayer will be treated as having sold that position if the taxpayer or a related person then acquires the partnership interest or substantially identical property. The Secretary of the Treasury is also authorized to issue regulations that treat a taxpayer that enters into transactions or positions that have substantially the same effect as the preceding transactions as having constructively sold the financial position.

Allocations Between Transferors and Transferees

In general, our taxable income or loss will be determined annually, will be prorated on a monthly basis and will be subsequently apportioned among the unitholders in proportion to the number of common units owned by each of them as of the opening of the applicable exchange on the first business day of the month (the “Allocation Date”). However, gain or loss realized on a sale or other disposition of our assets other than in the ordinary course of business will be allocated among the unitholders on the Allocation Date in the month in which that gain or loss is recognized. As a result, a unitholder transferring common units may be allocated income, gain, loss and deduction realized after the date of transfer.

Although simplifying conventions are contemplated by the Internal Revenue Code and most publicly-traded partnerships use similar simplifying conventions, the use of this method may not be permitted under existing Treasury Regulations. Recently, however, the Department of the Treasury and the IRS issued proposed Treasury Regulations that provide a safe harbor pursuant to which a publicly-traded partnership may use a similar monthly simplifying convention to allocate tax items among transferor and transferee unitholders, although such tax items must be prorated on a daily basis. Nonetheless, the proposed regulations do not specifically authorize the use of the proration method we have adopted. Existing publicly-traded partnerships are entitled to rely on those proposed Treasury Regulations; however, they are not binding on the IRS and are subject to change until the final Treasury Regulations are issued. Accordingly, Andrews Kurth LLP is unable to opine on the validity of this method of allocating income and deductions between transferee and transferor unitholders. If this method is not allowed under the Treasury Regulations, or only applies to transfers of less than all of the unitholder’s interest, our taxable income or losses might be reallocated among the unitholders. We are authorized to revise our method of allocation between transferee and transferor unitholders, as well as among unitholders whose interests vary during a taxable year, to conform to a method permitted under future Treasury Regulations.

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

Notification Requirements

A unitholder who sells any of his common units is generally required to notify us in writing of that sale within 30 days after the sale (or, if earlier, January 15 of the year following the sale). A purchaser of common units who purchases common units from another unitholder is also generally required to notify us in writing of that purchase within 30 days after the purchase. Upon receiving such notifications, we are required to notify the IRS of that transaction and to furnish specified information to the transferor and transferee. Failure to notify us of

 

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a transfer of common units may, in some cases, lead to the imposition of penalties. However, these reporting requirements do not apply to a sale by an individual who is a citizen of the United States and who effects the sale or exchange through a broker who will satisfy such requirements.

Constructive Termination

We will be considered to have terminated our tax partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon the sale or exchange of interests in us that, in the aggregate, constitute 50% or more of the total interests in our capital and profits within a twelve-month period. For purposes of measuring whether the 50% threshold has been met, multiple sales of the same unit are counted only once. A constructive termination results in the closing of our taxable year for all unitholders. In the case of a unitholder reporting on a taxable year other than a fiscal year ending December 31, the closing of our taxable year may result in more than twelve months of our taxable income or loss being includable in such unitholder’s taxable income for the year of termination. A constructive termination occurring on a date other than December 31 will result in us filing two tax returns (and unitholders could receive two Schedules K-1 if the relief discussed below is not available) for one fiscal year and the cost of the preparation of these returns will be borne by all unitholders. However, pursuant to an IRS relief procedure for publicly traded partnerships that have technically terminated, the IRS may allow, among other things, that we provide a single Schedule K-1 for the tax year in which a termination occurs. We would be required to make new tax elections after a termination, including a new election under Section 754 of the Internal Revenue Code, and a termination would result in a deferral of our deductions for depreciation. A termination could also result in penalties if we were unable to determine that the termination had occurred. Moreover, a termination might either accelerate the application of, or subject us to, any tax legislation enacted before the termination.

Uniformity of Units

Because we cannot match transferors and transferees of common units and because of other reasons, we must maintain uniformity of the economic and tax characteristics of the common units to a purchaser of these common units. In the absence of uniformity, we may be unable to completely comply with a number of federal income tax requirements, both statutory and regulatory. A lack of uniformity could result from a literal application of Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-1(a)(6), which is not expected to apply to a material portion of our assets. Any non- uniformity could have a negative impact on the value of the common units. Please read “— Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership — Section 754 Election.”

Our partnership agreement permits our general partner to take positions in filing our tax returns that preserve the uniformity of our common units even under circumstances like those described above. These positions may include reducing for some unitholders the depreciation, amortization or loss deductions to which they would otherwise be entitled or reporting a slower amortization of Section 743(b) adjustments for some unitholders than that to which they would otherwise be entitled. Andrews Kurth LLP is unable to opine as to validity of such filing positions. A unitholder’s basis in common units is reduced by his share of our deductions (whether or not such deductions were claimed on an individual income tax return) so that any position that we take that understates deductions will overstate the unitholder’s basis in his common units, and may cause the unitholder to understate gain or overstate loss on any sale of such common units. Please read “— Disposition of Units — Recognition of Gain or Loss” and “— Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership — Section 754 Election.” The IRS may challenge one or more of any positions we take to preserve the uniformity of common units. If such a challenge were sustained, the uniformity of common units might be affected, and, under some circumstances, the gain from the sale of common units might be increased without the benefit of additional deductions.

Tax-Exempt Organizations and Other Investors

Ownership of common units by employee benefit plans, other tax-exempt organizations, non-resident aliens, non-U.S. corporations and other non-U.S. persons raises issues unique to those investors and, as described below, may have substantially adverse tax consequences to them. Prospective unitholders who are tax-exempt entities or non-U.S. persons should consult their tax advisor before investing in our common units.

 

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Employee benefit plans and most other organizations exempt from federal income tax, including individual retirement accounts and other retirement plans, are subject to federal income tax on unrelated business taxable income. Virtually all of our income allocated to a unitholder that is a tax-exempt organization will be unrelated business taxable income and will be taxable to it.

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

In addition, because a foreign corporation that owns common units will be treated as engaged in a United States trade or business, that corporation may be subject to the United States branch profits tax at a rate of 30%, in addition to regular federal income tax, on its share of our income and gain, as adjusted for changes in the foreign corporation’s “U.S. net equity,” which is effectively connected with the conduct of a United States trade or business. That tax may be reduced or eliminated by an income tax treaty between the United States and the country in which the foreign corporate unitholder is a “qualified resident.” In addition, this type of unitholder is subject to special information reporting requirements under Section 6038C of the Internal Revenue Code.

A foreign unitholder who sells or otherwise disposes of a unit will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on gain realized from the sale or disposition of that unit to the extent the gain is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the foreign unitholder. Under a ruling published by the IRS, interpreting the scope of “effectively connected income,” a foreign unitholder would be considered to be engaged in a trade or business in the U.S. by virtue of the U.S. activities of the partnership, and part or all of that unitholder’s gain would be effectively connected with that unitholder’s indirect U.S. trade or business. Moreover, under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act, a foreign unitholder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax upon the sale or disposition of a unit if (i) he owned (directly or constructively applying certain attribution rules) more than 5% of our common units at any time during the five-year period ending on the date of such disposition and (ii) 50% or more of the fair market value of all of our assets consisted of U.S. real property interests at any time during the shorter of the period during which such unitholder held the common units or the 5-year period ending on the date of disposition. Currently, more than 50% of our assets consist of U.S. real property interests and we do not expect that to change in the foreseeable future. Therefore, foreign unitholders may be subject to federal income tax on gain from the sale or disposition of their common units.

Administrative Matters

Information Returns and Audit Procedures

We intend to furnish to each unitholder, within 90 days after the close of each taxable year, specific tax information, including a Schedule K-1, which describes his share of our income, gain, loss and deduction for our preceding taxable year. In preparing this information, which will not be reviewed by counsel, we will take various accounting and reporting positions, some of which have been mentioned earlier, to determine each unitholder’s share of income, gain, loss and deduction. We cannot assure our unitholders that those positions will yield a result that conforms to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code, Treasury Regulations or administrative interpretations of the IRS. Neither we, nor Andrews Kurth LLP can assure prospective unitholders that the IRS will not successfully contend in court that those positions are impermissible. Any challenge by the IRS could negatively affect the value of the common units.

The IRS may audit our federal income tax information returns. Adjustments resulting from an IRS audit may require each unitholder to adjust a prior year’s tax liability, and possibly may result in an audit of his return. Any audit of a unitholder’s return could result in adjustments not related to our returns as well as those related to our returns.

 

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Partnerships generally are treated as separate entities for purposes of U.S. federal income tax audits, judicial review of administrative adjustments by the IRS and tax settlement proceedings. The tax treatment of partnership items of income, gain, loss and deduction are determined in a partnership proceeding rather than in separate proceedings with the partners. The Internal Revenue Code requires that one partner be designated as the “Tax Matters Partner” for these purposes. Our partnership agreement designates our general partner as our Tax Matters Partner.

The Tax Matters Partner will make some elections on our behalf and on behalf of unitholders. In addition, the Tax Matters Partner can extend the statute of limitations for assessment of tax deficiencies against unitholders for items in our returns. The Tax Matters Partner may bind a unitholder with less than a 1% profits interest in us to a settlement with the IRS unless that unitholder elects, by filing a statement with the IRS, not to give that authority to the Tax Matters Partner. The Tax Matters Partner may seek judicial review, by which all the unitholders are bound, of a final partnership administrative adjustment and, if the Tax Matters Partner fails to seek judicial review, judicial review may be sought by any unitholder having at least a 1% interest in profits or by any group of unitholders having in the aggregate at least a 5% interest in profits. However, only one action for judicial review will go forward, and each unitholder with an interest in the outcome may participate in that action.

A unitholder must file a statement with the IRS identifying the treatment of any item on his federal income tax return that is not consistent with the treatment of the item on our return. Intentional or negligent disregard of this consistency requirement may subject a unitholder to substantial penalties.

Nominee Reporting

Persons who hold an interest in us as a nominee for another person are required to furnish to us:

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

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

(a)   a person that is not a U.S. person;

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

(c)   a tax-exempt entity;

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

(4)   specific information including the dates of acquisitions and transfers, means of acquisitions and transfers, and acquisition cost for purchases, as well as the amount of net proceeds from sales.

Brokers and financial institutions are required to furnish additional information, including whether they are U.S. persons and specific information on common units they acquire, hold or transfer for their own account. A penalty of $100 per failure, up to a maximum of $1,500,000 per calendar year, is imposed by the Internal Revenue Code for failure to report that information to us. The nominee is required to supply the beneficial owner of the common units with the information furnished to us.

Accuracy-Related Penalties

An additional tax equal to 20% of the amount of any portion of an underpayment of tax that is attributable to one or more specified causes, including negligence or disregard of rules or regulations, substantial understatements of income tax and substantial valuation misstatements, is imposed by the Internal Revenue Code. No penalty will be imposed, however, for any portion of an underpayment if it is shown that there was a reasonable cause for the underpayment of that portion and that the taxpayer acted in good faith regarding the underpayment of that portion.

For individuals, a substantial understatement of income tax in any taxable year exists if the amount of the understatement exceeds the greater of 10% of the tax required to be shown on the return for the taxable year or

 

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$5,000 ($10,000 for most corporations). The amount of any understatement subject to penalty generally is reduced if any portion is attributable to a position adopted on the return:

(1)   for which there is, or was, “substantial authority;” or

(2)   as to which there is a reasonable basis and the pertinent facts of that position are disclosed on the return.

If any item of income, gain, loss or deduction included in the distributive shares of unitholders might result in that kind of an “understatement” of income for which no “substantial authority” exists, we must disclose the pertinent facts on our return. In addition, we will make a reasonable effort to furnish sufficient information for unitholders to make adequate disclosure on their returns and to take other actions as may be appropriate to permit unitholders to avoid liability for this penalty. More stringent rules apply to “tax shelters,” which we do not believe includes us, or any of our investments, plans or arrangements.

A substantial valuation misstatement exists if (a) the value of any property, or the tax basis of any property, claimed on a tax return is 150% or more of the amount determined to be the correct amount of the valuation or tax basis, (b) the price for any property or services (or for the use of property) claimed on any such return with respect to any transaction between persons described in Internal Revenue Code Section 482 is 200% or more (or 50% or less) of the amount determined under Section 482 to be the correct amount of such price, or (c) the net Internal Revenue Code Section 482 transfer price adjustment for the taxable year exceeds the lesser of $5.0 million or 10% of the taxpayer’s gross receipts. No penalty is imposed unless the portion of the underpayment attributable to a substantial valuation misstatement exceeds $5,000 ($10,000 for a corporation other than an S Corporation or a personal holding company). The penalty is increased to 40% in the event of a gross valuation misstatement. We do not anticipate making any valuation misstatements.

In addition, the 20% accuracy-related penalty also applies to any portion of an underpayment of tax that is attributable to transactions lacking economic substance. To the extent that such transactions are not disclosed, the penalty imposed is increased to 40%. Additionally, there is no reasonable cause defense to the imposition of this penalty to such transactions.

Reportable Transactions

If we were to engage in a “reportable transaction,” we (and possibly our unitholders and others) would be required to make a detailed disclosure of the transaction to the IRS. A transaction may be a reportable transaction based upon any of several factors, including the fact that it is a type of tax avoidance transaction publicly identified by the IRS as a “listed transaction” or that it produces certain kinds of losses for partnerships, individuals, S corporations, and trusts in excess of $2.0 million in any single tax year, or $4.0 million in any combination of six successive tax years. Our participation in a reportable transaction could increase the likelihood that our federal income tax information return (and possibly our unitholders’ tax return) would be audited by the IRS. Please read “— Information Returns and Audit Procedures.”

Moreover, if we were to participate in a reportable transaction with a significant purpose to avoid or evade tax, or in any listed transaction, our unitholders may be subject to the following additional consequences:

 

    accuracy-related penalties with a broader scope, significantly narrower exceptions, and potentially greater amounts than described in “— Accuracy-Related Penalties;”

 

    for those persons otherwise entitled to deduct interest on federal tax deficiencies, nondeductibility of interest on any resulting tax liability; and

 

    in the case of a listed transaction, an extended statute of limitations.

We do not expect to engage in any “reportable transactions.”

Recent Legislative Developments

The present federal income tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships, including us, or an investment in our common units, may be modified by administrative, legislative or judicial interpretation at any time. For example, from time to time, members of the U.S. Congress propose and consider substantive changes to the

 

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existing federal income tax laws that affect publicly traded partnerships. Any modification to the federal income tax laws and interpretations thereof may or may not be applied retroactively and could make it more difficult or impossible to meet the exception for us to be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Although we are unable to predict whether any of these changes, or other proposals, will ultimately be enacted, any such changes could negatively impact the value of an investment in our common units.

Both the Obama Administration’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2015 and other recently introduced legislation include proposals that would, among other things, eliminate or reduce certain key U.S. federal income tax incentives relating to oil and natural gas exploration and development. Changes proposed include, but are not limited to, (i) the repeal of the percentage depletion allowance for oil and natural gas properties, (ii) the elimination of current deductions for intangible drilling and development costs and certain environmental clean-up costs, (iii) the elimination of the deduction for certain domestic production activities, and (iv) an extension of the amortization period for certain geological and geophysical expenditures. It is unclear whether these or similar changes will be enacted and, if enacted, how soon any such changes could become effective. The passage of any legislation as a result of these proposals or any other similar changes in U.S. federal income tax laws could eliminate or postpone certain tax deductions that are currently available with respect to oil and natural gas exploration and development, and any such change could increase the taxable income allocable to our unitholders and negatively impact the value of an investment in our common units.

State, Local and Other Tax Considerations

In addition to U.S. federal income taxes, unitholders will be subject to other taxes, including state and local income taxes, unincorporated business taxes, and estate, inheritance or intangibles taxes that may be imposed by the various jurisdictions in which we conduct business or own property or in which the unitholder is a resident. We currently conduct business or own property in Oklahoma and Colorado, each of which imposes personal income taxes on individuals. These states also impose an income tax on corporations and other entities. Moreover, we may also own property or do business in other states in the future that impose income or similar taxes on nonresident individuals. Although an analysis of those various taxes is not presented here, each prospective unitholder should consider their potential impact on his investment in us. A unitholder may be required to file state income tax returns and to pay state income taxes in any state in which we do business or own property, and such unitholder may be subject to penalties for failure to comply with those requirements. In some states, tax losses may not produce a tax benefit in the year incurred and also may not be available to offset income in subsequent taxable years. Some of the states may require us, or we may elect, to withhold a percentage of income from amounts to be distributed to a unitholder who is not a resident of the state. Withholding, the amount of which may be greater or less than a particular unitholder’s income tax liability to the state, generally does not relieve a nonresident unitholder from the obligation to file an income tax return. Amounts withheld may be treated as if distributed to unitholders for purposes of determining the amounts distributed by us. Please read “— Tax Consequences of Unit Ownership — Entity-Level Collections of Unitholder Taxes.” Based on current law and our estimate of our future operations, we anticipate that any amounts required to be withheld will not be material.

It is the responsibility of each unitholder to investigate the legal and tax consequences, under the laws of pertinent states and localities, of his investment in us. Accordingly, each prospective unitholder is urged to consult, and depend on, his own tax counsel or other advisor with regard to those matters. Further, it is the responsibility of each unitholder to file all tax returns that may be required of him. Andrews Kurth LLP has not rendered an opinion on the state, local or non-U.S. tax consequences of an investment in us.

Tax Consequences of Ownership of Debt Securities

A description of the material federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of debt securities will be set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the offering of debt securities.

 

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INVESTMENT IN MID-CON ENERGY PARTNERS, LP BY EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

An investment in us by an employee benefit plan is subject to additional considerations because the investments of these plans are subject to the fiduciary responsibility and prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA and the restrictions imposed by Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code and provisions under any federal, state, local, non-U.S. or other laws or regulations that are similar to such provisions of the Internal Revenue Code or ERISA (collectively, “Similar Laws”). For these purposes the term “employee benefit plan” includes, but is not limited to, qualified pension, profit-sharing and stock bonus plans, Keogh plans, simplified employee pension plans and tax deferred annuities or individual retirement accounts or annuities, or IRAs, established or maintained by an employer or employee organization, and entities whose underlying assets are considered to include “plan assets” of such plans, accounts and arrangements (collectively, “Employee Benefit Plans”). Among other things, consideration should be given to:

 

    whether the investment is prudent under Section 404(a)(1)(B) of ERISA and any other applicable Similar Laws;

 

    whether in making the investment, the plan will satisfy the diversification requirements of Section 404(a)(1)(C) of ERISA and any other applicable Similar Laws;

 

    whether the investment will result in recognition of unrelated business taxable income by the plan and, if so, the potential after-tax investment return. Please read “Material Tax Consequences — Tax-Exempt Organizations and Other Investors;” and

 

    whether making such an investment will comply with the delegation of control and prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code and any other applicable Similar Laws.

The person with investment discretion with respect to the assets of an Employee Benefit Plan, often called a fiduciary, should determine whether an investment in us is authorized by the appropriate governing instrument and is a proper investment for the plan.

Section 406 of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code prohibit Employee Benefit Plans, and IRAs that are not considered part of an Employee Benefit Plan, from engaging, either directly or indirectly, in specified transactions involving “plan assets” with parties that, with respect to the plan, are “parties in interest” under ERISA or “disqualified persons” under the Internal Revenue Code unless an exemption is available. A party in interest or disqualified person who engages in a non-exempt prohibited transaction may be subject to excise taxes and other penalties and liabilities under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. In addition, the fiduciary of the Employee Benefit Plan that engaged in such a non-exempt prohibited transaction may be subject to penalties and liabilities under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code.

In addition to considering whether the purchase of common units is a prohibited transaction, a fiduciary should consider whether the plan will, by investing in us, be deemed to own an undivided interest in our assets, with the result that our general partner would also be a fiduciary of such plan and our operations would be subject to the regulatory restrictions of ERISA, including its prohibited transaction rules, as well as the prohibited transaction rules of the Internal Revenue Code and any other applicable Similar Laws.

The Department of Labor regulations and Section 3(42) of ERISA provide guidance with respect to whether, in certain circumstances, the assets of an entity in which Employee Benefit Plans acquire equity interests would be deemed “plan assets.” Under these rules, an entity’s assets would not be considered to be “plan assets” if, among other things:

 

    the equity interests acquired by the Employee Benefit Plan are publicly offered securities — i.e., the equity interests are widely held by 100 or more investors independent of the issuer and each other, are freely transferable and are registered under certain provisions of the federal securities laws;

 

    the entity is an “operating company,” — i.e., it is primarily engaged in the production or sale of a product or service, other than the investment of capital, either directly or through a majority-owned subsidiary or subsidiaries; or

 

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    there is no significant investment by “benefit plan investors,” which is generally defined to mean that less than 25% of the value of each class of equity interest, disregarding any such interests held by our general partner, its affiliates and certain persons, is held by the Employee Benefit Plans.

Our assets should not be considered “plan assets” under these regulations because it is expected that the investment will satisfy the requirements in the first two bullet points above.

In light of the serious penalties imposed on persons who engage in prohibited transactions or other violations, plan fiduciaries contemplating a purchase of common units should consult with their own counsel regarding the consequences under ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code and other Similar Laws.

 

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SELLING UNITHOLDERS

This prospectus covers the offering for resale from time to time, in one or more offerings, of up to 3,186,363 common units owned by the selling unitholders identified in the table below.

Yorktown Energy Partners VI, L.P., Yorktown Energy Partners VII, L.P. and Yorktown Energy Partners VIII, L.P. (collectively, the “Yorktown Partnerships”) each obtained its common units as partial consideration in respect of the merger of Mid-Con Energy I, LLC and Mid-Con Energy II, LLC into our subsidiary in connection with our initial public offering. Yorktown has made several equity investments in our predecessor prior to our initial public offering. As of May 1, 2014, the Yorktown Partnerships owned an aggregate 8.0% limited partner interest in us represented by 1,686,363 common units. For further discussion of the relationships between us, our general partner and Yorktown, please read “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions, and Director Independence” included in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K.

Mid-Con Energy III, LLC, an affiliate of our general partner, obtained its common units as partial consideration in respect of its sale to us on February 28, 2014 of multiple oil properties located in Cimarron, Love and Texas Counties, Oklahoma and Potter County, Texas. As of May 1, 2014, Mid-Con Energy III, LLC owned a 7.1% limited partner interest in us represented by 1,500,000 common units. Yorktown Energy Partners IX, L.P. and certain members of our management team, including the Founders, own membership interests in Mid-Con Energy III, LLC. In addition, certain of the officers and directors of our general partner serve as officers or directors of Mid-Con Energy III, LLC.

The following table sets forth information relating to the selling unitholders as of May 1, 2014 based on information supplied to us by the selling unitholders on or prior to that date. We have not sought to verify such information. Information concerning the selling unitholders may change over time, and if necessary, we will supplement this prospectus accordingly. The selling unitholders may hold or acquire at any time common units in addition to those offered by this prospectus and may have acquired additional common units since the date on which the information reflected herein was provided to us. In addition, the selling unitholders may have sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of some or all of their common units since the date on which the information reflected herein was provided to us and may in the future sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of some or all of their common in private placement transactions exempt from or not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Assuming the sale of all common units registered hereby, Yorktown Energy Partners VI, L.P., Yorktown Energy Partners VII, L.P., Yorktown Energy Partners VIII, L.P. and Mid-Con Energy III, LLC will hold no common units upon completion of this offering.

Additional selling unitholders may be identified by prospectus supplement or other document that we file that is incorporated by reference into this prospectus.

 

 Selling Unitholders                                             

  Common Units Owned
Prior to Offering
  Common Units
Being Offered

 Yorktown Energy Partners VI, L.P. (1)(2)

      140,436                 140,436      

 Yorktown Energy Partners VII, L.P. (1)(2)

      37,207                 37,207      

 Yorktown Energy Partners VIII, L.P. (1)(2)

      1,508,720                 1,508,720      

 Mid-Con Energy III, LLC (3)

      1,500,000                 1,500,000      
   

 

 

     

 

 

 

 Total

                 3,186,363                        3,186,363      
   

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

(1) Yorktown Energy Partners IX, L.P. owns a 50% interest in Mid-Con Energy Operating, Inc. Yorktown IX Company LP is the sole general partner of Yorktown Energy Partners IX, L.P. Yorktown Associates LLC is the sole general partner of Yorktown IX Company LP. Yorktown Energy Partners VI, L.P., Yorktown Energy Partners VII, L.P., and Yorktown Energy Partners VIII, L.P. own common units in us. For more information on the entities that control Yorktown Energy Partners VI, L.P., Yorktown Energy Partners VII, L.P. and Yorktown Energy Partners VIII, L.P., please read “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” included in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K. In addition, Peter A. Leidel, a principal of Yorktown, serves on the board of directors of our general partner.

 

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(2) The address for the beneficial owner is 410 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10022. There are no options, warrants or other rights or obligations outstanding that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days into common units.
(3) The address for the beneficial owner is 2431 East 61st Street, Suite 850, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74136. There are no options, warrants or other rights or obligations outstanding that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days into common units.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

Under this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, we and the selling unitholders may offer our securities to the public:

 

    directly to one or more purchasers;

 

    through agents;

 

    through underwriters, brokers or dealers

 

    through a combination of any of these methods of sale; or

 

    through any other method permitted by applicable law.

In addition, we or the selling unitholders may from time may from time to time sell securities in compliance with Rule 144 under the Securities Act, if available, or pursuant to other available exemptions from the registration requirements under the Securities Act, rather than pursuant to this prospectus. In such event, we and the selling unitholders, if applicable, may be required by the securities laws of certain states to offer and sell the common units only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers.

We and the selling unitholders may set the price or prices of our securities at:

 

    market prices prevailing at the time of any sale under this registration statement;

 

    prices related to market prices; or

 

    negotiated prices.

We and the selling unitholders may change the price of the securities offered from time to time.

The selling unitholders may act independently of us in making decisions with respect to the timing, manner and size of each of their sales.

Offers to purchase securities may be solicited directly by us and the sale thereof may be made by us directly to institutional investors or others, who may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act with respect to any resale thereof. The terms of any such sales will be described in the prospectus supplement relating thereto.

If we or the selling unitholders utilize any underwriters in the sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we and, if applicable, the selling unitholders will enter into an underwriting agreement with those underwriters at the time of sale to them. We will set forth the names of these underwriters and the terms of the transaction in the prospectus supplement, which will be used by the underwriters to make resales of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered to the public. We or the selling unitholders may indemnify the underwriters under the relevant underwriting agreement against specific liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. The underwriters or their affiliates may be customers of, may engage in transactions with and may perform services for us or our affiliates in the ordinary course of business.

If we or the selling unitholders utilize a dealer in the sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we or the selling unitholders, as applicable, will sell those securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell those securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale. We or the selling unitholders may indemnify the dealers against specific liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. The dealers or their affiliates may also be our customers or may engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business. To the extent required, the names of the specific managing underwriter or underwriters, if any, as well as other important information, will be set forth in prospectus supplements. In that event, the discounts and commissions we will allow or pay to the underwriters, if any, and the discounts and commissions the underwriters may allow or pay to dealers or agents, if any, will be set forth in, or may be calculated from, the prospectus supplements. Any underwriters, brokers, dealers and agents who participate in any sale of the securities may also engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us or our affiliates in the ordinary course of their businesses. We may indemnify underwriters, brokers, dealers and agents against specific liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

 

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We or the selling unitholders may offer the common units covered by this prospectus into an existing trading market on the terms described in the prospectus supplement relating thereto. Underwriters or agents could make sales in privately negotiated transactions and/or any other method permitted by law, including sales deemed to be an “at the market” offering as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act, which includes sales made directly on or through NASDAQ, the existing trading market for our common units, or sales made to or through a market maker other than on an exchange. Underwriters and agents who participate in any at-the-market offerings will be described in the prospectus supplement relating thereto.

Because the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) views our common units as interests in a direct participation program, any offering of common units under the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part will be made in compliance with Rule 2310 of the FINRA Conduct Rules.

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

In connection with offerings of securities under the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and in compliance with applicable law, underwriters, brokers or dealers may engage in transactions that stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at levels above those that might otherwise prevail in the open market. Specifically, underwriters, brokers or dealers may over-allot in connection with offerings, creating a short position in the securities for their own accounts. For the purpose of covering a syndicate short position or stabilizing the price of the securities, the underwriters, brokers or dealers may place bids for the securities or effect purchases of the securities in the open market. Finally, the underwriters may impose a penalty whereby selling concessions allowed to syndicate members or other brokers or dealers for distribution of the securities in offerings may be reclaimed by the syndicate if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed securities in transactions to cover short positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. These activities may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the securities, which may be higher than the price that might otherwise prevail in the open market, and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

 

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VALIDITY OF THE SECURITIES

The validity of the securities offered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Andrews Kurth LLP, Houston, Texas and Washington, D.C. Andrews Kurth LLP will also render an opinion on the material tax consequences regarding such securities. If certain legal matters in connection with an offering of the securities made by this prospectus and a related prospectus supplement are passed on by counsel for the selling unitholders or underwriters of such offering, that counsel will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement related to that offering.

EXPERTS

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

The statement of revenues and direct operating expenses of certain oil properties located in Cimarron, Love and Texas County, Oklahoma and Potter County, Texas acquired by Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP for the year ended December 31, 2013, incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement have been so incorporated by reference in reliance upon the report of Grant Thornton LLP, independent certified public accountants, upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

The information incorporated by reference in this prospectus relating to the estimated quantities of our proved oil and natural gas reserves and the net present value of such reserves as of December 31, 2013 set forth in this prospectus are based upon reserve reports prepared by Cawley, Gillespie & Associates, Inc.

 

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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution

Set forth below are the expenses (other than underwriting discounts and commissions) expected to be incurred in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities registered hereby. With the exception of the SEC registration fee and the FINRA filing fee, the amounts set forth below are estimates. The SEC registration fee will be paid by us and the Yorktown Partnerships on a pro rata basis, in proportion to the proposed maximum aggregate offering price of units registered by each party through this registration statement. All other expenses will be paid by us.

 

SEC registration fee

   $  17,359    

FINRA filing fee

     20,716    

Legal fees and expenses

       

Accounting fees and expenses

       

Printing and engraving expenses

       

Trustee and Transfer Agent fees

       

Miscellaneous

       
  

 

 

 

Total

       
  

 

 

 

 

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

Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP

The partnership agreement of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP provides that the partnership will, to the fullest extent permitted by law but subject to the limitations expressly provided therein, indemnify and hold harmless its general partner, any Departing Partner (as defined therein), any person who is or was an affiliate of the general partner, including any person who is or was a member, partner, officer, director, fiduciary or trustee of the general partner, any Departing Partner, any Group Member (as defined therein) or any affiliate of the general partner, any Departing Partner or any Group Member, or any person who is or was serving at the request of the general partner, including any affiliate of the general partner or any Departing Partner or any affiliate of any Departing Partner as an officer, director, member, partner, fiduciary or trustee of another person, or any person that the general partner designates as a Partnership Indemnitee for purposes of the partnership agreement (each, a “Partnership Indemnitee”) 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 Partnership Indemnitee may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of its status as a Partnership Indemnitee, provided that the Partnership Indemnitee shall not be indemnified and held harmless if there has been a final and non-appealable judgment entered by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that, in respect of the matter for which the Partnership Indemnitee is seeking indemnification, the Partnership Indemnitee engaged in fraud, willful misconduct or gross negligence or, a breach of its obligations under the partnership agreement of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP or a breach of its fiduciary duty in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Partnership Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful. This indemnification would under certain circumstances include indemnification for liabilities under the Securities Act. To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses (including legal fees and expenses) incurred by a Partnership Indemnitee who is indemnified pursuant to the partnership agreement in defending any claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding shall, from time to time, be advanced by the partnership prior to a determination that the Partnership Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified upon receipt by the partnership of any undertaking by or on behalf of the Partnership Indemnitee to repay such amount if it shall be determined that

 

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the Partnership Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified under the partnership agreement provided, however, there shall be no advancement of costs or fees to any Partnership Indemnitee in the event of a derivative or direct action against such Person brought by at least a Majority in Interest of the Limited Partners. Any indemnification under these provisions will be only out of the assets of the partnership. Section 17-108 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act empowers a Delaware limited partnership to indemnify and hold harmless any partner or other persons from and against all claims and demands whatsoever.

Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP is authorized to purchase (or to reimburse its general partner for the costs of) insurance against liabilities asserted against and expenses incurred by its general partner, its affiliates and such other persons as the respective general partners may determine and described in the paragraph above in connection with their activities, whether or not they would have the power to indemnify such person against such liabilities under the provisions described in the paragraphs above. The general partner has purchased insurance covering its officers and directors against liabilities asserted and expenses incurred in connection with their activities as officers and directors of our general partner or any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries.

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

Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) provides that a corporation may indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful.

Section 145 of the DGCL also provides that a corporation may indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Delaware Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Delaware Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper. To the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to above, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.

The certificate of incorporation and bylaws of Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation generally provide that the corporation shall, subject to applicable law, indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that such person is or was, at any time prior to or during which the indemnification provision thereunder is in effect, a director, officer, employee or agent of the

 

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corporation, or is or was, at any time prior to or during which the indemnification provision thereunder is in effect, serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise against reasonable expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, penalties, amounts paid in settlement and other liabilities actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding to the full extent permitted by the DGCL, upon a determination having been made as to such person’s good faith and conduct.

Reference is also made to the underwriting agreement to be filed by amendment or incorporated by reference in connection with the offering of a particular class or series of securities under the prospectus which forms a part of this registration statement, which will provide for the indemnification of Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation, its officers and directors, and any person who controls Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation, including indemnification for liabilities under the Securities Act.

Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC

Section 18-108 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act provides that, subject to such standards and restrictions, if any, as are set forth in its limited liability company agreement, a Delaware limited liability company may, and shall have the power to, indemnify and hold harmless any member or manager or other person from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever. The limited liability company agreement of Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC provides for the indemnification of its member, officers and authorized representatives to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law against any and all losses, claims, damages, settlements and other amounts arising from any and all claims (including attorneys’ fees and expenses, as such fees and expenses are incurred), demands, actions, suits or proceedings (civil, criminal, administrative or investigative) in which such person may be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of the management of the affairs of the company, provided that such person will not be entitled to the foregoing indemnification if a court of competent jurisdiction has determined that such losses resulted primarily from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such person.

Item 16. Exhibits

 

Exhibit

    
1.1**    Form of Underwriting Agreement.
3.1   

Certificate of Limited Partnership of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on August 12, 2011 (File No. 333-176265)).

3.2   

First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP, dated as of December 20, 2011 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP’s current report on Form 8-K filed on December 23, 2011).

3.3   

Certificate of Formation of Mid-Con Energy GP, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.4 to Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on August 12, 2011 (File No. 333-176265)).

3.4   

Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Mid-Con Energy GP, LLC, dated as of December 20, 2011 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP’s current report on Form 8-K filed on December 23, 2011).

3.5   

Certificate of Incorporation of Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation dated February 11, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.5 to the Partnership’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (SEC File No. 333-187012), filed on March 1, 2013).

3.6   

Bylaws of Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation dated February 11, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.6 to the Partnership’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (SEC File No. 333-187012), filed on March 1, 2013).

 

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3.7   

Certificate of Formation of Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC dated as of July 27, 2011 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.7 to the Partnership’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (SEC File No. 333-187012), filed on March 1, 2013).

3.8   

Limited Liability Company Agreement of Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC dated as of July 27, 2011 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.8 to the Partnership’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (SEC File No. 333-187012), filed on March 1, 2013).

4.1   

Form of Senior Indenture (including form of senior debt security and form of guaranty agreement) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Partnership’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (SEC File No. 333-187012), filed on March 1, 2013).

4.2   

Form of Subordinated Indenture (including form of subordinated debt security and form of guaranty agreement) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Partnership’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (SEC File No. 333-187012), filed on March 1, 2013).

5.1*   

Opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP as to the legality of the securities being registered

8.1*   

Opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP relating to tax matters

12.1*   

Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

23.1*   

Consent of Cawley, Gillespie & Associates, Inc.

23.2*   

Consent of Grant Thornton LLP

23.3*   

Consent of Grant Thornton LLP

23.4*   

Consent of Andrews Kurth LLP (included in Exhibits 5.1 and 8.1)

24.1*   

Powers of Attorney (included on the signature page)

25.1*   

Statement of Eligibility and Qualification of the Trustee under the Senior Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, on Form T-1.

25.2*   

Statement of Eligibility and Qualification of the Trustee under the Subordinated Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, on Form T-1.

 

* Filed herewith.
** To be filed by amendment or incorporated by reference in connection with the offering of a particular class or series of securities.

Item 17. Undertakings

(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

 

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provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:

(i) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

(ii) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that, in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

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

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

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

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

 

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(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers, and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

(d) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

(1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b) (1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

(2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Scottsdale, State of Arizona.

Date:       May 2, 2014

 

MID-CON ENERGY PARTNERS, LP
By: Mid-Con Energy GP, LLC, its general partner
By:       /s/   CHARLES R. OLMSTEAD
  Charles R. Olmstead
  Chief Executive Officer and Director

Each person whose signature appears below appoints S. Craig George, Charles R. Olmstead, Jeffrey R. Olmstead and Nathan P. Pekar, and each of them, either of whom may act without the joinder of the other, as his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement and any Registration Statement (including any amendment thereto) for this offering that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and all other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or would do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or either of them or their or his substitute and substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates presented.

 

Signature

  

Title

 

Date

/s/  S. Craig George

S. Craig George

   Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors   May 2, 2014
    

/s/  Charles R. Olmstead

Charles R. Olmstead

   Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer)   May 2, 2014
    

/s/  Jeffrey R. Olmstead

Jeffrey R. Olmstead

   Chief Financial Officer and Director
(Principal Financial Officer)
  May 2, 2014
    

/s/  David A. Culbertson

David A. Culbertson

   Chief Accounting Officer
(Principal Accounting Officer)
  May 2, 2014
    

/s/  Peter A. Leidel

Peter A. Leidel

   Director   May 2, 2014
    

/s/  Cameron O. Smith

Cameron O. Smith

   Director   May 2, 2014
    

/s/  Robert W. Berry

Robert W. Berry

   Director   May 2, 2014
    

 

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Signature

  

Title

 

Date

/s/  Peter Adamson III

Peter Adamson III

   Director   May 2, 2014
    

/s/  Michael L. Wiggins

Michael L. Wiggins

   Director   May 2, 2014
    

/s/  C. Fred Ball Jr.

C. Fred Ball Jr.

   Director   May 2, 2014
    

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Scottsdale, State of Arizona.

Date:       May 2, 2014

 

MID-CON ENERGY FINANCE CORPORATION
By:       /s/  JEFFERY R. OLMSTEAD
  Jeffery R. Olmstead
  President, Chief Finance Officer and Director

Each person whose signature appears below appoints S. Craig George, Charles R. Olmstead, Jeffrey R. Olmstead and Nathan P. Pekar, and each of them, either of whom may act without the joinder of the other, as his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement and any Registration Statement (including any amendment thereto) for this offering that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and all other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or would do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or either of them or their or his substitute and substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates presented.

 

Signature

 

Title

 

Date

/s/  S. Craig George

S. Craig George

  Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors   May 2, 2014
   

/s/  Charles R. Olmstead

Charles R. Olmstead

  Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer)   May 2, 2014
   

/s/  Jeffery R. Olmstead

Jeffrey R. Olmstead

  President, Chief Financial Officer and Director
(Principal Financial Officer)
  May 2, 2014
   

/s/  David A. Culbertson

David A. Culbertson

  Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer
(Principal Accounting Officer)
  May 2, 2014
   

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Scottsdale, State of Arizona.

Date:       May 2, 2014

 

MID-CON ENERGY PROPERTIES, LLC
By:   /s/  CHARLES R. OLMSTEAD
  Charles R. Olmstead
  Chief Executive Officer and Director

Each person whose signature appears below appoints S. Craig George, Charles R. Olmstead, Jeffrey R. Olmstead and Nathan P. Pekar, and each of them, either of whom may act without the joinder of the other, as his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement and any Registration Statement (including any amendment thereto) for this offering that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and all other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or would do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or either of them or their or his substitute and substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates presented.

 

Signature

  

Title*

 

Date

/s/  Charles R. Olmstead

Charles R. Olmstead

   Chief Executive Officer of the registrant (Principal Executive Officer), and Director of Mid-Con Energy GP, LLC, the general partner of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP, the sole member of the registrant   May 2, 2014

/s/  Jeffrey R. Olmstead

Jeffrey R. Olmstead

   Chief Financial Officer of the registrant (Principal Financial Officer), and Director of Mid-Con Energy GP, LLC, the general partner of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP, the sole member of the registrant   May 2, 2014

/s/  David A. Culbertson

David A. Culbertson

   Chief Accounting Officer of the registrant (Principal Accounting Officer)   May 2, 2014

/s/  S. Craig George

S. Craig George

   Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mid-Con Energy GP, LLC, the general partner of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP, the sole member of the registrant   May 2, 2014

 

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Signature

  

Title*

 

Date

/s/  Peter A. Leidel

Peter A. Leidel

   Director of Mid-Con Energy GP, LLC, the general partner of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP, the sole member of the registrant   May 2, 2014

/s/  Cameron O. Smith

Cameron O. Smith

   Director of Mid-Con Energy GP, LLC, the general partner of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP, the sole member of the registrant   May 2, 2014

/s/  Robert W. Berry

Robert W. Berry

   Director of Mid-Con Energy GP, LLC, the general partner of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP, the sole member of the registrant   May 2, 2014

/s/  Peter Adamson III

Peter Adamson III

   Director of Mid-Con Energy GP, LLC, the general partner of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP, the sole member of the registrant   May 2, 2014

/s/  Michael L. Wiggins

Michael L. Wiggins

   Director of Mid-Con Energy GP, LLC, the general partner of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP, the sole member of the registrant   May 2, 2014

/s/  C. Fred Ball Jr.

C. Fred Ball Jr.

   Director of Mid-Con Energy GP, LLC, the general partner of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP, the sole member of the registrant   May 2, 2014

*The registrant is a member-managed limited liability company. Therefore, the registrant does not have a board of directors. The sole member of the registrant has appointed certain individuals to serve as officers of the registrant.

 

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Table of Contents

INDEX TO EXHIBITS

 

Exhibit

   
  1.1**  

Form of Underwriting Agreement

  3.1  

Certificate of Limited Partnership of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on August 12, 2011 (File No. 333-176265)).

  3.2  

First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP, dated as of December 20, 2011 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP’s current report on Form 8-K filed on December 23, 2011).

  3.3  

Certificate of Formation of Mid-Con Energy GP, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.4 to Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on August 12, 2011 (File No. 333-176265)).

  3.4  

Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Mid-Con Energy GP, LLC, dated as of December 20, 2011 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Mid-Con Energy Partners, LP’s current report on Form 8-K filed on December 23, 2011).

  3.5  

Certificate of Incorporation of Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation dated February 11, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.5 to the Partnership’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (SEC File No. 333-187012), filed on March 1, 2013).

  3.6  

Bylaws of Mid-Con Energy Finance Corporation dated February 11, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.6 to the Partnership’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (SEC File No. 333-187012), filed on March 1, 2013).

  3.7  

Certificate of Formation of Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC dated as of July 27, 2011 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.7 to the Partnership’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (SEC File No. 333-187012), filed on March 1, 2013).

  3.8  

Limited Liability Company Agreement of Mid-Con Energy Properties, LLC dated as of July 27, 2011 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.8 to the Partnership’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (SEC File No. 333-187012), filed on March 1, 2013).

  4.1  

Form of Senior Indenture (including form of senior debt security and form of guaranty agreement) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Partnership’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (SEC File No. 333-187012), filed on March 1, 2013).

  4.2  

Form of Subordinated Indenture (including form of subordinated debt security and form of guaranty agreement) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Partnership’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (SEC File No. 333-187012), filed on March 1, 2013).

  5.1*  

Opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP as to the legality of the securities being registered

  8.1*  

Opinion of Andrews Kurth LLP relating to tax matters

  12.1*  

Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

  23.1*  

Consent of Cawley, Gillespie & Associates, Inc.

  23.2*  

Consent of Grant Thornton LLP

  23.3*  

Consent of Grant Thornton LLP

  23.4*  

Consent of Andrews Kurth LLP (included in Exhibits 5.1 and 8.1)

  24.1*  

Powers of Attorney (included on the signature page)

  25.1*  

Statement of Eligibility and Qualification of the Trustee under the Senior Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, on Form T-1.

  25.2*  

Statement of Eligibility and Qualification of the Trustee under the Subordinated Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, on Form T-1.

 

* Filed herewith.
** To be filed by amendment or as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K.

 

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